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thehomeofduck · 2 years

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Curse of the Fold | Chapter 8

Rating: Explicit (Violence, Sexual Content) Pairing: Daryl/Buck, M/M, Canon/OC

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I let Dutch go at his own pace down the long road. It’d still be quite a while before we got back. Although I couldn’t count the minutes. Time really felt like nothing now. I only kept track of the days in my journal to remind myself. What was it again? The tenth. January 2011 to be exact. Only a year and a bit since the apocalypse started. At least an approximate. I couldn’t say for sure. Was just when it broke out into the media. And I definitely didn’t feel like doing the math.

I let my thoughts wander on random things, anything to keep me occupied. Or at least try to. It was easy to get bored.

I looked around me. Was just open fields, forests in the distance. I could see some silhouettes of walkers, but they were nowhere near close enough for worry. I just kept Dutch going.

Dutch grew slower, and I noticed him getting weary. Was time to stop for a break. I pulled lightly on his lead until he stopped. I slipped off the saddle on my side, making sure to catch myself on my good leg. He looked back at me.

“Come on.” I smile, taking his lead in hand and guiding him towards the grass. He quickly took the opportunity to flop down. I bent down beside him, grabbing a flat piece of rubber from his bag, pulling it until it took the shape of a bowl. I sat it in front of Dutch, filling it with water for him. He eagerly drank from it, pulling up bits of water with his tongue. I let myself drop down beside him, sitting back against his large body.

I looked at the bottle in my hands, taking a few sips of it. Setting it back down, I dug through the bigger bag of Dutch’s saddle. I pulled out my notebook and a case of pencils, opening my last blank page. I could journal now if I really wanted, but it was still midday. Why do it now when I could later? I never liked doing journals out of schedule. Always morning, and talking about the previous day.

I looked around me. Still just an open area. It’s like I was expecting something exciting to come up. Maybe I could draw a bit. I was never great at it, but I liked doodling landscapes. I shifted to face the side of the road. Leaning back on Dutch, I studied the tree in front of me.

There were little to no leaves left on it from the winter that passed. It was bare and I could see every branch that stuck out from it. Although, the more I looked, the more they started to blend in. Finding it harder to make out which was which. I grabbed a pencil from the case, sketching without much thought to it. Looking back and forth from the page and the sight in front of me.

I almost fell back as Dutch stood, walking off a bit to find a particular spot of grass that suited him. I grunt. The movement had made me scribble across the page. I turned the pencil, erasing to the best of my abilities without ruining the drawing.

I sighed, closing the journal and throwing it to the side. Why was I so.. mad about it? It was just a stupid little drawing. I rub my hands over my face. Emotions were messing with me, they were confusing, and I was having trouble figuring out why. I pulled my head up to look towards Dutch. He was munching on some grass below. He suddenly pulled his head up, ears pointed forward as he looked around.

Taking a look under him, I could see the shuffling of a walker come close. I just watched. I didn’t think to move or shoo Dutch away. Just watched.

Dutch’s ears lay back once he spotted the walker coming up on him, clearly not happy about the unwanted disturbance. He moved forward, trying to distance himself from it. The walker continued, determined and only driven by the smell of horse. Dutch gave out a squeal, a warning to it. But it paid no mind, not having the thought process to back off. Dutch stomped his hoof to the ground, kicking a bit with his back legs and moving a further ahead. It followed.

With another sharp squeal. Dutch raised his hind legs, kicking hard at the walker and sending it flying back. I watched it hit the ground; the head rolling far from where its body laid. Dutch huffed, turning back to quickly come to me. He nudged my head, and I held a hand on the side of his head.

I stared at the dead walker, not able to look away.

Dutch nudged me again. I took that as a hint to get up. I pulled my hand from him and got up, shoving my stuff back into his saddle. Grabbing the bowl, I squished it, filling the bottle back up with it to not waste water. As well as reminding myself not to drink from this bottle again.

Now, how to get back on him. I looked around, nothing I could drag over.

“Down buddy.” I pointed down. He watched my hand, pausing before moving to lie on the ground. “Good boy, you remember.” I pat his side, climbing over him. “Alright, now up.” I leaned over him, allowing myself to balance better. Dutch stood with ease and I held on so I wouldn’t slip off.

I led him back to the road, and we set off the rest of the way. Growing anxious as we approached further.

I could see the familiar forest covering the roads, knowing we’d soon be immersed back in nature once I passed that little auto shop. Dutch seemed more at ease now, happy that we weren’t near any walkers again. He gave a snort now and then. And I only returned with pats and cooed praises.

We hit the small town. If you would even call it that. Was more of a public stop for long trips. Filled with the necessary shops for those who pass, and a few houses for those who lived here. I looked down the road. I could see some walkers in the distance. Maybe a dozen, but more could’ve been lurking. And I wasn’t gonna risk my chances running into that horde of hundreds I first saw. I guided Dutch down the road until I found the forest trail, guiding him through.

The forest seemed much more empty. Relief swept over me, and I was more relaxed through the ride. Over the bridge, by the creek, down the trails, past the trail of dead walkers, and out to the main road. I looked to my left. The car was still there and stranded. The walkers were long gone, too. I took the time to check out the vehicle more.

Multiple bodies lay under it, stuck and keeping it up on a makeshift hill. Probably panicked, reversed, and ran too many over at once. I looked back up ahead, and walkers still coated the highway. I shuddered at the thought of going down there. Turning back, I kept with Dutch down the road.

As we traveled back, I heard the sound of a car. I turned a corner and could see the van Rick and Carol took previously not too far ahead. Must’ve come back from a side road. I directed Dutch into a canter, wanting to catch up.

The makeshift doors opened for the van and I quickly followed behind as walkers started to come close from the noise.

Rick stepped out from the driver’s side and both gave me a bit of a concerned look.

“The others are okay. They’re moving onto the next point.” I stated.

“Did you find anything good?” Rick asked.

“Found a lot at the university.” I pulled Dutch forward, letting them see the bags I had. “But still not everything we need. That’s why they continued. And Dutch couldn’t handle the long road.”

“Should bring it straight to Hershel. He’ll need it.”

I nodded, guiding Dutch over to the pens to let Rick and Maggie talk. I slid down Dutch’s side and pulled off his lead. Unhooking the bags from his saddle, I set them to the side. I pulled off his saddle next, grunting as I shoved it back onto the side of the fence. Dutch was quick to go greet Flame now that he was free. I picked the bags up again and made my way into the prison courtyard. Few people were out and most kept their distance from each other.

I walked down the empty halls, finding my own way to where quarantine was set. And somehow not getting lost.

I peeked in through the glass, seeing Hershel a bit in the distance. I waited until he looked my way and started to approach. Setting the bags beside the door, I stepped further back enough.

“Any luck?” Hershel asked as he opened the door.

“Mostly supplies for future problems. Things for surgeries. Antibiotics, painkillers, syringes, tubes.” I leaned back into the wall, watching as he pulled the bags in and shut the door most of the way. “Daryl and the others went further out to grab the rest of the supplies.”

“Good. Thank you for what you brought.”

I gave him a small smile and a nod. He ducked back in and shut the door.

I walked back through the halls, backtracking until I was outside in the courtyard. I ventured down to where Dutch and Flame were relaxing together. Pulling my journal back out, I looked through the pages until I found where I drew that tree. I sat back on a box and looked out to the gate of the prison. My hand moved on its own, starting to sketch each line of the towers, then the fences, and the gate itself.

My lines were messy and light, just trying to get a basic frame of it. I focused more on the page now, darkening lines and working on smaller details. I drew small light lines of the chain-link fence. They were too distant for a lot of detail. I worked on the grass next, adding light small lines in patches all across. I heard footsteps approaching, and I turned, closing my pages.

“Think you could come help me with the fences?” Rick approached, pointing off where a white truck was filled with wooden logs.

“Yea, sure. I’m not doing anything right now.” I stood, shoving the journal and case back into Dutch’s saddle bags.

Rick led me down the trail. I could see Maggie already working on some; grabbing logs from the back of the pickup truck, bringing them through the gated inner fences and wedging them between the ground and the chained fence.

“Just start chopping them, seven-eight feet wide, doesn’t have to be perfect.” Rick explained. “I’ll be down helping Maggie with the rest, then we’ll pull the truck up to grab the rest you do.”

I only nodded, watching as he walked down further. I looked at the large logs in front of me. Most were around fifteen feet long, just had to chop them in half. The rest, I’d compare and split open. We’d probably use it for firewood or whatever other makeshift things we’d come up with.

I grabbed the larger logs, setting them up in a pile and moving the smaller ones to their own group. Rolling one forward with my foot, I grabbed the axe that stuck out from another log. I searched along it for an approximate middle, chopping down on that one part.

It was a few minutes and a few logs later that I heard the vehicle approach me. I watched as Rick and Maggie emerged and they picked up the logs I had already cut, moving them into the trunk.

“I can take over so you can have a break.” Maggie stepped forward, holding out her hand. I handed her the axe, stepping away. She quickly continued where I left off.

We all froze, hearing the faint sound of a gunshot.

#the walking dead #daryl dixon #daryl twd #fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 fanfiction #oc x canon #twd #twd fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc #daryl/buck #daryl x buck #Duck #no beta read #Curse of the Fold

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backtobackbakubabe · 3 years

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Speak Easy Part 7

Bakugo x Reader, Dabi x Reader

Words : 3515

Masterlist

*Smutty this chapter*

Reader has a siren quirk and has spent the past several years of her life as a captive being experimented on by “heroes” Now that she’s out she needs protection and safe place to heal. Who will be the one to put her pieces back together?

Words with ‘this’ is dialogue written in her journal rather than said out loud and and words with ~this~ is dialogue said in sign language rather than out loud.

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“Please… I want to feel something. I need you to- I need you to make me forget, even it’s just for a little while.” His thumb was rubbing over your cheekbone. “Just don’t treat me like I’m fragile. I’m so sick of this numb and broken feeling.”

You knew you weren’t thinking clearly. You knew there was a very good possibility you’d regret this later. But right now… all you wanted was for Dabi to drown out all the thoughts in your head. You wanted to be consumed by him, wanted him to work you over until this numb feeling in your chest went away.

You expected him to be aggressive and he didn’t disappoint. His lips were on you, kissing and biting any skin exposed to him and when that wasn’t enough, his hands literally tore your shirt to pieces. His lips immediately connecting to your collarbone and trailing down. He spoke to you between kisses, his voice husky with need. “Red means stop. Yellow means slow down. Green means good to go. Repeat it back to me.”

He sucked one of your nipples into his mouth and your back arched to push your breasts closer to him. His hand heated up and slapped the tit that wasn’t currently in his mouth. “I said repeat it back to me.”

You sucked in a breath, “Red i-is stop.” His hand came down to tease your clit through your underwear. “Y-yellow is slow down.” He started to rub firm circles, making you moan in appreciation. “Green is-“ He began to suck a bruise into your neck.

“Green is what?”

A tear ran down your cheek. “Green is… AH! Good!”

“Good girl.” He pulled your underwear down your legs and it wasn’t until then that you remembered your period. You weakly started to push his hand away as it traveled up your thigh. “I haven’t forgotten y/n. I also don’t care. I’ve blood on my hands before.”

He shoved two fingers into your sopping entrance and started to pump them in a hard but slow pace. He had only just begun, and you were already beginning to feel blissed out. You didn’t know how pent up you had been until he had you unraveling at even the slightest touch.

Your nails dug into his shoulder which had him chuckling. “Oh baby… I haven’t even gotten started yet and you’re already losing your mind.” His fingers quickened their pace and his other hand grabbed the hair at the back of your head forcing you to look at him. I want those eyes open and on me.” You shivered at the sound of his voice. It wasn’t a suggestion. “Do you understand?”

You nodded your head as you stared into his blue eyes. Afraid your voice would give away how desperate you were. He wasn’t satisfied with that though. He tugged on your hair, “Use your words, I want to hear that sweet voice of yours.” He put his forehead on yours his nose brushing against yours. “Now let’s try that again… Do you understand?”

You whined as his fingers started to slow down. “Y-yes..”

“Yes… what?” His lips ghosted over yours while the palm of his hand began pressing into your clit.

“Yes sir…” Your fingers twisted into his white hair trying to pull him closer to you to close the distance between your lips.

He didn’t budge. Keeping his lips right on top of yours but not touching. “A little louder baby I can’t hear you.”

You could feel your orgasm starting to build and your eyes instinctively closed as you let your head fall back against the mirror. A needy moan slipping past your lips.

Dabi growled and bit your nipple hard, pulling on it with his teeth. Your eyes shot open and you screamed. “YES SIR! Ah… Dabi

He cooed in your ear, “Shhh, such a quick leaner. Look at you fucking falling apart on just my fingers.” He curled his fingers making you gasp in pleasure as he managed to hit that spot over and over again. “Good girls get to cum. Have you been a good girl y/n?”

You were panting now, tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes. “Yes! Oh god please let me come daddy!”

The sound that left Dabi’s lips was practically feral. “Daddy huh? Well Daddy is going to fucking ruin this pussy. After I’m done with you, no one else will be ever be good enough. I’ll make you cum again and again until the only though in that empty little head is ‘thank you daddy’.” His fingers picked up the pace and you felt yourself tighten around them.

“That’s it baby. Show daddy how much you like it. I want to hear how much you love Daddy’s fingers!”

You cried out as you felt your orgasm take over. Waves of pleasure taking over you. You didn’t even know what words left your mouth as you babbled in bliss.

You felt Dabi’s body heat tear away from you momentarily before hearing the shower turn on. Before you had time to react you were scooped up into his arms and he was walking you into the hot spray. You didn’t know when he had, had time to take his clothes off but here he was buck ass naked pulling your back to his bare chest.

There was a seat in there that he had gotten for you. He took a seat and pulled you into his lap. His lips found the juncture where you shoulder met you neck. One of his hands came up to fondle you tit, fingers tweaking your nipple while the other squeezed your hip. “Color?”

You leaned back into him letting your head rest on his shoulder, “Green.”

The hot spray of the shower was hitting your chest and abdomen. You hummed in pleasure as he continued to lavish your neck in kisses.

Then with absolutely no warming he was shoving himself into you in one long hard thrust. The only hint of patience being when he stopped to let you adjust to his size. You screamed and your nails dug into his thighs. “That’s it let me hear you.” He slowly dragged his cock out to the tip before slamming you back on top of it. It was almost painful but in the best kind of way. “Let me hear that sweet little siren song huh? Let me hear the voice that’s so powerful it had a whole hero agency scared shitless.” He thrust into you again his lips at the shell of your ear. “I want to hear the voice that make men crumble to their knees… and I want to know that it’s singing my praises.”

His pace was slow but aggressive. You could already feel your second orgasm building and you couldn’t hold back your moans even if you tried. They only spurred him on.

Suddenly he was standing and flipping you around, so you were bent over holding the chair for support. His hips snapped into you as he picked up the pace. A hot hand came down on your ass cheek before snaking down to your front and playing with your clit again. “Ah fuck… yes. Thank you daddy. Please don’t stop! I’m gonna I-I’m gonna… AH!”

“You’re doing so great baby. You take my cock like you were made for it. No one could take this cock like you do. You’re so good… Cum for me. Come on you can do it, I know you can.”

You rockers your hips back into him a few times before gasping as you started to clench around him. “Oh baby you’re so fucking tight. God you feel so good.” You came even harder than you had the first time and felt your arms give out. You would have fallen forward if Dabi hadn’t caught you.

“Oh no baby doll. I’m not done with you yet… I heard all things, good or bad, come in threes… So, what do you say?” His dick that was still in you twitched. “Think you have another orgasm in you?” He chuckled when you only whined in response. “I’ll take that as a yes.��

He pulled out of you only long enough to turn you around to face him. You couldn’t stop your eyes from roaming over his naked body as this was the first time you had seen it. You thought you saw something that looked like insecurity briefly flash in his eyes, but you didn’t have enough time to ponder it because he was manhandling you once again.

He leaned your back against the shower wall lips finding yours. His fingers ghosted a trail from the side of your breast, down you side, until he reached your knee. He hooked a hand under it before pulling it up until your ankle was resting over his shoulder. He continued to kiss you as he repeated this process to your other leg.

The stretch in your muscles was bordering on uncomfortable as he basically folded you in half like a fucking taco. You didn’t have time to complain though as he thrust his throbbing dick back into you.

It was softer this time though. His forehead leaned on yours as he slowly fucked into you. “What’d I say about keeping your eyes open sweetheart. I need you to look at me. Now open up those pretty eyes for me huh?”

You bit your lip and blushed as you looked into eyes. “Oh no need to be shy now.” His hand came up to push some of your wet hair out of your face. “You are so-“ His hips started to stutter a little. “Fucking perfect.” You wrapped your arms around his neck. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you are broken, or weak. You are a fucking fighter, you are so strong.”

A broken moan left his lips and you could tell he was almost at his limit. He began to eratically pump into you, hitting that hidden spot inside you every… single… time.

“Please Dabi, I can’t. It’s too much!” You struggled to keep your eyes open but you somehow managed.

“Yes you CAN! COLOR?”

Your hands gripped into his shoulder and you accidentally activated your quirk. You closed your eyes before you could connected with his thoughts, but there was nothing you could do about the skin to skin contact. You were hit with not only your own pleasure but his as well and it immediately overwhelmed the both of you. It was like an endless cycle of pleasure feeding into each other.

“Oh my FUCK! GREEN, GREEN, GREEN! SHIT GREEN!” Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as your legs shook violently with your intense orgasm.

He growled loudly as he released inside of you. “Shit I’m cumming. You took me by surprise you fucking naughty girl.” He pumped into you a few more times before stilling inside of you.

The only sound for the next few minutes was that of your labored breaths. His fingers traced patterns into your skin. You hissed when he finally pulled out of you. He put you feet back on the floor but had to keep his hands on you to keep you steady.

He reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of body wash. You felt like putty in his hands. Letting him clean you while massaging your sore muscles. It wasn’t until the water started to grow cold that he wrapped you in a towel and carried you back to your room. You fell asleep sometime after getting dressed for bed. The weight of the past few days finally lifting off of your shoulders.

****

Dabi pulled your sleeping form on top of him slipping his warm hands on your lower back, much like he had the other night. You nuzzled into his neck and sighed. Your small hands gripping his shirt in your sleep.

Later that night he stared at the ceiling as his fingers carded through your hair. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew he didn’t need to read too much into what had just happened between the two of you. You had literally asked him for a distraction. If that’s what you needed, then he’d gladly give it to you. He just hoped you didn’t regret it.

He knew this was temporary. He knew soon enough you’d leave here and end up with someone like Bakugo. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth. He saw the way you looked at each other. There was history there that he couldn’t ignore. Part of him knew you deserved to have someone like Bakugo at you side.

He couldn’t afford to let himself get too attached to you. He was already too close. Any closer and he would never let you leave. He needed to be careful.

The next day you woke up to an empty bed, which surprised you because you almost always woke up before Dabi… Oh shit Dabi. Your mind replayed last night’s events and you felt your face heat up. You had asked him to make you feel something and he delivered… three times.

You grudgingly rolled out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. The whole way there you practiced what you would say in your head. You expected him to find him sitting in the kitchen with his cocky smirk eating breakfast. You expected sly comments and maybe even an attempt at round 2 on the kitchen counter.

What you didn’t expect was to walk into an empty kitchen. You shrugged thinking maybe he was in his room doing only God knows what.

You headed to the pantry to grab stuff to make breakfast but saw a note written in the most childish handwriting pinned to the fridge.

“Had to run some errands. Try not to die while I’m gone, and don’t leave the house. There’s a phone in the office for emergencies. – Dabi”

You couldn’t stop the feeling of dread that washed over you. He wasn’t here. You were alone. He hadn’t even asked you, he just left.

You nervously made your way around the house checking every single widow and door to make sure they were locked and secured. Your nerves were all over the place. You were definitely giving him a piece of your mind when he got home. You momentarily debated if you should call Katsuki, but after what happened last night you didn’t know if you could face him. You refused to feel guilty for sleeping with Dabi, but you did at least acknowledge that it would hurt Katsuki if he found out, and that made you sad.

You didn’t know what to do with yourself. You hadn’t had a free day to yourself in a very long time. You used to love days like this. You’d usually order a bunch of take out, pop open a bottle of wine and binge watch TV.

Your circumstances might be a little different now. You may not be able to order take out, but you knew Dabi had a wine cellar and a TV. You snooped around the kitchen before you found some frozen pizzas. This had the potential to be a good fay after all. Maybe a break was what you needed. You still had some lingering anger with him about the whole drowning fiasco, and it your frustration only grew with his little disappearing act.

You didn’t know how long to cook the pizza, so you just guessed. You chuckled at the thought of Dabi coming home to you burning the house down trying to make a pizza.

You took what looked like a very expensive bottle of wine and plopped your ass on the couch. You could watch whatever you wanted, and it didn’t matter because Dabi wasn’t here to be grumpy about it.

You were one pizza, two bottles of wine, and three seasons into your free day, and you were loving it. You hadn’t felt so… normal in a long time.

You were putting a second pizza into the over when you heard the front door slam close.

You held your breath and grabbed the closest thing to you which was a spatula. You held it close to your chest as you slowly rounded the corner. You practically ran straight into a hard wall of muscle. You immediately started swatting at them with a drunken war cry.

“OW! Shit stop it you fucking gremlin it’s just me!” Dabi yanked the spatula from your grasp and used it to swat at your ass. “Seriously you’re in a kitchen full of knives and shit and your first instinct was to grab the spatula.”

You yelped as he swatted at your ass again. “Heyy you’re lucky it wasn’t *hiccup* a knife or I’d ‘ave stabbed you.”

“Oh yeah? I’d be more afraid of you stabbing yourself with how drunk you are.” He took a look around and smirked, “Looks like you’ve had a good day.”

The timer for the pizza went off and you practically jumped out of your skin. “Oh! Pizza! You want some?”

Dabi shook his head, “Unlike you, I’ve had a very, very bad day. I think I’m going to head to bed early.”

Your lip stuck out in a pout, “Oh come ooooooon. You’ve been gone *hiccup* all day!” You lunged at him and wrapped your arms around him. You noticed him wince and you pulled away to see your shirt was now covered in blood… his blood. The sight was nearly enough to sober you up on the spot.

“Dabi! What the hell? What happened?”

He tried to take a step away from you, “Nothing, some of my staples just ripped out. It’s not a big deal.”

You grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up. “Staples my ass! Dabi you’ve been stabbed!”

He groaned, “I’m fine! It’s not even that bad. Just a flesh wound.” The smell of smoke came from the oven, “Please take out the pizza before you burn the house down.”

“The pizza! Shit hold on.” You took a step towards the oven but came back and pointed at him. “Don’t. Move. I’ll be right back.”

He wanted to be irritated as he watched you skip off towards the oven. You were a cute drunk. A stupid drunk, but cute all the same. He watched you reach in to grab the pizza without any oven mits like an idiot, “Y/N! Stop! You’re going to burn yourself.”

He hissed through his teeth as he pushed through the pain to shove you away from the oven. You wobbled a little before your eyes settled back on Dabi. “Oops.” You giggled and put on the oven mits and took out the pizza. It was a little charred in some places, but you didn’t seem to mind. “Okay! Game plan… We eat pizza until I’m not drunk and then I sew you up.”

Dabi took a seat in a high bar stool at the kitchen island and you hopped up on the counter to sit practically between his legs. “That sounds like a terrible idea. I can handle it. I told you it’s not that bad.”

You took a huge bite of pizza, “Well if it’s not that bad then it should be something I can handle then.” Dabi opened his mouth to protest but you cut him off by shoving a piece of pizza in in his face. “Nope! No negotiations. Law number eleven accept help when it’s offered!”

He rolled his eyes as he took the slice from you. “You’re fucking stubborn you know that?”

“I am well aware. Now you going to tell me about how you got stabbed?”

He avoided eye contact and nibbled at his pizza. “Nope. That’s between me and the dumbass who was stupid enough to do it.”

You hadn’t expected him to tell you, but it still irked you that he was hiding things from you. “Law number twelve. No lying.”

Dabi could hear the hurt in your voice and he sighed. “I’m not lying, I’m just not telling you.”

You glared at him, “Not telling me is just a lie of omission!”

He brushed your hair out of your face, “Did you learn that in hero school.”

You pressed your cheek into his hand. “Will you please let me know the next time you decide to leave? It was kind of scary being by myself.”

He felt kind of bad for leaving without saying anything but he couldn’t risk you finding out what he was up too. He gave you a smirk, “Aw did you miss me?”

Your eyes looked into his and without any hesitation, “Yes.”

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “I’ll compromise with you. I’ll let you bandage my little cut, but I promise it doesn’t need stitches.”

You smiled and tried to hop off the counter. Your equilibrium was still a little off though because you ended up in Dabi’s lap. He smirked, “After all this time, still falling for me huh?”

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Tags: tags: @falling4fandoms @wifunozomi @here-in-never-land @whore-for-anime@klecksstorys @aurorahoneybuns @theunknownrandom @insane-without-delirium @frenchsfryys @officiallydarkgeek @neofixcs @music-is-all-i-need @katsuki-bakubabe @unadulteratedtastemakerpoetry @dabislittlemouse@aimee1602 @pinkhatlizzy @kunaigirlx44 @nii-sanfucker

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wicked-mind · 3 years

Text

Remember Me: Chapter Seven

Summary: Y/N and Bucky were the unlikely match when it came to love, but they were inseparable since they met. After a fight, Y/N left to be a trauma surgeon in the military and returns without her memories. How will Bucky remind Y/N how she is the fire in his bones?

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings: Swearing (I like swearing. Adds character and sounds pretty to me lol), mentions of surgical procedures, car crash, miscarriage, John Walker, slight bit of PTSD.

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As always, any likes, reblog, or comments are appreciated (:

*gifs not mine

Previously

Y/N removed her eyes from his face, listening to the story. Her forehead creased a moment as she thought about all that was said before meeting his gaze once again. A small smile curved on her lips and she leaned towards him, kissing his lips softly before pulling away slightly to look at him, “I forgive you, Bucky."

Bucky felt relief flood through him at her words, smiling down to her. He couldn’t find any words to say to her so instead he returned his arms around her body and pulled her closer, kissing her deeply. Those were words Bucky had waited to hear for so long and for a while he didn’t know if he would ever hear them from Y/N. Everything seemed right in the world for now, and even though he was worried about what was written in those journals John had given her due to what Steve had said, he hoped that whatever else it was would be forgiven also.

Truth was, Y/N always had forgiven Bucky for what was said the moment she left. She knew it was from his own fears. But what had broken her heart was hidden in the pages of those journals.

Chapter seven - The truth in the writing

Y/N wasn’t supposed to be back to work until noon, but she got called in early due to an apartment fire that would lead to multiple traumas coming in meaning it was all hands on deck. Bucky watched her pack the yellow folder John had given to her last night into her backpack before taking her to the hospital. He came back to Steve’s to find him and Peggy having some coffee. Bucky grabbed himself a mug of the dark liquid before leaning against the counter, “She took the journals with her.” He said over to Steve.

Peggy narrowed her eyes as they flickered between the two, “What journals?”

Steve sighed, sitting at the dining table next to Peggy, “Y/N’s friend, that blonde guy named John, brought some of her journals that were left behind at her base camp. Says there’s everything in there.” He informed.

“Yeah, including something we don’t know about.” Bucky grumbled out, “Something that made our break-up worse than just the words that were said.” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. He replayed that night so many times in his head that every moment was burned into his brain and he couldn’t think of anything other than what was said before she left, “We gotta figure this out. So I can at least try to make it better after she reads whatever is in there.”

Peggy set her glass mug on the table, “Okay, then let’s walk through it.” She said helpfully, “Y/N came here that night after her shift and showed us the deployment papers with the date for her to leave set in a month, June 7th. She was so excited to tell you that she left immediately after. What happened at your house, James?”

Bucky sighs, setting his mug down on the counter to run a hand through his dark hair, “She came in all excited and jumped into my arms. Everything was fine and then she showed me the papers. We argued about it because I didn’t want her to go. I told her if she walked out those doors I wouldn’t be here waiting for her and not to come back. And then she left.” He flinched at his own words. He hated that he had said that to Y/N.

Steve leans back in his chair, “Then she came back here in tears and frantic. We tried to get her to talk to us about what happened but she just packed her bags, got in her car, and left.” He sighs, “I called her everyday for about four days until she finally picked up and told me she was fine, just needed some space, and she would be back soon. After that, I didn’t hear from her until she was deployed.”

Bucky cocks his head to the side at Steve, narrowing his eyes, “You never told me that.”

Steve scoffs slightly, “Yeah, well, you made my sister run away, we weren’t exactly on the best speaking terms, Buck.”

“So we have no idea where she was or what she was doing for a month before she was deployed?” Peggy interrupted, watching Bucky and Steve shake their heads to say no. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, “Maybe something happened in that month.”

Bucky looked over from Peggy to Steve, “What did she say while she was deployed?” He asks curiously, folding his arms as he leaned against the counter.

Steve looked from Peggy to Bucky, picking up his mug and bringing it to his lips for a drink before setting it back down, “Y/N called me when she got to the base, told me she made it safe and she was sorry she didn’t come back before she left, that she couldn’t come back. I asked her what happened between you two and she told me what was said. I told her you didn’t mean it and to at least give you a call.” He watched Bucky’s features soften for a moment, “There were a few more phone calls. She told me what you said hurt, but that she was okay and there was another reason she couldn’t come home or talk to you. We didn’t really talk about you two after that.”

Bucky groaned slightly. What had happened? The more he thought about it the more the timeline didn’t make sense. Everything had been fine between them the days, even weeks leading up to when she ran away were fine. He sighs looking back to Steve, “I don’t know, man.” He said, “Everything was great. We made cookies together, went on rides, had a Star Wars marathon. Everything was perfect… So perfect in fact I bought a damn engagement ring.”

Steve looked at Bucky with almost fully wide eyes before looking at Peggy who was sipping her coffee avoiding eye contact, “You knew about this, Peggy?”

Peggy put her coffee down, pursing her lips a little before speaking, “Of course I knew! Who do you think had to help him pick out the damn thing?”

Steve nodded and turned his attention back to Bucky, “Wow.” He said still nodding, “Well, now I really wish things would’ve gone differently. She would’ve been so excited.” He said with a small smile towards Bucky. Steve had always trusted Bucky with Y/N. The way he treated her was like a queen.

Bucky’s lips twitched into a small smile for a moment at Steve’s approval before it faded back into a stern line. He was going to ask Steve for help with the proposal when Bucky eventually figured out how to ask, but hadn’t gotten around to it before it all went to shit, “So nobody knows what the reason is…”

Steve nodded slowly, “Well… none of us know. But there is one person who does.”

Bucky groaned a little again and rubs his hand along his face, “God, I really hate John Walker.”

—

Y/N dealt with the wave of incoming traumas from the apartment building fire, running point on sorting patients by the degree of their injuries to create a steady flow in the operating room and emergency room. Once everything had died down, Y/N sat in the attending’s lounge eating a sandwich and starting to go through yellow folder from her backpack. There were photos of Y/N with Bucky and some of her with Steve and Peggy as well of her with John. There were also photos of her while she was deployed mostly doing silly poses in the middle of nowhere. She placed the photos back into the folder and pulled out the two notebooks next. They were leather-bound full sized journals. She opened the first one that looked just a bit more well used, figuring it was the first one. Her brow furrowed when she turned to the first page. It was dated at the top, May 15, 2019 but the rest of the page looked like the words had been gone over with permanent marker. Y/N turned to the next page and the next but for about ten pages over the next ten days from May 15th, all the words had been scribbled over with permanent marker, “Well, that’s just great.” She mutters out to herself softly, “Thanks me. Super helpful.”

Y/N finally found a page with actual words instead of just a page of black marker, the date read May 25th, 2019. It was filled with the words repeating ‘I am not my trauma.’ over and over again until the last line that read:

I’ll forget the piece that was taken away from me.

She frowned a little. What trauma did this refer to? What had happened? She turns the page quickly to read the next page.

May 26th, 2019

I leave in eleven days.

I want more than anything to call him. I don’t know what I would say. How do I explain what happened. Where do I begin?

He told me if I leave to never come back. That he won’t be waiting for me.

A part of me knows that’s a lie. I know he’d be there with open arms if he knew what happened.

I found that ring after all…

Y/N had to read the line over again a few times. Ring? There was a ring?

But how would he feel if he knew how ruined I was?

His sun swallowed into a dark pit.

He loves me. And I don’t think I’m me anymore.

Nobody wants broken things.

May 28th, 2019

I want to feel safe again.

They say writing down what I feel is going to ground me to reality. They also said I should call somebody. I can’t do that. I can’t let them know how much I hurt. I just want to run as far away as possible and that’s what I’ll do. I need to get out of here. It feels like I can’t breathe and everywhere I look I’m met with eyes filled with pity. It makes everything worse the way they look at me and stare. I get released tomorrow, I’m signing out AMA. Then it’s just nine more days. Maybe it’ll replace my trauma with a different trauma. Anything would be better than this.

I miss Bucky. I miss running my fingers through his hair and the way his stubble would brush against my skin. I miss being in his arms the most. They were so safe like nothing could ever hurt me. I wish I would’ve stayed then none of this would’ve happened. We could’ve just fought about it then go to bed and sort it out until I left. At least then I would’ve felt save and would’ve been safe.

I think the worst part about our fight was that I knew about the ring. I found it in his boxer drawer when putting away his laundry. You’d figure he would’ve picked a better hiding spot, but nope. He’s never been good at hiding things from me. I was halfway expecting him to propose when I showed him my deployment papers so we both had something to look forward to when I came back. I would’ve said yes in a heartbeat if he did. After all, James Buchanan Barnes is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. But that’s not what happened. And here I am stuck in pain and guilt.

Y/N shut the book when she heard someone come in, wiping away some tears she hadn’t noticed falling from her cheeks. She looks over and put on her best smile for Chief Miller, “Afternoon, Chief.”

Miller had his hands tucked in his pockets, “Everything okay, Y/N?” He asks gently, nothing the tear brimmed eyes.

Y/N nodded, keeping the same smile on her face, “Yeah, everything’s good. A friend brought me some journals to see if they’ll help me remember. It’s just confusing and a lot to read.” She said softly, “Were you looking for me?”

Miller nodded at her words, “I’m sorry, that must be hard.” He said with a reassuring smile, “I was just getting all your medical records transferred over and one was locked from a hospital in Queens. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to unlock it so we have that information on file in case it’s needed in the future.”

Y/N tilted her head at him, her brow pulling together in confusion, “I don’t remember what the nature of that visit would be… Did it have a date? I can call the doctor from the hospital to get it unlocked if I know the date.”

“May 14th, 2019.” Miller replied, “The doctors name I think was Wanda Maximoff.”

Y/N nodded slowly at the date. It was the day before her journal started with the scribbled out pages. She pushed the journal into her backpack, “Thanks, Chief. I’ll give them a call.” She said with a small smile before standing and leaving the room. She found an empty office with a computer, googling the hospital in Queens and asking for Dr. Maximoff.

“This is Dr. Maximoff.” A woman with an accent said over the phone when Y/N was connected.

“Hi, this is Dr. Rogers from Brooklyn Mercy. I was calling about a locked file in my health records.”

“Oh, Y/N! How have you been? Are you back from deployment?”

“Been better… And yes, I am. I was calling because a medical report of mine from May 14, 2019 is sealed and I don’t remember the nature of the visit. I lost a lot of my memories due to an incident overseas and I’m trying to put pieces together.”

“I see.. I’m so sorry to hear that. Our hospital isn’t too far from Brooklyn Mercy, I think we should talk about this in person given the situation. I’ll drive down and meet you in about forty-five minutes, would that work?”

“That’d be perfect, thank you Dr. Maximoff.” Y/N said before enhancing goodbyes and hanging up. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest with how fast it was racing and she felt sick to her stomach as she tried to remember what happened. Whatever happened, it was bad enough that Dr. Maximoff was coming to tell her in person.

Y/N asked Chief Miller if he would be there when she went over the information with Maximoff, wanting some sort of support in case whatever happened was really bad. She kept adjusting herself in the chair in front of Chief Miller, nervous for whatever information was about to come out. She put on a small smile when Dr. Maximoff came into the office holding a medical file, shaking her hand and watching her take a seat in the chair next to her, “Nice to meet you again, Dr. Maximoff.”

“Oh call me Wanda. And again, I’m very sorry about your memory loss. I want to start by saying that we have support groups I can recommend after we talk about this information. Given that you don’t remember, it is possible you’ll go through all the emotions and grief again.” Wanda said before placing the file on Chief Miller’s desk and opening it slowly, “The night of May 14th, 2019 paramedics responded to an accident involving two vehicles. You were in one of them. It was determined the other driver was driving under the influence and had a large amount of alcohol in his system.”

Y/N nodded slowly, watching Wanda instead of looking at the file. Her eyes were full of kindness, even maybe a little pity, “What happened to the drunk driver?”

“He died in surgery. With the amount of alcohol in his system, the bleeding couldn’t be controlled and the damage was too severe.” Wanda said before continuing, “It was later determined that he was going forty miles per hour over the speed limit and from your statement, he was driving down the wrong side of the road with his headlights off. You didn’t see him coming until it was too late.”

“How bad was it?” Y/N asks softly, picking at her fingers nervously as she listened.

Wanda sighs, flipping through pages of the file on Chief Miller’s desk, “You sustained abdominal bleeding, two fractured ribs, and superficial lacerations that our head of plastic surgery took care of which is why there is no scarring. You made me promise not to call your emergency contacts.” Wanda paused, observing Y/N’s reaction but she was just sitting there nodding, “We took blood samples to cross match your blood so we couldn’t have to keep giving you O-negative blood. Those blood tests showed trace amounts of the hCG hormone. After we took care of the abdominal bleeding, you miscarried from stress. You didn’t know you were pregnant. You asked me to seal the records of the accident and you signed yourself out against medical advice.”

Y/N took a deep ragged breath, looking down at the floor in shock. The writings in the journal were making sense. She could hear Chief Miller and Wanda asking if she was okay but they sounded distant and like they were underwater. Flashes started coming back in her mind of that night. She was driving down the road back to her hotel she was staying at, crying and listening to sad songs on the radio when the crash happened. Y/N put her hand on her chest as her breathing became more erratic, it was like she couldn’t get enough air. She could see Wanda and Miller trying to ask if she was okay and calm her down but their voices were so different and everything around her was swaying. She remembered sitting in a hospital bed and crying over the news and the guilt she felt for leaving the safety of Bucky, “Can’t breathe…” She whispers out, trying to stand slowly from the chair. Y/N remembered the day after it happened, Wanda brought the journals to her hoping it would help to write what she was feeling since she wouldn’t contact anybody. She remembered the grief she felt as well as the shock and pain. This was the reason she didn’t come back to Bucky and avoided him, she didn’t know what to tell him. The world was swaying like she was on a boat and it felt like she was underwater, unable to get air in her lungs or hear the muffled sounds coming from Chief Miller and Wanda. She stumbled around at the room spinning, blinking rapidly before the world around her started fading to black and she fell onto the floor.

——

Steve, Peggy, and Bucky were still all trying to figure out events that lead up to Y/N running away a month before her deployment, trying to think of any clues that would help put the puzzle pieces together.

Steve’s phone starting ringing and he excused himself from the conversation to take the call, “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Doctor Miller, Chief of Surgery over at Brooklyn Mercy. Is this Steve Rogers, Y/N’s brother?”

“This is Steve. Is everything alright?” “Yes, everything is alright. I’m just giving you a call to ask you to come in. Your sister had a pretty serious panic attack and lost consciousness. I think it would be good if you came in.”

“What? Yeah, I’m on my way.” Steve said, walking back into the kitchen, “We have to go, Y/N’s been admitted to the hospital for a panic attack.”

Bucky frowns, “Probably read those damn journals.” He growled out, turning immediately and walking out the front door to his motorcycle and speeding down the road towards the hospital with Peggy and Steve right behind him in their car.

When they arrived at the hospital, Chief Miller was waiting for them at the front doors. He lead them up to the room Y/N was in where she was talking to Wanda with the door closed and crying, pulling an oxygen mask up to her mouth every so often. Bucky looked through the window to the room before noticing that none other than John Walker was standing a little bit away from the room leaning against the wall with a frown. Bucky immediately felt rage consume him, stomping over to John and pushing him against the wall, “What were in those journals?!” He yelled before landing a punch to John’s cheek.

John winced at the hit and pushed Bucky away from him, “She knew about the ring, asshole! She thought you were going to propose that night but instead you broke up with her!”

Chief Miller and Steve quickly pulled the two apart, Miller holding John back while Steve held Bucky back, “That’s not what it was about! Now knock if off before I call security.” Chief Miller said, moving to stand between the men, “Due to her privacy, I can’t tell you what it was but it wasn’t about a ring.”

“She knew about the ring?” Bucky said, wide eyed as he processed the words. No wonder she had been so mad at him and what he had said. She thought she was coming home to a potential proposal and instead he told her if she left to never come back.

Peggy had separated herself from all the testosterone and walked into the room Y/N was in, shutting the door behind her, “I’m Peggy, her sister-in-law.” She told Wanda before she took a seat on the edge of Y/N’s bed, gently taking her head, “Are you okay, honey?”

Y/N shook her head rapidly, keeping the oxygen mask pressed to her mouth and nose as she cried into it. She remembered the pain when Wanda had told her she miscarried and feeling alone due to the fight she had with Bucky. It was the reason she had ran- she didn’t feel like she had a home to go back to and she wouldn’t know what Bucky would think if she told him she had lost their child. All Bucky had wanted was to grow up and have a family with her and she ruined that. Her gaze set on Bucky through the window and she pulled the blanket on her legs up over her head, sobbing loudly underneath the blanket. How could she even look at him knowing what she knew now?

Wanda got up to close the blinds in the window before returning the chair placed next to the bed, “Y/N,” Wanda asks gently, reaching out a hand to rest reassuringly on Y/N’s leg over the blanket, “You’ve dealt with this pain alone for a long time and you’re going through it again like it’s fresh. You should talk to someone about it, you need support.”

Y/N pulled the blanket off her head at the sound of the blinds shutting, looking at Wanda through her blurry tear filled eyes, “I can’t…You… You tell Peggy… I can’t… I can’t.” She sobbed out, dropping the oxygen mask to her lap and putting her face in her hands.

Wanda looks over to Peggy who was eyeing her curiously, “The night of May 14th, 2019 Y/N was brought in after her car was hit by a drunk driver. We took care of all the injuries… But we found out she was about six weeks pregnant. Due to the stress of her injuries and the stress she was already under, she miscarried.”

Peggy’s jaw dropped at the news, slowly looking over to Y/N. She quickly adjusted herself on the bed to scoot closer to Y/N, pulling her into a secure hug and stroking her hair softly, “Shh… It’s okay… I’m so sorry, honey…I’m here…” She soothed gently. It all made sense of why Y/N didn’t come back before she was deployed and why she never talked to Bucky.

Eventually Wanda offered a light sedation for Y/N since she couldn’t stop crying and keep her breathing under control. Y/N drifted off to sleep from the sedative, her mind finally calming but the ache in her body didn’t fade. When she opened her eyes, it was nighttime. She looked over to the window to see Peggy and Steve talking to Wanda and Chief Miller outside of the room. Her attention was take when she felt a soft squeeze of her hand, looking over and seeing Bucky sitting in the chair staring at her with a small smile. The sight of him almost made her break again, pulling her hand out of his grasp and pulling the blanket up over her head to hide from his face.

“Hey, Y/N,” Bucky said with a small frown when she hid away from him under the blanket, “Baby, come on look at me. Talk to me.” He pleaded, trying to pull the blanket away from her face, “What happened, doll?”

Y.N eventually quit fighting the tug of war with the blanket, letting him pull it away from her face. She didn’t meet his gaze though, staring into her lap as tears started to roll down her face. She was amazed she still had any water left in her body to cry, “I can’t… You should go…”

“Fuck that, darlin. I’m not going anywhere when you’re crying.” Bucky told her, moving himself from the chair to sit by her bedside. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaning close and kissing her temple softly, “Talk to me, please.”

“I can’t.” Y/N replied, still not meeting his gaze as she shook her head, “I was finally feeling like everything was right in the world… Like I was back where I belonged with you… Safe.” She took in a sharp breath, releasing it slowly, “Now, it’s just all going to be ruined again. We’ll be ruined. You’ll leave.”

Bucky’s frown deepened at her words as scenarios ran through his mind of what Y/N could be talking about, studying her features intently, “No we won’t. I told you that you are the love of my life, Y/N. Nothing is going to change that.” He told her, moving his position to take her face in his hand and forcing her to look at him, “Now talk to me.”

Y/N stared at Bucky for what felt like forever, studying his face. She wondered what would reflect back to her in his eyes when she told him. Right now his eyes were pooled with concern for her but once she would tell him, they knew that concern would leave, “The night we fought… May seventh right?” She watched him nod, “On May fourteenth I was driving and I was hit by a drunk driver. I was taken to a hospital in Queens where I was treated.” She watched the concern grow in his eyes at her words, “I didn’t know I was six weeks pregnant and I lost the baby… Our baby… I would’ve came back if I knew, never left… But after I couldn’t come back to you.”

Bucky’s mouth parted slightly at the words, his eyes moving across the features of her face watching the tears leak down her face. He hadn’t even noticed his own tears starting to fall at the news. Guilt raked through his body at the words he had said that made her leave, put her in that position to get hurt. It would have never happened if he would’ve swallowed his own fear and anger at her deployment. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, “I’m so sorry, doll.” He said through his own shaky breathes, trying to control his breathing as he cried, “I’m sorry, Y/N. I did this, it’s my fault… I’m so sorry.”

_____________________________________________________________Taglist: @vicmc624 @buckypops @shawnie--jo @ahahafudge @intothesoul @austynparksandpizza @stcrryslibrary

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rookie-ramsey · 4 years

Text

Curveball, Chapter 6

Description: Two months after the ski lodge, life throws them a big surprise.

Preview: The words left Sienna’s mouth in a rush. “Olivia’s in labor. She’s in the ER right now. She was in a car accident and isn’t badly hurt, but it triggered labor.”

At that, Ethan felt his heart stop. His throat clenched, suddenly dry with worry. He didn’t remember breaking into a run, but the hallways of the hospital blurred past him as his feet carried him to the ER.

previous chapter

The baby shower began with lunch. Olivia got to go first, making sure to take at least one of everything. She took a seat next to Ethan at the table and leaned against his side as they started eating.

“How does it feel seeing a baby shower in your apartment? It looks like the baby aisle at Walmart exploded in here.”

Ethan chuckled. “I’m more concerned about what the conversation over there is related to.”

She arched a brow, watching curiously as Sienna whispered with Olivia’s mother and siblings and Alan in the corner of the room. “What could our relatives be gossiping about? My sister is writing something.”

“It’s hard to tell.”

After a few minutes, Sienna stood up and grinned. “We’re going to warm up with a little guessing game. I’ll tell a childhood story about one of the parents, and you guys get to guess who it was!”

Olivia couldn’t contain an amused smirk. “I guess this means I get to hear some more delightful Little Ethan stories.”

“Apparently so.” Ethan sighed.

Sienna glanced down at the paper and giggled before reading. “This parent used to wear a white bathrobe and plastic stethoscope and played hospital with stuffed animals. Who thinks that was Olivia?”

Several hands went up. Ethan bit back a smirk as her cheeks flushed a little.

“That’s right,” her mom confirmed. “She waltzed around the house in a little white robe, used every room in the house as a hospital room for her ‘patients,’ and insisted that we had to give them privacy.”

“It sounds like I’m finally getting some blackmail material,” Ethan whispered, earning an eye roll.

“Sure you are. Nothing will ever be more embarrassing than little you making out with your teddy bear.”

Sienna moved onto the next one. “True or false! When Ethan was really little, he had a fascination with Band-Aids.”

“Why do I think that’s true?” Olivia grinned.

“Because it is,” Alan confirmed. “When he was a toddler, all it took was a box of Band-Aids to keep him amused for several minutes. Of course, he put them on everything he could get his hands on. His toys, the furniture… the interior of the car on a road trip.”

Olivia laughed. “That’s adorable.”

“It’s wasteful.” Ethan shook his head, trying not to smile. The game continued for several minutes until people were finished eating.

Curious, Olivia watched as Sienna set out several unlabeled jars of baby food. “What are those for?”

Sienna grinned. “People have to guess the flavor by smelling it or taking a tiny taste if they’re brave enough. Just a heads up, the smells and tastes may not always be accurate!”

“Who goes first?”

“You pick.” Sienna handed her a basket containing slips of paper. Olivia reached it into, digging her fingers through the papers until she picked one. She opened it slowly to increase the suspense and smirked when she read the name.

“Zaid.”

Zaid startled, his eyes widening. “What?”

Amused, Olivia revealed the paper slip with his name on it. “You get to go first.”

Ines laughed and nudged Zaid toward the table. “Do it.”

He sighed. “I should have listened to my conscience and not put my name on that paper. I should have known better.”

Baz rolled his eyes and grinned. “Okay, Eeyore. Be a fair sport and play the game.”

Giving in, Zaid picked up the first jar and took a tentative sniff. He immediately set it down. “Is that supposed to smell edible? Because it does not.” He jotted down an answer on the slip of paper and reluctantly moved to the next one.

Olivia picked the second name. “Bryce, you’re up. Don’t chicken out.”

“You think I’d really back down? Never.” He picked up the first jar and smelled it, wrinkling his nose with uncertainty.

Jackie snorted. “I’ll pay you ten bucks to taste a mouthful.”

“Deal.”

Sienna handed Bryce a clean tongue depressor from the bag of supplies. “Here you go.”

Ethan arched a brow. “Are those from the hospital?”

“We didn’t have enough plastic spoons!”

“Stealing an entire Ziploc baggie of tongue depressors from a hospital that has thousands of them? Badass.” Bryce laughed and dug out a scoop of the baby food. He put it in his mouth, immediately making a face.

“Ten dollars,” Jackie reminded him.

Bryce swallowed it and tried not to gag. “That… was gross. Zaid, I’ll do your clinic hours if you try it.”

Zaid rolled his eyes. “Do I look like a moron? Don’t answer that.”

After a few more games, they sat down to open the inordinate number of presents occupying their apartment. Olivia grabbed the first one and dug through the tissue paper until she found two tiny sets of pajamas designed to look like scrubs.

“These are so cute!”

Elijah grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Olivia picked a large present from her mom and nudged it toward Ethan. “Open that.”

Ethan removed the paper, exposing a box that seemed to contain some sort of sophisticated trash can. “What in god’s name is this?”

Rebecca laughed. “It’s a diaper genie! It’s basically a fancy trash can that’s supposed to contain the diaper smell inside them.”

“These exist?”

Rebecca chuckled. “Yes, and believe me, you’ll need it. If not for the diaper smell, then to stop them from getting into it when they learn to walk. When Olivia was a year old, she felt like knocking over a trash can full of diapers. Worst mess I ever had to clean up.”

“Really, Mom?” Olivia groaned. She opened the next present, which was from Sienna. She opened it and grinned as she dug out two stuffed dolphins, as well as two little onesies with dolphins on them.

“What do you think?”

“I love them!” Olivia folded the tiny outfits and put them back in the bag. She opened several more gifts, collecting plenty of clothes, diapers, and other necessities. When she opened the present from Baz, she giggled and held up the four matching sets of Christmas pajamas.

Ethan stared at them, his expression blank. “It’s October.”

Baz grinned. “So?”

“These are perfect. And I will make it my life’s goal to get Ethan to wear his.” Olivia gave Ethan a pointed look, wordlessly telling him he would not win the argument even if it wouldn’t happen for another two months.

Once most of her guests had left, Olivia curled up on the couch and rummaged through the gifts. Bryce and Sienna stayed to help her family clean up while Ethan helped her sort through their presents.

“I think this is my favorite.” She held up the picture frame from Alan, containing a copy of one of their sonograms and an empty slot they would use for a newborn picture when the twins were born.

Ethan thumbed through the customized journal from Naveen. His other hand subconsciously rested on Olivia’s stomach, and a moment later he felt the now-familiar little kick against his palm.

Olivia smiled, lightly placing her hand on top of his. “I don’t think you’ll ever know how cute you are when you do that. I don’t even think you realize you’re doing it half the time.”

“I guess it’s become an instinct.” Ethan slipped his arm around her.

“A cute instinct.” She gave his hand a squeeze. Stifling a yawn, she rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe it’s already October. By December, they’ll be here. I feel like it’s gone by fast and slowly at the same.”

Nodding in agreement, Ethan pressed a kiss to her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Opening presents and eating is a lot of work when you have two people inside of you.”

He chuckled and drew her closer to his side. “I’m sure it is.”

Olivia draped her arm across him and snuggled into his chest. A mischievous smile lifted the corners of her lips. “I never thought I’d see Dr. Antisocial Ramsey attending a baby shower.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “You forget that I’m capable of surprises.”

XXXXXX

It didn’t take long for maternity leave to give her cabin fever.

Since twins were almost always born earlier than expected, she scheduled her C-section for the 37th week. Even that was pushing it, but she wanted to let them develop as long as possible.

Halfway through her fourth episode of House, her phone chimed with a message from Ethan. She picked up her phone and grinned when she saw a picture of two baby onesies, each with the caption “Relax, my parents are doctors.”

She grinned as she looked at the picture to see that the onesies were blue and green to match Edenbrook’s logo. She typed a response, glancing at the time and realizing she would need to get ready for her appointment soon.

As she showered and dressed, a kick in her abdomen reminded her of just how soon their lives would change.

XXXXXX

As 1:30 approached, Ethan slipped out of his office to meet Olivia for her 35-week appointment. He pocketed his phone and car keys and made his way toward the elevator.

“Ethan!”

Ethan stopped, turning at the urgency of the voice behind him. He frowned, seeing Sienna rush toward him. “What happened?”

The words left Sienna’s mouth in a rush. “Olivia’s in labor. She’s in the ER right now. She was in a car accident and isn’t badly hurt, but it triggered labor.”

He made his way to the closed curtain in the corner and shoved it aside, finding Olivia resting on the bed with Bryce standing at her side. She held an ice pack to her bruised temple, clutching her stomach with her other hand.

Olivia looked up, her eyes wide with panic. “Ethan, it’s… it’s too soon for this to happen! I’m not supposed to have the C-section for two more weeks! My… my water broke in the cab…”

“Shh…” Unsure if he was trying to calm himself or her, Ethan took her face into his hands and met her worried eyes. “Everything’s going to be okay. I want you to take a deep breath and focus on me. Okay?”

Breathing shakily, she tried to take a deep breath. The heart monitor next to her beeped sharply, indicating her rising blood pressure. She winced when a contraction tore through her.

Ethan looked up, forcing his voice to remain steady for her sake. “Lahela, who’s on the OR floor right now?”

“Tanaka, but he’s in a heart transplant right now.”

“Scrub in.”

Bryce’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? I’m her friend.”

“Bryce, please. We can’t risk waiting too long,” Olivia pleaded, her voice trembling.

Bryce took one look into his best friend’s panicked eyes and nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

Taking Olivia’s hand into his own, Ethan let out a small sigh of relief. “How nervous will you be?”

“More nervous than I’d be operating on a stranger, but I can do it. I promise,” Bryce assured him. “Let’s go.”

Ethan moved to the head of the bed. He kept a firm grip on Olivia’s hand as they rushed to the available operating room. Her hand clutched his tightly, seeking the reassurance. When they reached the OR, she squeezed her eyes shut against the threat of tears.

“Hey…” Ethan’s hand cradled her cheek. “Everything will be alright. Please try to believe me.”

“I’m trying…”

He helped her turn onto her side so she could receive the injection for the spinal block. Olivia gripped his hand, wincing when the needle pierced her skin. She let out a long sigh as Ethan gently turned her onto her back again.

Sensing her need for comfort, Ethan brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Talk to me. Try not to focus on the risks right now. Tell me the likelihood of both babies being fine.”

Olivia’s face furrowed in thought as she wracked her mind. “Babies delivered at 35 weeks have a 99 percent chance of survival, presuming that they don’t have pre-existing conditions.”

Ethan nodded, relieved when she seemed to relax a little. “You’re right. Remember that.”

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he tried to convince himself to believe his own words. They gave the spinal block five minutes to take effect before transferring her to the operating table.

Ethan’s heart thudded against his ribs as Bryce and the surgical team he’d assembled gathered around, ready to begin. “Please tell me this isn’t your first time.”

“I’ve done one solo and assisted on three. I can do this,” Bryce assured him. He took a deep breath and firmly gripped the correct scalpel. “Ready to make the first incision.”

Ethan rested his hand on Olivia’s cheek. His thumb gently grazed her jaw. “Bryce is starting now. Focus on me and think about the fact that in just a few minutes, the babies will be here and they’ll be fine.”

Olivia leaned into his hand and drew in a long breath. With the numbing agent, she couldn’t feel the incisions. She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on Ethan’s fingers raking gently through her hair.

The minutes that passed ticked by agonizingly as she tried to think about anything other than the chance of something beyond their control going wrong. Her racing heart slowed just a little, allowing some of the tension to leave her body when Bryce announced that they were in.

“Everything’s going fine. Just keep hanging in there, okay? I can see the first baby,” Bryce assured her.

“Hear that?” Ethan laced his fingers through hers. “They’ll be out soon.”

Olivia nodded, her movements slowing a little. The monitor next to her beeped as her blood pressure suddenly started to drop, first to a normal rate and then a little lower. Ethan frowned, worry etching his features.

“Her BP is dropping. She could become hypotensive.” He knew the complication was common during cesareans and that there was only a minimal chance of serious risks, but that didn’t stop his heart from racing faster.

Bryce picked up the pace a little, keeping his hands steady as he finished the incision and instructed one of the other residents to place the clamps. “We’re ready to get baby number one out!”

Moments later, a cry rang through the operating room as Bryce removed the first baby. When Bryce passed the newborn to him, Ethan reacted with an instinct he didn’t know he had and immediately cradled his son in his arms.

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat, swelling with affection. Olivia blined groggily before slipping into unconsciousness. His throat tightened with anxiety as he reluctantly surrendered the newborn to a nurse for an examination.

“Olivia.” He firmly patted her cheek, torn between fear and relief when she let out a subconscious groan in response. A minute later, he looked up as Bryce removed the second baby.

For a long moment, time slowed to a crawl when the baby remained quiet. Just as Ethan felt his chest clench with panic, the newborn emitted a loud cry that made him weak in the knees. He held his arms out, accepting his daughter into them. His heart stuttered in his chest as he gazed down at the fussing baby.

He held her for a few moments before letting the nurses take her. His mind swam with mixed emotions as he returned to Olivia’s side.

Ethan waited nervously as Bryce closed her up. A relieved sigh escaped him when Olivia’s blood pressure started to creep towards normal. “Bryce?”

“Yeah?”

“Good work.”

Once Olivia was transferred into a private room, Ethan stepped into the hallway. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and started the call. “Dad? If you’re not busy, you might want to make a trip to Boston…”

“Is everything okay?”

“Your grandchildren were just born. I thought I’d… did you already hang up?” Shaking his head, Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked up as Naveen approached him, a wide grin on his face.

“I just heard some gossip that my two favorite employees just became parents.”

Ethan nodded, unable to stop a wide smile from forming on his face. Naveen pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. Ethan returned it, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. “Olivia passed out during the C-section, but she’ll be okay. She should be awake in just a couple of minutes.”

“I won’t keep you from her. I’ll come meet those babies later. You go be with your family.” Naveen released him and squeezed his shoulder.

“Thank you.” The smile never left Ethan’s face as he quietly slipped back into the room to check on Olivia and the babies.

His family.

He liked the sound of that.

Next Chapter

Note: This was definitely my favorite chapter so far. Stay tuned for more!

#open heart #choices #choices: open heart #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc

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outlawsworld · 4 years

Text

Trusting Strangers - Chapter 12

Arthur Morgan x Female reader

Summary: Reader and Arthur's relationship in now not so secret. She spends one on one time with Dutch and also some alone time with Arthur.

Warning: robbing, mentions of smut but nothing too bad!

Notes: sorry it's taken me so long with this chapter. I've taken a bit of time off over Christmas. Please let me know what you think....can't wait to write the next chapter after this ending 🤤

You can also read my work on my ao3 account Outlaws_world !!

Chapter 1

You had been tossing and turning all night. Each time you were drifting off back to sleep your memories reminded you of the events of last night. As it started to get lighter outside you decided to go check on Dallas. Sleep wasn't coming easy and you decided to make yourself useful instead of just laying in your tent. The cut around Dallas' limb had started to scab over and there was no sign of infection. You reapplied some of the herbs that Charles had given you and fed the horses. It must have been early as everyone was still fast asleep in camp and the morning birds had only just started chirping in the trees. You made yourself a coffee and stood at the end of the dock looking out over the lake. The sun was rising over the hills which filled the sky with a burnt orange. You took in a deep breath which filled your lungs with the freshness of the air before taking a sip from your coffee. There were a couple of birds floating on the water and you watched as they sat there, still and silent. You were so lost in focusing on the stillness of the morning that you didn't hear the footsteps behind you.

''Mornin' Miss (Y/L/N)'' you spun round quickly to see Dutch had walked up behind you. He was smoking on a cigar and smiling at you.

''Mornin' Dutch'' you spoke hesitantly after you caught your breath.

''Sorry dear, I didn't mean to frighten you'' he smirked. Even though it was first thing in the morning, Dutch didn't have a hair out of place and he dressed so smartly. You must have looked scruffy in comparison as you had the same clothes on from yesterday and hadn't combed your hair yet. He came to stand next to you as you both looked over the water. ''You alright after last night?'' he questioned, not taking his eyes away from the view.

''Yeah'' you paused. ''I didn't mean for it to escalate the way it did'' you tried to defend yourself. Dutch sighed as he looked at you.

''It ain't your fault Miss (Y/L/N)'' his voice was hushed as the camp was starting to stir behind you. ''Arthur has taken quite a shine to you. I realise you two seem to be gettin' on rather well'' he scanned your face waiting for your reaction. You continued to look out over the lake hoping that he would avert his gaze. ''I hope this ain't gonna be a problem''. You look at him slightly taken aback by what he had just said.

''I don't know what you mean?'' you question, looking directly into his gaze now.

''You have settled in well here (Y/N). You have also pulled your weight and done well on jobs'' he paused taking a drag from his cigar and blowing it out over the lake. ''I want to see this for myself. What are you doing today?’’ he questioned ignoring your confusion.

‘’I was going to see about those horses with John this mornin’.’’ You scanned the camp trying to find him.

‘’That can wait’’ he protested. ‘’ Ride with me to Rhodes. I’ll let you get on with your morning chores and then come find me’’ he eyed you up and down before adding ‘’ I’ll inform John of the change of plan, the horses can wait for tomorrow’’.

''Of course Dutch'' you said shyly. He patted you on the shoulder before walking back into camp and leaving you standing on the dock by yourself.

You thought about Dutch's words as you sipped on the rest of your coffee. Gaining Dutch's trust was a hard task when you first joined the gang and the last thing you wanted was to jeopardise that. You hoped that your time spent with him would allow you to finally prove your full worth to him. ‘I hope this ain’t gonna be a problem’, what did he mean by that? There was a slight nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach as you thought he might not approve of your relationship with Arthur. Was that what this trip to Rhodes was going to be about?

You tried to ignore the feeling as you made your way back into camp. Most people had started to stir and were getting on with their chores. Although you knew Dutch would let John know about the change of plan, you wanted to tell John yourself and to clear the air from last night. When you couldn’t find him anywhere around camp you made your way over to the dirty dishes and began cleaning. You had only just gotten settled into your work when Tilly and Karen both decided to settle down next to you. As you glanced up, you saw the huge grins plastered across their faces and automatically rolled your eyes.

''Awwh come on now, don't be like that'' Karen giggled. You looked into the wash bucked and concentrated on the dish in your hand. Trying to block out the eager girls stares.

''You can't hide from us in a pile of dirty dishes, ya know'' Tilly smirked at you. You looked up and sighed. She was right, no matter what you did, you couldn't avoid them forever. ''You gonna tell us then?''.

''Tell you what?'' you smirked.

''Don't play dumb. Tell us about what happened last night'' Karen scoffed. She sat next to you with a ripped shirt in hand as she tried to sew the seam back together.

''With Micah?'' you questioned.

''No you idiot. With Arthur'' Karen tutted. ''He was clearly protective over ya, never seen him so riled up. Micah must have struck a nerve talkin' bout you like that'' she giggled as she spoke. You knew that being cooped up in the camp all day can be boring, so the girls lived for any gossip or drama. You shook your head and sighed looking over to see Arthur was sat on his cot writing something in his journal. He looked so fixated on what he was jotting down, you couldn’t help but wish he was by your side right now to answer the questions that were being thrown at you.

''Would you just leave the poor girl alone'' Sadie interrupted, she was standing over the three of you with her hands on her hips.

''We were only asking'' Tilly spoke shyly.

''Yeah, well I'm tellin'. Can't you see she has enough to do without you two at her'' she gestured for the two girls to move which they did with a grunt and a couple wise remarks. Sadie came to sit beside you and grabbed a dish to clean. ''Told you they would find out'' she giggled. You couldn't help but smirk at her comment but you stayed silent. The two of you continued to wash the dishes. Your eyes scanned the camp to try find John but instead landed on Arthur walking towards you.

''Mornin' Ladies'' he tipped his hat to the both of you.

''Arthur'' Sadie greeted him as she carried on scrubbing one of the dishes.

‘’(Y/N), can I have a word?’’ his voice was hushed as if to try and not draw too much attention to us. You glanced at Sadie who gave you an approving nod before you dried your hands on your trousers and stood up to follow Arthur. The giggling coming from the other girls behind you were more then obvious, but you ignored them. You followed Arthur back towards the dock where you had been standing not too long ago.

‘’You alright?’’ Arthur asked as you reached the dock. He placed a hand softly on your lower arm, almost taking your hand whilst looking straight into your eyes. His touch suddenly warmed your whole body and your cheeks flushed red. You were slightly embarrassed to how easily this man could change your whole mood with a simple touch. His bright blue eyes were unavoidable, you could see the corner of his mouth was upturned as he looked at you which only made your heart race faster.

‘’I am now’’ you smiled up at him. He smiled sweetly back at you as he intertwined his fingers in yours. Quickly, you glanced back towards the camp to see if anyone was watching. Before you could let go of his hand and pull away, Arthur’s free hand reached your cheek to move your face back to focus on him.

‘’Cat’s outta the bag (Y/N)’’ he smirked at your panicked reaction. ‘’I guess I’m to blame for that’’ his hand cupped your cheek still as he looked from your eyes to your lips. He was right, everyone in camp knew by now that something was going on. There was no point in hiding it. ‘’I just wanted to make sure that you were alright with it all?’’ he lowered his voice slightly as you dropped your eyes to look down at the floor.

You wanted to say how much you hated that people were already trying to know all your business, you hated that the attention was focused on the two of you because you were the biggest news in camp. Being on your own for so long you had gotten used to no one paying you any attention and you liked it that way, you never had to explain yourself to anyone. The words couldn’t form in your mouth and as you looked back up to meet Arthur’s eyes all of your worries seemed to fade away. If the whole camp knowing meant that the both of you could stop sneaking around and be together then you didn’t seem to care. All that mattered to you was Arthur.

‘’I’m alright. Though you owe me’’ you smirked at him. ‘’You don’t have to deal with the girls wanting to know every detail’’. Arthur laughed shyly as he pulled you closer to him. He leaned down and kissed you softly. It didn’t feel like your previous kisses, you were very aware that anyone could be watching but it felt more meaningful somehow. You didn’t have to hide your affection for one another. You felt a warm feeling at the fact that Arthur was happy for the camp to know about his feeling towards you.

‘’How about I take you outta camp for the night?’’ Arthur smiled leaning his forehead against yours.

‘’Deal’’ you smiled before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. The two of you slowly made your way back into camp before Mrs Grimshaw came over to tell you both to stop slacking. As you walked into the heart of camp you noticed everyone’s attention was on the both of you and you could feel a hot flush run through your body.

‘’I better finish my chores’’ you gestured back towards Sadie who was still busy washing dishes. Arthur smiled before leaning down and kissing your cheek in front of the whole camp. The gesture produced a gasp and whispers that could be heard from the girls who were watching the both of you. You bit your lip and your cheeks flushed once more before heading back towards Sadie. You sat down next to her and continued with your work, you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face.

‘’I hope you know that I can’t save you from the oncomin’ questions now’’ Sadie giggled. It was as if the other girls had heard Sadie’s comment because almost instantly they had all gathered round you.

‘’When did it happen?’’

‘’Is he a good kisser?’’

‘’Is he romantic?’’

Their questions came thick and fast and you did your best at answering as Sadie sat smirking at you. You must have looked like a rabbit when face to face with a cougar as the questions piled in. Once you washed the last dish you stood up and held your hands up in surrender.

‘’Alright, alright. Enough questions for one day’’ the girls all sighed with the loss of excitement. ‘’I’ll see y'all later’’ you took no time in waiting for their response as you strode across camp to find Dutch. As you crossed camp you scanned it to see if John had made an appearance. He was still nowhere to be seen so you shrugged it off. Dutch was sat in his tent reading one of his novels when you approached him.

‘’Ahh (Y/N)’’ he closed the book as he saw you stood in the opening of his tent. ‘’You ready to go?’’.

‘’Yeah’’ you nodded as he put his book down on his cot and gestured for you to lead the way to the horses. Dallas favouring his leg still so you took one of the spare horses for the day. You both mounted up and you followed closely behind Dutch as he led the way out of camp and onto the main road to town. The both of you rode in silence which only made you more nervous. Dutch had always been kind to you and impressed with your work but you had never had to prove yourself to him before or spent any time with him alone. Luckily Rhodes wasn’t too far from camp and you both hitched your horses outside of the saloon before making your way inside. Dutch ordered you both a beer and you took a seat at a free table in the corner of the room. The saloon was quiet as it was only midday but there was a piano player which filled the empty atmosphere.

‘’So, I want to see first hand what you can do Miss’’ Dutch broke the silence as you took a sip from your beer. ‘’I’ve heard a lot of great things but never seen it for myself’’ he smirked at you before joining you in a drink. You didn’t exactly know what Dutch was expecting. All the jobs that you have done for the gang had been planned by someone else and you just did as you were told.

‘’What’s the plan?’’ you asked, slightly confused.

‘’No plan’’ Dutch raised his eyebrows. ‘’Just do what you do best’’ he leant back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest, expecting to watch a show. You took a deep breath and glanced around the bar trying to find a target. Rhodes wasn’t too far away from the city of Saint Denis which meant many rich folk passed through regularly. You spotted a couple of men sat at the bar, both well dressed and merrily drinking. They looked like they were celebrating something as they toasted to one another’s success. You quickly gulped the rest of your drink before giving Dutch a nod in their direction. Dutch glanced over at the two men and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a mischievous smile before he nodded at you. You straightened out your clothing and fixed your hair before making your way over to the bar to stand next to the two men.

You gestured for the bartender before ordering another beer. Once, you had been served your drink you stood, leaning on the bar in a way that would attract a man’s eye to the curve of your bum. One of the men took the bait straight away and turned his attention to you as you began to drink your beer.

‘’What is a beautiful woman such as yourself doing in a town like this?’’ he leaned towards you. His breath stank of alcohol and his eyes were slightly glazed over indicating he was a lot more drunk then you had first thought.

‘’Just passin’ through’’ you smiled sweetly placing a hand on his forearm. ‘’How about yourself?’’. Before you knew it, you were standing in between the two men drinking your beer and creating convocation. They both had closed some sort of business deal that you paid no interest too and were celebrating. You hummed along whilst congratulating them. They were both quite young, handsome men so you acted as though you were falling for their charms. After your second beer that they had bought you, you decided to take your leave and go back to Dutch. Both the men were slightly disappointed that you were leaving however, they let you go without any complaints.

‘’I think it’s best we leave now’’ you smiled at Dutch who sat watching you with a confused expression. He didn’t question you and followed you out of the saloon and to your horses.

‘’(Y/N), I think you missed the point of this trip’’ he finally turned to you before you mounted your horse. You grinned at him, before he could say another word you produced 2 watches, $20, a golden ring, a packet of cigarettes and what seemed to be an engagement ring from your pockets. You placed all the items in Dutch’s hand.

‘’Pretty sure we can sell this stuff at the general store. Plus, I found out that they have a bunch of deeds back at their house which isn’t too far from here. Turns out they will both be out of town on business next week. Might be worth a look’’ you smirked feeling pretty pleased with yourself.

‘’Well I must say, I am impressed’’ Dutch nodded at you, you couldn't help but hear the slight shock in his voice. This only made you more smug about doing a good job. ‘’Let’s go see what we can get for these’’ Dutch chuckled as he stuffed the items into his pockets. The both of you mounted up and began to head to the main street. As you were riding down the street you passed by Hosea and Arthur. They were on their way to the saloon with a wagon full of moonshine. Hosea had dressed Arthur up in a hat and a pipe sticking out of his mouth and you couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. They both tipped their hats to you as you passed one another but no words were exchanged. Arthur rolled his eyes as he saw the amusement on both yours and Dutch's faces.

"He's never been one for playing dress up" Dutch remarked. "No doubt we will get an earful later" he bellowed whilst laughing.

Dutch and yourself entered the general store and sold the items for $40 altogether. He decided to buy you a broach of a horse’s head cast in bronze that you had taken a shine too. You thanked him on the way out before pinning the broach to your shirt. The two of you began your journey back to camp ignoring the noises coming from the saloon. Clearly whatever Hosea and Arthur was up to was working in their favour.

‘’Good work today Miss (Y/L/N)’’ he smiled at you as you rode side by side. ‘’I’m glad we found you’’. This made you light up. You knew Dutch was hard to please and to hear him say these things only made you feel more at home in the gang. Although, you couldn't help but think of your convocation that you had by the dock that morning. You hadn't spoken about your relationship with Arthur this whole trip, which you originally though that's what this was about.

‘’Thanks Dutch’’ you smiled at him. ‘’Can I ask you a question?’’ he nodded at you to continue. You cleared your throat and gathered up the courage before speaking up. ‘’Earlier, you said that you hope that me and Arthur don’t become a problem, what did you mean?’’ you asked so shyly that you thought he might not have even been able to hear you. You heard him take a deep breath in as you looked at the road in front of you, avoiding his gaze. The silence was deafening, the only sound was your heart racing as Dutch thought about your question.

‘’I meant no offence’’ he cleared his throat before carrying on. ‘’Things like relationships can be a hard thing with the way we live. They can get in the way and distract us from our responsibilities. As long as you know the gang comes above anything else, it shouldn’t be a problem. Keep up the hard work’’ Dutch scanned your face for your reaction. You looked up to catch his gaze before nodding. "And Miss (Y/L/N), I won't tolerate any more fighting in camp" he warned looking straight into you.

‘’I understand. It won’t get in the way’’ you promised Dutch. Although you knew he meant well you couldn’t help but feel he thought you might take Arthur away from his work or even the gang. You had no intension of doing so as you knew how much the gang meant to him, and how much it was starting to mean to you as well. It was like a family, one that you have been needing for so long.

Once you were back in camp Dutch left you to tend to the horses. You brushed the borrowed horse and the Count before feeding them some carrots as a treat. It wasn’t long before the sun began to set on another day and you helped yourself to some of Pearson’s stew. Lenny came to keep you company and sat on the log next to you by the fire. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn't interested enough to ask about your and Arthur's relationship. Lenny was the youngest in the gang but he talked as though he was the oldest. He was incredibly smart and always good company.

‘’You seen John today?’’ you asked as you scanned the camp still unable to locate John.

‘’Yeah, he has been on guard most of the day, didn’t want anyone to relieve him of his post’’ Lenny shrugged. You turned your nose up at the thought of John wanting to be on guard all day. He hated that job, he always complained that it was boring. Maybe something had happened between him and Abigail which made him want to be by himself for a while. You were about to go and check on him when you saw Arthur ride back into camp. He dismounted Siego and marched over to speak to Dutch and Micah. You and Lenny both tried to overhear their conversation without any luck. Whatever they were taking about, you could tell Arthur wasn't too pleased about it. You turned your attention back to the remainders of your stew and scraped the bowl clean.

‘’Ma’am’’ Arthur drew your attention from your bowl. He held his hand out for you to take which you did gladly. He pulled you onto your feet before taking your bowl from you and placing it in the wash tub. ‘’You ready to go?’’ he questioned, his tone was slightly irritated still by his convocation with Dutch. You had completely forgotten about going out of camp with Arthur tonight but you nodded to not irritate him further. You said your goodbyes to Lenny before grabbing a couple of spare clothes from your tent and meeting Arthur by the horses.

You rode together back into Rhodes. Arthur remained quiet for the ride, you could tell something had angered him but you didn’t want to pry just yet. Instead you decided to let him calm down. Arthur led you up to the Rhodes hotel, you glanced at him slightly shocked. You had expected to go back to the open field that you had slept the other night. You followed sheepishly behind him, trying to remember the last time you had slept in a real bed. Arthur paid for a room and for a bath each before grabbing the key and guiding you to the room.

The room was spacious, with a double bed in the middle of the back wall and a wardrobe to the side. There was a draw at each bedside with a lantern placed on each one. As it was already dark outside so the room was slightly dim lit but that didn't faze you. You gingerly walked around the room and placed your things to one side. As you passed each draw, you automatically searched through them to see if there were any leftover belongings.

‘’We ain’t robbin’ the place’’ Arthur smirked as he watched you open and close all the empty draws.

‘’I know’’ you giggled slightly embarrassed. ‘’I don’t remember the last time I stayed inside that’s all’’ you felt the softness of the bed and took a deep breath in.

‘’Well we needed to get away from camp. Thought this would be better then a cold night outside" he watched you with a smile.

"You alright?" you finally asked. "Ya seem irritated".

"Nahh it's just Micah. Thinks it's a good idea to rob both the Grey's and the Braithwight's" he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't think it's the best idea but Dutch seems to take his side" he placed his things in the same pile as yours before walking over to you and placing both his hands on your waist. You place your arms around his neck and pull him close to you for a full enbrace.

"Doesn't seem smart but I'm sure Dutch knows what he's doin'." You tried to reassure him. The truth was you thought it was dumb too. It was a small town and people talk, even with a family feud they would still know it was us that robbed from them. You let go of him just enough so that you could see his face. His jaw was tense and his eyes were looking over your shoulder, deep in thought. You place your hand on his cheek to bring his eyes round to focus back on you, just like he had done earlier. His jaw relaxed as his eyes met yours. You kissed him gently, you could feel his whole body relax when your lips met. He wrapped his arms tighter around you, as if not wanting to ever let you go. You broke the kiss and smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry, let's not talk about the gang tonight" he smirked. ‘’Why don’t ya go get a bath, I’ll get mine after’’. You nodded at him before grabbing some clothes and walking out of your room and down the hall to the bath.

You submerged yourself in the warm water hesitantly. The water felt lovely against your skin, better then washing yourself in the cold lake. You took your time in scrubbing your body head to toe, using the soap provided. It smelt of lavender and filled the room with it’s relaxing scent. Once you had finished you sat in the bath for a couple moments, embracing the last of the warm water before climbing out and drying yourself. You pulled on the clean clothes you had packed before tip toeing your way back to the room. When you walked back in you were surprised to find Arthur was not there. He must have gone to the second bathroom that you had noticed. You perched on the edge of the bed, feeling it dip from your weight. It was so soft and you couldn't wait to have a comfy night sleep. You sat there for a while before deciding to get ready for bed, it was getting late and you were begining to tire. As you rummaged through your things you realised you had forgotten your nightwear. You rolled your eyes and breathed out an irritated sigh at your forgetfulness. Instead you decided to slip on Arthur's shirt that he had given you weeks ago on your hunting trip and remove your trousers. Once, to were comfortable you climbed onto the bed laying down with your head placed on the plump pillow.

There was a knock at the door before Arthur crept back inside the room. He closed the door behind himself before finally letting his eyes find you. His mouth dropped slightly before he took a large gulp finding you in this slight state of undress. The shirt you had borrowed fell down to the middle of your thighs but both your legs were on show to him. You sat up slightly leaning on both elbows and you let yourself look over him. He was standing at the door with just his jeans on, his suspenders left to hang by his legs. You couldn’t help but gaze over him, his upper body was toned with hair gracing his chest leading a path down his stomach into his jeans. The both of you were silent as you allowed yourself to explore with your eyes. Your heart was racing in your chest and a new warm feeling began aching between your legs. You had both seen each other like this when you spent the night away from camp hunting but at that point you avoided looking over each other. This time you both welcomed each other to look. You could feel your heart begining to race as you felt his eyes wonder down your body.

‘’I wondered where my shirt had gotten too’’ Arthur said in a low tone as he slowly made his way over to you. His voice seemed to vibrate through you, making the ache between your legs worsen. This feeling was foreign to you and you began to think something was wrong with you.

‘’I may have forgotten to give it back’’ you admitted shyly, watching every step he made towards you. His shoulders were broad leading to his muscled arms that you longed to warp around you. You couldn't hide the slight shaking in your breath as he got closer. Arthur slowly sat down on the bed beside you and licked his lips. Your chest felt like it was going to burst open as he rested a hand on the bare skin of your leg, just below your knee. The sensation of just his touch sent shivers throught your body. The heat between your legs was intensifying with every passing moment and a knot in the bottom of your stomach started to grow. You slowly looked over his body and back up to meet his striking blue eyes. He didn't shy his gaze away once you met his. There was a look on his face you had never seen before. It was hungry but weary at the same time. You suddenly had a growing awareness of your need for him. You needed him to kiss you. You needed him to touch you and you needed him to relieve this unfamiliar burning feeling between your legs.

Chapter 13

@kashasenpai

#rdr2 #rdr2 community #red dead redemption two #arthur morgan #rdr2 arthur #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption arthur #john marston #red dead redemption john #arthur morgan fanfic #arthur morgan imagine #arthur morgan x female reader #red dead redemption fanfic #rdr fanfiction #dutch van der linde #lenny summers #sadie adler

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wayward-mikaelson · 4 years

Text

Winter’s Doll--Chapter Three

Word Count: 2311

About: Nadia finally get’s to train with Steve and Bucky

Characters: Nadia, Steve, Bucky, Wanda, Natasha, Tony, Vision,

Pairing: None

Warnings/Trigger Warnings: Language, Train-fighting, Dislocated shoulder,

A/N: Sorry this took a while to get out. I got into a funk and then had two story ideas.

*This work contains content for the 18 and up crowd

**Please don’t copy and paste my work anywhere. I work really hard on all of my stuff.

***This work is also posted on Instagram (Excerpt ONLY), WattPad, and Archive Of Our Own

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*****Currently NOT taking any requests

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Nadia woke up that morning with a throbbing headache. Did she regret drinking that much? Yes, yes she very much. Did she regret her time talking and hanging out with Bucky? Nope, not one bit. In fact, Nadia enjoyed it every single second of it. The way she felt safe in his presence. The way he made her smile and laugh. Ditching her own party and just talking with someone like that was what she needed.

Nadia slowly rolled out of bed. The moment that she stood to her feet, her entire world started to sway and there was gurgling in her stomach. Fuck, she thought as she raced her way to the bathroom. Nadia slide on her knees to the toilet and just as she was opening it, she let everything from the night before out. She hacked everything up until her throat burned with stomach acid.

With a groan, Nadia sat back on her knees and hung her head back. This is going to be a long day, she thought. I wonder how Bucky is feeling. You stood up and then chuckled lightly to yourself. “He’s a super soldier, so of course he doesn’t feel like me,” Nadia said aloud as she started on her morning routine.

Once dressed in comfortable clothes and hair up in a hair tie and head band, Nadia opened the door to see Vision floating right there. Seeing him, startled her to the point that she almost let out a yelp. But she held back because she didn’t trust what sound came out of her mouth.

“You know,” Vision started to say tilting his head sideways. “A copious amount of alcohol will make you sick like that.” Shit, Nadia thought as he spoke. This is too early. “Maybe you should try and lower your intake from now on.”

Nadia blinked a few times and rubbed her face. “I don’t think so,” she said in a loud whisper. “Because I like drinking and I know too much makes me sick. But that’s the fun part about being human, you can ignore the fact that it does. And regret it the morning after.”

Nadia simply walked away from Vision without another word. Nadia walked her way towards the kitchen where she got a good whiff of someone making eggs and bacon. The smell started to make Nadia gag until Natasha held out a green drink.

“Drink up,” she said without making eye contact. “This will make you feel better. Disgusting as hell but you won’t be puking your guts out during training. Also eat this,” Natasha slid a plate of toast towards Nadia.

Nadia took the drink in her hand and glared at it as she turned the glass in her hands. “What is all on this drink?” she asked.

“Don’t ask, just drink,” Natasha instructed. “And also eat.”

Nadia made a face before bringing the glass to her lips. Trying not to breath through her nose, Nadia drank every last drop of the green drink. Natasha was right, that drink was disgusting. With each swallow, Nadia wanted to slam the glass on the table and puke it all up. The moment she was done, Nadia had shivers of disgust running down her spine.

“That was gross,” Nadia took the toast and slowly took a bite.

“Maybe, next time, it'll teach you not to steal my most expensive bourbon,” Tony’s voice enters the kitchen.

Nadia took another bite of toast. She could already feel the green drink and toast do it’s job. Yep, she thought, I am so going to order that glitter bomb. Maybe even two. “Maybe, new time,” Nadia walked towards Tony raising her eyebrow. “Keep it locked away or at least out of the open bar.”

Nadia turned on her heels and walked out of the kitchen and made her way towards the training facilities. Nadia wasn’t going to lie to herself, she was nervous as hell to train with Bucky and Steve. Given they were super human and could possible crush her very easily.

Nadia has seen footage of Steve fighting over the years on the news. He was quick and strong. Nadia knew of one his weaknesses. Bucky on the other hand, Nadia has never seen. She only had to assume that he was just as quick and strong, and plus he had a metal arm.

Nadia made it to the training facility to see that only Bucky was in there. He was writing something in a book. Hey looked really lost in thought because his eyebrows furrowed while he wrote. His hair was up again. He wore a t-shirt that defined his muscles perfectly. He also wore grey sweatpants. The whole look, looked really off for him.

“Hey,” Nadia approached Bucky. He looked up with is blue eyes and gave her a small smile. “What are you writing?”

Bucky closed his book and set it aside. “It’s a memory journal. I’m sure you’ve already heard about me,” Bucky looked down and Nadia could see some sort of sadness slowly creep into his eyes.

“Here and there,” Nadia sat next to Bucky. “It’s okay, I don’t really judge people on their past.”

Bucky turned to her. “That’s good to know,” he smiled. “Uh, Steve is running a little late so I can help you warm up before he shows up.”

Nadia let Bucky help her warm up for the next twenty minutes. He held up punching and kicking pad and Nadia showed him all the force that she held the small punches and kicks. Bucky’s face was surprised by how well she held herself. He would give her some minor corrections on hip and foot placement. Nadia noticed how gentle he was when correcting her hips. She felt the coolness of his metal hand. Even when he placed his leg between hers to push her feet slightly together, he was gentle as well. Nadia found it bit hard to concentrate but she was able to push it aside.

“This will help you move a bit quicker,” he said taking a step back. “I hope to see that when we spar.”

The doors opened and in walked Steve and the rest of the team. Nadia wasn’t used to having the whole team in watching her train. Maybe a few here and there, but she guessed that since she was training with two soldiers it would be an entertaining things to watch.

“Shall we get started?” Steve asked setting his water bottle down.

“Who am I sparing with first?” Nadia asked.

Steve and Bucky exchanged a look. Nadia knew the answer right away before Bucky spoke. “You’re going to sparing with the both of us. We won’t be going too hard on you, but we also won’t be going easy on you either.”

“At the same time,” Steve added. “So are you ready?”

Nadia was ready, she’d been in hand to hand combat training with a few fellow soldiers at once. But they weren’t super soldiers like Steve and Bucky. Nadia took a deep breath and bit her lips before giving her answer.

“Let’s get this show started.”

“Twenty bucks she takes them both down,” Sam Wilson said from his spot in the room.

“You’re on,” Nadia watched as Tony pulled a folding chair open and said down.

Nadia looked back at the two men in front of her and took a deep breath. Nadia scanned both men’s bodies. She looked for anything that looked like a weakness. Bucky seemed more planted firmly on the ground where Steve didn’t. Bingo, Nadia thought.

From the corner of her eyes, Nadia saw Bucky step to his right and saw Steve step to his right. Nadia was a small person. She moved quickly and knew how to maneuver her way in and out of people. It was what made her a really good asset to her squadron before being discharged.

Nadia quickly stepped forward between the men and dropped to the ground and swung her let out and managed to trip Steve. Steve fell on hard on his back, hitting the back of his head on the training mats. Nadia quickly rolled out of way of Bucky, who had actually anticipated that move. Nadia stood up and spun around in time think quickly and kick Bucky square in the chest. Bucky stumbled backwards.

“That was good, fast,” Bucky rubbed his chest with his metal hand.

Before Nadia could say anything, she felt her feet being pulled out form under her. Nadia fell hard on her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She was flipped to her back and Steve straddled her and attempted to pin her hands down but, Nadia grabbed his face and used what force she could and head butted him. Then she kneed him in the back Steve rolled over off her.

“She’s kicking Steve’s ass,” Natasha said.

Nadia ignored her. She kicked Steve over on his back and straddled him as she ripped the drawstrings out of his sweatpants. Before she could do anything, Bucky pulled her off Steve. Bucky, in no time, had Nadia up on the wall with his metal hand on her throat. He put enough pressure to where Nadia gasped. Nadia for a split second thought that what he did was hot.

“It’s okay, Doll,” Bucky whispered. “That’s all the pressure I’m going to apply.”

Nadia knew that was a mistake on his part. She smirked at him and Bucky tilted his head. Nadia kicked both her legs up until they landed on his shoulders. Nadia forced forced Bucky closer to her and the closer he got, the looser his hand got. Bucky had no choice but to let her go. This allowed Nadia to swing all the way onto Bucky’s shoulders.

Bucky’s metal hand came flying up, grabbing at Nadia’s shirt. Nadia, who still had the drawstring from Steve’s pants, use it to wrap it around Bucky’s neck. Not to tight though, this was training after all, but enough to have him notice and grasp at it. Bucky knelt down and Nadia flipped off his shoulders and rolled into a crouch.

“Nadia did what you couldn’t Nat,” Tony’s voice is teasing.

“Shut the fuck up, Tony,” Natasha snapped back. “Bucky was brainwashed when we fought. Nadie, just got the better end of the stick.”

Nadia noticed that Steve had moved to the side and was watching. Probably for the best, Nadia saw many weak points and blind spots in Steve. Nadia focused back on Bucky and she could tell that he was trying to figure out the best way to get the better of her.

Nadia looked at Bucky’s metal arm. He had the upper hand with that thing and she knew she had to figure something out to take it out of play. Nadia straightened her body up and began to walk slowly towards Bucky.

“We could call it,” Bucky said. He didn’t even sound out of breath. “Call it a tie or something.”

“Now why would I do that?” Nadia asked taking a deep breathe. She stopped a couple feet in front of Bucky. “I’m still having fun.”

Bucky chuckled and threw out his metal arm. Nadia dove down towards the mat but instantly felt Bucky’s cool metallic hand on her ankle. He yanked her back until their faces were a foot apart.

“Still having fun?” he mocked.

Nadia sat up and head butted Bucky in the face. The moment he let go, she hopped back onto his shoulder. The moment Bucky grabbed hold of Nadia’s legs and pressed them firm to his chest, Nadia knew that she made a mistake.

Bucky whipped both their bodies down on the mat. Nadia’s left shoulder hit first and she heard and felt a small pop. She yelled out and felt Bucky’s head roll away before she felt his hand on her.

“Are you okay?” he asked. The concern was very much heard in his voice.

“My shoulder,” Nadia groaned and bit her lip too distract her from the pain radiating around her shoulder.

Bucky felt around. “You’re shoulders dislocated. I’ll help you to the infirmary.”

Bucky help Nadia up and wrapped an arm around her waist. Nadia notice the whole team was standing up looking at her. No one said a word as the two of them walked out of the room and towards the elevator to the infirmary.

“You’re not that bad,” Bucky said pressing the button to the fourth floor. “You pretty much had me. I just kept going cause I’m pretty stubborn.”

Nadia laugh and then groaned at the new pain in her shoulder. “You’re not too bad yourself. My goal was to try and take your metal arm out. Temporarily.”

Nadia spent less than an hour in the infirmary. The doctor there pushed her shoulder back into place and gave her a sling and told her to wear that for the rest of the day. Nadia made a face and tried to protest but Bucky stopped her and walked her out of the infirmary.

“It’s better to just go with the flow,” He told her.

Once the elevator doors closed, Nadia pulled the sling off her and balled it up in her hands. Final day of training and Nadia get’s hurt. Not a bad way to end it. Now hopefully she can relax for the rest of the day or at least enough to make her new team mates comfortable.

“Unless I’m behind on military training and such, but you don't fight like a soldier,” Bucky turned to Nadia.

“That’s because I wasn’t just a normal soldier. Special Forces had this elite program that both my brother and I were in apart of. Technically it wasn’t supposed to exist.”

Bucky nodded in understanding what she said. “Well, you’re a badass and I’m glad you’re on the team.”

Nadia smiled. “Thank you.”

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

Text

chapter twenty-eight: alex’s nineteenth birthday

It took Sam a few moments to realize that she was no longer back in her apartment, but at the new place in Hell's Kitchen. But she had found her way back to that safe place, even if the surroundings had changed to of great extent. She shook her head to rid of her dream world and she placed the journal down on the table before her.

Marla had slept through the throes of jet lag for what felt like forever, and swift phone call back to Jon and Marsha's place allowed her to figure things out from then onward as the summer days dwindled down to autumn there in New York. Indeed, Anthrax themselves would make their grandiose return to the United States in no time once another trio of dates wrapped up for them. A full four weeks off and they would make the flight back to Europe for a fuller stint of the tour, and albeit one that would last them all the way to Christmas. It almost felt as though Jon was making it up as he went along but she had to take his word for it, especially given the shakiness of the music world, and especially since Aurora and Emile hadn't returned to New York City themselves.

Her best friend had gone off with her new groom and in turn left her there at the altar herself. She sat there on a stool next to the phone on the wall and she listened to Jon talk about things there at the label. Marla still hadn't woken up and Zelda had long left the apartment to deal with her own affairs with the Cherry Suicides: the latter of whom did, however, leave her duct taped boots there at the apartment, right next to the coffee table. There was that vase there at the far end, right where Sam had been laying, and she yearned for those yellow tulips once again. Sam cleared her throat but she never said anything while she listened and hung onto every word.

She had to do so: she was the most important person there at the label at the moment next to Jon.

“Besides, Alex's birthday is coming up here in a few weeks time,” he added at one point, and that coaxed a smile out of Sam.

“He'll be nineteen now! Still just a hatchling.”

Jon chuckled at that, but Sam was serious upon saying that. Alex still was a young boy about to make his transition into manhood. A nineteen year old kid who had already put out an album and yet she still struggled to make her way through the art world. There had to be an opening of sorts, something that could potentially free her from the whole tedium of going to school and going back home. It wasn't just the change in surroundings, but rather there had to be an escape out of there somehow.

Something to move her away from it all, even if it was just for a little bit, even as she and Jon bode their goodbyes and she hung up the phone.

The thrill and rush of being on tour had something to do with it. Being out in the world at large. All the world was a stage after all. She had that itch she couldn't seem to scratch once again, and the first day of school had to prove to be something more for her lest she find herself bounding off of the walls of Hell's Kitchen once more.

She strode back out of the kitchen so as to fetch her journal. So much drawing in such a short amount of time, and she remembered that school was about to start off a brand new quarter and ultimately a brand new year within a few days time.

She returned to those three drawings that happened as if they each were a hallucination. Something that came forth from another part of her mind, a place that no one knew about before. But she had to keep it under wraps for the time being, for the time in which she had right there at that very moment, that precise moment in time, the very present. At some point, Joey needed to know how she felt about him, and if it had to take her utmost intimate pieces of art to do such a thing then she was willing to undertake that task.

Marla needn’t know about them, not until there came a time in which she had to talk about them for real. But then again, she had her privacy at her fingertips, the precious bit of privacy all to herself. She had her mind’s eye fixed on the three men among the pages of that journal, the three men whom everyone knew but also didn’t know at the same time.

A knock at the door caught her attention and thus jarred her back down to earth once again. She closed the journal and clambered to her feet. Lucky for her, Genie had curled up with Marla in the bed down the hall. Sam recognized that head of blonde hair down past the shoulders now tied up tight in a snug ponytail upon her head coupled with the doll-like features.

“Oh, hi, Bel,” she greeted her.

“Hey! Is Marla up?”

“Nah, she's been out like a light for the last day and a half. I think she got up once after you left the morning after. What’s going on?”

“A little bird told me that it’s about to be someone’s birthday soon,” she replied in singsong voice. “A certain boy who happens to play guitar in the only five piece band for miles.”

“Let me guess,” Sam started as she let her into the apartment, “Jon told you.”

“I won’t tell,” Belinda giggled, and then she shut the door behind her, and she turned towards Sam with her eyebrows knitted together.

“She got up once after I left,” Belinda echoed her. “Only once.”

“Yeah, Marla’s just been wiped out lately because of the damn jet lag,” Sam answered, and she tucked her hands into her shorts pockets. “I've been sleeping well, though.”

“I have, too—wow.”

“So what'd you have in mind for little Mr. Alexander?” Sam took her seat on the arm of the couch closest to the door.

“Well, I was thinking that—since he's a guitar player—maybe you and I can look into playing around with leather and make him a new strap?”

“Ooh, yeah! Like you can craft out the leather and I can paint on designs and whatnot on there. That's a great idea, Bel!”

“We'll have to do some reading, of course, but it's definitely something I've thought about in the past. Getting into leather work. It's just something that fascinates me.”

“It sounds fascinating—like glass work.”

“Well, since Marla isn't up, I'm thinking maybe you and I can go over to the book shop up the block here and find something about that.”

“I'll take it,” said Sam as she reached for her purse on the hook behind her. “Totally nice day for a walk, anyways.”

“Right?”

Without another word, the two of them headed outside to the hazy gray afternoon and they made their way up the block to the book shop in question. Sam thought about that one place that she and Cliff had gone to down by L'Amour all the while, even as she and Belinda looked up the books in the crafting section, tucked back in the far corner of that main room. She gazed on at the beading books and the paper crafts, and she thought about Joey all the while: on the front covers, those beads arranged in all those arrows and points made her think of Native American baskets.

And then she remembered that Joey's birthday was coming up as well, exactly two weeks after Alex.

“Hey, Bel, you wanna do something for Joey's birthday?” she asked her.

“Sure!” Belinda then turned her attention to her from a book she had swiped from the shelves. “What'd you have in mind?”

“Something Native American related. You know, the whole leather work guitar strap thing but with something that's faithful to his heritage, though.”

“Okay—well, I'm reading this here and it's rather easy to figure out. It's getting my paws on a leather work kit is the real bitch about it, though. This thing here says a single hundred piece kit is almost fifty bucks.”

“It's worth it, though,” Sam pointed out.

“Absolutely. I think there is in fact a place for that—up the block here. Where I can get a couple of strips of nice leather for those two boys and just buckle down with the tools. I think you can get paints there, too.”

Indeed, the two of them headed back out, complete with Belinda buying that craft book as well, and then they further headed up the street to that craft shop in question. Just a walk along that sidewalk made Sam wonder about her own desires to break free of it all in favor of a change of pace. She peered up at the buildings that lined the streets and the hazy sun overhead. It was in fact home to her after all.

“I literally love how we can go just about anywhere here in New York,” Sam remarked as Belinda held the door for her.

“Right? Everything we want and need—right nearby. We can either walk there, or hitch a ride on the bus or the subway. We can give it all what for even if we can't find what we're looking for with these two boys.”

“I'm gonna give you what for if you don't wrap it up in paper,” Sam teased her, and Belinda chuckled at that as they stepped inside the craft shop: rows of shelves stood before them, underneath a series of soft fluorescent lights, and Sam was greeted by the fresh smell of new tools right there in their face.

“How 'bout you wrap the whole entire thing up in paper with a little bow on top?” she retorted back. Sam then stopped right in her tracks, and she took a glimpse over at Belinda and the mischievous look on her face.

“When you say 'entire thing',” Sam began in a soft voice even with no one else in that shop there with them, “do you mean his dick or his guitar?”

“Both,” Belinda replied without a shred of irony or hesitation.

“So you want me to wrap up his dick and his guitar in paper?” Sam asked her with a straight face.

“Yes? Yes.”

“Who're we talkin' about?”

Belinda nibbled on her bottom lip, but she never said anything. Instead, she lunged forward to the row of metal shelves right in front of them.

“Bel, who're we talking about?” Sam asked her again as she adjusted the strap of her purse, but Belinda paid more attention to the leather kits in front of her face.

“We's talkin' 'bout leather, baby,” she said as she took off the first one right over her head. She then turned to the spools of leather on the far side of the room.

“What color do you think they'd like?” she asked Sam.

“I'm feeling black with Joey and—creamy white for Alex. By the way, you didn't answer my question.”

“What question's that?”

“Who were we talking about back there?”

Belinda pursed her lips together and she never said anything as she picked up two small spools of black and white leather for the guitar straps in question. She then led Sam back to the front of the shop, past the single file of paints for the leather in question.

“We's talkin' 'bout leather,” she repeated again. “By the way, that book said that black can hold just about any color while off white leather looks best with jewel tones.”

“Yes, but—who are we talking about?” Sam corrected her as she picked out a quartet of bottles, one scarlet red, one solid black, one pure white, and one sapphire blue. And Belinda still never replied to her as she doubled back to the register and she paid for it right there. Sam shook her head the whole entire time she put down the money and tucked her wallet back into her purse.

Belinda carried the leather kit and the pieces of leather under her left arm, and Sam volunteered to carry something for her.

“I got it, I got it—by the way, I was talking about both of them.” She raised her eyebrows at Sam, who then looked on at her with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Talking about both of them,” she echoed her over the noise of the street.

“Yeah. Sam, Alex is of age now. You can do whatever the hell you want with him now.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But what?”

“I do not like the way you said the word 'but' just now.”

“Thinking about Alex's butt?” Belinda teased her as she adjusted the kit and the bag of leather with her free arm, and she gave her blonde ponytail a little toss back.

“Pfff, you wish,” Sam scoffed; she felt her face growing warm with embarrassment, or the warmth of the late summer sun.

“What, you don't think he has a cute butt?”

“I haven't looked.”

“Well, next time you see him—like at the party that they're throwing for him—you oughta have a look. Libra boys have nice rear ends—at least so I'm told.”

“Nice and round, I assume?”

“Maybe,” Belinda replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Within time, they returned to the apartment and Marla still hadn't woken up yet.

“Well, let's see,” Belinda started once she had set everything down on the kitchen table. Sam took her seat next to her, and she gave her blonde hair another toss back even though she had no need to do so from the tautness of her ponytail. “—the leather has already been treated... I'm gonna have to cut these so they resemble to guitar straps. I'm gonna need you to help me. Even though it's gonna be a bit before their birthdays, and Joey's birthday in particular, I'm glad we're getting a head start on this.”

“I am, too!” Sam declared.

“Lucky for us, we have these special scissors just for cutting leather—do you know how tall they are?”

“Joey and Alex? Joey is about middle height, like I can look at him right in the eye.”

“How tall are you?”

“Five foot seven. I'm thinking he's five foot nine?”

“Okay. What about Alex?”

“He's a big boy, I know that much. I kinda have to look up at him. And I've seen him next to Chuck, who's pretty tall in his own rite—and I've seen him next to Joey, too.”

“And how tall is he in comparison to Joey?”

“He's taller. By how much, I don't really know, to be honest. But I know he's taller.”

“Okay—I'll see what I can do.”

Indeed, Sam watched her go forth with the leather scissors and the measuring tape and the pencil for two guitar straps.

“If nothing, I can make Alex's a two piece and I can find a buckle,” Belinda told her.

“Hmmm...” But Sam never went any further than that. Instead, she watched Belinda spread out the leather, twin black and white stripes before them on the wood. She picked up the pencil yet again, that time to sketch out the designs on the upside of the leather.

“Okay, so let's figure this part here will be on Joey's shoulder... and this part here will be on Alex's shoulder...”

She sketched out the ever so faint sketch of a bouquet of roses for Joey's strap, and then a cluster of something that resembled to tulips on Alex's strap. Sam looked over at the bottles of paint next to her: on one hand, she was glad that she hadn't picked out yellow for Alex's white leather. But then again, the very sight of those tulips made her think back to those drawings in her journal. Two pieces for a strap for Alex, which meant one of them had to find a buckle for it: Belinda sewed the ends of those off in place for a buckle, and then with the pick, she poked three holes into the larger part for the adjustment.

And within time, she took the awl and the hammer and began work inside of those lines.

She took her time in engraving into the black leather and then the white leather, but Sam didn't mind in the least. They were making something together for the two birthday boys. She propped up her chin inside of the palm of her hand as she watched Belinda ever so gingerly carve into the leather with that fine chisel tip, complete with a tap of the hammer head. The little continuous clink! that came out of the hammer's head didn't bother her in the least. The petals of the flowers all came to fruition even without a full color scheme: indeed, Belinda added a few more spirals and dots on Joey's leather for a more of a Native American look. She also added something that resembled to a Day of the Dead skull on both of their straps: the skull on Alex's strap had a flower tucked right behind it.

It took her most of the afternoon to completely fill out the engraving on the sketches on both straps of leather, but she managed to do it right there, right before Sam's eyes. A bit of work, for sure, but she could make it work.

“Gonna have to run a thread through these first,” Belinda said once she set the awl and the hammer down. “So they don't come unraveled and whatnot...”

The big fat needle and the thick thread. Even more time and at that point, the straps were stitched and engraved, and lay there in anticipation for the head of a paint brush.

“Okay, you ready?” Belinda asked her.

“Lemme get my fine tipped brush...” Sam doubled back to her room for that fine tipped paint brush in question, and she returned with that plus a wash basin for the paints. Careful not to get any extraneous paint on the nice leather, she kept her hand right over the engravings for Joey's guitar strap.

“Red and white roses,” Belinda muttered as the paint collected at the deepest parts of the engravings.

“And red and white roses,” Sam added as she added a kiss of white on the otherwise red petals in the center piece of the bouquet. The colors bled for a second before they dried out right there. “Red and black tulips for Mr. Skolnick—”

“And white and blue sugar skulls, too, I presume,” said Belinda.

“White and blue for Mr. Belladonna—black and blue for Mr. Skolnick—”

Within time, Sam had painted the leather and the sun had set over Hell's Kitchen. It made sense that the flowers would be in bloom and the sugar skulls would have their full color right there. Sam held the leather back on the table so they could have a better look at them.

“Beautiful,” Belinda remarked. “They're just... they're gonna love these.”

“Too bad we don't have a leather working class at the school,” Sam said, “I actually kinda like this.”

“I do, too! We can suggest it when school starts, though.”

The two of them leaned back in their seats and looked on at the leather before them.

“I'm kinda hungry, you want something to eat?” Belinda asked her.

“Yes please. I gotta feed Genie, anyways.”

* * * * *

School had started for the two of them as well as Marla in what felt like no time, and Sam wondered what exactly Bill had in store for her as she signed up for an appointment with him at one point in the future. Just so long as it didn't involve her working with something tedious like any of those general education classes: she was already taking three of those that term, and in turn less time to focus on the crux of her art degree. Marla assured her that it wouldn't be anything too serious, but then again, she herself had her focus firmly on her own senior project.

Meanwhile, Sam and Belinda had the leather straps placed in boxes and then wrapped up for Alex and Joey's birthdays in the coming days. For the first week of school, she had her eye on the daunting task of junior year of college and preparing for her even more daunting senior year, but she also had those two young men on her mind. She hoped that Joey would love his new guitar strap in particular: indeed, she thought of Alex's words about how he held his guitar during the shows of that North American stint. She knew that she kept it just between herself and him, but something in the back of her mind made her consider if Joey would question the length of it.

In the meantime, for the first two weeks of school and before Alex's birthday, Sam put in her final hours at the label before they were bought out. She had no idea what Aurora was going to do afterwards, and she sure as anything had no idea what she was to do with it, especially when school finished out for her. She and Belinda came to their spot up the street after school the last Friday afternoon of the month, and Aurora greeted them both a smile on her face, much to their surprise.

“What's going on?” Sam asked her as she put her arms around her.

“I'm pregnant for real now,” Aurora told her, to which the two of them gaped at her.

“Seriously,” the former blurted out. “Like, you're not messing with us right now.” And Aurora shook her head.

“Osegueda can relax now, I s'pose?” Belinda joked.

“Yes, he can!” Aurora proclaimed.

“When did you find out?” Sam asked her.

“Just a couple of nights ago. I was gonna call you, Sam, but I guess you and Marla have your work cut out for you this year.”

“Hell yeah, we do—especially me.”

“Anyways, I felt weird, like internally, and so I went out for a test.” Aurora set her hand on the lower part of her belly. “Bun in the oven, ladies.”

“Please don't drink at Alex's party next week,” Sam pleaded her.

“He'll be nineteen, so there's not going to be any alcohol there,” Aurora assured her, “and even if there was, I've got Emile to check on me for that.”

“By the way, where's his party even gonna be?” Belinda asked.

“The Zazulas' place. I'll come get you guys if you wish.”

Given Alex's nineteenth birthday took place on a Tuesday, Sam, Marla, and Belinda all had to hustle out of school following their last classes of that day. But Aurora and Emile waited them there at the curb in their car: a packed caravan en route to the Zazulas' house at the far side of town. At one point, Belinda turned to Sam with a twinkle in her eye.

“You got the—” Sam then took out the square package enveloped in pearly white wrapping paper and with a black bow on top from her hand bag.

“Right here.”

“You guys found a buckle for that thing?” Marla asked them.

“Beautiful platinum buckle—brand new, never been used,” Belinda told her, and she never went any further than that, which led Sam to assume that she found it in the garbage somewhere. The guys from Testament were all there, as were Scott and Charlie, and James and Kirk. Sam chuckled at the memory of Lars in the kitchen the first time she and Joey went there together as she held her and Belinda's gift to Alex underneath her arm.

Aurora and Emile made their way to the other side of the house, while Sam and Belinda took to that kitchen door. Alex himself stood at the far edge of the house with a brown glass bottle in one hand: he and Greg were talking about something.

He almost didn't look the same with those tight leather pants. The black curls dangled about his shoulders like the ears of a dog: his hands pressed to his slender but shapely hips didn't help matters, either. She pictured Alex strutting along like he meant it, with that black hair splayed all around his head, and that plume of silver strong and high like a lightning bolt.

It was right there that Sam wanted him, and she wanted to see him naked for real. To see him and Joey both naked.

He had passed the right age after all: she could dream about him the way in which Belinda had joked about before.

A teenage kid about to bid his teen years farewell, and he stared back at her from across the room. Even though he was still underage, he held that empty brown bottle in one hand.

She nibbled on her bottom lip at the sight of him but then she and Belinda bowed into the house together.

They were greeted by the warm aroma of freshly baked cake in the kitchen and a small cluster of presents on the table.

“Aw, just a little party,” Marla was saying as she signed the birthday card to him with a bright red pen.

“That's really all he wanted,” Chuck told her. “Party with us, and then he's going upstate with his parents and his brother tonight. Gonna be up there for the rest of the week after this.”

“Quick little party with us and then his parents are taking him out to dinner right afterwards,” Eric called from the next room over.

“Yeah, that's it.”

Sam then turned her head and she realized that Alex and Greg were a few feet away from there. She could walk past the back door and have a better look at them, but there had to be a reason behind it. Chuck handed Belinda the card for a signing; the aroma of the cake was almost intoxicating, as if it was right there and ready to slice into for all of them. Sam then had an idea.

“I'll be right back,” she told Belinda with a raise of her finger, and she nodded in response to that. She bowed out of the kitchen and towards the back door, which hung right open for the stubborn warmth of the Indian summer.

She could walk by and make it look as though she was going to the bathroom or going to ask Marsha a question. Indeed, Sam strode on by so she could have a better look at the bottle in Alex's hand; he had turned to the side so it hung there right by his hip. It was sarsaparilla.

That also gave her a chance to look at the curvature of his thighs, albeit for a few seconds. She couldn't believe she had done that, either, given she already had a boyfriend. She had a boyfriend and he couldn't be there, and she couldn't tell him about it, either. She shook her head as she doubled back in the next room over and back to the kitchen to sign the card and to speak to Belinda. Lucky for her, Chuck had left the room so she stood there alone with her eye on the tags on each of the presents upon the table. Sam strode up to her with the warmth still fresh in her face.

“I need you to slap me across the face,” she said to her.

“Why?” Belinda laughed.

“I’m having—thoughts,” she stammered, even though they were alone in the room.

“Having what?”

“Thoughts. About… both Joey and Alex.”

“Like… what do you mean?”

Sam leaned in closer to her face and hunched her shoulders a bit.

“Thoughts,” she breathed right into her ear. Belinda looked on at her with a bewildered expression plastered on her face, and then her eyes lit up.

“Really? Sam, you little vixen! I knew you had it in you!”

“Yeah, but—Joey's kinda my boyfriend, though.”

“So? Just 'cause you got a boyfriend doesn't mean you have to restrain yourself to him. Live and let live a little.”

She sighed through her nose. Maybe Belinda had a point as she wrote “happy 19th birthday, Alex—with love, Samantha” at the bottom right corner of the card. Nothing fancy, nothing more, nothing less. She hoped that something would in fact happen that evening as she made her way back towards the front door for a bit of fresh air.

She recognized Frank's lush dark hair as he all but stumbled in through the front door.

“Easy there, big fella!” she declared to him, and he burst out laughing at that. She turned to the side and she almost ran into something slender but soft.

“Oh, hi,” she greeted Joey, much to her surprise.

“Hi,” he returned the favor and showed her a grin all the while.

“I didn't think you'd be here,” she confessed.

“I ain't turning down free food, y'know,” he told her.

“Okay, that makes sense.”

Joey peered over his shoulder for a second, and then he returned to her.

“I've been thinking of your lips lately,” he confessed to her in a husky voice.

“It's funny, I, uh—I have been, too,” she said. He lowered his gaze to her mouth and he moved in closer to her.

“Um—Bel and I made something for you—for your birthday coming up here,” she sputtered.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, you just—you just might like it.”

He showed her a little smirk: and she brought her eyes back down to those dark lips. She needed to kiss them. She needed to do something right there lest something happen there in the house that would wedge them apart. She closed her eyes and she leaned in closer to his face.

“Sam?” Marla called her. She opened her eyes and she stared on at Joey's face: his brown eyes gazed back at her, as rich and full as the earth underneath them.

“You're being paged,” he whispered to her. She turned around right as Marla emerged from the kitchen.

“Could you get Marsha, please? She's in the back of the house.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Sam returned to Joey, who still showed her that smirk on his face.

“I'll be right back,” she vowed to him.

“I'll be waitin' for ya,” he vowed back to her, complete with a wink. She rounded him and headed towards the back of the house. She was about to head into that corridor there when the back door swung open before her. Greg bowed in first, and then Alex followed suit. He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Oh, hi,” she greeted him.

“Hi—what're you doing?” he asked her with a grave look on his face.

“Oh, just—talking with Joey and now I'm getting Marsha.”

“Oh, I see.” He never changed his expression for a second, but she knew what he was thinking. She dropped her gaze to those lips and then to his neck and that prominent Adam's apple. She brought her attention only to his face instead and the puzzled expression there.

“Are—you alright?” he stammered.

“Yeah. Yeah, I just—I just—'scuse me—”

“Yeah, of course,” he assured her with a puzzled look on his face. She bowed into the back room there, where Marsha looked over something on the desk. She raised her gaze to Sam.

“Marla wants you in the kitchen,” she told Marsha.

“Cake's probably ready,” she replied to her with a twinkle in her eye.

Sam nodded and then she returned to the hallway, where Alex had gone off to somewhere else in the house. Indeed, she headed over to the back door, where Aurora was about to take her seat on the step there. It was almost too much to bear right there. She needed to get out of that house because the thought of Joey and Alex getting into it at the latter's birthday party was almost too much to bear for her.

“I need you to cover me,” Sam quipped, and Aurora looked on at her, stunned.

“Cover you in what?”

“No, cover for me,” she corrected her.

“Yeah, cover you in what?”

“Aurora!”

“What?”

“Cover for me. Keep people busy. If they ask about me, tell them that I had to run next door real quick.”

“Why would I say that?”

“Because you’re my best friend.”

“Well, yeah, but really why would I lie to people about where you went?”

“I thought you were only a few weeks pregnant?”

“I am! But what’s that got to do with it?”

“Ugh, never mind.” But before Sam could do anything more, Marsha surfaced from the room there and she gestured for Sam to follow her into the kitchen. Indeed, she helped Marsha decorate the long rectangular sheet cake, in particular the “happy 19th birthday, Alex” right in the middle with the royal blue icing.

“Dunno if Zelda's going to be here,” Marsha confessed to her as she finished the piping of the roses at each of the corners, “she said she probably won't make it because I guess the girls are hard at work right now in the studio—but let's get this sweet little party started, though.”

Sam struck the match and lit the wicks of the candles.

Alex had taken his seat at the head of the dining room table with a small white party hat atop his head: the little sliver of gray poked out from underneath the edge, and his face turned a soft pink with being put on the spot as Marsha set the cake down before him.

“What do you wish for more than anything in the world?” Louie asked him, and Alex turned his gaze to Sam at his right. He squinted his eyes at her, but he never said anything. He then leaned forward and blew out the candles in a single breath. The wisps of smoke faded into nothing before their faces as Belinda and Scott both clapped their hands in unison. He offered to slice the cake but Marsha insisted.

She handed him the first slice of vanilla and raspberry cake, and then everyone else followed suit.

“Wanna open your presents, young man?” Jon called from the far side of the room.

“Yes please,” Alex called back, “my parents are gonna wanna know what they got themselves into here...” His voice trailed off. Sam watched him dig into his cake, small bite after small bite. He ate slowly: indeed, she found herself doing the same thing. It was delicious cake after all. But she wondered what he had wished for before he blew out the candles.

Granted, if he talked about it, then it wouldn't come true. But it still made her curious nonetheless.

Jon handed him Chuck, Eric, and Frankie's gifts first, followed by that small square black and white box. The first thing he did before opening each of them was put the bows on his chest. He read the labels carefully right before hand as well, and he was careful to unwrap them as well with a sliding of his fingers under where the paper ended and the tape started, and so he peeled the paper off as opposed to tearing it apart. A new tuner from Chuck and Eric both, a Gary Moore shirt from Greg and Louie both which warranted a look of surprise from him.

“Wow, where'd you guys get this?” he asked Greg.

“Thrift shop. Lou found it when he and I were looking for new boots for ourselves, and I was like, 'dude, yes! He loves Moore!' So I got that for a nickel.” He neatly folded the shirt and placed it on the table next to him, and then he turned to that square box.

“From Samantha and Belinda,” he stated, and he opened the box.

“Miss Shelley and Miss Grimes,” Jon followed up as he headed back into the kitchen once more.

And Alex's face lit up at the sight before him there.

“Oh, wow!” He held it out from the box, and he looked on at that clean creamy white leather with his mouth agape.

“What is it, a belt?” Scott asked them.

“A guitar strap!” Sam corrected him. “A little bit of leather work from both me and Bel here.”

“This is gorgeous!” he declared as he held the strap before him and his eyes caressed over the design of the tulips and the sugar skulls. “Oh, and it's adjustable, too! This is absolutely beautiful, ladies—thank you!” Sam put her arms around him first, and then Belinda followed suit. He had a slender little body and yet he was as soft as childhood.

“Got our work cut out for us now,” Charlie confessed to Scott in a not so low voice.

“I know, right?” Scott retorted with his eyes squinted.

But Alex was more than happy to have it all around him for the time being, especially by the time Aurora took a step next to him.

“Now, I hate to draw the spotlight away from the birthday boy here,” she began, “but I wanted to tell you all that Emile and I are pregnant.”

“Aw!” Marsha called from the kitchen.

“We thought we were when we were over in England last month, but—it's official now!”

“Start of a new chapter in life and the start of a new life,” Scott declared as he raised his glass to them, but then again, Alex bowed his head a bit at that. Today was his day after all, and for Sam, that was oddly selfish of Aurora to do that to him. This was the second thing she had done that seemed so unlike her, at least for as long as Sam had known her. Thus she reached her hand towards him, just as Aurora began conversing with Marsha, Emile, and Scott about something.

“Happy birthday, though, Alex,” she told him as he took a sip of his sarsaparilla.

“Thank you,” he replied to her with a serious look on his face, “and yeah, thank you, everyone!” That warm blush returned upon his saying that. “When I'm done with my cake and my drink, I'm gonna call my dad and tell him that life is good right now.”

Indeed, he turned his attention back to Sam for a moment.

“And I go upstate for a whole week.” When he said that, he glanced across the table for a second. She followed his gaze and there was Joey at the far end. She sat closer to Alex than she was her own boyfriend; she then climbed to her feet and she strode on over to him as he finished the rest of his cake.

“Hi,” she greeted him, and he brought a napkin to his lips. Chuck burst out laughing at something and thus he moved his head in closer to her.

“Wanna do sump'n this weekend?” he offered her in a low voice.

“Up by your place?” she asked him.

“Your place and then mine,” he corrected her.

“I'd love to,” she replied in a low voice.

“I'll pick ya up after school,” he told her as he finished the last few bites of cake. Sam wondered exactly what he had in mind as she made her way back to her spot in between Belinda and Alex for the time being.

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wandas-sunshine · 4 years

Text

A Soldier’s Spring - Chapter 2

Summary: She was one of Hydra’s secret weapons; a female winter soldier. And Bucky can’t let her go through what he did alone. Everything is coming back to her, and he’s the only one that can help her become human again.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Angst, short torture scene at the end

Word Count: 3342

Flashbacks are in italics

Previously on A Soldier’s Spring | Series Masterlist

Her head was spinning. She couldn’t stay in this town. It would be too obvious and she knew that they’d find her by the time the sun came up. She weaved her way through the city, leaving a wide perimeter around the rendezvous point. Her handling team would all be waiting there for her to return just like a perfectly trained puppy.

That’s just what she was, wasn’t it. Their perfect little guard dog. Some animal that they could order around and leave chained up when they were finished with her. One step out of line and she was punished. But not anymore. She wasn’t satisfied with being on a leash. She had a mind of her own. Didn’t she?

She sped her way around the town, past signs and storefronts, until she was even a little bit convinced that she’d put enough space between her and the Hydra agents who had brought her out to play. It had taken nearly an hour for her to be comfortable. She had found a small, quiet town. That didn’t seem to calm the uneasy feeling that was settling in her gut. Even if her instincts told her that this was her safest bet, she knew that quiet towns were good at spotting anything out of the ordinary.

It was well into the night, nearly midnight she figured. That left about 3 hours until her handlers would be looking for her. She hurried, eyeing rundown houses and family run businesses until she found one she could bother with. There were no cars in the drive, and no lights inside the house. It held a sizable shed. No visible security or particularly sturdy locks.

She quietly snapped the lock off the shed and guided her bike inside. There were a few tarps folded neatly on a shelf. She tugged one down, covering her bike in the front corner and tucking herslef behind it. The corner was cramped between the motorcycle and the other clutter that likely hadn’t been touched in ages. But it felt safe enough for her to quickly drift off to sleep. She was exhausted. Something she couldn’t remember really feeling in ages.

Bucky had returned to his home, relaxing on his bed with his journal. It was late enough in the day since Shuri had insisted on keeping him for breakfast. The sun was high in the sky, and he hadn’t gotten any more sleep in the lab, but he was much calmer now. Shuri had advised yoga or meditation. He went for a walk instead.

When the phone on his stand rang, he knew it could only be one person. Shuri had given him and Steve each specialized phones. She said they would be more secure than any that they could buy, and Bucky was learning to trust whatever the girl said. She truly had become a savior for him lately. It was hard to believe she was only 16.

“Hey, punk.” He greeted. Every time he picked up, he worried that it would be the police or some special agents that had finally managed to hunt Steve down. Or Sam calling to tell him that a mission had gone sideways. But his concern always eased at the sound of Steve on the other end.

“Hey, Buck. Thought I’d call and check in. Haven’t called in a few days.” Steve said cheerily. As hypocritical as it was, and really he did know it was, Bucky hated the way Steve was always fussing about him. Mostly he hated knowing exactly what he was worried about. It wasn’t some outside threat. Wakanda was the most secure place he could be. No, he was worried that Bucky would snap again, or that he wasn’t safe enough to be on his own. But he couldn’t be angry about it. He understood, even if it stung to have his scrawny best friend worrying about him and not the other way around. Truthfully, Bucky worried every day that he wasn’t safe enough to be alone with himself.

“Don’t go worrying about me. Shuri’s keeping a close eye on me. She has me keeping some journal.” He laughed and looked at the leather book sitting open in front of him. He’d only managed a few words this time around. His brain simply wouldn’t give anything up. “She says it’ll be good for me. Help work through the memories.”

Steve gave a short hum in response. He knew Bucky too well to think he believed it was doing any good. But he figured it would be a good enough start until he decided to open up and trust someone.

“How’s the arm coming?” Steve questioned hesitantly. The arm was a little bit of a touchy subject. It had been Bucky’s idea to remove the one Hydra had fitted him with. He insisted it was for safety purposes. Just in case anything went wrong, he’d said. Everyone else knew it was more than that. But Shuri had insisted on making him a new and improved prosthetic. She confided in Steve, told him she hoped connecting it to recovery instead of all the bad the other one had done might help him come to terms with it being a part of him and not Hydra.

“I don’t need it. I’m really getting the hang of this whole one arm thing.” Bucky hoped that he didn’t sound as disgusted as he felt. “How are you? Wherever you are. How’s the lead coming along?” If Steve recognized his blatant attempt at changing the subject,he didn’t say anything about it.

“It’s alright. Sam’s out here going crazy. Driving me crazy. I’m worried if we don’t finish up here soon, Nat’s gonna kill him.” Steve gave a fond laugh, and Bucky did too. “The lead didn’t give us much. But we may have found something.”

“Something like what?” He didn’t quite like the way Steve said that.

It was early when (Y/N) started awake. She whipped her head around in a frenzy until she registered her surroundings. Then she was paralyzed by the panic setting in. Unadulterated terror. She’d run away, she’d ruined whatever plans Hydra had for their next step. When they found her, they would have her head. Maybe literally. And that very well could be the best case scenario for her.

The door was busted open with a loud crack. Dim morning light streamed into the darkness that she’d come to find solace in. She scrambled as far into the shadows as she could, pressing her body tight against the wall. Her hand wrapped around the grip of her gun. With any luck, she’d go unnoticed and she could get a move on before her captors managed to catch her scent again.

But this was most definitely not her lucky day.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” A burly agent sing-songed as he ventured into her space. The words made her skin prickle. He stepped over discarded items littering the floor, shoving others out of his way without a care for any damage he did.

“We know you’re in there, принцесса,” Another voice called from outside the door. This comment sent a wave of nausea through her. That name was the last straw. She was not their princess.

“Do you know anything about…” Steve hesitated as he read over the note Natasha had made under the Russian written in the file. “About a Кровавая принцесса?”

“Bloodred princess.” Bucky repeated back in English. “Where did you get that? The name.”

(Y/N) pressed herself lower to the ground. She could fight her way out of this if she could just get out into the open. Her brain felt too cluttered, but her body knew exactly what to do. She slipped silently towards the agent, pressed low into an army crawl. She stayed as far into shadow as she could. She wasn’t a big fan of being underfoot.

Taking him down was nearly too easy. One dash towards him and a well aimed swipe of his legs and he toppled to the ground, his head bashing against a plastic storage container on the way down. She weaved her limbs around him, her thighs pinning his arms to his sides and her arms wrapping tight around his neck to choke him. He fought as well as he could, but she was easily draining the fight from him. He wasn’t a match to her enhanced strength.

“There’s a ton of files and reports. People talk about an assassin, they call her the bloodred princess.” Steve explained. He could practically hear Bucky tensing. “There were some heavily protected files. Nat’s working on getting in, seeing what else their hiding about her.”

“She’s like me. Another Winter Soldier.” Bucky said finally. “She’s strong. Maybe stronger than I was.”

Once she was convinced he was unconscious, she eyed the contents of the shed desperately. Bungee cords. She could work with that. By the time the agent groggily came to, he was securely tied up. She headed for the door, doing her best to keep out of the light until the last minute. Who was to say how many agents were waiting for her with their weapons trained on the door.

“She was so strong when they started on her. Had a lot of fight in her. By the time they were finished, she wasn’t using it against them anymore.” There was an edge of anger in Bucky’s voice as he continued on.

Her next moves were a blur, like she wasn’t really controlling herself; She was on autopilot. She fought off the first two agents easily. They were reluctant to shoot. The last thing they needed was their weapon of mass destruction laid up with bullet wounds. She knocked their guns from their hands, sending them skittering a good distance out of reach. The first made a quick move to grab her from the front. She aimed a punch at his jaw. It landed hard, surely knocking some teeth loose and sending him to the ground in agony.

As she landed a swift kick to his diaphragm, the second agent wrapped his arms around her. Her arms were pinned and he had her lifted off the ground enough that she couldn’t manage any traction. She growled in frustration, wiggling a bit before tossing her head back hard and fast. She felt it connect with his face. A dull throb ran through her head but she brushed it off entirely. The agent groaned, his grip slipping enough to let her drop to the ground and knock his feet from under him.

The third agent was moving towards her now, seeming to come out of his hesitant stupor. He wasn’t too good at hiding his fear of her. He was new, she was sure of it. The grounded agent reached for her legs and she simply kicked at his ribs hard enough to break them like twigs.

“Stay.” She warned darkly.

“Stand down, soldat.” The final handler commanded. (Y/N) scowled. She never wanted to hear that word again.

“I don’t want to fight anymore.” She carefully scooted around the agents still on the ground until she was safely out of reach. “I just wanna go. Please don’t make me hurt you. I just wanna go.” She pleaded.

“You knew her.” Steve commented. It wasn’t quite a question, more of an observation. Bucky sighed and shifted a little bit.

“I trained with her. They would pit us against each other.”

The agent stepped closer, and (Y/N) took a couple frantic steps back. She was getting awfully close to being cornered and she wasn’t liking the feeling.

“You know I can’t let you go.” He reminded her. “Just come with me and we can get you back in the right headspace.”

“This is the right headspace, (Y/N).” The voice was back again. Strong and sure, something she didn’t feel nearly enough in the moment. She knew that voice. “Get out.”

“No.” She shook her head. “No. I will not go back there. You-you’ll punish me and take it all away again. Everything in my head. I won’t.” She was panicked now. She needed out. Then she caught it, the subtle shift of his finger onto the trigger of his gun. She ripped her gun from its holster and fired two shots.

The first embedded in his shoulder and knocked his gun to the ground. The second hit his stomach. A panicked look crossed his face as he stumbled back and clutched the wound. She was sure that her expression matched his. She was shaking. She didn’t want to hurt him. He was only a kid…

“I don’t know what they did with her. I don’t remember much else. She was only a kid.” Bucky confessed with a frustrated sigh. He wanted to be more helpful. To Steve, and to that girl who had her life stolen away from her.

“Thank’s Buck,”

“Oh god. I’m so sorry.” She ran towards him and snatched his gun from the ground. “I’m so sorry.” She repeated before turning and bolting. She needed to put some space between them and her.

She had lost track of just how far she’d run. She finally came to a stop after...she thought maybe an hour? She could feel the adrenalin wearing off as she slowed to a brisk walk. They weren’t going to give up that easily which meant she needed to get out of the open. But hey, a life on the run was better than a lifetime as a murderer, wasn’t it?

“You’ve come so far, my darling child.” The voice murmured, edging into her mind. It was softer now, warmer. It wasn’t pushing her or urging her to protect herself anymore. It was a sound of pure comfort. “Just keep going, dearest. You aren’t out of the woods yet.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out sharp and hard. She had a tendency to do that when she needed to focus. Or she had…it had been some time since she’d taken on her own quirks. It was as if she was melting into someone she didn’t know. She wasn’t acting like herself. Or like Hydra’s toy rather.

She needed someplace to hunker down and come up with a real plan. A few minutes walking and she found a seedy motel. To any normal traveler, the ramshackle building would’ve been repulsive. But (Y/N) wasn’t picky. She waltzed through the door with her head held high, power radiating off of her.

Behind the counter, a young man, maybe 19, was playing on his phone. He didn’t bother looking up until the runaway assassin cleared her throat. He flicked his eyes up, then did a quick double take and straightened his posture.

“I need a room.” She demanded. She was truly a sight to behold. There she stood in all black with her hair messy and loose. She’d lost her mask at some point during the past few hours, but her pretty face did nothing to offset the threat of the weapons she carried with such grace, or the blood that she had been stained with during the fight. She looked absolutely stunning, and even more deadly.

The kid nodded and scrambled for one of the room keys hanging up behind him. He tossed it towards her and she catched it easily with a half-hearted ‘thanks’. She didn’t have any money to pay for the stay, but she highly doubted the kid would dare try kicking her out.

The room was less than great, but it had a bed and a shower, and (Y/N) had slept in much worse conditions. She locked the door, starting to strip herself of her weapons. Knives, guns, ammo, even a couple grenades. Everything was splayed out in front of her, and the longer she looked at it, the worse she felt. How did this happen to her, when did she become a monster? Was she always a killer?

She sunk to her knees and gave in to the waves of fear. Sobs shook her body as she let herself curl up against the side of the bed. Her life was never going to be normal. She hiccupped out another sob and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. She’d always be running, always looking over her shoulder. She’d always be alone. Nobody would stay with her. If not because of the atrocities she’d committed then because nobody would risk the danger of loving a criminal. Hydra would never let her go.

“Listen, Buck,” Steve started. “I know it’s a lot to ask. But this might be our last chance to finish off Hydra once and for all.” Bucky knew exactly what Steve was trying to ask of him. He’d never tell him just how much he was dreading the question. Life was just beginning to settle for him. He had a home away from all the danger. He had a bed, and food. He had more than one person that he was learning how to trust. But he had never let Steve down before, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.

“If we can track down this girl, we’ll need you here. Will you come?” There was a long silence. Of course he’d come. But his worries were choking his throat. “You don’t have to say yes.” Steve added. It was enough to snap him out of his thoughts.

“If you can get me there, I’ll come.” He promised. And neither one of them knew if this would end the way they hoped, or much much worse.

She didn’t want this. She wanted to go home. She didn’t have any idea where she was or just how long she’d been there. They hadn’t let her sleep for more than a few moments. She was starving too, couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had something to drink. They dragged her out of the cell where they were holding her. Back towards the chair they’d strapped her to so many times that she’d lost count.

She screamed and squirmed, fighting to get away. But they were stronger than her to begin with, and she was just so weak. It hardly took any effort for the two men to strap her in again. She looked at them with wide eyes. They were bloodshot from the crying and tears welled in them once again.

“Please, no.” She sobbed weakly. “Please, I’ll do anything.”

“What is your name?” A man in a white lab coat questioned her. When she didn’t answer, a sharp smack stung against her cheek. She balled her hands into fists and clenched her jaw.

“(Y/N). My name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the man gave a nod. The two metal pieces moved towards her head again and she found a new strength to fight. She couldn’t take it. Not again. Her desperate pleas were cut off by an agonized scream.

She screamed until her throat was raw. She couldn’t think straight with the pulses of electricity assaulting her brain. When they stopped she slowly pried her eyes open. Her mind couldn’t put thoughts together, couldn’t bring herself to fight properly, she just squirmed weakly. And then they were repeating those words again.

Парк...

Восемь...

What did they even mean?

Сгореть...

Семнадцать...

Was that...was that Russian?

Сломана...

Гавань...

She felt strange.

Открыть...

Отказ...

Like she couldn’t think. Couldn’t focus.

Отказ...

Делить…

The man in the white coat stepped closer and leaned in towards her face. Her eyes were glazed over, distant. He took this as a good sign. There was no emotion held in them.

“How are you feeling, soldat?” He asked. Her eyes slowly drifted until they landed on him. It appeared to be a struggle for her to focus.

“Where am I?” She asked in a near whisper, tugging at her restraints. This clearly pleased him, a wicked grin creeping onto his face.

“This is a start. Once more.” He ordered.

Next Episode

@dragonofthenorth0726 @nightshade7117 @believeitseeitdoit @stuckyandsciencebros @this-is-mycrisis @xmtd5 @someonekeepstakingmyusernames @greeniemoon @wayward-student-philosopher @messedupmyfuckinglife @yourwonderbelle @booboobella01 @kpoplover1306-depressedgirl315 @silver-winter-wolf

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #avengers #avengers imagine #imagine #fanfic #reader insert #marvel imagine #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #a soldiers spring

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issa-me-addy · 4 years

Text

Better Than Words (OC x Bucky Barnes)

Room #234

PART TWO/?

A/N: HELLO, so funny story I fell into a very long depressive episode and forgot that I had started posting a fic but I will be posting several chapters within the next few days just.... cos here is the link to PART ONE! And a kind reminder that this takes place in an AU after Spiderman: Homecoming where the Avengers have reassembled and the following all live in the Avengers tower: Tony, Pepper, Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Wanda & Vision. Peter Parker’s identity is still in tact and he spends his free time training at the Avengers tower under a “Stark internship”.

also here is my masterlist!

Word Count: 2073

Warnings: fluff, mild angst, and slow burn

It had taken nearly a week for Maya to stop over analyzing whether she made a weird impression when she met Bucky, and it was August now. She had to clear her mind to polish up her lesson plans and start worrying more about getting her classroom ready for September.

She had always had a vision of what her classroom would look like, ever since she decided that she wanted to teach. This ideal classroom included filled bookcases, walls covered up and down with art and references to her favorite books and characters, both classic and contemporary. Every person Maya opened her mouth to in the past several months knew just how excited she was about this classroom.

Maya was practically itching to talk about it and luckily for her, Nat came in the day that she got the keys to her classroom.

She found herself waving Nat down as soon as she walked in through the door. Maya didn’t even wait for her to take a seat before opening her mouth. “So I’ve been hoarding a lot of stuff for the new classroom--”

Nat laughed. “Yeah, I helped you pick out more than half of it.”

Maya stopped in her tracks and slapped on a comical pout. “Nat… You know it’s for the children…”

“Yeah, of course. For the children,” she smiled back to Maya, only pausing to talk to MJ, letting her know she just wanted her usual coffee and pastry.

Maya grinned from ear to ear, waiting for Nat’s shoulders to square back to her’s. “Anyways! I got my keys today and I was thinking, well-- Now, I know that this is kind of, you know… our spot, BUT I was wondering if you were free for the rest of the day? I was thinking, we could, maybe, caffeinate and you could help me move everything into my new classroom, maybe?”

Maya knew asking this was a bit of a longshot, hence all the rambling. It was never verbally spoken, but she knew that Nat, Steve and everyone from Avengers’ tower knew not to make real connections outside of their small circle. And Maya wasn’t stupid by any means, she knew that it made sense. She always thought about it long and hard, understanding that getting close to anyone who wasn’t super human, anyone that wasn’t capable of truly defending themselves was, in a way, selfish of them. Maya continued to make arguments in her head about how Nat wouldn’t have let herself get close to her, and that she wouldn’t joke about her and Steve if that was really the case. This only confused her more if anything, but nonetheless, she kept her fingers crossed because she genuinely considered Nat to be her friend.

Nat paused for a moment, and Maya could see her genuinely weighing out her options as Nat’s head tilted back and forth. Then, her head dropped between her shoulders and her hand came up to rub the back of her neck. “You know what? Yeah. I just had some training scheduled with Steve but moving things is a work out, right? Actually, should I ask him if he wants to help us out?��

Maya exhaled a bit and took a moment to process her answer-- in the end she couldn’t help but smile. “Yes! Oh my God, thank you! And, yeah, I was going to ask if he could help anyways because I have some heavy furniture that I need to be brought into my classroom. The chair and desk that the school left for me just don’t make the cut you know?” She was still rambling, but more so because of her excitement than her anxiety now. “And with his help, we can knock it all out sooner! As thanks, maybe I can make you guys dinner tonight? Or another night?”

Her friend couldn’t help but laugh a bit at her ability to get so many words out in one breath. Before responding, Nat pulled out her phone. “Hold on. Let me call Steve first.”

Nat was on the phone for maybe a minute, only pausing to confirm which school.

“Midtown Sci and Tech. It’s in Queens,” Maya grinned, only getting more and more excited by the minute.

Nat nodded, “Midtown Tech… Yeah, in Queens… Yeah, I’m sure that’s fine! Also, steal Happy’s SUV-- there’s some furniture you’ll be moving… Awesome, see you in a bit.” Then a click and the phone call ended.

“Steve said Bucky’s coming along. I hope you don’t mind.”

Maya’s brain nearly short circuited. It’s not that she minded but she felt a bit blind sided, especially having only met him once prior for less than the duration of a commercial break.

Despite this she reminded herself to smile. “Oh! Oh yeah, that’s fine! I guess I need all the help that I can get.”

MJ called out Nat’s name, leaving her coffee and pastry on the counter.

Nat stood up and grabbed her order, simultaneously asking, “Do you want to get another coffee before we start loading stuff up? The guys won’t be here for 20 minutes probably. Steve has to choose between two dozen different white t-shirts.”

They both laughed.

“No thanks, we can just head up now. I have a few last minute things to pack before we start loading the cars. Thanks again, Nat. I really do appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem. Lead the way!” And with that, Maya and Nat made their way out of the coffee shop and directly into the door to the left of the cafe entrance, which opened up to a staircase that led directly to Maya’s front door.

The two girls spent the next 20 minutes packing up the last couple of boxes and were already loading a few into Maya’s car by the time Steve and Bucky pulled into the spot right behind Maya’s blue Toyota.

“Hey, short stack,” Steve greeted Maya, holding the door open for her and Nat to walk back up to the apartment.

“Sup, gramps,” Maya teased, stepping through the door, closely followed by Nat, then Steve, then Bucky.

Once they got up the stairs, it was Maya that held the door open for everyone to file in. As they did, she realized just how small it was. The mere height and broadness of Steve and Bucky made the previously vast space feel tiny very suddenly.

The studio was made up of one large rectangle and a door that led to the bathroom.

As you walked in through the door, the kitchen appeared to the left. You could only see where it ended distinctly because of the dining table, which was scattered with filing boxes overflowing with books that Maya had been hoarding nearly her entire life.

Past the dining table was the entertainment stand, which was really just a short, long bookshelf where she stored her personal books, movies and CD collection. It was also home to a dozen or so personal journals that Maya refused to leave at her parents’ house out of sheer paranoia.

Opposite to the television was an old leather couch and a small, pale wooden coffee table sat in between the two. Both the couch and coffee table were stacked with more books and a few more boxes dedicated to student freebies, desk supplies, as well as classroom decorations. And leaning against the wall were the boxes holding all the unassembled furniture Maya previously made the UPS man haul up the stairs similarly to the way she was going to make Steve and Bucky lug them back down.

Just to the right of the television was the door to the bathroom and to the right of that was a massive wooden wardrobe. Across from the wardrobe sat Maya’s full sized bed, which looked mighty comfortable with the abundance of pillows alongside a questionable amount of stuffed animals for a fully grown and independent woman.

The desk was a hybrid nightstand, as it was pressed up against the wall and sandwiched between the bed and the couch. And as for the walls, miscellaneous things were hanging up and a photo collage above the desk was in the works.

Maya had to take a moment to understand how her apartment would look from a newcomers perspective for the first time and she grew a little embarrassed. After taking a breath she internally hoped that they wouldn’t make any comments about the state of her living space.

Steve and Bucky took this time to look around for themselves.

And Steve was quite impressed. “Nice set up! Is it just you?”

“Yup! Just me! I was thinking about getting a cat or something. I had a lot of pets growing up and just having the company would be really nice.”

A smile was almost immediately slapped across Steve’s face, “Ooooohhhh! There’s a great adoption place Bucky and I have volunteered at. It’s not far from here, actually. We can bring you another time, huh Buck?”

Bucky nodded, hands shoved in his pockets, “Yeah. We could do that.”

Maya took this moment to finally greet Bucky, “Yeah, that’d be great actually! Also, thank you James, for coming to help.”

Her words were short and sweet because she barely let him get out a nod and a ‘No problem’ before giving directions.

“Okay, if you guys could take all the big furniture and bigger boxes of books on the couch to the SUV, that would be amazing! Nat and I will handle the rest of the stuff in the kitchen and the smaller boxes on the couch. Then, we’ll head to Midtown.”

After brief nods the guys got to work right away and Nat grabbed another one of the boxes cluttering the dining table before making her way downstairs again.

It only really took fifteen minutes for the four of them to finish packing up the cars. This mostly had to do with the fact that Bucky and Steve didn’t need help lugging boxes of books down the stairs. Nor did they need breaks after several times up and down the stairs, unlike Maya.

Once the boxes all trickled out, Maya smiled at the cleaner state of her apartment. After a moment she grabbed the building and classroom keys out of her desk drawer, double checked her bag and did some last minute grabs. Half a dozen locks later, she’s meeting the other three downstairs by the cars.

“You guys know how to get there right?” Maya asked Steve before thinking long and hard about whether she’d forgotten anything.

He nodded before pushing the button to close the trunk to the SUV. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. We’ll be right behind you anyways.”

“Aw, no racing?” Nat taunts him.

“Not like you stand a chance,” Bucky retorts.

“Is that so, James?” Maya asks, mostly joking. She realizes, quickly though, that her competitive side is what gives her the courage to speak to Bucky in such a tone.

“It’s not even a question, sweetheart.” Bucky laughs, before patting the top of her car’s hood. “Let’s just get a move on, yeah?”

“They just know they would have lost,” Nat sneers before climbing into the passenger seat of Maya’s car.

It’s on the drive there that Nat directly asks Maya about her potential relationship with Steve: “Are you sure? You wouldn’t even give poor Stevie a chance?”

Maya can’t help but blush in response. “It’s not Steve. I would be interested, yeah but-- I don’t know. I don’t feel anything romantic for Steve for whatever reason. I mean, he’s great! And I love being around him, but I just feel like he’s a great best friend, good brother type. You know?”

Nat huffed a bit. “I just think that you guys would be great together. You already get along so well and have a lot in common. It just feels really obvious to me.”

“Sometimes the obvious path isn’t always the right one.”

“Did you just quote a Pixar film to me?”

“Nat you realize that you didn’t even skip a beat; you knew exactly what I was quoting.”

“Oh hush, Steve’s the one that made me watch it!”

“In any case, don’t get your hopes up. OR Steve’s! I don’t want things to be weird with him just because you think we’re cute together.”

Nat can’t help but roll her eyes. “Just keep an open mind, yeah?”

Maya presses her lips together and nods. “Of course.”

TAGLIST: @asuperconfusedgirl @amisutcliff

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invisibleanonymousmonsters · 5 years

Text

Non-Sequential [Ch. 16]

Pairing: Pre-Serum Steve Rogers/Steve Rogers x Reader

One night, Steve Rogers met a beautiful dame named Y/N. He hadn’t intended on letting her get away. But fate had other ideas. Y/N appeared and disappeared in his life so hauntingly that Steve started to wonder if she was an angel meant to watch over him.

Word Count: 3,100

Chapter 15

Bucky squinted as the sun beamed down on him.

It had become a routine of sorts. Y/N, not knowing anyone in Wakanda nor willing to make new friends in her current state, would usually find her way down to Bucky’s farm eventually. Some days she couldn’t bring herself to leave her room. But it felt like those were becoming less and less of a thing.

She’d ask Bucky if she could help with anything. He refused to give her any actual job. He pretty much just asked her to feed the animals, or convinced her they needed to be talked to or they’d get irritated.

Mostly Y/N just sat on a bail of hay or a blanket he’d throw on the ground for her and read while Bucky worked around the farm.

She almost never talked to him.

Bucky wished she would, but being able to keep an eye on her was good enough for him…for now.

“You ever take a break from reading?” He called out in exasperation after he threw another bail of hay off the large wagon.

She eyed him, “To do what exactly?”

Bucky’s smile faltered a little bit, knowing he was nearing dangerous territory. “Ever considered writing something of your own?”

Y/N glared at him, “You mean like a diary?”

He shrugged. “Diary, journal, notebook – whatever you want to call it, yeah.”

“No, thanks.” She shot back instantly and then somehow picked up her book again with an attitude and put an end to her portion of the discussion.

Bucky took a few steps closer to her and then put his hands on his hips. “You know, it might help a bit.”

“Sure,” she snapped back without taking her eyes off of her book.

“You’re not talking to me, kid. You’re not talking to anyone. At least talk to yourself. Get those thoughts out of your head and on paper. Maybe it’ll help you make sense of them.”

Now Y/N was fully glaring at him. “Yeah?” She mocked. “Is that what you do?”

Bucky took the challenge. “Yes, actually. It is.”

“I’m not trying to piece together my memories, Bucky. I know what happened to me. I’m not trying to remember. I’m trying to forget it.” Her voice was cold as ice when she said it.

“I’m only trying to help, Y/N.” He told her softly.

But she wasn’t finished with her anger yet. She stood up and took a few combative steps toward him until she was just a foot away from him.

“What do you want me to write? That the curse I was given almost got me killed once again? That I was tortured?” She was screaming now. “That I live every day fucking terrified of when I get thrown somewhere in time again? That – after everything that’s happened – my boyfriend left me in a foreign country to deal with it all alone?”

He was quiet.

“Is that what you want me to write, Bucky? Yes or no?” She bellowed.

“You’re not alone,” he muttered.

Her face dropped. “What?”

He looked her dead in the eyes. “I said you’re not alone.”

“Whatever,” Y/N rejected before stomping away.

But Bucky couldn’t let her leave in such a condition. She may have yelled it all at him, but it was the first time she had even somewhat opened up. It was the first time she even told anyone that she had been tortured. Obviously it was what every had already assumed. But he took it as a giant step forward, having her finally just admit it.

In a panic, he turned and gently grabbed her forearm.

Y/N ripped it away like he’d burned her and whirled around. “Don’t fucking touch me!” But her eyes weren’t wide with anger. They were wide with pure and acute fear.

Bucky quickly stepped back and raised his hands. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. That was stupid.”

Her fear was quickly replaced with embarrassment. She escaped even quicker now.

This time, Bucky had no choice but to let her.

He rubbed his face and then nearly pulled out his hair.

“Goddammit!” He hissed to himself.

  What the hell had he been thinking, grabbing her like that?

No one understood what she was going through more than him. When he first got out of cryo and was on the run, the idea of ever letting someone touch him again made him sick to his stomach. No matter how kind someone’s face or intentions were, he no longer trusted that anyone’s touch would do anything other than harm him.

Bucky stomped into his hut and started going through his things.

“Damnit, where’d I put that thing?” He muttered to himself.

Eventually he found it in a drawer: a phone, the burner phone that Steve had given him. It was for emergencies. Through Wakandan tech, Steve would call every once in awhile. But sometimes he was in places where that wasn’t possible. But the burner phone was the exception.

Bucky flipped it open and dialed the only number in the address book.

It only rang twice before he picked up.

“Buck? Is everything OK?” His voice was instantly panicked.

“It’s not me,” Bucky said slow and quiet.

The other end went quiet.

“She’s not OK, Steve. She needs you. You hear me? So, get your ass back here and be there for her. I’m not going to tell you again.”

Then he hung up before Steve could answer.

—————

Despite her anger at Bucky, Y/N still didn’t want to be alone.

Shuri had told Y/N, with utter sincerity, that she always welcome in her lab.

So Y/N found herself making her way there, almost like a zombie of sorts.

Two of the Dora Milaje nodded at her politely as she walked through the doors. It only took a few days for all of the guards to put together that Y/N held almost 0 threat to the royal family or the general public. Soon they grew protective of her, losing all sense of suspicion and mistrust.

Shuri spotted Y/N’s entrance immediately and jumped in excitement. “Oh, great! Your timing could not be better!”

Y/N blinked in surprise and confusion.

“I’ve done quite a few tests with your blood work. However, I’ll learn a lot more once I get the readings from before and after your time-travel. But that will come eventually.”

Y/N shivered at the idea of traveling again.

She hadn’t since returning to the present after being tortured and held captive by Hydra. The thought of ending up somewhere dangerous again was the reason she couldn’t sleep and her mind was filled with horrors.

Shuri pointed to one of her lab chairs and grabbed another for herself, silently telling Y/N to take a seat.

“We’ve clarified two things,” Shuri started in a serious and authoritative voice, “You only travel to two types of places in the past and future: places of your own life and places of Steve’s life.”

Y/N winced a bit. “Well…that’s not entirely true.”

Shuri tilted her head to the side.

“I went back in time to Bucky – I guess it was twice, depending on how you look at it.”

“Go on,” Shuri encouraged.

“I went back to WWII. Steve was technically there. But he was on a scouting mission. The date was more significant for Bucky than it was for Steve. It was Bucky that found me, not Steve. And then the other time…” Y/N suddenly realized that she would have to talk about Hydra to explain the second time she’d been brought to Bucky.

“When you last traveled,” Shuri finished for her. “You do not have to talk about it if you are not ready.” The princess offered with a kind and gentle smile.

Y/N swallowed awkwardly and realized how dry her mouth and throat had suddenly become. But she just nodded.

“While I have yet to fully analyze and diagnose your abilities, I am starting to understand what motivates where they take you.” Shuri began to explain and pulled up a hologram of a brain. But not just any brain, it was Y/N’s brain. “There are two things I believe are controlling the destinations of your travels: memory and love.”

Shuri pointed to the lit up areas of the brain. “The parts of your brain that control memory are your amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. Emotions like fear and love are controlled by the limbic system, which is located in the temporal lobe. The amygdala is also part of the limbic system, which – as I just mentioned – also controls memory.”

Y/N slowly stood up from here seat and got closer to stare at the scan. “So, basically, my amygdala is the things that most controls of my ability?”

Shuri nodded, “That is the simplest way I can put it.”

Y/N crossed her arms and still stared at the scan. “I travel to Steve because I love him so much.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but Shuri was able to make out the words still.

“When it comes to your memories, you cannot think of them as linear. Your powers take memories from your past and future to effect your present. Your memories have no beginning and no end. Your powers are all-knowing. I believe, perhaps, you are in a Predestination Paradox.”

“What does that mean?” Y/N quickly interrupted.

“Well, you are unable to change the past, which would be what the time travel theorists call a Grandfather Paradox. You are simply a witness through both the past and the future, unable to change anything. Therefore, your visits have already been set in time.”

Y/N nodded, somehow following Shuri’s explanation and theories.

“The reason you started traveling to Steve, before you even met him in your present, is because your consciousness already existed in the future. And your love for each other created a chemical effect that influenced your time-traveling destinations…forever.”

The last part was the least surprising of the news. Over the years, Y/N and Steve had put together that their bond in the future had brought them together in both of their pasts. But the way Shuri explained it all made it all seem so much more formidable.

“And what if we stopped?” Y/N’s voice shook as she asked.

Shuri squinted. It was the first time she seemed confused in the conversation. “Stopped what?”

“Stopped loving one another.”

Shuri’s first reaction was to say that she couldn’t imagine a world where Steve and her didn’t love each other. But it was not her place to say such things. Y/N was looking for a scientific hypothesis, not a friend to talk her down.

“I…I do not know, Y/N.” Shuri admitted.

“Can you make it stop?” Y/N shot back. “Can you back the time traveling stop?”

Shuri bowed her head. “I am not sure yet. There is still far too much to learn before I can give you an honest answer, Y/N.”

Meanwhile, Y/N looked more disappointed than anything. But she bowed her head slightly in acceptance before fleeing the lab in a brisk walk.

—————————————

Y/N had made her way to the lake. It was the middle of the night. It would have been a little more dangerous had a guard not been assigned to her. The only time they left her alone was when she was with Bucky. Y/N had found that odd, but didn’t dare think on it too long.

She hugged one knee to her chest, as her other leg dangled over the dock and her foot drew circles in the cold water.

Then she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

They were loud in a way that made her realize the person made sure she heard them, so they wouldn’t scare her.

Bucky.

Only Bucky would do something like that.

Y/N didn’t turn around or acknowledge him. But she felt him sit down beside her. It was a little difficult for him to do, with having one arm and all. He made sure to put a few feet between them.

“I went to the palace to talk to you. When you weren’t in your room, I thought I might find you here.”

She didn’t say anything in return.

“Y/N, I’m sorry for grabbing you the other day. I should’ve known better. I just panicked when I saw how upset I’d made you and immediately wanted to fix it.”

She stayed silent.

“You won’t talk about it. But I know what happened to you,” Bucky finally confessed. “I know because I remember. When Shuri finally got rid of my brainwashing, memories just started flooding back. And when I saw you for the first time here, it triggered everything. I saw your injuries and – I was there.”

Y/N’s eyes finally snapped to him. His ice-blue eyes were already waiting to meet her gaze.

Her breathing became heavier.

“I’m not telling you this so I can pretend to know what you’re going through.” His look stayed so gentle and sincere. “I’m telling you because I want you to know that even if you never want to talk about what happened, you don’t have to do this by yourself. You don’t have to have to keep it a secret because you’re scared of how people will react.”

Y/N’s eyes swelled with tears that she managed to blink away.

A silence settled between them. All they could hear were the crickets and other nocturnal creatures. The waves of the lake would make a heavier sound against the pebbly beach every so often.

Finally, Y/N took in a shaky breath. Her gaze looked over the water now. “When I first saw you here–” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it, but I instantly got this odd sense of comfort. It made me realize that I wasn’t alone in what I went through. Because, even if it wasn’t really you, you were there with me.”

She looked at him. “Do you remember what you did?”

Bucky swallowed. He couldn’t find the words.

“You tried to help me,” Y/N muttered. “You protected me.”

He shook his head. “And look what a shit job I did at it.”

“That’s not true,” Y/N urged.

“If I had been stronger, I could’ve stopped it all. I could’ve kept you safe.”

“Bucky, you were brainwashed. The fact that you were even able to break through it at all and do what you had is remarkable.”

He was starting to get worked up now. “If Steve knew I was there and did nothing…”

“But you did do something!” Y/N argued.

Suddenly they were interrupted by Y/N’s guard walking to them. “I have a message from His Majesty.” Then the guard tapped the Kimoyo Beads around his wrist and a hologram of T’Challa appeared.

“Sergeant Barnes, Y/N,” he greeted politely, as if it wasn’t the middle of the night. “I must request that you both come back to the palace immediately.”

“Is something wrong?” Y/N asked quickly.

“No, but your presence is required.” Then he hung up, leaving no room for more questions or refusals.

Y/N shared a worried look with Bucky. But he didn’t seem to feel the same concern.

“Come on,” Bucky said as he carefully maneuvered himself back onto his feet. It should’ve been more awkward without a second limb. But even with one arm, Bucky was disturbingly graceful.

He held out his hand, offering to help Y/N up.

She took it without really thinking, trying to figure out what could possibly be waiting for them at the royal palace.

The walk was filled with silence.

Little did Y/N know that Bucky was pretty sure what – or rather, who – would be waiting for them with King T’Challa.

The guard led them to the landing dock without forewarning them. They just followed mindlessly.

Someone with dirty blonde and shaggy hair was talking to T’Challa, with his back to them.

Y/N squinted.

T’Challa meeting her gaze made the stranger’s back tense and stop talking.

He turned around and Y/N stopped in her tracks.

Steve looked like a different person. For the first time since Y/N knew him, he had a beard. His hair was longer than she’d ever seen it. Somehow he looked bigger, but she doubted that was a actual possibility.

While Y/N’s eyes widened in shock and – was it fear? – Steve looked like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Then his eyes shifted between her and Bucky. He hadn’t expected his best friend to be at Y/N’s side when he saw her again.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Y/N took a quick and big step backward. It caused her to run into Bucky’s chest.

“It’s OK, kid.” Bucky whispered to her reassuringly.

The interaction didn’t go amiss by Steve.

Y/N was breathing heavily, convinced she was about to have a panic attack at any moment. The shock of it all was doing nothing for her sleep deprivation. Her emotions were all over the place. She was in no state to be able to handle this.

“Figured you’d be sleeping by the time I got here,” Steve finally broke the silence.

Of all the first things to say to Y/N, Steve knew that shouldn’t been it. But he lost all composure.

Y/N stared at him for a moment, still trying to process if she was starting to imagine things. It wasn’t uncommon for people with insomnia.

But then something snapped within her.

“So you were planning on leaving before I could see you,” she accused.

Steve blinked, surprised by the animosity of both her words and tone.

But before anyone else could say anything, Y/N turned on her heels and fled.

“Y/N, wait!” Bucky called after her, taking a step in her direction.

But he had learned his lesson and let her run.

T’Chall cleared his throat. “I will…let you speak amongst yourselves.” Then he looked at Steve. “I have prepared a room for you, Captain. The guard will show you to it when you are ready. Goodnight.”

Steve gave a nod in thanks, and he and Bucky watched the King leave them.

“She hates me,” Steve whispered the moment they were alone.

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

Chapter 17

So, I’ve had a shit couple of days. I also haven’t been inspired or motivated to write. I’m honestly shocked I was even able to write this chapter in a somewhat timely matter. It would make me very happy if you guys commented or just shared your thoughts and reactions. :) Thanks

#non-sequential series #non-sequential chapter 16 #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers series #steve rogers fic #steve rogers reader insert #bucky x reader #bucky fic #bucky x reader x steve #steve x reader x bucky #marvel fic #steve rogers angst #steve rogers fluff #captain america x reader #captain america reader insert #non-sequential

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bamby0304 · 5 years

Text

Her Saviours- Ch.29

Series Masterlist

Summary: During an odd case, the Winchesters came across Y/N, a scared young Omega girl who had been used as a lure for a nest of vampires. After rescuing her from the monsters, John and his sons took her in knowing she was in no state to live among ordinary people. But three Alphas and one Omega is a mixture bound for disaster.

Warnings: Explicit language. ABO dynamics. Smut. Unprotected sex. Knotting. Angst. Violence.

A/N: Okay so I personally struggled with the ending of this chapter. I didn’t want what happens to happen but I actually realised that the next episode just wouldn’t make sense if I didn’t… it’s hard to explain without giving stuff away… just know, I had to do it for plot reasons. Personally, I’d rather they just all fuck it out and move on xD

Bamby

You were sitting on the couch when the motel door opened… and Sam walked in alone. Your heart dropped when he gave you a sad smile.

“Where is he?”

“He went to go talk to Cassie.”

Nodding, you unfolded your legs and rose off the couch. “Well, I shouldn’t be surprised.” Sighing, you started for the kitchen.

“Y/N, it’s not like that. It’s for the case.”

“Don’t make excuses for him, Sam.”

“I’m not. I just don’t want you hurting over something that might not even happen,” he countered, following you.

You scoffed. “Sam, you didn’t see them together.” Turning to face him, you leaned back against the counter as you went on. “They’re all passion and fire. Fighting to them is like viagra. They live off yelling and screaming. And if he’s gone there, without you or me, then they’re going to fight. The stench of unfinished business and sexual tension has been stuck in my nose since we got into town.”

He took a step closer to you. “You don’t think what you and Dean have is passion and fire?”

“What Dean and I have is habit and convenience,” you answered honestly. “And you know what? You’re right.”

“Right about what?”

“I deserve better, Sam.” You pushed off the counter. “I deserve more.” Grabbing his jacket, you pulled him down until his lips crashed onto yours.

Sam froze for a moment as his brain worked to catch up to what you were doing, once it had though there was no stopping him. He grabbed the backs of our thighs, pulling you up to wrap your legs around him. Your arms came up and around his neck, pulling himself closer as the kiss deepened.

Fingers digging into the meat of your thighs, Sam turned the two of you and started towards his bed. He didn’t let you go as he laid you down on the mattress, covering your body with his.

Pulling back to nip at your neck, he breathed against you. “Wanted you for weeks. You’ve been avoiding me.”

His teeth pinched a nerve on your neck, making you arch into him. “Didn’t… didn’t want to cause drama.”

“And now?”

Pushing on his chest, you rolled the two of you over until you were straddling him. “Now I don’t give a fuck.” Rolling your hips, you moaned at the feel of him in his jeans.

Reaching for your top, Sam pulled it over your chest and then made quick work of your bra. As soon as your chest was bare he leaned in to suck and nip at your breasts, circling his tongue around one nipple while pinching the other between two fingers. You moaned, throwing your head back as you continued to roll your hips.

Looking up at you, Sam started on the button and zipper of your jeans. “I know this doesn’t mean you’re over him.”

“Can we not talk about your brother right now, please?” you huffed, reaching for his shirt.

Sam grinned as you worked at undressing him, ignoring what you said. “But I’m not going to give up on you. I want you, Y/N, as mine. I want every inch of you.”

“I am giving you every inch of me right now, Sam. Take it before I change my mind,” you warned.

He quickly rolled the two of you over again, caging you in underneath him. “You’re giving me every inch of you?”

There was this intense look in his eyes, as if he was saying something more than what his words were. He was being serious, asking for some kind of permission for something you didn’t know.

Looking into his eyes, you nodded. “I’m giving you every inch of me.”

Leaning in, he pressed his lips against yours in a deep kiss as he made quick work getting rid of the rest of your clothes. You arched into him, seeking out the feel of his skin, the warmth of his chest against yours.

The first push of him had your eyes fluttering shut as your fingers carded through his hair, holding him close. He was slow, rocking against you, pressing all of him against all of you as he gently rocked, pushing each inch of him into your gradually.

The stretch of him inside you sent shivers down your spine, pulling a needy whine from your lips. Wrapping your legs around his hips, you urged him to move, desperate for more friction. Sam was more than happy to please, trailing his lips to your neck as he picked up the pace, thrusting long and hard.

Sam’s breath fanned out over your neck as he pressed soft kisses to your pulse point, and then nipped at the skin. You arched into him, overcome by a sensation that steamed from every nerve in your body as he left small bruises on your neck.

Rolling your hips against Sam, you felt a familiar stretch inside. “You’re gonna knot me,” you moaned clawing at his back.

Nodding against your neck, he groaned. He didn’t say anything. You got the feeling he couldn’t form words at the time.

Tightening your hold, you pulled him closer and turned your face towards his neck. Sealing your lips over his own pulse point, you sucked at the skin, leaving a mark. He whined at the feel, bucking into you, his pace faltering.

Moving away from his neck, you whispered in his ear, “Do it. Want you, Alpha. Please.”

At the use of his title, Sam came on a shuddering breath, pushing into you as deeply as possible. His knot popped, locking the two of you in place. The feel of him pressing against your walls deeply pushed you over into your own climax, causing you to let out a cry as you clutched at him tightly.

Sam didn’t let you go until you both came down, catching your breaths. He pulled away to rest his forehead on yours, keeping his eyes closed as if it could help him remain in control of the Alpha in him.

Bringing your hand up, you caressed his cheek, smiling as he leaned into your touch.

“You have no idea how hard it is to hold back when I’m with you.”

You looked up at him with a little and confused frown. “Why do you hold back?”

Slowing, his eyes opened as he gazed down at you. “When I’m with you it’s like everything is on fire. It’s never felt like this with someone before. All I wanna do is bend you over and bury my cock in you every second of every day. You make the Alpha in me go crazy.”

When you didn’t respond, he rolled you both onto your sides so you were both more comfortable as you waited for his knot to lessen.

Chewing on your lip, you ran your fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “Sam?”

“Mmhmm?”

“I wouldn’t mind it, you know…”

It was his turn to frown with confusion. “Mind what?”

“If you didn’t hold back.” Looking up, you held his gaze, watching as his eyes darkened. “You should let your Alpha side out more often.”

Leaning in, he crushed your lips in a bruising kiss. You whined into the touch, clutching at his shoulder and pulling your leg up to his waist. He thrust ever so slightly, making his knot tug inside you, causing you to whine louder.

Pulling back, he kept his eyes on your lips as he spoke, “You’re mine tonight.”

“I’m yours tonight.” You nodded quickly, feeling a thrill of excitement wash through you.

…

“You sure you wanna stay?” Sam asked as he leaned over you while you sat on the couch in the motel room.

“I’m an Omega, you’re going to have to play cop… it’s best I hang out here for now,” you noted, smiling up at him.

Moving in closer, he pressed a kiss to your neck, over one of the several hickies he’d given you. “You sure it’s not because you don’t want Dean to see the marks I left on you.”

“Well… doesn’t help that my ass still hurts,” you chuckled, turning your head to catch his lips with your own.

Grinning, he gave you a quick kiss before pulling back. “Just your ass?”

The two of you had spent all night fucking. Sam had knotted you five times before you’d gotten too sensitive for anymore. It wasn’t like you were on heat, you couldn’t handle too much on a normal day. But that had stopped the two of you from doing other stuff. At one point he had you bent over in the shower as he fucked you from behind, slapping your ass until it was red.

To be honest… it was pretty hot.

“Everything hurts,” you admitted, leaning up to give him a quick peck. “But in the best way.”

“Mm, good.” Pulling away, he started towards the bed to grab his jacket. “You want me to bring anything back?”

“Just yourself.”

“I won’t be long,” he promised, starting towards the door.

You watched until the door closed behind him, leaving you alone. Your smile faltered ever so slightly as soon as you heard his departing footsteps. Last night had been incredible, you’d loved every moment of it, but you knew that it was going to come with consequences.

You were going to have to use the day to figure out how you were going to deal with those consequences… how you were going to deal with Dean.

…

When the motel room door unlocked you looked up from John’s journal- which you’d been flicking through. Your heart began to race as you waited, watching, wondering who it might be. As the door opened you were both nervous and glad.

Sam stepped in first, giving you a small smile, asking if you were okay without actually saying anything. Before you could respond, Dean walked in, closing the door behind him.

“Hey.” Sam moved towards you, dropping on the bed. “How was your day?”

You smiled at him as he leaned over to press a kiss to your cheek. “It was okay. Bit lonely, though.”

“You could have come,” he noted, pulling back.

“Thought it might be best if I didn’t.” You glanced over at Dean.

He scoffed, dumping his jacket on the table. “See you two wasted no time in getting cozy. The place stinks.”

“You don’t smell like roses either, Dean.” You glared. “Bet Cassie was more than accommodating last night.”

“Don’t start with me, Y/N,” he warned, clenching his jaw. “I have history with her.”

“I have history with Sam.”

His jaw clenched. “Cassie and me have unfinished business. Things are complicated.”

“What isn’t complicated with you Dean?”

“I’m not the only complicated one here, sweetheart.” He took a step towards you. “Last time I checked, you’re the Omega stuck between three guys who won’t claim you. Not that they don’t want to, but you seem to forget that.”

Anger began to bubble in your chest. Pushing off the bed, you moved to stand, only to have Sam reach out and grab your hand to stop you.

“Maybe you two could use some space?” Sam suggested, genuinely concerned.

Dean, however, didn’t buy it. “What, so you can have her all to yourself? You’d like that, huh? Just remember this, Sam, I’m the one that stuck around.” Dean gestured to himself, leaning forward as his own anger grew. “I’m the only one that’s stuck by her side this entire time. I’m the only one who actually knows her. You left and hooked up with someone else. The only reason you’re fucking her now is because she’s the only Omega around.”

“You do the exact same thing!” you exclaimed. “You run off to stick your dick in whatever you can find, and if you come up empty-handed you turn to me! I’m your second choice.”

Turning his attention back to you, Dean shook his head. “You think you’re any better? You jump from my bed to Dad’s. Or from mine to Sam’s. You stick around because you need us. Not us as people but because the Omega in you needs an Alpha. If it wasn’t for the sex you would have left years ago. You use us just like we use you.”

A loud crack sounded through the room as your hand stuck Dean across the face.

In an instant you regretted it. Gasping, you held your hand to your chest as your eyes fell to the ground.

“Oh my God…”

Dean lifted his hand to rub at his cheek as the anger disappeared from his eyes, replaced by shock.

Sam jumped off the bed, putting himself between you and his brother. “Everybody just needs to calm down.” He looked to the two of you. You shuddered at the sound of his voice, feeling the power of an Alpha behind it.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean…” Shaking your head, you turned on your heels and hurried for the bathroom.

“Y/N, wait!” Sam called, hurrying after you. He didn’t make it before you slammed the door in his face and locked it.

Never had you ever struck one of the guys before. Never had Dean made you feel so worthless. You knew there was truth in his words and that made it hurt all the more. You did use the guys, and they used you… and as long as they kept jumping from girl to girl, and you kept jumping from Winchester to Winchester, nothing was going to change.

…

The rap of knuckles on the bathroom door had you lifting your head from your knees as you looked up and wiped the tears from your cheeks. You didn’t say anything, though. You just waited, chewing your lip nervously.

“Y/N, you gotta unlock the door,” Sam begged from the other side. When it was clear you weren’t going to move, he sighed. “Please.”

But you couldn’t. Just the idea of seeing Dean’s face after what you’d done… what if he hated you? What if he didn’t? You weren’t sure which was worse. You couldn’t handle either. In that moment, you were hating yourself, and anything less from everyone else just wouldn’t make sense, but being hated by someone so important to you would crush you.

Then there was Sam, the one right on the other side of the door. You had no idea how he felt about the situation and that scared the crap out of you. You wouldn’t be surprised if he sided with Dean, they’re family after all, but you didn’t want him to look at you with disappointment, either. On the other hand, you didn’t want his pity.

One argument, one slap, and you were turned upside down.

Someone’s phone began to ring then, saving you from having to respond to Sam or hear him beg more.

“Cassie?” You heard Dean, and just the mention of her name- especially from him- made your heart break just a little more.

That was until you heard the panic that followed.

“Cassie!? Cassie what’s wrong?! Cassie!”

“Dean, what’s going on?” Sam asked, still standing by the bathroom door.

“We gotta go. Cassie needs our help.” Dean didn’t hesitate. You could hear him already hurrying out of the motel room.

You waited and listened as Sam took a moment to stand there, weighing the options. Either go help Cassie, who clearly needed them. Or, try to coax you out. You honestly didn’t blame him for his decision.

Without a word, Sam hurried after his brother, leaving you alone.

As soon as silence engulfed the motel room, you inched your way out of the tub and snuck towards the bathroom door. You listened out again, making sure you were actually alone, before you slipped out into the main room.

The guys were really gone.

Sitting in the tub for an hour or so had given you some time to panic, and stress, and worry… and think. You thought of Dean’s words, and the yoyoing you’d done with the guys over the years. He was right, you used them all. He was wrong about the sex part, though… it wasn’t the one thing keeping you with them.

Right now, though, it was the one thing driving you away. Having to juggle your feelings for Sam and Dean, while trying not to hurt either of them, simultaneously trying not to get hurt yourself with Dean jumping from girl to girl… you were exhausted. You wanted an Alpha, a Winchester, but you couldn’t have one. Not as long as John was out of reach.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome… it was time for you to break some habits.

Hurrying over to the couch, you grabbed your bag and started packing. You knew the guys were going to be pissed once they got back to the room, but you couldn’t let their feelings get in the way of what had to be done. Even if it was just for a little while, or if this was your first step to a new life, you needed to get away.

Tugging the strap of your bag over your shoulder, you headed for the motel room door. With one last look behind you, you then closed the door and walked away, hoping you weren’t making a mistake.

Bamby

#alpha!sam fanfiction #alpha!sam x omega!reader #alpha!sam x omega!you #alpha!sam x omega!y/n #alpha!dean fanfiction #alpha!dean x omega!reader #alpha!dean x omega!you #alpha!dean x omega!y/n #her saviours

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thehomeofduck · 2 years

Text

Curse of the Fold | Chapter 5

Rating: Explicit (Violence, Sexual Content) Pairing: Daryl/Buck, M/M, Canon/OC

Wattpad || AO3 [Masterlist] || [Prev] || [Next]

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January 10th, 2011.

The walkers broke through yesterday. Caved a whole section of the outer fence in and were diving in like hellbent piranhas.

Rick and Daryl drove them off with the pigs. Got rid of several and allowed the others to help put up posts.

I felt like I should’ve helped, but I couldn’t make myself move. I hate feeling like this. Every time they get so close, I panic.

Before the fence went down, there was an outbreak within the prison. Kid had a disease that killed and turned him. Now anyone could be infected too, including everyone that was in there during that chaos. I could be as well. I haven’t shown any symptoms yet.

“Buck?”

I pull my head from my journal. Remembering my surroundings. I was outside with Dutch again. He rested behind me, enjoying the feel of grass on his coat as he lay with Flame.

“We’re thinking of going just out of town to run for supplies. I thought I’d ask you to come with us. Extra hands are always nice.” Michonne walked up to me.

I closed my journal, thinking for a second. I wanted to help, and I didn’t like just sitting around all day. “I don’t mind coming.”

She gave me a soft smile. “Good, okay taking Dutch? The boys already claimed the other seats.”

I rolled my eyes, standing and closing my journal. “Yea, that’s fine by me.” I turned to put the book into the saddlebag. “I’ll get him set.”

“Thank you.” I heard the crinkling of paper, turning to her. She held out a folded up map. “It’s already got the place marked down.”

I took it from her, nodding in a silent thank you. She turned, walking back to the car where the others were packing what they needed.

I turned my intention to the lovebirds, well lovehorses. “Come on, Dutch.” I grabbed his lead. He watched, knowing exactly what was wanted. He seemed to contemplate, only to get up anyway.

My hands fell down to my sides as I waited. Dutch leaned down to Flame, touching noses and giving a soft snort to her. She let out a sigh, snorting back. He turned back to me, waiting.

I took the time to fasten his lead. I shoved a stool over with my foot, grabbing his saddle off the fence. Swinging it over him, I made sure it was secure. I watched as he played with the lead in his mouth, swinging the rope back and forth. Chuckling to myself as I stood on the stool, I climbed over him. I tapped at his side, the spurs of my boots gently rubbing on him, signaling him to go.

Dutch trotted down the road, and we left the main gates. Following Michonne and the others in the car from a bit back. I let Dutch make his own way down the road, pulling my revolver from the saddle holster. I checked to make sure it was loaded, before strapping it to the one on my own hip.

I looked around; the roads were bare. Walkers mostly wandered the forests because of the smell of animals. Although they were usually rotted. The car had been out of sight from a turn, but I wasn’t too worried. It was a long stretch of road to the highway, no turns along the way.

I started to speed up a bit as time went on, getting Dutch into a canter, so I didn’t fall too far behind.

The faint sound of gurgling walkers hit my ears. I assumed it had just been a few on the road that wondered from the sound of the car. I glance down at the map. After this next turn, it was just a long stretch to the highway. I shove the map back into Dutch’s saddlebag.

Looking up, I quickly grabbed Dutch’s lead, pulling it back roughly. He skidded to a stop. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand walkers, covered everything in front of me. The entire road, even the highway that was yards away.

My heart started to pound out of my chest as I looked around. Walkers grew closer, leading Dutch to stand on two hooves. His high-pitched scream pierced my ears. But I couldn’t cover them. I gripped hard onto the lead and saddle to not be thrown off, his front hooves slammed back onto the ground, sending me forward.

I sat back up, looking around me again for some way out. Walkers grew close behind us. I could see walkers laying on the ground and then a pile of them. The car that was once driving in front of me had been stacked on top of walkers, doors open and empty. I couldn’t check for sure without being surrounded or having Dutch throw me off.

I pulled his lead to the left, quickly guiding him towards the trail of walkers. He took off in a canter, ducking into an open spot in the bushes. Dead walkers lay scattered while leftover ones roamed.

“Easy boy, easy.” I spoke softly, despite my own fear rippling through my body. I tried to act calm for him. Panicking would only freak him out. I led him through around the walkers, speeding up when needed to get around them. We were both up on alert, being careful of every angle around us. I was so tense.

I grabbed my map out to check where to go now. I could barely keep my eyes on it for more than a few seconds. The route wasn’t too complicated. There was a trail I could get to. It’d lead to a creek and a bridge, then back out to the road. I’d just have to follow it until I hopefully found the others.

The walkers grew less and less, all too slow to follow.

“Easy.” Dutch slowed at the command. We approached the trail, and I began to follow. Even while away from all the walkers, I still felt paranoid. I never knew for sure if I’d be okay. It’s why I never liked going out alone or in forests. One wrong turn and you could be at a dead end. One wrong move and you could fall down a hill. I didn’t know the area well either.

I could hear the soft sounds of running water. As we walked through the trees and bushes, I saw the creek. I followed down the trail beside it, spotting the bridge afar. I slowed Dutch to a stop, pulling my legs up over him and sliding off his back.

He leaned down, already starting to munch on some grass below. I walked to the edge of the creek, crouching down to cup my hands in the water. I pulled it to my face, rubbing the cold water over my skin. Cleaning off any dirt and waking me up a bit. I suck in a breath, realizing the water was colder than I had first thought. I shake it off, cleaning up my hands.

I heard a snort from Dutch behind me. I turned to look at him. His ears were pointed straight forward and he looked around on high alert. I stood to observe him. He looked towards the bush beside him as it began to rustle.

Before I could call him over, he let out a loud whinny, a walker coming from the bushes to grab for him. I tried to get my footing on the rocky edge, running towards him. He took off in a hurry.

“Dutch!” I followed after him, calling to grab his attention back. He continued to run, startled at other walkers along the way.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” I tried to follow him, only able to run so fast.

Something yanked on my ankle as I ran, sweeping my feet out from under me. When my vision cleared, I found myself upside down, looking back to where I'd come.

I try to look around, barely able to twist my body. I looked down. There was about a six-foot space between me and the ground. I was very clearly hanging. I look back up, swinging a bit to take a look at my legs. One of my ankles was strung up by a thick rope, the other hanging. I took a moment to try and process it. I was just trying to catch up to Dutch. And now I’m swinging upside from some rope in the middle of buttfuck nowhere.

I pulled my free leg up a bit, getting it a bit more comfortable so I hadn’t strained. Reaching into my side holster and digging out my hunting knife. I froze, hearing rustling from the bushes. The walkers had followed me down the path. I scrambled to pull myself up, shaky and panicked. I tried to saw at the rope. My back was straining, as I couldn’t get a good angle.

I let out a huff, falling back. The blood rushed back down to my head, making it pound. I squeezed my eyes shut to try and focus. My eyes fluttered open, only to widen as a walker was right in front of me. It reached towards my face.

“Fuck!” I grabbed a hold of its wrist, shoving it up and out of the way. Without another thought, I brought my knife down onto its head, letting it immediately drop. The handle slipped from my fingers as the walker's weight dropped. I tried to grab it but couldn't get a grip. My body swung from left to right.

I patted along my body, trying to feel for any other knives. I hadn’t brought any more with me. The other walkers weren’t far off, but too close for my own comfort. I didn’t have a knife to cut the rope, I couldn't tug it off. Only other thing I could do was pull myself up.

I sigh, taking deep breaths to try and relax. Catching my breath, I pulled myself up. I grabbed onto the rope with one hand, using it as leverage to pull me up more. The rope burned into my hands as they slid against the rough texture, making me hiss. I took a deep breath in, holding it. My body strained and pulled as I forced myself up, climbing the rope with every new inch I could reach.

I finally let out a gasp, sitting upright. I tried not to put weight on my foot as it’d only grow tighter. Pushing myself further, I pulled my body up the rope more. I wiggled my foot, and the rope became loose without pressure. My hands grew sweaty, and I was losing grip on the rope. I slid down despite my desperate grasps at it. Only burning and cutting open my palms on tiny bristles of rope.

I looked below me. Walkers were closer now. But I also couldn’t stay up here forever. I try to ease myself down as much as I can, letting go and bracing myself for the six foot drop. Pain shot through my shin as it hit the ground. I could only sit for a second before forcing myself up, ripping the knife from the walker that lay dead.

I turned, shoving it through the eye socket of the one that approached me. I twisted the knife and pulled back, not looking behind me as I ran past. Pain seemed to shoot through my leg with every step, making me limp and hold my breath. I brought two fingers to my lips, letting out a loud whistle, hoping Dutch would come. I followed the long trail, knowing it at least led to the road.

My heart pounded and I let out another sharp whistle. Nothing. I heard no whinny, and I heard no hooves hitting the ground. Only the sounds of walkers emerging from the surrounding forest. I got slower; the pain was harsh, and I felt like I was just breaking myself further. I tried to shift more weight onto my other leg. I couldn’t stop. Using my gun would only cause more noise and I didn’t want to risk it with what I already caused.

I tried another whistle. Still nothing. Where the fuck was he?

#the walking dead #daryl dixon #daryl twd #fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 fanfiction #oc x canon #twd #twd fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc #daryl/buck #daryl x buck #Duck #no beta read #Curse of the Fold

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gayweewoo · 5 years

Text

What is Present

Fandom: MCU Set in an AU where The Avengers are alive and get along. Marvel

Pairing: Sam x Bucky

Bucky and Sam get thrown into the 1940′s together and have to keep Hydra from getting to a young Steve and stealing the serum. Bucky has to confront being home again and Sam sees first hand how the past formed present day America. With no back up, it might be their hardest mission yet, but at least they have each other.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

When Sam leaves the building it feels a bit like swimming into the deep ocean. It’s all unfamiliar territory. He’s always heading to new places, but this time without Buck by his side he feels truly alone. In order to find a semblance of control he focuses on what tasks he can perform. They need money to keep living and to find that Hydra bastard to get back. Number one, get a job. Sam passes a newsboy selling papers on the corner and Sam manages to barter one for the hat he was wearing. There’s the date clear as day. November 17th, 1943.

Bucky POV

There are Latin letters and Cyrillic ones. There’s numbers and there are strange symbols that Bucky has a vague memory of in the back of his mind. It’s a real mess, these pages.

Bucky tries to focus on the journal. He really does. It’s very important. But...

Bucky can’t believe he’s back here. Home. His mother is here. His sister is here. So close and he can’t even see them. Would they even recognize him? An arm down and 70 years of hardship masking his face. If they did, could they believe the circumstance in which he comes. How would he break it to them that he was alive but tortured and used as a weapon against his will. Hurting his own friends. It’s better for them to believe him dead. He just wants to tell them he loves them. He misses them everyday.

He’s glad Sam is here with him. Not one to ever admit it out loud but Sam is a comforting presence in his life. He doesn’t know what he would do alone.

He’s going through the book trying to find a pattern. Some known phrase that could serve as a key. But the more he stares the less he sees. He needs a break.

He closes the doors behind him as he starts his journey. He’s walking. Aimlessly he thinks. But an hour later he finds himself on familiar streets. He passes the old corner market his mother used to shop at. Everything just as he remembers. It creates such an odd sensation. Details he forgot triggering his memories. The sign is the same gold and red it’s always been. The flyers in the windows. The cash register and the one broken button. The small aisles. And Mr. Johnson. Funny, Bucky used to think he looked so much older, but now he can clearly see he’s only middle aged.

He leaves the store behind and walks his old neighborhood, keeping his head low. He could never lose his way. These streets are ingrained in him. Passing by like a shadow, he weaves his way around never getting too close. Keeping distance from his own house seems like the wisest course of action. He’s not sure he could handle it right now.

He returns back to their room drained from the day. It’s emotional torture is what it is. He slumps into the bed to rest. It’s just him and his thoughts running on repeat. He loses track of time until Sam returns.

“Get anywhere?”

“No.”

“Well I got us a delivery job. Figured it’d be a way to get around town. Keep our eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. And earn some money. Starts early in the morning. We should get some sleep.”

Bucky nods and brings his blanket back to the floor. Sleep eludes him. Every time he closes his eyes a memory flashes before his face. Racing thoughts. Every regret. Every ounce of guilt. The minutes tick by.

He must be making more noise than he realized because eventually Sam speaks up.

“I’ve got some sleeping pills on me if you’re having trouble.”

“Yeah.” It sounds nice that there could be an easy way to clear his head, even if only for a short time. “Yeah.”

Sam reaches over the bed and fumbles through his stuff until he brings out a bottle of pills. He hands one to Bucky. “Extra strength will knock you out in no time. ” Bucky knows that Sam’s not a stranger to nightmares himself. Then he turns and tucks himself back into the bed.

And it works. One minute Bucky’s head is full of worries and the next thing he knows he’s being woken by Sam shaking his shoulder. He’s got a bright smile one his face and raised eyebrow.

“Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty.”

Bucky grunts. Sam laughs for the first time since they’ve been stuck on this mission. He’s got a rich full laugh. Bucky resists the bait and gets ready for the day.

They’re milkmen. That’s the job Sam found. Delivering little glass jars of milk down the street to each house. It does get them around town but Bucky doubts they’ll be knocking on the door of Hydra this way.

They deliver the glass bottles of milk to homes and make themselves friendly. Chatting up the neighborhood to ask about anyone new in town. Suspicious comings and goings. Weird noises. Anything that could be a clue to heat up their cold trail. By the time the milk is gone they’ve got nothing more than petty squabbles between neighbors to report.

They’re once again discussing the Hydra agent.

“I don’t think he knows we’re here,” Bucky says.

“Why would you say that?” Sam asks.

“Would have been awfully easy to kill us when we were both knocked out. Save himself a lot of trouble. Because we’re definitely gonna give him hell.” It’s the truth. After all of this, they’re not going to go easy on him.

The work day ends and they head back to the boarding house. Bucky gets to work on decoding the journal. Sam handles whatever task Mrs. Cathaway has waiting that day. And so it goes for the week.

#sambucky #winterfalcon #sam wilson #bucky barnes #fanfic #mcu #ymirphile

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saiilorstars · 4 years

Text

The Girl in the Forest

Chapter 15: Left Waiting

// Story Masterlist //

Fandom: The Originals

Pairings: Klaus Mikaelson x Original Female Character

Pronunciation of OC’s name: Ma-leh-nee

Requested tag: @queenmj10

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

Chapter Summary: Davina and Klaus each force Maleny to finally decide which side she's in during their war. Unfortunately, Maleny hasn't figured out a way to make both sides attainable.

Maleny paced back and forth inside her room while having a heated conversation with someone over the phone, "No, Isabelle, it's fine, honest. Well - Isabelle, please-"

"Mal?" Hayley knocked on the open door, concerned with the blonde's expressions.

Maleny motioned to be given a minute so she could handle the phone conversation, "Isabelle, I don't need help here. And no, please don't send her either - Amarrah said she would be going back to the police station anyways. I'm fine, please. Bye."

Hayley arched her eyebrows and crossed her arms, though having heard everything on the other line she still remained confused, "Who exactly was that? She sounded French."

"She is," Maleny sighed, tossing her phone on the bed, "and she's beyond worried."

"Wait," Hayley came into the room, "is she part of that family-"

"The Collins," Maleny clarified.

"They're the family that took care of your original body all these centuries?" Hayley asked, receiving a confirming nod from Maleny, "What's going on?"

"Isabelle - she's worried about my condition here," Maleny shrugged, "She's so worried she wants to send in her daughter to 'look after me'. As if I didn't already have enough babysitters."

Hayley knew Maleny was mostly overwhelmed with all the problems they had, so this small new thing was like the tip of the iceberg for the poor blonde. She walked up to Maleny, "Listen, maybe you should go take some air. I can go with you if you'd like," she knew under no circumstances was Maleny supposed to go out on her own. Despite the tensed air in the house, that was still rule number one (behind Maleny's back of course).

Maleny silently walked over to her bed, sitting on its side and leaning towards the nightstand to open its drawer. Hayley watched her pull out her old journal in which she wrote every detail she could remember from her past lives. Maleny skimmed a couple pages before growling in frustration and glancing back at Hayley.

"I can't look at this anymore," she said, almost to tears suddenly, "I need to get rid of it."

"Those are your lives, Mal," Hayley softly reminded, but received a harsh scoff in return.

"And yet, it may not matter anymore. I can return to my cycle at any moment. What does it matter if I tear these memories to shreds? They're just constant reminders of what I may be going into again."

"So...what do you want to do, then?" Hayley curiously asked.

Maleny stared long and hard at her journal before deciding, "I want to burn it."

"O-okay..." Hayley looked around, unsure of the idea.

"I mean it," Maleny rose from her spot, turning to the hybrid, "Can you...can you go downstairs for me? We can make a little fire in the kitchen."

"But Mal-"

"Hayley, please?"

With a sigh, Hayley agreed and left the room. Maleny waited a minute after Hayley left to grab her phone and journal and stuffed inside her bag. She snatched her jacket from her dresser and hurried out her room. As she went down the stairs she looked all around the place as she made her escape out the compound.

By the time Hayley returned to Maleny's room, the blonde was long gone. Hayley called out for her friend, going to different rooms hoping to see her somewhere. Eventually, defeated, she came into Klaus' art room where he was currently working on an artwork.

"Klaus, we have a problem," Hayley released a big breath, wondering how he would take it. However, something completely different came out instead.

"Maleny has escaped," Klaus casually said, raising a jar of blue paint to inspect its color shade. Hayley blinked just as he glanced at her, "You're about fifteen minutes late."

"How did you...?" Hayley made a confused face.

"Simply because we're not speaking to each other doesn't mean I stop keeping an eye on her," Klaus put back the jar on the table and left his work to walk up to Hayley, "Speedy steps coming from the staircase can only mean someone was in a hurry to leave - Maleny, clearly. Had it been you or Elijah you would've sped out."

"Why didn't you stop her, then?" Hayley scowled, "You make it a big deal she shouldn't go out and yet you let her run out without protection?"

"Now who said I was going to let her go without protection?" Klaus challenged, walking around the woman into the hallway. Hayley turned and went after him, "I was giving Maleny some time to head off before I went after her. I can't exactly go right behind her, could I?"

Hayley stopped by the stairs while he went down, "So...you're gonna be with her today, then?"

"From a distance, yes."

"Why not beside her? That would be safer for her wouldn't it?"

Klaus stopped at the bottom and looked up, earnestly replying, "Because she clearly does not want me beside her. I thought it was apparent by our current situation."

Hayley rolled her eyes, leaning her arms on the banister, "Your current 'situation' is beyond stupid. Instead of acting like children sit the hell down and have a proper conversation," and before Klaus could make an irritated response, Hayley added one last suggestion, "And like last time: avoid shouting. It does wonders sometimes."

Klaus didn't have anything to come back with anymore. Throwing her a glare, he went out in pursuit of Maleny.

~ 0 ~

Cami anxiously watched her new friend Gia stand against a wall with her eyes shut as another vampire stepped forwards and flung a dart with all his might. Without opening her eyes, Gia caught the dart just several inches from her nose. She laughed and opened her eyes, triumphantly waving the dart.

"Pay up!" she wiggled her fingers at the vampire who'd thrown the dart. As she was being paid, she high-fived Cami on the side.

"Told you you would learn," Cami smirked as Gia now waved the $100 bill between them.

"We just made $50 bucks each," Gia laughed and soon Cami joined in.

It had been quite the relaxing time for Cami as she spent time away from the Quarter, at the Algiers. While Marcel had been initially concerned with Cami's move, he allowed her to stay in his loft, but sometimes she would stay at Gia's place. It'd only been about two weeks but Cami had never felt so close to her human days like she did now. Yes, they were all vampires and they did vampire things together but it was different now. She had started her college studies again, and was promised she would definitely graduate. She'd made a good friend in Gia and together had fun - along with the other vampires.

But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

The party stopped when a vampire's corpse was flung through one of the loft's windows. As the group got closer to see who it was, they realized it was one of theirs. It appeared to have been a werewolf attack judging by half the throat of the corpse lying out. Seconds later, the loft was filled with Esther's werewolves.

Furious, Gia stalked up to the leader, a young man named Aiden, "The hell is wrong with you people? We didn't do anything!"

Aiden stared at her with an unimpressed look, "This is nothing your kind hasn't done to us. Learn your history."

Cami silently came forwards to pull Gia back while Marcel went towards them as well, "I don't know who the hell you are, but we had a deal. Vampires stay out of the Quarter? Everybody's cool."

"That's not good enough anymore."

"Yeah?" Cami raised an eyebrow, "Says who? Your leash holder, Esther? You know, I've only been a vampire for a couple of months but I know how werewolves work. You were independent creatures, loyal to each other...must have missed the part where you went rogue for some stupid rings."

Aiden smirked and nodded to one of his werewolf friends. One of them snatched a vampire by the neck and bit him. A second one went for Davina's friend, Josh, to do the same when Aiden called.

"That's enough!" Aiden looked at Marcel, knowing he was the leader, "Your privileges here have been revoked. Permanently. So, when we come back, you need to be gone. Because next time? I won't call them off. Consider this a warning, Marcel. It's the only one you're gonna get."

With that, the werewolves began leaving. Gia turned to Cami with an expectant look and pulled her to the side of the room, "Now would be a really good time for you to call your cousin…or your boyfriend."

By now Cami knew Gia's teases very well and air strangled her, "He's not my-" Gia broke into a light laughter, "-I hate you," the blonde said seconds afterwards.

Gia sobered up and became serious, "But seriously, I think a call is in order here. Call one of them, please?"

Cami gave a deep sigh as she looked around, seeing how the other vampires were frantically discussing with Marcel about the plans. She didn't want to see any of them run, no one should. No one should have to.

~ 0 ~

Maleny was quietly sitting at a park bench, passing a couple pages in her journal...and ripping them out one by one. She would have much rather preferred the fire but she would take a peaceful day out on her own (or so she thought anyways) than being stuck in that lonesome compound. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw someone taking a seat beside her.

"I know who you are," she said without looking up, "Finn," she then turned her head at the man inhabited by Finn Mikaelson. The dark-skinned man with chocolate brown eyes gave her a crooked smirk reminding her of Klaus. She quickly shook her head and returned her attention to her journal.

Finn lightly smiled and leaned back on the bench, "I must say, it's actually very good to see you, Maleny. What's it been? A thousand years?"

"Hmm, that's the most amusing thing you've said to me in a thousand years," Maleny muttered as she passed a different page and ripped the previous one out.

"I know you and I didn't always get along but we were family, weren't we?"

Maleny scoffed and looked up from her journal, "Sometimes," she gave him that, "but other times you were just plain mean to me."

Seeing her fruit fall to the ground and roll away in separate directions, Maleny groaned. She put down the basket she'd been carrying to go retrieve the fruit she'd lost. She brought back most of it eventually, and thankfully no one in the village took note of it, but when she went to pick up an apple, someone else did it.

"I think I might keep this one," Finn flashed her a wide smile.

"You will not," Maleny declared sternly and reached for the apple but he held it up high. Due to the height difference, it was impossible for Maleny to get it back. "Finn! I need that for tonight's festival. Give it back," Finn shrugged and walked past her, biting into the apple. Maleny turned after him, crossing her arms and glaring after him, "You're being completely childish, you know!" she called after him.

"Am I the one shouting over an apple?" Finn turned back, rolling his eyes before he gagged, "Eugh..."

Maleny narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What is it?"

Finn spit out what he had been chewing on, "This is rotten fruit!" he promptly chucked it back to Maleny, hitting her knee.

"Ow!" the blonde yelped and jumped back in surprise, "That was not polite!"

"Next time leave the fruit gathering to those with actual eyes," Finn sarcastically pointed to his own, "Maybe they can bring in better food than you," he grumbled more things under his breath as he walked away.

Finn raised his eyebrows and suddenly chuckled, "Are you really still upset I threw you an apple?"

"It hit my leg!" Maleny exclaimed but wasn't going to argue over something like that, "I never understood you, Finn. Sometimes you were actually a good guy, but other times it's like you were prone to be this evil brother. What side am I getting from you today, hm? What do you want?"

"You know my mother wants to you come to the Lycee with me," Finn began but Maleny scoffed and interrupted him.

"She can keep dreaming."

"What my mother offers you is your freedom, how is that a bad thing?" Finn shrugged, genuinely unable to understand Maleny's anger, "Listen, right now our priority lays on the white oak stake which can kill my siblings."

Maleny closed her journal and glared at Finn, "And you want to know where Davina is. Well you and I are on the same page because I don't know where she is either. No one does, okay?"

"I'm sure Elijah or Klaus have worked it out by now," Finn insisted calmly.

"I can assure you Elijah has not. As for Klaus, I wouldn't know."

Finn smirked upon detecting the extra bitterness Maleny had when speaking of Klaus, "Trouble in your deranged love story?"

Maleny scowled, "Don't you have somewhere else to be? I'm kinda busy."

"Shredding your memories, I see," Finn raised a crumpled journal paper from the bench.

Maleny snatched the paper from him, "At least I'm not killing people or forcing them to work for me like packs of mules. Tell your mother I don't know where Davina is, and even if I did know I wouldn't tell her. Also feel free to mention I don't want her help."

Finn got up from the bench, his smile vanishing, "Oh Maleny, before you know it, you will be coming for my mother's help, begging her to."

"I'd rather die," Maleny declared casually, "So buh-bye," she waved him off and smiled to herself once she was alone again. She grabbed her bag from her other side and stuffed the crumpled papers into it before taking the journal and continuing to rip out the remainder. She only stopped when she heard her cellphone ringing and upon seeing the caller ID she dropped everything to answer, "Hello!?"

"Maleny…" came Davina's nervous from the other line, "...heeeey…"

"Don't 'hey' me, young lady, what the hell are you thinking?" Maleny wasted no time in scolding, realizing at the moment she sounded more like a mother than a friend, "Reviving Mikael? Stealing the white oak stake!? Are you kidding me!?"

"I know, it's bad," Davina sighed but that didn't stop Maleny from continuing.

"N-n-n-n-n-no, no, bad is when you shoplift. This is beyond horrendous! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in? You are in way over your head!"

"Mal, you can't be angry with me," Davina huffed, "After everything Klaus and Elijah have done to me, I'm pretty justified in attempting revenge."

"Look, I'm angry with all of you for your behavior, but under no circumstances do I want any of you dead," Maleny truthfully said.

Davina remained silent for a good minute before darkly saying, "I'm sorry Maleny, but you knew sooner or later this would come. You have to make a choice between the Mikaelsons and your friends. I want Klaus dead and I will do what it takes to get it done. I'm sorry."

Maleny's eyes widened in horror, "Davina, no!" but the line went dead, signaling Davina had hung up. Lowering her phone, Maleny stared at the ground as she felt a knot in her stomach form. A decision? She didn't want to make any decisions - especially ones that would mean losing a friend or family.

"So," a different voice spoke up, making Maleny shoot right up from the bench, "What's your choice?" Klaus stood behind the bench with his hands behind his back.

"You...scared me!" Maleny put a hand over her chest, "Were you listening in on the entire conversation?"

"Let's be honest, we both know the answer to that. I knew sooner or later Davina would try to contact you so all I had to do was wait," Klaus casually came around the bench and stopped mere inches from her, "But you haven't answered my question, Maleny. What's your choice? Davina...or me?"

Maleny sucked in a breath and looked to the side, "You don't speak to me for two weeks and now you're asking me this? I don't think so!"

Klaus balled one of his fists but kept himself restrained, he suspected that would be more or less her response after their two week of silent treatment. It hadn't been his intention to leave such a large gap. After their argument, and after cooling down, he attempted to give Maleny some space to review all that had been said and done, hoping she would realize her mistake and finally accept her feelings. Unfortunately for him, his "attempt of space giving" had been taken by Maleny as a rude silent treatment. She was irritated with him for being "childish" but deep down she was more hurt. After getting back to the Quarter, she wanted to see him and be alright. She didn't like it when she walked into a room and seconds later he would walk out. Their arguments in the past never lasted more than a couple of hours back in their human days.

But now they could go two weeks without directing a word to each other, or a full month...

Maleny didn't want to continue this cycle anymore. And now that she knew what would be happening - a true fight between him and Davina - she didn't want to let him out of her sight.

"Take me with you," she whispered, confusing Klaus for a minute, "I know you know where Davina is just by listening in to my phone call. I don't want her getting hurt," and before Klaus made some sort of remark about her already choosing the teen, Maleny quickly added, "And that doesn't mean I pick her! I just want to...supervise."

"Will you be able to handle sitting in a car with me?" Klaus sarcastically asked, "Or will you pile one more excuses to stay away?"

Maleny shook her head, "Of course I can handle being close to you. The real question here is will you decide to direct a word to me the entire drive? Look, I need to come, okay? Can I?"

"Fine," Klaus turned away and started walking, leaving Maleny to scramble for her things and hurry behind, "But I must warn you that if you cannot reason with Davina I will end her."

Maleny knew of course he would do that, but even then she couldn't fathom seeing Davina hurt, "I can reason with her," she announced rather sure of herself, earning a sharp look from Klaus, "I can," she added seconds later, "I know I can."

But as they walked Maleny silently admitted to herself that perhaps Davina was beyond reasoning by this point. It was true, the Mikaelsons had hurt her in many ways and on some level, her revenge was justified. But still, Maleny hoped it wouldn't come to that.

~ 0 ~

Back in Marcel's loft, Cami and Gia quietly conversed in Marcel's loft regarding the werewolf attack earlier in the day. Marcel was out gathering the rest of the vampires in the area to give them the update on their current situation.

"Marcel says we shouldn't run, but Josh is afraid," Gia was in the middle of saying as she came to take a seat on the couch across Cami, with a stolen drink from Marcel's bar, "I, on the other hand, think we need to be far smarter about it."

Cami was listening but she didn't have much to comment on the subject. She knew she didn't want run, nor let the vampires do the same. But she just wasn't experienced in all this. Since she turned, she always had, well...Elijah to take care of the trouble. Klaus had always been locked in his room brooding and sulking while Hayley took to biting witches in the bayou and whatnot, thus leaving only Elijah. And when Cami thought about who she called for help, she shamefully looked down.

"I mean, I don't know how to fight or anything but I think we can learn, no?" Gia then realized her words were practically flying over Cami's head, "Cami?" she snapped her fingers and got the blonde's attention, "Where are you?"

"Sorry," Cami straightened up on her spot, "I was just thinking."

"Right," Gia sipped her drink, "So, what do you think we'll end up doing?"

But before Cami could answer Elijah entered the room, having the perfect response, "I would hope it didn't involve running away," he said with a small smirk, "That's not what we do anymore."

Gia raised an eyebrow, "Anymore?" she'd picked up on the key word and leaned forwards, more than interested, "Who'd you run away from?"

Elijah ignored the question as he went straight for Cami, "It's nice to see you again, Camille," Cami gave a silent nod, "How long has it been again?"

"I don't know," Cami looked up, detecting a sense of smugness in his tone as if he was pleased to hear she finally needed help from him, "I've been having too much fun to notice."

Gia cleared her throat awkwardly and stood up, "Well, I'll leave you guys to discuss. Try not to kill each other," she parted with that final warning.

"Well," Elijah watched after the new vampire with a sense of surprise, "I see you two hit it off. Am I to assume she's part of the reason you refuse to come home?"

"Home?" Cami raised her eyebrow, "The compound's not my home, Elijah. It's yours."

"Are you saying you never felt welcomed with us, then?" Elijah went ahead and took Gia's seat across Cami.

"No, I did…" Cami said quietly, "...but this has nothing to do with it, okay? Besides, originally, I was pissed off at you for leaving Gia behind like that."

"The woman was not our responsibility, Cami," Elijah reiterated, and still stood by it, "Marcel turned her therefore he should train her. I wasn't going to waste time on her and I frankly can't understand why you were doing so."

"What? So I was supposed to follow you around like I always do nowadays?" Cami scoffed at the idea, "No way, no more. I know I needed a lot of help in the months before but Mal's back and it's time for me to get my own life back."

"You still need my help though," Elijah reminded with another hint of triumph, something that irritated Cami.

Cami couldn't take that and rushed to get up, "I do, honestly, every vampire on this side does, but I won't take it if you'll continue to be so smug about it like you were just waiting for me to come asking for help. We can find help somewhere else," she turned to leave but Elijah quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"I'm sorry," Elijah sighed and slowly Cami turned back, expecting more than just those two words, "I want to help, honest. Why don't you tell me exactly what happened?" he motioned for Cami to take a seat beside him.

Silently, Cami walked to the couch and plopped down, "Okay," she sighed and began to recount the werewolves' threat earlier in the day.

~ 0 ~

Deep in the bayou, Maleny was trudging back and forth holding her cellphone up in hopes of getting more service. She'd managed to slip a text to Davina warning she and Klaus were on their way but Maleny wanted to get at least another phone call in.

"Is this seriously why you made me stop the car?" Klaus called from a higher ground, the road ground actually. Maleny had found a small lake just down a small hill - she thought it was the best place to sneak away from supernatural hearing. Apparently, she was wrong.

The blonde stumbled back a couple steps and quickly hid her cellphone behind her back, "I said I'd be back in like five minutes."

Klaus started making his way down the small hill, grumbling as he did. In the middle of their 'roadtrip' Maleny had practically forced him to stop the car with the excuse she was tired and wanted to stretch her legs. He faulted himself for being so naive to think Maleny wouldn't try contacting Davina.

"So you made your choice, you can at least tell me face to face, Mal," he stopped a couple feet away from her.

Maleny sighed and brought her phone from her back, "I didn't choose her, okay? I was just warning her that we were coming so...she would control herself."

"You met the girl for a couple of months, how the hell can you be...thinking about choosing her?" Klaus was failing to hide his own fear that Maleny may have already picked someone over him.

"I love Davina, she's like a little sister to me," Maleny tried to explain, "and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"You only knew her for a short time, Maleny! Months!" Klaus snapped, making it seem impossible that she could form such a strong attachment to the teen.

Grimly, Maleny said, "I don't see why I have to choose," she turned around, giving him her back as she stared at the crystal blue lake in front of her.

"You knew sooner or later this would happen," Klaus said similar words Davina had without realizing, "One day, she will succeed in hurting one of us and then you'll have to choose what side you're on. So choose!"

"I don't want to," came the childish, low voice as Maleny sat down on a rock, her gaze maintaining itself on the lake.

"Mal!" Klaus exclaimed, more distraught, "I don't know what to think anymore…"

"Why can't you just think that maybe I like Davina, and maybe I like you too," Maleny snapped at him, "and maybe I want all of us to stay alive and just…" she swallowed hard, "...be happy."

Sensing her voice was signaling she would soon begin to cry, Klaus held back another comeback and instead walked over and bent down beside her, taking on a softer tone, "Because those are fantasies, Maleny. This isn't the village anymore - people despise us and it's kill or be killed."

"I-I'm not ready for that," Maleny confessed, meeting his look with her glossy blue eyes. "This curse, it's...it's taken so much away from me that the little that I have I need to preserve. I want to keep it all."

"But witches, vampires and werewolves despise each other. In this particular city, there is no peace amongst us."

"I'm a witch," Maleny gestured to herself, knowing it was a weak response, "Does it seem like I despise you or your family?"

"You're a special exception," Klaus shared a smile with her, "But there's no one else like you, I'm afraid. So we must fight to be safe - so that our loved ones can be safe."

"You're doing this for Hope?" Maleny looked at him, genuinely missing his double implication.

"...yes," Klaus nodded after a moment. If she couldn't make a choice between him and some teenager, would it really matter if he told her he wanted to fight to keep her safe as well? She would just end up making another excuse on why they should just stay 'friends'.

"I don't get it though," Maleny started suspiciously studying him, "Mikael's pretty strong...how are you planning on killing him? Crossed as I am with you I don't want you stupidly going into a fight without a plan."

Klaus smirked and rose to his feet, pulling out Papa Tunde's blade from his jacket's pocket, "You thought I wouldn't take precautions?"

Maleny's eyebrows raised at the familiar weapon, "Oh, goody, Papa Tunde's Mystical-Knife-of-Ludicrous-Torment. Glad that's still around," she got up from her rock seat and made a face at the blade, "I'm telling you right now I will not care for your father."

"Wouldn't let you even if you wanted to," was the response back.

"You wouldn't 'let' me?" Maleny made another face, "Change my mind," she said suddenly, "I do want to care for him."

Klaus just rolled his eyes at her as he put away the blade into his jacket's pocket, "Your sarcasm never ceases to amuse me."

Maleny smiled, "Cos that's what I strive for - being an entertainer," she gasped upon hearing her cellphone ring, "I have service!" she quickly moved to answer it but Klaus snatched the phone from her and raised it up, "Hey!"

"Look at that, it's Davina," he kept her back with a hand on her arm, "Moment of the truth, Mal. Pick a side because it's not going to be pretty."

Maleny stopped struggling and crossed her arms, "I don't want to and I don't think I should have to. I want everyone to be alive, why can't you just kill Mikael instead? He's the one that's dangerous here."

"It seems you've forgotten Davina's warning," Klaus lowered his hand holding the cellphone that stopped ringing shortly afterwards, "She's told you to pick a side as well, meaning she's prepared to go with everything she has. I admire her for that, truthfully," he tilted his head, "But it's not gonna do much for her in the end."

"Klaus, don't do that, please," Maleny resorted to plead for her friend's life, "I will talk to her, I swear, but please don't hurt her."

"Centuries ago that may have worked," Klaus admitted and handed her back the phone, "But centuries ago things weren't as difficult as they are now."

"Time may have changed us but we're still the same underneath…"

"Are we really, Mal?" Klaus stepped towards her, slightly intimidating her with his close gaze, "Centuries ago you would have chosen me in a heartbeat."

Centuries ago, she didn't have many people in her life. Now she had a lot more to care for - Cami, Hayley and Davina. It was difficult to choose - she wasn't used to it!

"I never said I didn't choose you," Maleny weakly said, looking up at him, "I know that's what this whole thing is about. You're angry with me, I get that - I deserve it. But please don't think that I would ever stop caring for you, it's impossible."

Klaus couldn't help his frustration leak out, "Then choose already!" he almost shouted at her. He wanted her to choose because he needed to hear her say 'I pick you' like she always did. He wanted to know that even though such a long time had passed and she had changed so much she still loved him in the end.

But he wouldn't say that out loud.

"I'm sorry," Maleny bit her lip, "But I just don't want to. I want both of you alive, I want both sides alive, alright? I don't think that's a bad thing here."

Klaus stepped back from her, trying to drown all his frustrated shouts, "I will try to consider your thoughts concerning Davina...darling," he added the word with a tensed tone then super-sped away.

"Klaus!" Maleny shouted after him, attempting to run up the hill to catch up but it was impossible and she fell to her knees, "Klaus!" she called again but it was no use.

He had left her - God knows what he would do to Davina out of pure frustration from their argument.

~ 0 ~

"You can't be serious," Cami declared after hearing Elijah's plan for the day.

"What would make you think I'm not serious?" the Original raised an eyebrow as he shook off his jacket and began rolling up his sleeves of his shirt.

"I don't want to fight you!" Cami shook her head and took two steps back from him.

"Cami, it's very simple, you wanted help and you have it," he gave a shrug.

"Yeah, for the other vampires," the blonde frantically waved a hand to the open door, "And they're training outside with Marcel. Why do we have to train in here?" she gestured to the empty loft, "Why do I have to train at all!?"

"Because you need the help."

Cami huffed, once again feeling like he wanted her to keep needing him...and that was something she wasn't going to take, "Fine," she declared and walked up to him, deciding he could use some punches.

"Whenever you're ready," Elijah motioned he was in place. Cami scrunched her nose before attempting to punch him in the face. However, it was easily caught between Elijah's hand, "As a devout feminist, I refuse to say that you hit like a girl."

Cami narrowed her eyes and stepped back, "You're way out of line today, Elijah, I swear," she attempted another punch but was easily taken down again.

"How so?" Elijah questioned as he blocked another blow from her.

"Acting so triumphant when I called you earlier, for starts," Cami growled as both her hands were restrained by him, "Like you were expecting me to call for help! I mean what was that!?" she went for a kick but that was also blocked off, "And then now, it looks like you enjoy my defenselessness!" she took a breath as she momentarily paused, "I don't want to follow you around anymore. I want to live again."

Elijah then stopped as well, staring at her silently for a minute before uttering the soft words, "It was never my intention to make you feel like that, Camille."

"Then what is your intention?" Cami ran a hand through her hair that'd gotten in her face with the fast movements, "Because it really just feels like you're waiting for me to mess up and call for you."

It would be a lie if Elijah said he didn't know, because of course he knew. The thought merely startled him because he hadn't quite realized it himself. But standing before Cami he could see it now, and perfectly. The only problem was the way she could possibly react to it.

"Well?" Cami asked again, impatience lacing her tone.

"Over the past month that we've been communicating, searching for Maleny, and you coming back to visit...I've grown accustomed to having you close by," Elijah said with a small smile, "Even when Mal returned, we became closer and...when you chose to stay with Gia, and then preferred staying here," he gestured to the loft, "I was a bit...lost."

"Ooh," Cami blinked, the response really taking her back. She felt her heart ping in a way it hadn't before, and before she knew it, she was asking more questions, "What exactly does 'lost' mean in this situation?" before he replied, he motioned for Cami to keep trying and with a small groan she did, "Well?" she asked again.

"I liked having you around," Elijah began again, managing to block one of her attacks but she was beginning to find her rhythm and thus was more tricky to anticipate.

"Because I practically followed you around like a lost puppy," Cami reminded with a sour smile before successfully kicking and pushing him to the wall.

Elijah took advantage that her emotions had become a distraction and easily used a hold on her arm to switch positions with her. Cami sucked in a light breath when she realized how close they were, "Woah…" came out of her mouth before she could think clearly.

Elijah was more intact with reality and was therefore able to clarify Cami's doubts, "This may be out of line as you said but I enjoyed your company up to the point where it...hurt that you chose to stay here."

"I...I didn't mean to," Cami slowly said, feeling guilty even though she was telling the truth.

"I know you didn't," Elijah smiled softly at her, "And, in a way, I technically was waiting for you to call for help...because it seemed like that was the only way I would get to see you again."

Cami's eyes half-widened at the confession, once again only able to utter, "Woah…" she felt her heart rate increase with their proximity and she would really like to know why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden. It was just Elijah after all...wish his...sweet words...and...nice face...and voice…

"Elijah?" Hayley's voice cut through the moment and immediately saw the distancing of the two vampires. Hayley knew they were just itching to get together and it would happen eventually, she just preferred it to be later so that it wouldn't hurt as much as it did now. "We need to talk," she managed to say without falling apart. As she entered the room Aiden came in behind her.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Cami angrily moved for him when Elijah grabbed her arm to stop her.

"We're not here for a fight," Hayley quickly clarified, "Just hear him out, okay?"

"Speak," Elijah then ordered the werewolf, "I suggest you be succinct."

Aiden sighed, understanding he wasn't the most welcomed of visitors at the moment, "Please, I need your help."

"I'm sorry, wasn't it one of your orders that all vampires here needed to run?" Cami interjected, "Now you're asking for help?"

"Cami, it's serious," Hayley softly said, making the blonde calm down slightly, "Just listen..."

~ 0 ~

Maleny walked along the side of road with a heavy breath, making way for Davina's cabin which was still pretty far away by foot. She could not believe Klaus had done to that her...well, she actually kind of could. It hadn't been the first time he'd tried something like that. This time however, he'd gone away because he was hurt. Maleny berated herself for causing so much trouble in the little time she'd been back.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she stopped suddenly and sighed as she began taking off her jacket, the heat becoming too much with her speed walking, "You just couldn't give an answer, could you? Course not. That would be to 'easy'."

She was supposed to be telling Klaus she loved him, not that there was someone more important than him. She loved Davina, truly, but if Maleny got to real thinking...the teen wouldn't equal the level Klaus was on. What Klaus had said was true, she'd only known Davina for about a month or so. Yet she'd known Klaus for centuries. In those centuries, whilst there had been plenty of arguments, in the end Maleny always knew she was loved and that he loved her back with equal intensity.

As Maleny folded her jacket, her mind began to wander to those moments...

"Maleny? Maleny, come on out already," called Klaus, grumbling as he went through the forest, "I know you're here, your scent is strong."

He stopped at the sound of footsteps coming towards him, and he couldn't help smirk when he saw the blonde woman emerging between two trees, still seemingly crossed with him as she held an unfinished flower crown in her hands. She pretended to be more interested in it her fingers twisted the small flowers' roots.

"I only came out because I got tired of your shouting," she clarified.

"Thankful, nonetheless," Klaus mocked a bow which made her roll her eyes, "Still upset, I see," he commented once he straightened up.

"What are you talking about? I came out to find more flowers, see?" she gestured to the crown.

Klaus smirked and came towards her, even more amused when she gave him her back, "So, you're no longer upset with me?"

"Of course not," Maleny answered dismissively.

"Great-" Klaus began when Maleny added something else.

"Just as long as you realize we no longer have anything between us."

Anyone else who didn't know Maleny would have been overly concerned with that statement, but Klaus took it with a light chuckle, "Oh, is that so?"

"Mhm," Maleny nodded, focusing on one certain flower that refused to work with her, "Clearly, you have more interest in that woman so you might as well go running for her. She probably has some interest in you, so..." she shrugged.

The jealousy laced in her tone made Klaus feel even more smug about the situation, "And yet," he slid his arms around her waist, making her stop her flower crown work, "my eyes cannot seem to look away from you.

Maleny huffed and dropped her flower crown to the floor, "Tatia can appear to be this happy, kind woman but I know - just like all the other women - that she is a two face," she turned around, "Do you know she also made eyes towards your brother, Elijah? I saw her, with these eyes," she pointed at herself, "Yesterday it was him, today her eyes are set for you and tomorrow they will be set for another. I am only afraid that you will fall under her charms. I am not blind - she is beautiful and young."

"As are you, but you exceed hers and any other woman's," Klaus put a hand on her waist and leaned to rest his forehead on hers, "No one will ever reach you, my darling."

Maleny still seemed unsure of his acclamation and questioned, "Tell me the truth, Klaus," she whispered, "if you had to choose between me and Tatia to...marry," she blushed crimson, "who would you pick?"

Klaus chuckled at the absurdity of the question, "I would pick you in less than a heartbeat."

Maleny gave a crooked smile, "And that also includes any other women who comes up to you? I know vampirism can alter your feelings...so, will it?"

"Absolutely not," Klaus assured her and placed a kiss on her lips.

Maleny giggled as the kiss went on and she was walked up against a tree. She pulled away to take a breath, "Okay, I feel more sure now," she chuckled sheepishly, her cheeks tainted pink.

"That is how I always want you to feel, Maleny," Klaus spoke earnestly as he cupped her face, "I will always choose you over anyone."

Maleny slowly nodded, her heart hammering within her chest, "Okay," she whispered, her hands crawling up to his shoulders, "I guess I can go back to finishing my flower crowns..."

"I have a better idea," Klaus smirked before kissing her again.

Maleny took a deep breath and threw her jacket over her shoulder. She continued to walk whilst thinking back to her sweet memory. He'd promised her she would always come before anyone...and now this was how he was repaid? It wasn't a matter of repaying, Maleny then thought, it was simply a matter of...well, love. He promised her and even now, though angry with her he always came through. Maleny felt even more determined now to get back to him and tell him how much he meant for her.

At the sound of a car getting closer, she turned around and started waving a hand, hoping it would stop by her.

~ 0 ~

As it turned out, Aiden really was on good terms for the moment. It appeared Esther was planning on forcing young werewolves to trigger their curse in the night. This had both sides, vampires and werewolves actually working together to send the kids deep into the bayou and away from Esther's grasp. It was a detailed plan that was sure to work. It only involved certain people to do their roles as given.

In the party streets of the Quarter, Gia 'drunkenly' ran into one of the werewolf leaders and soon started what looked to be a fight. Just before, Marcel appeared behind the werewolf and snapped his neck. The two vampires glanced at Aiden, appearing to be running away from them.

Aiden, along with the other two leaders, chased after them and left Oliver to take the children away. He led them into Rousseau's where Hayley, Cami and Josh were waiting.

"Ollie, this way!" Hayley motioned for them to hurry in.

Josh had a passage way waiting for them, one hidden behind a cupboard, "It's a passageway from the Prohibition days. It'll take us pretty much anywhere we want to go."

"We better make it quick," Cami ushered the kids into the passageway.

Josh led the way through the tunnels with and flashlight and Hayley motioned to the kids to keep quiet. It would only take a sound to alert the werewolves they were on the move. They came out to a metal gate where Gia was already waiting for them.

"Hey, where's Marcel?" Josh asked quickly.

"Uh, he's getting the getaway car!"

"Hey! Big-mouth! Shut it!" Hayley hissed, earning a glare from Cami, "There are werewolves everywhere."

"She's new," the blonde snapped as they hurried out.

Eventually, they reached the gas station where Marcel had an ambulance acquired for them as a means of a getaway.

"Let's go!" he ordered the kids as he opened up the back doors of the ambulance.

Aiden spotted his younger brother and quickly hugged the kid, "Nick!"

"Aiden! You made it!" the young boy hugged back, relieved to see things were not going to go like that woman, Esther, had ordered it to be.

"Of course I did! I told you I'd be here, didn't I? Go," Aiden ushered his brother into the ambulance and looked about for any remaining kids.

"This worked out well," Gia cheerfully declared as the doors of the ambulance were shut.

"It's not over until we're all together," Cami muttered, unable to feel at peace knowing Elijah was probably handling some sort of fight with the werewolves.

~ 0 ~

Klaus had finally found Davina's cabin shortly after leaving Maleny. He was pretty irritated to find the nuisance of a spell blocking his view of the interior of the cabin. He found a staff made of wood that bore a mark only owned by his father of course and decided to fling it through the window.

"Enough games, Davina!" he shouted, "Send out my father! Let's finish this!"

Unbeknownst to him, his actions had caused Davina to injure her head and pass out. While her newfound friend, Kaleb, or rather Kol Mikaelson, remained conscious he found himself in a choke-hold by his own father who still didn't know of his true identity.

"Release me! Or I will kill you right now!" Mikael threatened and forced the teen onto the floor.

Outside Klaus only grew more angry, "DAVINA! Is this not why you brought him for? I'm not afraid!"

It wasn't long before he heard the creaking of the front door followed by Mikael's footsteps, "Hello, boy," he greeted in and usual sneer like voice.

Whilst Klaus did feel a bit afraid he certainly didn't show it. He was ready to fight, just like always, and even more since he was already angry. He had more incentives to do so.

"You seem rather impatient," Mikael remarked, "Are you so eager to meet your end? You've bid goodbye to Maleny, I assume?"

The mention of her name out Klaus into a deeper rage, "Do not mention her name, this is between us."

Mikael took it all the same, really uninterested in the blonde woman, "I've traveled all the way back from hell for this moment."

"Well, then, I'd hate to keep you waiting!" Klaus smirked before lunging for a first attack.

Though the hits were almost equal in strength, it was Mikael who eventually kicked Klaus to the ground. In a weakness, he grabbed the hybrid by the neck and intended on finally using the white oak stake when Klaus kicked him back. With a quick stomp on the hand, Klaus was able to reach for the stake. However, Mikael once again had an upper hand and put the hybrid down to the ground again. Whilst holding him down, he tried driving the stake through Klaus' heart. The stake found its way to his shoulder instead, still managing to cause a grand amount of pain to Klaus. But through his pain, Klaus snuck Papa Tunde's blade from his jacket and plunged it through Mikael's chest. With a scream of agony, Mikael fell back to the ground and the blade fully entered into his body.

Klaus managed to pulled the stake from his shoulder and slowly got to his feet. He kept a tight grip on it whilst watching Mikael writhe pain, waiting to see him finally lose conscious. He had about fifteen minutes of silence before he heard familiar shouts.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" he heard from the trees and looked up to see Maleny running towards him. She stopped and leaned on her knees to catch her breath, "I swear to God that is the last time you leave me behind. You owe me a new jacket!" she panted for air, her eyes scanning the area, "Davina, is she…?"

"Fine," Klaus rolled his eyes, figuring she would care more for the teen, "She'll wake with a spectacular headache, but given her intentions for me, she should count herself lucky."

"Thank you," Maleny finally stood straight and took a deep breath to gather her bearings.

"'Course, if you drop dead of a heart attack, I may have to kill her on general principle."

"You ditched me you jerk!" Maleny scowled and ran a hand through her hair, "I had to hitch-hike and then run on the backroads of the Bayou!"

"Well, your perseverance is duly noted," Klaus said, eyeing her with some amusement but mostly irritation, "Davina will be most pleased."

Maleny rolled her eyes, "I will brand you as the stupidest man alive if you seriously think I did all this for Davina," she rushed up to him and hugged him, leaving him startled for a second or two.

It didn't take long for him to hug back, momentarily relieved to hear he'd been her motivation.

Maleny pulled away wearing a crooked smile as she placed her hands on either side of his face, "Are you okay? You're not screaming so I assume no white oak stake was used here."

"I'm not in pain," Klaus turned them behind where Mikael laid on the ground.

"Is...is he still alive?" Maleny blinked.

"No, I decided death was far too easy for him and so I left him in agony."

"Nice," Maleny chuckled then looked at him, "I mean...not nice, that's totally bad, but…" she rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean."

Klaus smiled in amusement, unaware his arm had found its way around her waist.

~ 0 ~

Later that day, the vampires regrouped in Marcel's loft to celebrate their triumph against Esther. Hayley watched Marcel pour her a drink for their celebration and gladly took it, "Well, we did it! I never thought I'd see the day when "we" meant us."

"Well, you're a vampire now. First rule is never say never, 'cause never ain't that long," Marcel laughed with her, "And, what we did today was the right thing. But, you know it's gonna make things worse between your people and mine."

Off to the side, standing in front of a window was Cami who blankly stared out. Gia came over with two drinks in hand, intending on celebrating as well.

"Cheer up, we did it," she nudged Cami and motioned to take the glass.

"I can't count it as a triumph until Elijah walks in," Cami quietly said but nonetheless took the glass.

"And he will," Hayley approached the two women, easily noticing the stiffening in Cami, "It's alright, Cami. You're not doing anything bad so why hide your concern?"

Cami wearily looked at the brunette, "We're not...he and I...it's not what…" she sighed and returned her gaze to the window, "It's not what it looks like, nor what anyone thinks."

"What ever it is, it's okay," Hayley assured, understanding her nervousness, "We're all free here. So, will you finally be coming back home?"

Cami exchanged glances with Gia, and Gia immediately excused herself away. Cami cleared her throat and turned to Hayley, "I'm not sure."

"Why'd you leave? Mal was so distraught about it. I don't get it, aren't you two cousins?"

"That's just it, we're not. We're not family," Cami shook her head, "She's, whether or not she wants to admit it, a Mikaelson...just like you are. I'm not. I'm not part of that family I'm just someone who got caught in a crossfire."

"So was I," Hayley felt the need to remind, even raising a hand.

"But you're different," Cami said, frustrated, "You know how to fight, you're not afraid. Plus, c'mon Hayley, you had Klaus' child. That's an unbreakable link. Mal has a centuries old love story with him. I've got nothing with anyone.

"So that's why you left, then?" Hayley raised an eyebrow, "Because you think you're not a part of the 'family'?"

Cami sighed, "I know you think it's stupid, but it's how I feel okay? Before I came here I went back to the compound to talk to Mal about me starting college now but I found you and her having a conversation, and laughing, and…" she shook her head, "It just felt like I didn't belong there."

"Maleny loves you, Cami. You are family, whether you think or not," Hayley put a hand on her arm, wearing an honest smile on her face, "You're one of us."

Cami gave a small smile back, a little more inclined to believe that. However, once she remembered Elijah still wasn't around she looked back at out the window, any source of happiness fading away.

~ 0 ~

After Mikael had been loaded into the car, Klaus begrudgingly returned to the cabin where Maleny and Kol (still in his Kaleb charade) were checking the unconscious Davina inside.

"I think we should get her to a hospital," Maleny spoke with a frantic concern.

Kol glanced to see Klaus at the doorway, still unable to enter without the invitation, "Oh. Hello, darling. Back to huff and puff and blow the house down?"

Klaus raised an eyebrow, his hand gripping the white oak stake, "You know, it's funny how often a person's sharp tongue can end up cutting their own throat."

"Don't waste energy on a kid, Klaus," Maleny looked at him wearily, "He's just scared."

"Yeah, she's right," Kol quickly said but then added, "You know, you may want to try a bit of lavender under your pillow. Does wonders for stuck-up pillocks with anger issues."

Maleny then turned on him, irritated, "That wasn't an invitation for you to be a jerk either. Shut up."

"I promised not to kill Davina. I said nothing of this insolent sod," Klaus reminded to Maleny, glaring at Kol who only smirked back.

"Boys, please," Maleny sighed as she gave Davina a last look before coming out to meet Klaus, though moving him away from the cabin for security measures, "Okay look, the quicker we get Davina to the hospital the quicker we leave the kid behind. So…?" she held a hand out, motioning she wanted the keys.

With a deep sigh, Klaus handed the car keys over to her, "Fine."

"Thank you," Maleny beamed, "And this is not to mean I pick her okay?" she clarified afterwards.

"Well," once he handed her the stake he gripped her hand, pulling her closer, "does that mean you've made your choice, then? A clear one?"

Maleny swallowed down and gathered her courage, "I think we need to talk after this. I have something important to tell you."

Klaus nodded, agreeing to her terms, "Then let's hurry."

"Thanks," Maleny smiled and hurried towards the car, her heart thumping as she thought of how she would tell him her feelings.

Klaus started back for the cabin, thinking of ways to restrain himself and not kill Kaleb if he made another remark. The boy was as irritating as all the humans commonly were, only this one had something extra.

"You've got a way with words," he commented to the teen once he reached the porch again. Kol looked up from Davina, "You seem to have crossed continents to order to weasel your way into Davina's good graces, thereby meddling in my family business. Strange, isn't it?"

Kol simply smirked, knowing it wouldn't be long before Klaus figured it out.

"Unless it's your family business," Klaus continued, "You know, ever since my mother and Finn showed up, I was wondering when you might make an appearance, Kol."

Kol laughed and mocked a bow towards his brother, "Then the jig is up! Hello, brother!"

"It's not that I begrudge you hitching a ride back to the land of the living. It's just that you're making all the wrong friends, brother. And, I have half a mind to show you how wrong you are."

Kol swayed his way up to the porch, "But you're not going to do that, are you? Because good ole Mal told you to leave me alone. She hasn't changed much, has she?" he pretended to look out in search for Maleny, "I'm curious, does she take one of those little baggies out when she takes you for a walk?"

Klaus angrily called out to Maleny, "Maleny? I changed my mind, I am going to kill him after all," Kol smirked again, but the eerie silence that had fallen put Klaus on edge, "Maleny?" he called again and turned towards the driveway. Still, there was no response.

He hurried to the driveway and found the car door of the driver side open and the window smeared with blood. He rushed to the trunk of the car and saw it was also open and with no Mikael inside.

Mikael had taken Maleny.

#klaus mikaelson #the originals #ocappreciation #ocapp #klaus mikaelson imagines #tvd #the originals fics #the originals imagines #klaus mikaelson fics #elijah mikaelson #Camille O'Connell #camlijah #oc: Maleny Rowan #fic: the girl in the forest #noblecrescentedit

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atths--twice · 4 years

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Faith for the Future

Chapter Three

Journaling the Heart

Mulder takes advantage of the peace and quiet of the house to reread his journal to Faith.

7c/15

Mulder waited until he knew Scully was asleep before he slowly got out of bed. He watched her sleeping for a few seconds and then stepped out the door and walked to Faith’s room. He looked in on her sleeping, watching her tiny chest rising and falling. Smiling at her, he shook his head before heading to the stairs.

He looked at the rooms that held the women he loved most in the world and smiled again before walking quietly down the stairs, avoiding the creaky step so that he would not wake Scully.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, he slipped on the slippers Mrs. Scully had given him years ago. They were wearing down a bit, but he would keep them, no matter the holes and how they broke down. He shuffled into the kitchen, turned on the light and made half a pot of coffee. Grabbing his mug and a pack of Pop-Tarts, he walked over to the couch.

He set down the items on the coffee table and then grabbed his laptop, turned on the lights behind the couch, and sat down with a sigh. He opened the laptop and waited for it to turn on. He ripped open the foil package and took out a Pop-Tart, shoving it in his mouth, chewing as the screen asked for his password.

Typing it in, he waited for it to continue waking up, as he took a drink of coffee and set down his mug, shoving another huge bite into his mouth. He looked toward the stairs and thankfully heard nothing. Good.

Since Scully had been attending her baby yoga class, he had begun working on the idea that had come to him as he rocked Faith to sleep a few weeks ago. A history of their past on paper, or more appropriately, into a Google document to tell Faith when she was older.

Twice a week, for the past month, for a few hours during the day, he sat at his laptop and wrote a journal to his daughter so that she would know what her parents had done in their lives- before. Before they became this little trio, with a hope that one day, the missing piece to their family quartet would return.

He was almost at a point where he could show Scully what he had written. He had gotten up for the past couple of nights, needing some extra time to write down his thoughts. Being up when it was quiet, he felt calm as he reread what he wrote, adding to what he had and taking out parts that were too intense.

He scrolled the mouse across the screen and opened the ever-expanding document that he had been working on, skimming it. When he started, he simply wrote whatever came to mind. Not surprisingly, he started with a funny case. One that was truly one of his favorites: Daryl Mootz, the “Rain King” of Kroner, Kansas.

“Beyond the case and the belief that one man was controlling the weather and profiting off it no less, my sweet girl, there was a love story I had not anticipated. It had not been Daryl controlling the weather at all but a quiet, unassuming Holman Hardt.

Years of his unknown and thus unrequited love for Sheila had led to strange weather phenomena throughout the town. When I figured it out, Holman had asked for my advice and the best way to talk to Sheila. You read that right, honey, your old dad had been asked for dating advice. He said he had seen the way I gazed at Mama, so I must have some good advice to give. Well, I made a point to deny that, of course, I did not gaze at her.

By the time you read this, Faith, you will know that was a lie. I could not and I still cannot help but gaze at your Mama. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Besides her beauty though, she is the smartest person I know. Her intelligence amazes me every day. How could I not be expected to gaze at someone like her?”

He sat forward, took a drink of coffee and set down the mug. Looking back at the story, marveling again at the love he found within. Holman and Sheila and him and Scully. He remembered how they had been mistaken for a married couple on separate occasions with Scully sighing and bristling, which he found hilarious. Watching her roll her eyes and sigh, made him laugh and make jokes, loving the look on her face.

“Little girl, during that case, I know I was guilty of looking at her the way Holman had suggested, but he only saw the surface. He saw that I gazed at her, but he did not see that I longed for her. She was there, right beside me every day, but not the way I wanted. I was terrified to tell her how I truly felt, worried she would not feel the same or leave me because it was unprofessional to have those feelings. I very casually and cavalierly told Holman to take a leap, but I did not have the courage to do the same. I was a chicken, no denying it. But, my love, somehow I knew it would have been a disaster and not the right time for us.”

Pausing in his reading, he remembered Holman’s parting words, “You should try it sometime.” Well, he thought with a smile, it took a while, but when he had finally taken that leap, and kissed her the first time, it had been well worth the wait.

Taking another drink of coffee, he moved onto the next story. A supposed vampire attack in Chaney, Texas.

“Sitting in our office, seeing Mama arrive at work, our meeting with Uncle Walter imminent, I had been … we can just call it “on edge.” The family of Ronnie Strickland was considering suing the bureau for $446 million, we had the possibility of jail time hanging over us both, and all because I had, as Mama put it, “overreacted.” Faith, I knew I had to do what I did. I was right. Ronnie was a vampire. I had to put a stake through his heart because that is the only way to kill a vampire.

Still, while we both sat in the office, our meeting growing ever closer, I wanted to be sure that we both had seen what the other had seen. That we were on the same page.

Well, by now, you have a good grasp on who your mother and I are, and you know we can definitely disagree and not see things the same way. We each told what we remembered, and, well, we may have over exaggerated the other’s part in the story. Mama painted me as more exuberant, and I painted her as less. It was … well, it was interesting.

But, while we had varied versions of the same experience, we were on the same page when it was most important. Our stories eventually corroborated the other. There had been vampires in that little town and Ronnie Strickland had been one of them. I saw that before and even more so after we went back to Chaney.

Why did we need to go back, I hear you asking. Oh, because Ronnie came back to life. The coroner was attacked when he removed the stake I had put in his chest.

Amateurs, am I right? They clearly had never seen any of the literally thousands of vampire films or read any books about it either.

When we went back to investigate, we separated to check on different leads. Both of us were drugged and left where we had fallen, giving them time to pull up stakes, and get the heck out of Dodge- er Chaney. We never found them. All of them left, even Sheriff Hartwell, whom your Mama will swear was handsome and did not have buck teeth. We know the truth though, my love. We know.”

He smiled, knowing that when the day came, and Faith mentioned the story of Ronnie and Sheriff Hartwell, she would be on his side. Team Buck Teeth all the way. He was not whispering it to her every night just for fun.

He continued to skim down the page and his eye landed on a different story. His stomach clenched when he looked at it. Padgett, Naciamento, and the milagro. He had almost lost Scully. Reading it again, he debated whether to keep it in the journal but then nodded. She needed to hear the bad with the good.

Instead of focusing on the gory parts, he chose to tell Faith about his own feelings and thoughts. His fear, curiosity, and worries.

“Faith, one day I will expand on this story. One day, if she wants to tell you, Mama will also explain it in more detail and give you her account of how she felt. For now, you will have a few paragraphs from me.

This case was hard on both of us. The man who was eventually found to have caused the hurt of others lived next to me in my old apartment. He was a writer and had purposely moved there to observe Mama and see who she was as a person. He wrote a book about her, or more accurately, who he wanted her to be. He may have thought he knew her, but he was mistaken. He knew what he may have seen, but she is so much more than what was observed.

He wrote beautiful words that described her, I will not deny that, but I never needed fancy words to know of your mother’s beauty. She radiated it everywhere she went. No makeup, soaking wet, covered in dirt or some other substance, she was always beautiful because she was her.

During the course of this case, I grew worried about your Mama. Now, I know she can take care of herself, but I also know her, and I saw how she was affected. She covered it at times, but I saw. I became protective and angry. I wanted to hurt this man who seemed so brazen in his watching of her. He was not aware that his words, while flattering, made her uncomfortable. He was so drawn to what he wanted to happen that he failed to actually see her.

When he did ... when he was no longer close to us, he said as much. He admitted that he had made a mistake. He finally saw that she was not in love with him, as he had hoped, but with someone else. Honey, I cannot lie to you, hearing those words from him was like ice in my veins and made me freeze where I stood. My heart pounded so hard in my chest at the thought it could be me he was talking about, I was sure everyone could hear it. This man wrote fiction, terrible fiction, without a doubt, but … I wanted those words to be true, and I wanted them to be about me.

Faith, on that same day, I almost lost your Mama. Had it not been for a decision made by the writer, your Mama would have been gone and far away.

She was hurt, Faith. Badly hurt. I found her on my apartment floor, not sure if she was breathing, but then she woke up. She was scared and reached for me, pulling me close to her. I could feel her fingers digging into my neck, not letting go of me, and I held her as tightly as I could. I was terrified that I had lost her and there was no chance that I was going to let her go. If I could have held her forever, I would have.”

He sighed as he leaned his head against the couch and closed his eyes. After everything they had been through, seeing her soaked in her own blood from a wound that he could not find terrified him. Her deep red, pungent blood stuck to his clothes and pooled on his floor. It was a memory that would be burned into his brain forever. He loved her, and he almost lost her again. Yet, even as he held her, he said nothing.

Opening his eyes, he sighed again. Mistakes and fears in the past could not be changed, but they could be learned from. He had been learning, and he would continue to do so. To evolve, as he told Scully they needed to do. He glanced at the computer again and groaned when his eyes landed on another one that made his stomach clench.

Robert Patrick Modell.

“Faith, my girl, this is another one we can talk about in more detail one day. There are parts of this case that remain delicate and should be treated as such. I will tell you that this person came into our lives twice and each time, your Mama was stronger than I ever could be.

Modell was able to put the whammy on people. That is a reference that you will not understand (it is so old) and one that will make your Mama roll her eyes. However, it does adequately describe what he could do to people.

Somehow, he had the ability to make people do what he wanted and make them think a certain way. He got inside of their minds and controlled them. We saw it happen before our eyes. It was equal parts terrifying and intriguing. How was anyone able to do that to a person?

He focused in on me, calling me out and demanding my attention. He was ill and at a hospital, and I decided that it would be best to face him on my own to reduce the risk of others (including your Mama) being in harm's way.

Your Mama and I, we are a team, and always will be. (Even if I sneak you cookies when she is not watching.) We were a team then, but I walked into the hospital where Modell was on my own. I gave him what he wanted, and I left my teammate behind, believing she was safer there than by my side. What an idiot I was sometimes.

Faith, you need to understand something about your Daddy. I was a bit more impulsive than I am now. Daddy in the past did not always pause and take ten seconds to count, a breath to cool down, or a walk to try and recenter my thoughts. No, I was impulsive. If I saw a big button, I had to push it. If a sign said not to enter, well, that was an open invitation to climb the fence and walk in. Your Mama, on the other hand, has always been the cool head trying to steer me in the right direction.

Understanding that, of course, Mama had come in to help me. She walked into the room where I was in trouble, and she never wavered. Never, until I went too far and scared her and made her cry. Faith, seeing your Mama cry has always broken my heart, and that day was no exception. Her tears and the look on her face, reached me more than anything else ever could. Knowing I was the cause of her pain, I had to stop it, but I needed her to help me. As a team, we helped each other and stopped the bad guy. We won that day.”

He shut the computer down, leaving it on his lap, put his feet on the coffee table, crossed his arms, and leaned his head back again. He shook his head as he thought of Scully’s face, her blue eyes full of tears, her words finally reaching him, from so far away. Her safety, in that case, had been what he worried about most, and he would be damned if he was the cause of her suffering or her possible death.

When he heard a soft, light noise, his eyes flew open. Scully was standing at the bottom of the stairs, apparently having bypassed the creaky stair just as he had done several hours ago. She stared at him and he at her.

Her eyes were sleepy, her hair mussed. She was wearing one of his long-sleeved shirts and an old pair of pajama shorts. She walked over to him, moved the laptop to the coffee table and climbed into his lap. Her arms went around his waist, her chest flush against his as his hands went around her back and into her hair. She sighed and burrowed deeper into him.

“Come back to bed, Mulder,” she said sleepily.

He chuckled lightly and ran his fingers through her hair. “Five more minutes,” he whispered with a smile, seeing if she would remember.

“Five minutes,” she said sternly.

He laughed again, and she breathed a laugh against his neck. He knew she was thinking of the same memory.

Arriving home from California after that horrible movie premiere, they came to his apartment. She walked in and sat on the couch with a huge sigh. He looked at her, and she patted the spot next to her. She sat forward, and took off her boots as he sat down. She scooted around and laid down on the couch, putting her feet in his lap. Smiling at her, he reached out and began to rub her feet, causing her to sigh and close her eyes.

“We should get some food, but I can’t fathom getting off this couch and putting my shoes back on,” she said in a tired voice. He laughed softly and kept rubbing her feet.

“We could order in,” he said, tickling her feet and making her giggle. “What sounds good?”

“Chinese,” she said, attempting to pull her feet back as he grabbed them and held them still. She looked at him and he nodded.

He got off the couch and picked up his phone, ordering their usual from Ling Palace, adding an extra side of egg rolls as Scully whispered loudly for them in the background. Hanging up, he sat back down and put her feet in his lap again. He rubbed them, and she sighed.

His hands moved further up her legs, rubbing her calves and listening to her moan and breathe his name as he worked. He ran his nails across her shins causing her to jump and scramble up into his lap. When her arms had gone around his neck and her lips had fallen onto his, his hands pulled her closer while his lips moved to her neck. She threw her head back and dug her nails into his scalp, his name falling from her lips as she fell further into his lap.

“How long did they say before the food would be here?” she asked breathlessly. He chuckled, his tongue trailing up her neck to her ear. He kissed his way across her jaw, landing on her lips, their tongues meeting in a slow kiss. Her hands went his hair, rocking her hips into him, both of them groaning.

“Too soon,” he murmured against her lips, before kissing her again, his hands coming to rest in her hair. They sat there, kissing and whispering to one another, waiting for the knock on the door, and the arrival of their dinner.

When they heard it, Scully kissed him once more and climbed off of his lap. She glanced down at his crotch, and smirked at him, seeing he was in no condition to answer the door and held out her hand. He raised his eyebrows and she smiled.

“I need your wallet,” she said, snapping her fingers. “I spent the last of my cash buying that set of California magnets you just “had to have.”” He laughed and leaned up to grab it from his back pocket and handed it to her. He watched her walk to the door, staring at her in her socked feet, feeling content.

Being here with her like this on the couch in the quiet, kissing her the way he had wanted to for years, he felt happy and peaceful. The door shut and Scully walked back toward him with the meal they were about to share. Once again, he felt those words he wanted to tell her bubbling up and threatening to spill out. She set the bag down and smiled at him.

“Plates? Or just out of the containers?” she asked him.

“Containers are fine,” he said, opening the bag and taking out the food. She went into the kitchen and came back with two glasses of water and two forks. She set them down as she sat next to him and reached for a container. He picked one up, and for a few minutes, they were both quiet, swapping containers between them as they reached for egg rolls.

With dinner finished, they settled back into the couch. She moved a bit and leaned her head on his shoulder so that his arm could come to rest around her. She took a deep breath as he leaned his head against hers. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she moved to accommodate him as he leaned over, allowing for them to lay side-by-side on the couch with their arms wrapped tightly around the other.

She kissed his neck and then nuzzled into his embrace, her breath warm against his skin. He closed his eyes, feeling her arms around his waist. Her nails scratched lightly at his back, though not in a sexual manner. He smiled, and they both lay quietly. Her breathing began to even out as he ran his fingers in her hair.

“I need to get home,” she said in a low sleepy voice. “Back to work tomorrow. I have things to do there.” She sighed and snuggled closer to him.

“Stay, Scully,” he whispered to her. “Stay here with me.”

“Okay,” she agreed quickly and softly. “But, we should move to the bedroom, so that we can get a good night’s sleep, change out of these pants, and get more comfortable.”

“Mmm-hmmm. Five more minutes, Scully,” he said sleepily, kissing her forehead. She echoed his words, but those five minutes turned into an hour, and an hour into a couple more.

She woke first and kissed him awake. Getting off the couch, they stretched and stumbled into his room together. They both undressed, climbing into bed in their underwear, immediately reaching for one another again. Whispering good night, they fell asleep, embracing for one more night before the real world came knocking.

“Five minutes, Scully,” he whispered and she hummed out her skeptical response, as he smiled.

“Time’s ticking,” she whispered and he laughed.

Five more minutes. Ten. A lifetime. Whatever he got, he would be happy, as long as she was with him.

#The X Files #XF Fanfic #Post MSIV #Family Life: The Story Beyond the Series #Domestic Life #Memories #Journaling #Sharing the past #Cuddling #Love #Family

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