#home is where the heart is

[tornado1992]

No one knows where Sonic lives.

Even in his so called world renowed hero status, there’s way too little that the general public knows about Sonic The Hedgehog, sure, they know what his favorite food is, they know the names of his friends, and they know when his birthday is, but they don’t know where is he from, how is he so fast, or what is his reason to fight.

They know about most of the times he has saved the world, but they don’t know why his shoes don’t get burned by his speed, they know he can turn into a god-like glowy golden being, but they don’t know how exactly the magical jewels that do that work, they know he’s unstoppable, but they don’t know why.

Most people don’t care that much about that kind of information, even if he’s a hero, that’s his own business, even heroes need privacy; but then there’s the curiosity, the enigma, the mystery, most of those questions will be left without a solid answer, but there’s a few that should have definitive one.

Where does someone who can run around the whole globe in a matter of hours live? There’s a lot of theories.

Sonic has enough fame to have several fan clubs all around the world, and between all those fan clubs there’s been a lingering interest in the enigma of where does sonic live, between all the other questions this one is the one that gets the most possible answers, considering factors like his speed, his well known crave for adventure, his love for nature, all of it could make the difference between the right answer and the wrong answer.

At certain point, the curiosity reaches to more general public apart from the fanatism prone, and when in opportunity to talk to him, a lot of people start asking him the same question: “where do you live?” the answers all equal and all different at the same time “right here in the same world as you” “it varies from time to time” “I don’t think you could visit me”

The vagueness, the confusing contradictions, the evasion of the subject; he’s doing this on purpose. They might not know a lot about the blue speedster, but now this sole data needs to be known.

They start asking Sonic’s acquaintances instead of the hedgehog himself, they know they’re not getting an answer out of him at this point, and if anyone could have one, his friends should know it. Turns out that they don’t know.

Most of his friends being more annoyed with the fact that not even they know where he lives than about the people sticking their noses to his friend’s business was a surprise to the masses, and underwhelming, backtracking, frustrating surprise.

There’s an anonymous user online who affirms that not even the hedgehog’s arch nemesis knows where Sonic lives. Reliable sources support the statement.

The waters of nonsense gossip calm down after some time, but the question still remains, left to be more of general curiosity than lingering mystery.

A random day in a random town, a news program happens to be live outside when the speedster passes by and stops to smell the flowers around the area, the reporters ask him for a small interview, he says they have till he finishes picking up enough flowers for a crown.

They ask the same question everyone has asked for quite some time, just a different word, “Sonic, where is your home?”

Apparently the accidental rephrasing change is what finally gets it, as the speedster just says “right now? should be at mystic ruins”

He runs off immediately, the reporters left speechless, the program still on air on TV’s and the web, and the world going wild.

They finally got a straight, solid, specific answer. “That can’t be true” “but it can” “it’s logical” “it’s not” “he must’ve been joking” “he sounded serious” and more and more discussions take place around that single interview, the fan clubs are theorizing again, the general public is now more curious, and the official news from all over the globe need to confirm this by themselves.

So they ask again.

A full week later, a different city in a different country, different news reporters don’t even bother to ask him for an interview, they just run to him the moment they see the blue blur pass by and ask him again “Sonic, where is your home?!” He yells his answer without stopping:

“Last time I checked was in Central City”.

“It’s a contradiction” “then he was joking before” “he might change where he lives weekly” “we need more proof” “that was way too specific again”.

A different continent, two days later, a group of kids manage to record him when he greets them from the other side of a mountain, they ask “Where is your home?!” He yells back “I’m not sure at the moment!”

The confusion only grows, now no one knows if he’s genuinely giving true answers or full ass lying, it would be logical for him to do either. The curiosity becomes a mystery again, and people are legitimately trying to track all the locations he has mentioned to find out what is this all about. Some people even try to track him down. They try.

A whole month later, there’s a celebration near sunset city, a commemoration of some sorts, there’s been a lot of battles in way too little time so people just try to think about the party rather than the motive for it. Sonic attends the celebration along some of his friends.

A local news channel manages to reach him at the chili dog stand where he is waiting for his food while talking to the two tailed fox everyone knows is his best friend. They don’t mean to interrupt, but these opportunities are limited.

They ask the same question, the same word change that they know works: “Sonic, where is your home?”

The blue blur hangs an arm around the kit’s shoulder in a half hug as he grins widely, he says loudly: “right now, it’s right here!”

This time his home was with him.

[beargyufairy]

Home

Or

Home

[itsgrimeytime]

Home is Where the Heart is (Part One) || Farmer!Rick Grimes (TWD) x Teacher!GN!reader AU

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Inspiration: Like Real People Do by Hozier.

Summary: Your life was spinning out of control, you knew that. After a string of particularly shattering events, you decided it was time to start anew. With a little help from one of your Grandma's rentals, you found yourself in the small town of Alexandria. The last thing you expected was your neighbor, Rick Grimes.

TWS: starting over, and identity crisis.

[[A/N: Thanks to @imaginemyfavoritefics for the name idea. The vibes of this are hallmark forward, so expect something rather cheesy. Thanks for reading!! ]]

You weren't running, you rationalized deep in your head -almost as if on instinct. You were an adult, you could deal with adult problems -like relationship issues, you just wanted to... you just needed a break. A breather even. Plus, they needed a teacher -it was practically destiny.

So, why did it feel like you were running?

You hadn't had a serious job in Atlanta, just an assistant, and as much as you loved those kids, you needed to do your job. When it felt like everything was going wrong in the world (and it was-), you still had teaching. It felt like what you were supposed to do, it was a reprieve from... everything else. So, even with a fresh start, you still needed teaching.

The transitions between cities bright against the landscape into more timid more rural areas was something you found somehow conflicting. You'd spent the last few years in the city, busy nights with a constant buzz of noise -cars honking, people talking, street performers... As it got quieter, there were fewer people on the road and the tall buildings turned into trees scrapping the sky; it was all a little surreal.

And it struck you then, you weren't scared -not really. Not scared to uproot everything and start over, it made you wonder bad it had gotten without you knowing.

"Okay," you hummed, turning down a sort of suburban road -houses every little bit, but much farther apart than the tight compression of a culdesac, "-1259, little white house-"

Your Grandma had called you at least 10 times ensuring you'd remembered the address -as if it wasn't written in your GPS. But as it turns out, back on these roads, just off what you assumed to be the town center, Google had no fucking clue where you were. So, perhaps you should thank her, actually.

"1259," you muttered, again -eyes focused out your passenger side, trying to see the addresses, "-little white house-"

And then, someone tapped on your driver's window.

"'Ay, ya need somethin'?"

You spun around in your driver's seat quickly, matching a man's -tall, brunette, brown-eyed. He wore some assortment of a leather vest and seemed to have been busy prior -you could see the dirt dusted under his fingernails and staining his jeans. The second thing you noticed was his tone wasn't friendly.

Maybe he thought you were nosing around in something you shouldn't.

"I, uh, yeah-" you rolled down your window, -briefly wondering how long it had been since you met somebody new, "-I'm trying to get to 1259? It's a uh, little white-"

"No, no," he echoed -interrupting you, less confrontational, "-I kno' the place, got a friend 'at lives near ya. Just follow me."

And without another word, he waltzed off in front of you -focusing succinctly on a motorcycle. An old one, by the looks of it, well-maintained though -maybe there's an auto shop around here?

The purr of the engine was loud, even through your rolled-up windows. Something in you had expected heads to pop out of windows -words yelled, so when they didn't... you assumed he was a regular here.

Cranking your car, you slowly cruised to follow him. He seemed to be attentive to you being behind him -driving slow when you were certain it had seen far faster speeds. Maybe even earlier today actually-

You appreciated it, nonetheless.

It was a short journey, a few more turns, and a little bit more driving down roads aimlessly. All things considered though, you were very close to the center of town -where everything was sold and the only stores miles in any direction resided. So, you could work with it.

That being said, where the house was wasn't exactly suburban. There weren't pristine sidewalks and crosswalks, or only little patches of grass here and there. You had a yard -a flourishing yard with trees and flowers and just... open space.

The neighbors were close enough that you could see the house -a surprising sort of light blue paneling, but you could definitely see that their fence far surpassed your own. Their yard seemed almost to last forever, you could even see a barn far back from the back of the house -red, yes, but very worn by the weather, and if you truly listened you could actually hear the shuffle of some livestock.

Okay, so next door to a farm, you told yourself -lightly, -totally can do this.

Without another thought the man pulled off to the side in front of you -making way for you to pull into the driveway. A smooth sort of ease on the bike that made you assume he had years of practice. He certainly looked the part.

You got out of your car, roaming close to him at a comfortable distance (for him or you weren't sure). He didn't seem the type to want strangers close, but then again you weren't really, either.

"Thank you," you started, kind of awkwardly but you were meeting someone new so you let it slide -tone taking a casual sort of amusement, "-I appreciate the help. I know I would've been out there for hours if-"

"Don't sweat it," he echoed -kind of coldly but you didn't know him well enough to assume he meant it that way, "-anythin' else?"

"Uh," you started, "-the Elementary? It's back by the center, right?"

"Yep, can't miss it," he answered, shortly, "-if ya need anythin' else, I'm only a few houses down. Otherwise, people 'round 'ere are pretty friendly."

You smiled -at your very first success, "Okay, thank you, really... uh...?"

"Daryl," he puffed out -making no effort to move from his motorcycle, "-Daryl Dixon."

"Y/N," you offered back, "-Y/N Y/L/N."

And without another word -only a single swift nod of his head, he was gone. It was such a quick exchange that you almost thought for a moment you dreamed it -that you'd somehow gotten the memo of where the house was and he didn't exist at all. Which, to be fair, at the rate your brain was firing could definitely be plausible. You were a mix of something between relentlessly tired from the drive, and insanely stressed because well... You'd just up and moved your whole life for good reason, but still.

"Everythin' alright?"

You blinked and were met with yet another unknown face. Not that you expected to know anyone here -other than maybe a few faces your Grandma had stories of. But this man... you would've known him.

Tall with a head of brunette curls matted in a sort of dirt -the same dusted across his shoulders, you guessed, and encrusted into his fingernails. His eyes were a sort of blue that you considered people write poems about and along his tan jaw was a big bushy beard -something about it was untamed. Like he hadn't cared to brush through it that morning, or maybe just hadn't cared for it for a while. Still, somehow he looked good. Handsome, even.

"Oh, yeah, sorry-" you started -trying to calm the flush of him just waiting while you downright ogled him, "-I just, I got some help finding my new place. Kind of zoned out there, but I'm... I'm fine, really."

He raised an eyebrow, intently, "Ya sure?"

"Yeah, yeah," you softened slightly at the concern his tone held -something in you aching in realizing you hadn’t been concerned over in so long, "-just tired. 'Been a long drive."

"Where'd ya drive from?"

"Atlanta," you answered -far easier than you intended to (there was just something about him-).

"A very long drive," he chuckled -low timber of his voice rattling through your bones (something in you stiffened -not again), "-ya need any help with anythin'? I got some free hands."

"If you're not busy," you countered -exhaustion a distant rattle in the back of your body, ever present.

"Nah," he reassured, blue eyes flickering over you, "-I got stuff 'at can wait. If you don't mind waitin' a minute, I can get my son to help too."

"Well..." you responded, slow and awkward, "-thank you."

"No, really," he echoed, "-ain't a problem. I'm Rick, by the way, Rick Grimes."

You smiled, maybe a bit less of a polite one and more genuine then, "Y/N, Y/N Y/L/N. Do you... Do you live around here?"

Rick laughed -a sort of deep chuckle that mostly felt warm in tone as he roamed towards some of the boxes, "Yeah, I'm uh... I'm actually y'er neighbor."

"Oh," you echoed out, as he seamlessly picked up three -like it was as light as a feather, "-really?"

"Yea'-" he spoke, hoisting up the boxes slightly and you suddenly realized just how snug his t-shirt was, "-blue house, big farm-"

And despite the flatline of your brain then, you still managed to remember the large plot of land right next to yours. The beautiful blue house was his, of course it was-

Handsome, strong, probably married neighbor, you tsked yourself -remembering the mention of a son, -totally can handle this. Totally cool with this.

This trip wasn't to ogle neighbors, it was to care for yourself and start fresh, and further your career-

"You okay?"

"What?" You startled in place, merely jumping actually, "-oh, yeah, just... a lot to do. And even more tomorrow."

He tilted his head slightly, eyes sweeping over you -like he couldn't read you, "Take it day by day, 'sure it'll all work out."

Correction. Handsome, strong, caring, probably married neighbor, you ran through your head -words anything but at your leisure.

God, you were so fucked.

[sarahsmi13s]

Home Is Where The Heart Is

18+ content MDNI

pairing: jake ‘hangman’ seresin x sarah grant (fem!oc) characters: sarah grant, jake seresin, the bradshaws (bradley, alyssa, and leia), the dagger squad, penny and amelia, sarah's team and assitant coach Cameron Kamp, misc characters warnings: language, military homecoming, pregnancy, pregnancy hormones, crying, brief mentions of religion, cheesy lovey dovey shit, THIS DOES CONTAIN SMUT, you have been warned, breeding kink, pregnancy sex, a ruined pair of jeans, oral (fem recieving), unprotected p in v (don't be dumb) word count: ~8.5k a/n: this story is inspired by ‘His Little Girl’ (bradley bradshaw x reader) by the lovely @roosterscockpit​​  ( @milesdickpic​ ) and characters from this story are mentioned. also, yes, the oc is based on me lol (well a fantasy version lol) PLEASE READ: i know it's been a while but this part in the story takes place in late June this is part 8 in the series, found here -> j and s universe loose summary: it's time for a reunion

They say home is where the heart is, but what about when your heart is on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean? Is that where your home is?

Cause that’s where Sarah’s heart was. Thousands of miles away, on a floating hunk of metal. It shouldn’t be there, it should be by her side. Her heart should be rubbing her back and cradling her growing belly. Not getting sonogram photos in the mail. 

But that’s where it was, because that’s where Jake was.

Their home rarely ever felt like one when he was gone. It was quiet and cold. 

Except for the days Sarah and Jake got to video call. 

Sure, it wasn’t exactly the same – but they would take what they could get.

“We still need to have a baby shower,” Jake said as he watched Sarah clean from her computer on the counter. “I’m not having one until you get home, Jake,” she answered, a sigh behind the words. She’d told him the same thing since after the gender reveal.

He sighed, watching her move around the kitchen, “Sarah, what if I’m not back by the time you have the kids? Then you’re stuck at home with nothing.” She shrugged and wiped down the counter, “I’ll go shopping then.”

“Sarah, the whole point of a baby shower is to eliminate the need for us to spend our own money,” Jake said, trying to get her to understand that it was okay to have one without him.

Sarah stopped cleaning and looked at him. “Jake, there are things I want to have your opinion on. Like strollers and carseats and cribs. I want to buy those things with you, I want to do all that with you.”

“Sugar…”

“Jake, I don’t want to do these things by myself. I’m already having to set up the nursery by myself.” 

He furrowed his brow, “The squad isn’t helping you?” She sighed and scratched her forehead, “No, no, they are. It’s just… I want your say in these things. I need your opinion.”

Jake gave her a small smile, “Sweetheart, the nursery doesn’t need to be fancy. We’ll be moving after the wedding anyway.” Sarah sighed and rubbed her belly, “I guess you’re right… I just miss you. They do too.” He nodded, “I miss you too Sugar. I’ll be home before you know it.”

“When do you come home?” She asked him softly, hand still rubbing her belly. He sighed, “I’m still not sure…” Sarah bit her lip and nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Sugar… I wish they would decide, I want to be home with you.” She gave him a shaky smile, “I know you do, Love… I want that too, but as long as you come home, I’ll be happy.”

Jake smiled at her, “I love you, Sugar.” 

“I love you too, Cowboy,” she smiled back before looking at the list on the fridge and sighing.

“What’s wrong Sarah?”

She shook her head, “Oh it’s nothing. I just remembered all the stuff I need to get for the banquet that’s not this Saturday but the next Saturday.”

Jake smiled, “How much have you gotten done?” Sarah groaned and rubbed her face, “None of it. And I have so much to do…”

She didn’t want to hang up on him, having him on her computer screen helped her to feel like he was home. Made the home feel less lonely, made her feel less lonely. And the twins got to hear their dad’s voice. 

“I don’t wanna hang up either Sugar…”

Sarah sighed and looked back at him. He always seemed to know what she was thinking, even a million miles away Jake could read her like a book.

She leaned on the counter, giving him a soft, loving look as she smiled. “But we both have things we need to do…”

Jake nodded, resting his head on his fist, “Unfortunately…”

“We’ll talk tomorrow?” Sarah asked, hopefulness in her tone but she knew it wasn’t a guarantee.

He nodded and sat up, “But I can’t video call tomorrow, so it’ll have to be over the phone.” She nodded and stood, her hand rubbing her belly, “We look forward to it.” Jake smiled, love engulfing his eyes as he looked at her.

“I can’t wait til I’ve got ya back in my arms Darlin’. The day can’t come fast enough.”

“I love you Jake. So do they.”

“I love you too Sarah. And you two little troublemakers in there, Daddy’ll be home soon.”

Sarah sighed and readied her cursor on the “End Call” button. “Bye Darlin’.” “Bye Sugar.”

They ended the call at the same time before their tears could fall. Both waited until the little light by the camera turned off before they broke down crying.

Over the next week and a half, Sarah and the squad got all the decorations ready for the banquet. They put together the centerpieces and planned out where everything would go.

The centerpieces weren’t too hard to make. One of them was simply a bouquet of daisies and greenery with a softball in the middle; the other was a vase with softballs in it and a yellow rose and green hydrangea flower arrangement on top.

Amelia had gotten extremely into baking, and she was actually quite good at it. So, to save a little bit of money, Sarah asked her to bake a few of the desserts for the team. Most importantly, gift softball cookies for the seniors with their name and number on them. Sarah, of course, bought her the ingredients and paid her for her work.

Other desserts would be brought by parents and players, along with fruit and veggie trays.

Cyclone offered to cook, grill or something, but the school insisted on paying for it to be catered since they weren’t paying for much else. 

So, the team decided on both pasta and barbeque. Sure, not exactly tied together, but girls like their options!

And with all of it being taken care of, all Sarah had to do was sit down and make the awards, which didn’t take very long at all. 

Then all she had to do was wait for the day.

The morning of the banquet Sarah woke up early, the twins wanting to start the day as soon as possible.

“Alright babies, okay okay I’m up,” she groaned as she sat up in her bed. She took a few breaths as she sat on the edge of her bed, massaging her lower back. “It’s 5:30, Penny and I aren’t setting the Hard Deck up until 10. Why can’t I just sleep in?”

She got out of bed and went to her and Jake’s closest to get her clothes out for the banquet. A shin length cream colored dress, one of Jake’s shirts that matched the school's colors, and a pair of tan Nike shoes.

Sarah was not about to wear heels, not with her sore and swollen feet. Sandals were also off the table, because again her feet were swollen and she couldn’t see past her belly to see her toes to paint them. 

Could she have gone to get them done? Sure, but the one smell that managed to make her sick this far into her pregnancy was the smell of a nail salon. So she had resulted to socks and using press ons or glue on nails from the store.

“Okay, I just need to wash my face and freshen up, then get dressed.”

She went to the bathroom and turned the water on to let heat up while she re-tied her bun and put on a headband. 

Once the water was warm, Sarah grabbed her morning face wash and wet her face. 

“Oh, Finley,” she hissed as she started to wash her face. 

Finley seemed to have a preference for being active early in the morning and loved to kick virtually the same spot all the time. 

“You have got to chill, baby girl,” she said, looking at the side of her belly that her daughter was occupying. “I know you’re excited about Mama’s busy day, just can you kick somewhere besides my bladder?”

She watched her belly move with another kick. “Thank you baby.”

After getting dressed, Sarah gathered what wasn’t already at the Hard Deck and put it in her car.

“Okay, now I won’t forget those… but what do I do in the meantime?”

She looked down at her belly, “Let’s start planning a shower, just so Daddy and Mama don’t have to start from scratch.” Sarah grunted a little at the kick she received, but it was gentle so it also made her smile. “Alright, laptop and my water cup and to the couch we go.” She set an alarm for 9 and sat on the couch. 

Opening her laptop, she went straight to Pinterest and began pinning ideas into a board for her and Jake to go through later. He may be on a ship in the middle of the ocean but he was still going to be a part of the planning process. She cared about his input and a few thousand miles wasn’t going to change that.

So for the next few hours she compiled ideas for decor and food, games and prizes. She found a few lists of items for a registry just to have something to go off of. 

By the time her alarm went off she had a lot of ideas in that board along with her having gotten distracted by food recipes and pictures of cows and puppies.

She got up and packed her laptop away in her bag before she grabbed it and her phone. Swiping her keys from the bowl, she locked up the house and went to her car.

Once she was seated and buckled, she put in an order at Chick-fil-A so she could pick it up before meeting everyone at the Hard Deck.

When Sarah got to the bar, pretty much everyone was already there, most likely cleaning or waiting for her to arrive.

She got out of her car and slipped her bag onto her shoulders before grabbing the food bags and the drink carriers. However, once she got situated with the drinks, she noticed the framed awards sitting in her front seat. 

“Shit,” she cursed, trying not to fumble the drinks and send them crashing to the gravel of the parking lot. “I just had to order drinks… shit okay Sarah, just do the easy, smart thing and sit everything down, pick up the awards and then grab everything else. You can do that.”

And she did exactly that, managing to tuck all the awards under her arms and then re-pick up everything.

Sighing, she walked toward the bar’s door, making sure to move carefully so as to not drop anything.

Inside, Penny noticed Sarah coming towards the bar, looking like a Jenga tower trying to walk and not fall over.

“Oh my goodness gracious,” she said, sitting up a bit straighter as she noticed Amelia come out of the bathroom. “Hey, Amelia, will you go help Sarah? She’s trying to do a single trip and I don’t want her to fall.” Amelia nodded and immediately went to go outside, “Yeah, sure Mom.”

As Amelia headed to the door, Sarah had stepped onto the sidewalk to go to the stairs.

But as she brought her other foot up, she didn’t get it quite high enough which caused her to trip.

She, thankfully, didn’t fall, but in her attempts to keep herself from falling forward she stuck her arms out to balance herself. And as she stood up straight to catch her breath and held her hand to her chest to calm her racing heart, she looked down and realized that her quick response had caused her to drop the awards and the two drink carriers.

She swore in frustration, “Dicks!” 

“Oh my god are you okay?” Amelia immediately asked as she opened the door, having seen the near fall just as she opened the door. 

Sarah nodded, “I’m fine, I just dropped the drink and awards…” Tears stung her eyes as she spoke, looking down at the mess at her feet.

Both Sarah’s shout and Amelia’s tone had caught the aviators’ attention and they immediately came outside.

“Hey what happened?” Bradley asked, coming out first with worry on his face as he looked between Amelia and Sarah. 

“I just tripped, Roo, I’m fine,” Sarah told him before sniffling a little bit. She cleared her throat a bit and held the bags of food out, “Least I didn’t drop the food.” Bradley nodded and took them, handing them off to Amelia.

He stepped forward and felt something crunch under his foot. When he looked down he realized that it was only ice but there was still shattered glass and some plastic from the frames that had broken off. He heard Sarah sniffle again.

Bradley looked at her, watching her shake out her hands before covering her face. He knew she was on the verge of tears so he tried to comfort her, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. We can clean it up.”

“I dropped all the fucking drinks, I’m sorry guys,” she said, as annoyed frustrated tears slipped down her face. She huffed and looked at styrofoam cups that sat broken on the concrete. “I’m really really sorry guys. I just didn’t want to come back outside and I-”

“Hey, hey,” Javy said, gently grabbing her shoulders. “Hey, look at me.” Sniffling, Sarah lifted her gaze to Javy. “There she is. Hey, don’t worry about this, it’s just drinks.” Nat came over, her and Reuben squatting down to pick up the cups and carriers. “Yeah, it’s alright, there’s drinks inside or someone can go pick up drinks,” Mickey said, already pulling out his keys. Bob nods next to him, “Yeah, there’s a convenience store just up the road. Fanboy and I can go get drinks.”

At the reassurance from her friends, Sarah nods and wipes her face, sniffling as she calms down a bit. “Yeah… yeah you’re right. You’re right…” 

She took a deep breath and looked down at the mess again, tears gathering up again at the sight of the broken picture frames. But she swallows the tears and squats down, mumbling a little to herself to try and stay calm.

“The awards don’t need frames, the girls won’t c-” She stopped mid amendment when she turned them over, finding that the spilled drinks had soaked and stained the cardstock. “Damn it…”

She covers her face as the frustrated tears fall once more, “They’re ruined… this day is already off to a bad start…”

Javy shook his head and squatted down with her, “Hey, no, none of that pretty mama.” He tilted her chin up and wiped the tears from Sarah’s cheeks, “We still got all day to make up for this accident. Bob and Fanboy already left to go get more drinks, and did you bring your laptop?” She nodded, “Yeah, it’s in my bag.” “Good, I’m sure Penny has a printer in the office and you can reprint the awards in there. We can make the day better,” he helped her to stand and she giggled a bit as she wiped her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, Jav, you’re right. I guess it’s just the pregnancy hormones and the stress of today. Thank you.” He nodded and smiled, “Course, now let’s get inside and eat. I bet the little bugs are hungry.”

Just as he said that, Finnegan kicked Sarah’s bladder, “Yes, they are, but now I also reeeaaallly have to pee.”

They all laughed at that. “Then let's get you inside.”

After breakfast and the Hard Deck getting a thorough cleaning from the squad while Sarah reprinted the awards, they all went out for lunch before getting last minute decor and supplies.

When they got back to the bar they got everything set up. The squad moved picnic tables down to the sand to clear the deck as much as necessary while Penny, Amelia, Alyssa, and Sarah swept what sand they could off the deck. And one table was set up to hold gifts and awards.

After that was taken care of, decor such as banners and light were strung up. Rooster and Payback hung a flag sign that read “CONCESSIONS” above the door from the deck into the bar. The food and drinks would be set up inside to keep bugs and sand from getting into it.  

All of the table decor and smaller things would be set up later so they didn’t get snatched or knocked off and broken.

Once the big stuff was out of the way, the squad gathered in the bar to have a victory drink before heading home to shower and get ready.

While Sarah and the others headed straight home to get showers and change, Bradley had to take a quick detour.

“Bradley, where are we going?” Alyssa asked, realizing he wasn’t headed toward their home.

He chuckled a little, “You’ll see honey, but you can’t say anything. Sarah’s team wants to surprise her with something.” He turned toward the dockyard, “Or should I say someone?”

Alyssa’s brow furrowed, a little confused by the vagueness, but she went with it, “Alright.”

Bradley just chuckled, driving down the road before pulling into the dockyard and parking. “Okay, do you want to come with me or stay in the car?” Alyssa shrugged, “How long are you gonna be?” He shook his head as he unbuckled, “Not long at all, Honey.”

She nodded and rubbed her bump, “Okay, I’ll stay here, but I won’t promise I’ll be awake by the time you get back.” He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Rooster got out of the Bronco and jogged toward the docks.

There were a few people there still, but a lone pilot, off to the side on his phone, stuck out to him.

“Yo! Hangman!” 

Bradley waved with a huge grin on his face as Jake looked up at him, “Bradshaw! Took you long enough!” Jake walked over to him, pulling him in for a quick hug and patting him on the back, “Long time no see Rooster.” He chuckled, clapping Jake on the shoulder, “C’mon, let’s go. You hungry?” 

“Yes, I’m starving actually.” “Well, let’s get you to the house and you can eat the leftover pizza in the fridge. If Leia and Mav haven’t yet.” 

Jake nodded and chuckled, “Yeah, let’s go.”

A few hours later, after changing, scarfing down a few slices of pizza, and getting a lot of Leia cuddles, Jake and the Bradshaws left for the bar.

“Are you excited to see Aunt Sarah again Uncle Jakey?” Leia asked him from her spot next to him in the backseat. Jake nodded with a bright smile, “I am Leia, but she doesn’t know I’m home yet, so you have to keep it a secret. Can you do that for me?”

Leia nodded her head enthusiastically and saluted him, “Yes, operation don’t tell Aunt Sarah Uncle Jakey is home is a-go!” Jake and her parents laughed. “Thank you, Captain Bradshaw,” he said, saluting her back.

They both laughed a little more before settling.

Jake looked out the window, looking at the California sky as his mind drifted.

His only thoughts were of Sarah and the two little bugs she was carrying. Being on that carrier so far away, not being able to be near them at all made him feel horrible. He’d missed out on so many milestones of her pregnancy. Of course Sarah told him everything and sent him plenty of photos, but it just wasn’t the same.

Hell, he didn’t only miss her pregnancy milestones, he missed her career milestones.

This was her first year as head coach of the softball team and she took them to the state championship and won! Sure, he saw it through a phone camera and still celebrated with her. But he wished that he could have been in the moment with her. Share her joy with her in real time.

She got fucking coach of the year and he didn’t get to celebrate with her over dinner. He didn’t get to walk around the grocery store or the mall and tell everyone he saw that his girl was “an amazing coach with the plaque to prove it" just to see the shy smile on her face as she blushed.

But he was here now and he was going to make up for lost time.

Sarah walked around the bar, greeting players and their parents as they walked in. 

She honestly sounded like a gleeful broken record, greeting everyone in generally the same way. “Hi, so glad you could make it! We’ll be starting around 5, seating is outside but you’re welcome to play pool or darts as we wait until then.” And multiple variations of that.

Everyone mingled and played the various games inside the bar, a few of them going out to play cornhole, which was graciously provided by Warlock.

“Aunt Sarah!” 

At the sound of the littlest Bradshaw’s voice, Sarah gasped playfully and turned to greet her, “Leia Rey!! Oh how are you? Did you have fun with Papa Mav today?” Leia nodded and hugged her, “I did!” Sarah smiled at her, “That’s great! Well, I’m sure the girls would love to know you’re here. If it’s okay with your mama and daddy, you can go say hi.”

Leia turned to her parents with her puppy eyes, “Can I Mommy?” Alyssa nodded and laughed, “Yes baby, but don’t go outside unless you tell me or daddy okay?” “Yes ma’am!” 

She ran off to the group of girls, who immediately got excited to see her and lifted her onto the pool table.

“Those girls love her so much,” Sarah said as she turned back to Alyssa and Bradley. “Yeah they do.” 

Bradley was smiling like an idiot trying not to spill the fact that Jake was currently using his spare key to take Sarah’s car to kill time until speeches.

“Okay, I’m going to get some things situated, then I think that we’re gonna get started.”

Both Alyssa and Bradley nodded as Sarah smiled and walked away.

“Thank goodness… I’m so bad at keeping secrets,” Bradley sighed, rubbing his face. Alyssa chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, “Well, you’ve done good so far Honey. Just a little while longer.”

After checking what needed to be checked, Sarah got everyone’s attention.

“Hey! Hi everyone! We are so so happy you could make it out tonight, and be with us to celebrate your girls and the hard work they put in this year. First we are going to eat, then our AD, myself and Coach Kamp, and one of our seniors will give a speech, and finally we will end with awards and photos!”

The group clapped and cheered a little.

Sarah smiled and clapped her hands together, “Okay, I’m going to say grace really quick and then we can all dig in and go sit outside.”

She said a quick prayer over the food before everyone dug in and got a plate of food to go sit out on the beach.

About halfway through everyone’s second plate, or dessert, they decided to start speeches.

The Athletic Director was up first. He introduced himself and told everyone how long he had been with the school, and all that fun stuff. He talked about the team's stats over the season. Praised the girls and their dedication and effort, praised the coaches for their roles and impact on the team.

“I must say, we’ve had plenty of coaches over the years, but Coach Grant really stands out. She came here and brought an energy that the students adore. She’s done an absolute fantastic job, and no discredit to Coach Kamp. Both have created a team like none other, and it is their first official year coaching together. I can only imagine what the future holds for the program.”

Sarah smiled at him and shook his hand before a quick hug as her assistant took the microphone.

“Okay, so most of you know me, I went to school with a lot of either your younger siblings or older children,” Cameron said, pulling a laugh from everyone. “These girls have been such a delight and blessing to coach and watch progress throughout the season and I can only imagine where these seniors will go. Can we get another round of applause for the 2023 State Champs!”

The crowd clapped and whistled, dying down once Cam spoke again. 

He continued to brag about the girls sharing some funny things that happened before moving to talk about Sarah.

“Now, this woman right here, she is a beast. She came here last year being thrown into the head coach position of not one, but two sports. And she has absolutely killed it. She cares so much about her students and her players, and it’s truly a privilege to coach with her.”

Sarah chuckled and shook her head as Cam pulled her in for a side hug. “Stop, oh my goodness!” She fanned her face, “Pregnancy hormones and speeches don’t mix.” Everyone laughed and clapped as Sarah took over the microphone.

She smiled and wiped her eyes, “Oh gosh, so I’m going to apologize now for both my previous crying and any future crying that occurs.”

Sighing lightly, she looked around at everyone, “Wow… okay okay, so as most of you know, I am not from here, if you couldn’t tell from my accent. I come from a small town in Arkansas, one where everyone knows everyone. I wish I could say I don’t know how I ended up here, but we all know that isn’t true.”

Tears pricked her eyes at the vague mention of Jake, but she cleared her throat and pressed on. 

“But I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Truly, I feel so blessed. I hope I’ve proven to you this past year just how much I care for my students and players. I know the way I approach things can be a little different than coaches in the past but… that’s why I’m here. I want every one of your children to succeed on and off the field, and in and out of the classroom. And that means I will do what I have to to make sure that happens.”

She looked at the tables where the players sat, “This group of girls… they are so so hard working. And I hope I made as big an impact on them as they’ve made on me. I was so nervous, so unbelievably nervous to come here and start coaching. It’s… It’s very different from how I was coached. And I knew I was going to step on toes with how I was gonna coach my team. I want to thank you all for sticking with me and trusting me.”

Sarah let out a watery chuckle as she watched the seniors fan their faces and wipe their eyes. 

“Oh my seniors, I wish we had more time together. But I’m so very thankful for the time we had. My door will always be open to you, for whatever you need. And I know that you will be successful, whatever you put your mind to.”

Teary eyed with shaky smiles, the seniors got up and shared a group hug with her.

Parents and the school’s photographer snapped a few photos of the lovely moment before they pulled away, Lauren taking the microphone.

“Don’t put away your tissues just yet folks,” she said, wiping her eyes with a laugh. “All of us put a speech together and I was elected to read it. And I am so so excited.”

Lauren looked at Sarah, “Coach, I know you want to sit down, so we have a bar stool for you to sit on. Because you deserve to have a seat.” Sarah shook her head with a light laugh and sat on the stool. 

“I’m aware this sounds like the one I gave at the basketball banquet, but please bear with me, it’s worth it to listen to the end.”

The teenager pulled out a sheet of paper and cleared her throat, comically sipping a cup of water before starting.

“As student athletes, coaches make up a pretty big part of our career. They teach us so much more than our sport; they teach us valuable life lessons. Such as: leadership, teamwork, accountability, punctuality, and so many more I can’t name off the top of my head. These lessons will stick with us all of our lives, lessons that we won’t forget.

You thank us for taking a chance with you, Coach… But we want to thank you for taking a chance on us.

Thank you… for pushing us. For pushing us to be our absolute best on and off the field. We are sure there are countless times that you wanted to ring our necks, instead you lit a fire under our feet and didn’t let us settle for mediocre. Because we are so much more than that. Thank you for seeing that when we didn’t.

Thank you, Coach… for believing in us. For not letting us quit and taking time to show us how much you care. You have given us so much support in such a short time and we will forever be grateful for that. 

Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made. The hours spent working with us and making us feel seen and heard. The hours you lost sleep over us because you could have slept in, especially the last 7-8 months, but you wanted to give us every opportunity you could to practice.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

Sarah was sobbing by the end, a shaking hand covering her mouth but not hiding the smile. Lauren and the other seniors were crying as well, all coming in for another hug.

“Okay, we have a gift for you. But don’t open it yet, okay?” Lauren said as she wiped at her cheeks. “And we have another surprise for you, but first the seniors have one more person we want to thank.” 

Lauren turned toward the door, gesturing with a slightly trembling hand while smiling, which caused everyone to turn toward the door.

“Will Lieutenant Jake Thomas Seresin please come to the stage?”

It almost took too long for his name to register in Sarah’s brain but the moment the blond aviator was stepping out of the Hard Deck, she was sobbing again. Slipping off the barstool with little grace, she ran as best she could to her fiancé with him meeting her quickly in an embrace. 

Sarah couldn’t form words through her tears, but she didn’t need to. She was clinging desperately to Jake’s jacket with one hand as the other threaded in Jake’s hair. Her hot tears wetted his neck but he didn’t care, she was in his arms again.

“I’m here Darlin’. I’m here,” he said lowly, cradling her head as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Tears pricked his own eyes, feeling the twins kicking as Sarah’s bump pressed to his abdomen. 

Sarah pulled back and rested her forehead on his, “You’re home… you’re really home.” Jake smiled and nodded, “I’m home Sugar.” She let out a watery giggle before kissing him deeply, fist balling in his shirt to make sure he wouldn’t go anywhere. 

Jake reacted similarly, both hands holding her jaw to keep her close before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and one hand on her bump.

The kiss was electric, months of separation being mended by this one act. Tears of longing turned to ones of joy as they mixed together on their cheeks. And in that moment, two souls were making up for time lost.

Everyone around them cheered, clapping and some were most definitely crying. 

Sarah and Jake lips disconnected as they laughed, meeting together again in quick succession before they turned to everyone with smiles. 

“Who knew? I know some of you knew, who was it?” Sarah asked, wiping her eyes and pointing an accusatory finger at them all. The crowd laughed and Jake kissed the top of her head, “I don’t know about the parents but the squad knew and the girls knew, this was actually their idea.”

Her jaw dropped and she looked at her players, “What?”

They all laughed and proceeded to explain that when Jake had video called the week before the state championship game that is when they planned everything. It was a simple plan really. Once they knew the date Jake was coming home, they all agreed that doing it at the softball banquet would be best because they wanted to be a part of the reunion.

“Oh my goodness, girls… thank you,” Sarah said before they all had a quick group hug.

When it disbanded, Jake kissed Sarah’s temple before sitting down, Leia immediately climbing into his lap. She smiled after him before getting back on the deck and grabbing the microphone.

“Alright, who is ready for awards?”

When they got home a few hours later, they were nearly on one another when the door closed.

“Sugar, while I love this dress, I need you to take it off before I tear it off of you. I’d hate to ruin it,” Jake nearly growled in her ear as she shut and locked the door.

She bit back the moan, but leaned back against his chest, “Take the food to the kitchen and meet me upstairs, Daddy.”

“As you wish, pretty mama~” Jake rasped in her ear, hand running over her bump before he nibbled her ear.

He turned to go towards the kitchen, smacking Sarah’s ass playfully before going to put leftovers in the fridge as she tossed her bag on the couch before going upstairs.

When she got upstairs and in the bedroom, she immediately started getting undressed. 

Her shoes got thrown toward the closet, her socks thrown haphazardly toward the basket by the bathroom door. She took Jake’s button up off and laid it on the bed before slipping her dress down her body and letting it pool at her feet. Last came her bra and panties, falling to the pile at her feet.

She put Jake’s shirt back on and went to the bathroom to wait for him.

Jake hadn’t even bothered to put leftovers in the fridge neatly, he shoved things over and found places where they would fit for now. 

He took the stairs two at a time, his tight jeans being both a hindrance and his drive to get to his bedroom faster.

When he got there, the first thing he saw was the pile on the floor next to the bed and both his jacket and shirt joined them.

“I’m in the bathroom Cowboy.”

A wolfish grin split his features and he toed off his shoes, thankful to have changed out of his work boots. 

He walked into the bathroom, seeing the love of his life with her hip against the counter, his shirt barely covering her nipples. “Oh, look at you, my gorgeous girl,” he drawled out, immediately putting his hands on her hips to pull her close.

“My handsome man~” She purred, her hands going straight to his chest. 

Grinning, he planted a kiss on her lips. Innocent and delicate at first before his hands were pushing the button down off her shoulders, immediately turning the kiss into hungry and desperate.

Jake pressed Sarah against the bathroom counter, his large, calloused hands roaming her now naked body.

“Fuck, Sugar, I missed you so damn much~” He grunted out between hot kisses.

Sarah’s head fell back, exposing her neck to her fiancé as her nails scratched his torso. “I missed you too Cowboy~” Her hand grazed over the bulge in his jeans before palming him, “I missed this too~”

His hips bucked involuntarily at her touch, craving the skin on skin contact. His body ached for her soft caresses and fleeting kisses, the chill left behind on his hot skin after her fingers danced along his muscles. He ached for her.

The low groan vibrated against her neck, sending a wave of arousal through her. Jake’s head nuzzled slightly against hers before he kissed her again.

Her hand threaded into his hair as his hands softly rested on both sides of her bump. His thumbs traced soothing circles on her skin and she brought him closer.

Jake moved to the side, just to get a better angle to deepen the kiss and bury his hand in Sarah’s hair. 

His unoccupied hand moved down to run its fingers through her folds. “Damn, pretty mama, so wet for me already~”

“You’ve been gone for weeks, Jake. The moment I saw you, my hormones went fuckin’ nuts~”

A needy growl bubbled in Jake’s throat as her hand palmed him in time with the movements of his fingers and she purred against his lips. 

After a few more seconds, Jake brought his fingers up to his lips before parting the digits and watching her arousal string between them in a poor attempt to keep them together. Moaning, he slipped the coated fingers in mouth, letting his tongue clean the silky sweetness off of them.

“Mmm, just as sweet as I remember~” 

She whimpered and captured his lips, wanting just a little taste. Jake responded in haste, his tongue dipping into her mouth and sharing whatever was left. The hand in her hair tugged a bit and the other cupped her neck as he pressed her against the counter.

When they pulled back for air, they rested their foreheads against each other.

“Jake, baby please, I need you between my legs. I’ve missed your mouth on my pussy, please~” Sarah begged against his lips. Her nose nudged his gently, contrasting her desperate plea to have him eat her out like a man starved.

He chuckled lowly and gently nudged her nose back, “You don’t gotta ask me twice, Sugar.”

He kissed down her body, following the goosebumps left by his fingertips until he was on his knees and lifting her leg over his shoulder.

Jake groaned at the sight before him. It was a sight he saw countless times before, but a sight that never got boring.

Humming, he pushed his tongue past her lips, moaning the moment his senses took in everything. His eyes fluttered shut and he worked her cunt from muscle memory. He didn’t need to see to draw pretty sounds from his fiancée’s throat. He knew every curve, every spot that made her putty in his hands.

Every swipe and flick of his tongue drew a moan from her lips. Desperate, pleading moans as her heel dug into his back.

Sarah gripped the counter, blindly trying to reach for Jake’s hair to ground herself. “Fuck Jake!” She managed to finally find his golden locks and thread her fingers through the strands. “Oh shit, don’t stop~”

Her moans bounced off the tile of the bathroom, echoing and letting Jake hear them for a second time. He could tell she was close, having been deprived of his touch for too long. He couldn’t blame her, he was desperate too.

Jake ran his hand up her leg, a feather light touch until he got to her entrance and easily pushed two digits inside. “Fuck Sugar… y’ so damn tight~”

“Oh fuck, Jake I’m gonna cum~”

“I know, darlin’. I know, cum for me~” He grunted out, his inflamed chest rumbling with the words as he curled and twisted his fingers.

Sarah’s head fell back, a strangled moan forcing itself from her throat as she pulled at his hair and white knuckled the counter to keep herself upright.

The sensation made Jake open his eyes, looking up to see his fiancée as she came. But his eyes caught sight of her baby bump, and Jake fucking lost it.

His lips wrapped around her clit and his other hand dropped to palm himself through his jeans. He moaned and hissed as she clenched around his fingers and lightning shot up his back.

Jake’s hips jerked as his cock twitched and he grinded harder against his own hand, chasing his high just as he brought his Sarah to hers. He saw dots behind his eyelids as his abdomen flexed and reached his peak.

The gentle tug of his hair pulled him back to the real world. Back to the bathroom where his future stood looking down at him with a fucked out expression on her face.

“You alright down there Cowboy?” She asked lightly with a soft smile as she caught her breath. He nodded, a grin splitting his face, “I’m fuckin’ amazing, Sugar…”

She giggled as he stood up, her eyes flickering down, “Oh, Honey, you um..” He chuckled and nodded, reaching over to turn the shower on, “I know, I know.”

While shower sex is usually very fun, Sarah did not want to stay in the shower any longer than she had to. She had been on her feet a lot that day and she was terrified of something happening and her slipping and falling.

So they saved it for the bed, not particularly caring that they had just gotten clean. Jake just got home and they were going to have proper sex, they could just have another shower in the morning.

After drying off, Jake laid down on the bed, Sarah crawling on after him.

“You’re sure about this Honey?” Sarah asked as she straddled Jake, her damp hair dripping onto his chest. “I don’t want to crush you.”

Jake chuckled and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, admiring his fiancée in the warm light of the lamp. “You won’t Sugar, I’ll be jus’ fine.” 

She nodded and guided her hands to the headboard, “I feel like this is not the position we should be doing this. Because my hips already hurt and I don’t feel like I look sexy up here.” He snorted a little, “I think you look sexy all the time, but if your hips hurt we can switch positions. Your comfort comes first Darlin’.”

“Okay, thank you Jake, because you would have been doing most of the work anyway,” Sarah giggled and moved off of him. He sat up and pecked her lips, “Of course Sugar, how do you want to do this?”

She hummed and kissed him as she thought, “Hmm, I definitely need to be on my side.” Jake nodded and kissed her neck, “We can do that. How do you want me, pretty mama?” 

“Inside me Jake, that’s where I want you.”

He hummed and pressed his lips to hers and laid her down, “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

As she laid there, the golden light of the lamp made her glow even more than the pregnancy had.

“God you’re beautiful,” Jake nearly whispered. Though he was always confident when he complimented her, he was just so amazed by her.

He cupped her cheek, thumb grazing her cheek bone. She looked up at him, her warm, tender brown eyes filling this pit in his chest and making his eyes water.

“Fuck.. Sarah I.. I was so homesick… I missed those beautiful brown eyes, looking at me with so much love…”

Sarah teared up as well, her nose and throat burning with emotion as she held his hand to her face. “Jake…” He shook his head before leaning down to press his lips to hers. “It’s okay, I’m home now. I’m home.” 

She smiled at him, the infectious expression spreading to Jake’s face before he kissed her again. 

“Let me make up for the time I was gone,” he mumbled against her lips before kissing her shoulder as he moved to lay behind her.

Jake slid an arm under her neck to play with her breasts, his other hand sliding the head of his cock through her folds. 

“Fuck Jake, please~” 

He smiled and laced his fingers with hers as he pushed in slowly. 

Sarah gasped lightly, moaning as she squeezed his hand, “Ooohh fuuck, Jake~”

“Oooh now that feels like home~” Jake groaned, a playful twinkle in his eye. 

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh a little, rolling her eyes at him. “You’re not funny,” she responded, though her tone and smiling face portrayed the opposite. “Oh Sugar, I’m hilarious,” he said, gently squeezing her hip and nipping at her jaw.

She shook her head playful, making Jake laugh. 

When he sobered up, he placed a gentle kiss behind her ear before he started to slowly move.

The slow push and pull of his hips was both pleasuring and infuriating. She could feel every inch and ridge of his cock with every drag, but the pace left her crawling towards the edge.

“Jake, faster Darlin’, please~” She nearly whimpered, letting go of his hand to reach for his head, gripping his hair with gentle desperation.

It wouldn’t take much convincing, Jake was just as desperate as she was. Having been stuck on a carrier with nothing but photos and memories to get the job done. He needed this just as much as she did.

With a small, airy groan, Jake nodded and gripped under her thigh as the other hand massaged her breast. “As you wish, Sugar.” He picked up his pace, his top leg hooking over hers to both adjust the angle and give himself more room. It was faster, but still gentle – knowing that she was sensitive and didn’t want to do anything too rough or crazy.

“Fuck, Jake, I missed you~” Sarah moaned, pulling his damp hair and arching back into him. Her other hand fisted in the sheets, white knuckling the duvet as her fiancé fucked her. “I missed your tailor made cock filling me up~”

“Oh shit~” Jake rasped out against the skin of her neck, biting down on her shoulder as his hips snapped. “Oh! Jake~” She yelped out in surprised pleasure as she held his head in place. “Damn, Sarah, you can’t just fucking say shit like that~” 

He said that, yet he wanted to hear more. More about how they were made for each other, like puzzle pieces – a perfect fit. More about how they completed each other – two halves that made up a whole.

Sarah turned her head as best she could, arm hand moving to dig its nails into Jake’s hip. “You’re perfect for me Jake, so perfect~”

Jake’s head fell into the crook of her neck, a small grunt escaping and vibrating against her skin.

Propping himself up on his elbow, and while keeping his movements steady, he captured her lips desperately. His hand came up to cup her cheek as he deepened the kiss, swallowing her moans.

She disconnected their lips, “Jake, I’m close. I’m so fucking close~”

He pressed their foreheads together, his green eye watching her face intensely as he started to grope at her chest purposefully. 

The slacking of her jaw and the way her eyes fluttered shut as he gently tugged and rolled her nipples had him dangling on the edge himself.

“Oh fuck shit~” Sarah moaned out, her nails leaving crescent indentions and raised red trails on his hip before her hand moved to his thigh for the same purchase.

The short, one syllable moans hit Jake’s ears and he was reveling in them. Loving the way he could feel her clenching around him, her soaked walls fluttering as she vibrated his being with her moans of ecstasy.

“Shit, Darlin’, I’m close. I’m so close~” Jake panted, nearly whimpering as her nails dug into his thigh on a mission to replicate the art on his hip.

She moaned again, muffling herself with his lips before barely pulling back to whisper. 

“Let’s cum together baby~”

Jake was sure his eyes rolled back for a second before letting out a guttural moan as he locked their lips together again.

He desperately chased his high, doing his damnedest to get Sarah to hers.

“Ooooooh fuuuuck! Jake I’m gonna cum~”

“I’m right there Sugar,” he rasped out. “Just hold it a little longer.”

She whined and shook her head, “I can’t, I can’t~”

He nodded and pressed his lips to hers, waiting just a few seconds before growling against her lips, “Cum, fucking soak my cock Sweetheart~”

Simultaneously, the rubber bands in their abdomens snapped, both moaning out each other’s names in pleasure as they came.

After a few moments, the euphoria dampened as they caught their breath. 

Jake smiled and pressed his lips to hers, “I love you, so so much.” Sarah giggled, pecking his lips, “I love you too, Cowboy. I’m glad you’re home.” “Me too Darlin’. I missed having you by my side.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek before yawning a little.

He chuckled, lightly kissing her shoulder before gently pulling out, “Let’s get you cleaned up so you can sleep.” She hummed and nodded in response as he moved, quickly grabbing the still wet hair towel to clean her up with.

She hissed a little bit at the contact but hummed at the gentleness of her fiancé.

When he had her cleaned up, he kissed her thigh and stood up, moving to get clothes for them both.

“Wait, Jake, I need your help.” He turned to her, seeing her reaching for him, “With what?” She huffed a little, “I gotta pee and I’m stuck. I can’t sit up.” 

Jake covered his mouth and tried not to laugh as he went over to help her carefully sit up before standing. 

“Okay thank you, I’ll be right back,” she said before pecking his lips and waddling to the bathroom.

He shook his head with a light laugh and slipped on a pair of boxers before grabbing another pair and an oversized t-shirt.

Once Sarah came back, he helped her into the boxers and his oversized shirt before they got into bed.

“I think I’m about to have the best sleep I’ve had in months. Now that I have my heart back.” 

Jake looked down at her and smiled with a light chuckle before kissing her nose, “Were you this cheesy when we met?” “I think you rubbed off on me a little, but it only enhanced my already cheesy cheesiness,” she replied, pecking his jaw.

“But seriously Jake, you are my heart. I love you, forever and ever,” she said lowly, kissing his lips as his eyes glossed over a little. 

He let out a slightly watery chuckle, dampened by emotions as he spoke, “I love you too Sarah, forever and ever.”

hi... hello... yes yes i know it's been a while since i posted anything really related to this series

but i still hope you enjoyed! and yes i did get emotional at parts of this i hope you did as well

im going to be doing a back story piece for the series soon, and the next up date will be baby shower HC's and the birth is coming soon!

thank you so much for being here even though i'm very behind, i truly appreciate you all my darlings 🥰

I do have a pinterest board set up for this, just to help me get into the vibe (one is to help with future parts, one is only for the current parts)

SO

if you want to check it out and get more of a feel for the dynamic going on---- you can click right --->   here

if you would liked to be tagged in this series, please comment or reblog the masterlist linked at the top! or you can comment here!

j and s tags <333: @milesdickpic @roosterscockpit @luckyladycreator2 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @sebsxphia @mayhemmanaged @nobody7102 @djs8891 @kmc1989 @marbledaesthetics @fangirlbang @penguin876 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @bellaireland1981 @memeorydotcom

[sluttyhenley]

I’m not really a guest

[starryvomit]

“it feels like we’re on vacation.”

“you say that a lot when we’re together.”

“huh — i guess i do.”

[worldbuildingwanderlust]

Home

My home is atop Verdant waves of Earth Rolling thousands of feet high Not where I was born Nor where I reside But a place I found At just the right time

It was the place I nearly died And the place I came alive The place I found Divinity In my very own eyes

These mountains are part of me They truly made me whole When they infused their Life Into my permanently impermanent Soul

[cypheroxide]

Things I've Learned By Living in the South (from Florida to Texas)

1. Save all bacon grease.

You will be instructed later how to use it.

2. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic.

Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive truck with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly.

Don't try to help them.

Just stay out of their way.

This is what they live for.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular.

"All y'all" is plural.

"All y'all's" is plural possessive.

4. Get used to the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity".

And the collateral phrase "You call this hot?

Wait'll August."

5. Don't tell us how you did it up there.

Nobody cares.

6. If you think it's too hot, don't worry.

It'll cool down-in December.

7. A Mercedes-Benz is not a status symbol. A Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, or Ford is.

8. If someone says they're "fixin" to do something, that doesn't mean anything's broken.

9. The value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but the availability of shade.

10. If you see a slower moving vehicle on a two lane road pull onto the shoulder, that is called "courtesy".

11. BBQ is a food group.

It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.

12. Yes, weddings, funerals, and divorces must take into account for Gators, Canes or Noles Football games.

13. Everything is better with ranch dressing.

14. DO NOT honk your horn at us to be obnoxious, we will sit there until we die.

15. We pull over and stop for emergency vehicles to pass.

16. We pull over for funeral processions, turn our music off and men remove hats or caps.

Some people put their hand over their heart.

17. "Bless your Heart" is a nice way of saying you're an idiot.

18. No matter what kind: sprite, coke, pepsi, mtn dew, it isn't called soda or pop.

Its all called coke

19. If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change.

20. No, most of us won't call the law if you break into our home. We'll call the county coroner and only tell our cousin at the police department when he comes over for Bean Night.

21. A Walmart in your town is a luxury, most of us do grocery shopping at the Dollar General.

22. Buccee's is not a gas station, it's an experience.

[euesworld]

"She is like a library, she is filled with beautiful thoughts and poetry that make you feel right at home.."

And fanfiction, always fanfiction, haha - eUë

[beargyufairy]

They say home is where the heart is but that’s not where mine lives

[itsgrimeytime]

Home is Where the Heart is (Part Five) || Farmer!Rick Grimes (TWD) x Teacher!GN!reader AU

Part 1, 2, 3, 4...

Taglist: @1tsk1tty

rick grimes taglist: @golden-hoax @mgparker

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Inspiration: Like Real People Do by Hozier and Begin Again by Taylor Swift.

Summary: Your life was spinning out of control, you knew that. After a string of particularly shattering events, you decided it was time to start anew. With a little help from one of your Grandma's rentals, you found yourself in the small town of Alexandria. The last thing you expected was your neighbor, Rick Grimes.

TWS: flirting, bad relationships, abandonment issues, and self-destructing the good things.

[[A/N: The next one will take place directly after this one. Thanks for reading!!! ]]

You were silently searching through your papers, you had something in mind but couldn't really find it -a coloring page for the first day, you still needed to get candy-

Your eyes peeked through the window just a spare moment, and you halted. Something ran through your head, as you connected with Rick, the neighbor.

He wasn't paying attention, blue eyes far and distant, t-shirt dark from the heat and fitted just right around the expanse of his chest. The sun dusting along his curls, he was framed a bit like a painting -you couldn't look away. The warmth of the morning contrasted with the cool blue of his eyes, and you were sure a song could've been written about him if they hadn't already.

The papers faltered in your fingers, as you watched on.

Rick was taking a break, you guessed, he was leaning up against a tree -chin tilted up and looking through the branches. It was far too early for the kids to be up you realized, so he must be enjoying the bit of silence. The wrinkles by his eyes smoothed, as he let out a big breath -it flowed through his body fluidly like water.

Don't be a weirdo, you thought -dragging your eyes elsewhere, -just because you haven't seen the man in a while you become a living poem.

You hadn't been purposefully avoiding him, not really. It was kind of a give-and-take, you'd been prepping your lesson plan and needed...

Space.

You hadn't been purposefully avoiding him. Not really.

It'd been a fairly busy few days for you, you could hardly set aside time to see straight on your own. Or even think for that matter.

It was all so sudden and rushed, and you could hardly breathe. You hadn't even been answering calls-

Knock, knock.

It was a sort of slow, languid knock like the dusting of knuckles against the wood. Not like they hadn't wanted to be there or anything, just like they had been basking in the morning sun. Kind of like-

The spot where your eyes rested was now empty, the tree and its leaves rustling in the wind.

Oh.

As you approached the door, you heard a muffled voice, his -you recognized. All deep and gruff, even more so in the morning. And another through a phone -a little choppier but very... familiar.

"-for me."

"I'm really glad to help," he echoed, and you almost leaned into the wood to hear him better, "-no need, Mrs. Y/L/N, really."

Oh my god, you echoed out in your thoughts, loud and opposing.

You swung open the door with little composure, not as planned, but a bit desperate. Had she been guilting him?

One look into his eyes was a resounding yes.

"Hey," you spoke, connecting your eyes with him and mouthing 'sorry'.

Rick chuckled a bit, "Mrs. Y/L/N, they opened the door, I think we're-"

"Tell them to take a break," your Grandma's familiar voice echoed out, as if she hadn't known she was on speaker, "-or you know what, take them to breakfast, distract 'em. I can nearly see them worrying themself thin."

"Grandma," you hummed, tilting your tone knowingly, "-I'm sure I can care for myself."

"Don't lie to your Grandmother dear," she spoke -pointed and direct, "-Richard has told me you've been locked up the past few days."

"Grandma-"

"Sorry 'bout that," he apologized, low enough for just you to hear.

You waved it away, truly not thinking he needed to apologize for that. It was sweet, really.

"Just go get breakfast, darling," your Grandma sighed, "-I just want you out of that cooped-up old house."

"Fine," you hummed, turning around and placing your paperwork down, "-but you didn't have to bring Rick into this, I'm sure he's very busy-"

"I can make ya breakfast," he interrupted, unflinchingly, "-instead of goin' out."

"Rick, you don't have to-"

"Already making some for the kids," he hummed, looking down at you with his blue-blue eyes, "-won't be out of my way."

You paused, looking at him (he looked hopeful..?), "If you're sure."

"'M sure," he relented, softly. He looked over you gently, a soft sweeping motion, your hand fidgetted at your side.

"Okay," you echoed, "-okay. Is there... Is there a certain time?"

"You could just follow me," he hummed, "-'Could use an extra set of hands."

"Uh," you looked back at your imposing stack of paperwork for a moment, then down to the phone, and right back at him -something sparkling in his eyes, "-yeah, sure. Just give me two minutes, I just have to send an email-"

"Ah, ah, ah," your Grandma chastised over the phone, "-I said a break dear."

"Right," you sighed, before checking your clothes, and stepping out into the day -the sun was a welcome sort of warm, "-fine. I'm following him."

"Good," she hummed before the echo of a dial tone cleared through the air -satisfied with your current position.

"Of course," you sighed, "-look, I'm sorry. You don't have to-"

"No, no-" he hummed out, a sort of low grumble, "-I offered. Do ya not want to?"

You looked at him for a moment, eyes dipping over his face (his blue, blue eyes-), "I do. I, uh yeah, I do."

"Good," he smiled, bright, and something in you softened -just a little before he smirked, "-thought ya might've been scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Losing," he teetered, bright eyes twinkling and something in you laughed.

"Losing at what?" you questioned, tilting your head slightly, staying in step with him.

"They say I got the best pancakes on the block," he hummed, "-doubt you can beat that."

"You're so on."

"Thought so," Rick smiled, and something in you watched -like it was something you'd never see again, or maybe something you didn't want to miss.

And you walked into his home.

[stoicmike]

At home you can be more like yourself than you can be anywhere else. -- Michael Lipsey

[sassaffrassa]

this is what i’ve been doing with my evening

[sluttyhenley]

[thelaineydayblog]

I’ve finally moved into myself fully, After living out of labeled boxes for what seems like my lifetime. Things are finally arranged just so, and designed to suit only me. My blueprint is beautiful.

I keep all of my knowledge and wisdom out front where everyone can see it. It distracts from the leftover sadness and uncertainty that I haven’t put into storage yet. Each emotion is neatly organized in their own order so as to be easily accessible:

-Love has claimed the largest space and tends to spread out, but no one complains. -Joy bubbles up from the basement to say hello at least once a day. She generally finds worry, sadness and uncertainty ganging up again and making a mess in the attic. -Hope doesn’t mind staying on the shelf until she’s needed; which is more and more often. -And happiness has her own room but always leaves the door open. -Fear lives out back and sometimes wakes me up at night. We’re working on that. -My rage is always right where I left it, and it’s too big to move so I’m waiting until I have help.

I decorate with my dreams, which are proudly displayed on the walls, And music accompanies everything. Inside jokes abound since laughter serves as the diffuser to keep the air fresh. I still have a junk drawer that serves as a catch-all for my fleeting thoughts and partial memories, but make no mistake, I’m always down for a dump run.

I’m liberal with the Do Not Disturb sign so if you’re invited in you know you’re welcome. Very few stay the night though. It’s not that I don’t want connection, It’s just I now know what it really looks and feels like, And I won’t sacrifice sleep for a substitute.

I maintain my garden for myself, Not the neighbors. And I always leave a light on, In case I lose myself again.

Welcome Home

-Lainey

[huntermorgan]

Fanart for an amazing fic I’m reading!

This is a scene from chapter 9 of ‘home is where the heart is’ by setosdarkness on ao3! This scene was so soft, I had to draw it immediately <3

Fanfic link if you want to check it out: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9476237/chapters/21439829

full credit to the author for this wholesome scene, I did not come up with it myself! https://archiveofourown.org/users/setosdarkness/pseuds/setosdarkness