#if you were to put the same ingredients between two slices of white toast (why) it would be a sandwich

[miss-dr-reid]

Another Gubler Story... #3

Not too long later, we were on our way. The radio playing softly, provided background noise for our conversations. We spoke about our days of work, and I filled him in about how brutal customers can be sometimes.

"I'm sorry you had a bad day at work." he pouted, tapping his hand on my thigh before resting his elbow ion the center console, continuing to drive with one hand.

"It's okay! George brought doughnuts and then you called, and now here we are!" I cheered.

"Is George your secret boyfriend?" Matthew joked, bumping me with his hand, a smile across his lips.

And while, I wanted to answer, I knew there was no point, instead changing the subject. We ended up talking about old friends, family and childhood memories. Matthew was so easy to talk to. He was always listening to every word I spoke.

We finally arrived, pulling into the car park of a park/playground. and Matthew selected a park closer to the playground. I reached for my door handle, but Matthew's hand on my shoulder caught my attention. I looked over at him, and he shook his head at me, climbing out and opening the back door. He pulled out something, it looked like a picnic basket, stood back and closed both doors. He made his way around to my door, opening for it and standing back allowing me to get out.

Shutting the door and linking his arm with mine, we made our way over to an open area of grass where Matthew unlinked our arms. he put the basket on the ground, opening it and pulling out a blanket, spreading it over the ground. He sat down on the blanket, bringing the basket onto the end of it and looked up at me.

His eyes glistened behind his glasses which were lit up by some light posts surrounding the playground. The Spring breeze was soft, fresh and fragrant, blowing the loose curls of Matthew's hair. I took Matthew's hand as he held it out to me, helping me to the ground. The blanket was cool from the slowly dampening ground. The sun was almost setting, oranges and purples filling the sky. I sat down on a lean, sitting almost on my hip, facing Matthew who mirrored me.

He leaned over to the basket, where he pulled out a bottle of bubbly white and two glasses. Placing the glasses between us, he opened the bottle and poured some wine in each glass. He put the lid back on the bottle, laying it on the ground against the basket.

"To new beginnings and fun risks!" He toasted, lifting his glass up in the air. I returned the gesture, clinking our glasses together.

We each took sips of our drinks before placing them down onto the blanket in front of us. He went back for the basket, shifting himself into his knees. He pulled out a loaf of bread, setting it next to the bottle of wine. He then started pulling out small containers, placing them around the loaf of bread.

I sat up fully, curious to see what he was doing. I lifted one container, inspecting it to see what was inside, surprised to find sliced tomato. He continued to pull out a few other small containers and finally a plastic packet, which he handed to me seeing how intrigued I had become. A packet of sliced ham is what he gave me. I put it all together, seeing all the ingredients laid out and figured we'd be making our own sandwiches.

"I didn't know what you liked, so, I picked something that you could make your own!" Matthew said, finally sitting back, gesturing over the spread. He handed me a plastic plate, holding onto when I tried to take it. I looked up into his eyes, wondering why he didn't let go. He smiled at me softly as his eyes wandered my face before finally letting go.

"Help yourself and let me know if there's anything missing." He pointed to the food.

"Thank you, Matthew." I grinned before turning to the food. I laid my plate down, reaching for the bread, my eyes scanning over the now open containers, seeing what options I had.

On one slice of bread, I layered, ham, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and finally another slice of ham before another slice of bread.

I sat back, allowing Matthew to make his own. I watched him make his sandwich as I had felt him doing to me. He glanced back a few times, at my sandwich before adding another topping. I noted that he was copying the layers of my sandwich.

"Why?" I asked, cocking my head to the side slightly.

"Why what? Why the same layers? You looked like you knew what you were doing. I trust you." He said, answering his own question. The reply took me by surprise as he added the last slice of bread. He lifted his plate and sat back, facing me with his legs crossed. I laughed as he sat his plate in my lap, copying me.

I picked up my sandwich, securing the back of it. I took a big bite, bigger than I had intended, the smell of the salads caused me to realise how hungry I actually was. I hummed a moan at the flavour, and Matthew did, too. I could tell that he was genuinely enjoying the sandwich, and not just copying me anymore, the expression on his face as his eyes rolled back were all tell tale signs. We sat there, not saying a word, only eating our sandwiches. Small moans and the occasional sounds of chewing filling the air between us.

The sun setting, caused the whole scene to become even more romantic as the moon gently lit up our figures and glistened on the dewy ground. We both finished eating and Matthew collected our plates, stacking them to the side as he packed up the containers, putting them away into the basket, setting the stacked plates on top. He took my now empty glass and set it next to the wine bottle along with his own. He turned around, looking at me and stood up.

"Come." the word simple, effective, but gentle. His hands were pointed out toward me and I took them. My own hands becoming nearly entirely enveloped inside his.

His arms draped over my shoulders, his hands resting on my lower back, pulling me flush against him. My head resting on his chest, his heart beating in my ear. My own arms wrapped around his waist, my hands reaching as far around to the opposite sides as possible. I felt his chin rest on my head for a moment. He lifted his chine off, replacing it with a kiss, his heartbeat in my ear speeding up as he did so. I gave him a squeeze in response, the smile on my face growing bigger.

His arms lifted from me, his hands grabbing my shoulders as he pulled me back slightly. I looked up into his eyes, his glasses has fallen down slightly so I pushed them back up, allowing my fingers to trail gently over his lips and jaw before returning it back to it's spot around his waist. We stood there in silence for a moment, staring into each others eyes, smiling at each other.

Matthew finally pulled away, the warmth of hi body being replace by the cool night air and goosebumps formed over my skin. He had caught one of my hands in the midst of pulling away, leading me over to the playground. We walked to the swing set, where he released my hand and sat on one of the swings, an empty one next to him. I followed his actions, sitting on the free one, seeing how happy he was, swinging with anticipation.

We both started swinging, keeping in time for a bit until Matthew decided to go higher. I took that as a challenge, and tried to go even higher. Eventually, we were both swinging so high, the chains slacked as we reached our peak height before we were caught with a jolt at the bottom. We were both laughing from just how silly we were being, and soon I started to slow myself. I stopped swinging my legs and soon the swing calmed. I jumped off the swing, landing in on the barks chunks with a small 'crunch', I posed while saying "Ta-Da!".

I turned around to look at Matthew, who was mid-air jumping from his own swing. I started clapping, doing small jumps in excitement. My eyes closed for a brief moment, Matthew taking this opportunity to run to me. His footsteps quick, reaching me before I knew what was going on. My heart leapt from my chest as I was lifted into the air, holding on for dear life for a moment, my eyes squeezed shut, until Matthew said,

"You're beautiful." The words took me by surprise. I looked down at him from my place in his arms, the biggest goofiest smile on his lips.

"You are!" I replied, booping his nose with me own, pulling back to look at him. My face turned hot from the feelings rushing around inside me, butterflies in my stomach.

We were caught in that moment, staring into each others eyes. I couldn't help it when my eyes wandered onto his lips, my face being drawn towards his. Matthew had been glancing at my lips, too, licking his own lips once before his own face was drifting forward. With one final look at each other's lips we-

*FLASH*

We snapped away from each other, looking in the direction the flash had come from. Soon, there was another and Matthew put me down, telling me to stay put. He headed in the direction of the small group of trees where the flash had come from. The person who was hiding there ran off before Matthew had the chance to say anything and he headed back to me.

Reaching me, he cupped my face in his hands, looking deep into my eyes,

"Let's get out of here." was all he said. The words simple, but effective and we headed back to the picnic.

We packed up the rest of the picnic and I folded the blanket as neatly as possible. Matthew carried the basket and we walked to the car. We got in, throwing the stuff we were carrying into the back. The car started and Matthew drove out of the carpark without saying a word.

"Where are we going?" I asked him, breaking the silence.

"To my place." he said, and kept driving, his eyes on the road.

<3

[440mxs-wife]

Dream a Little Dream

Pairing: Ketch x Reader

Todd Anderson: [stands up on his desk] O Captain! My Captain!

You sniffled and felt the tears starting to form in your eyes. Even though you know what happens next, it's only a matter of time before the waterworks will start in earnest.

Mr. Nolan: Sit down, Mr. Anderson! Do you hear me? Sit down! Sit down! This is your final warning, Anderson. How dare you? Do you hear me?

Knox Overstreet: [climbs up onto his desk] O Captain! My Captain!

Mr. Nolan: Mr. Overstreet, I warn you! Sit down!

[Pitts climbs onto his desk, followed by Meeks, then over half the class, one by one]

At this point, tears are streaming down your cheeks. You wipe them away with the heel of your hand.

Mr. Nolan: Sit down! Sit down. All of you. I want you seated. Sit down. Leave, Mr.  Keating. All of you, down. I want you seated. Do you hear me? Sit down!

Mr. Keating: Thank you, boys. Thank you.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You reached for your box of tissues to wipe away the rest of your tears and blew your nose as the end credits rolled. Dead Poets Society was your favorite movie, the one you always watched with Ruthie, your best friend since high school. It was the one that always had you both in tears at the end.

Before you became a hunter, you wanted to be a teacher, to find that one-in-a-million kid that you knew would do great things. A run-in with a monster changed all of that for you, basically crushing that dream.

While you were in college, a skinwalker decided to impersonate one of your professors. Students got called into this professor's office to discuss the latest class assignment and were never seen again. Your roommate had met with him one Tuesday afternoon and she was killed. This was the incident that caught the Winchesters' attention.

You met Sam and Dean when they questioned you about your roommate's death. It was a few days before your own scheduled meeting with the professor. You agreed to act as bait so that no more lives would be lost. You went to your meeting as planned. Just before the skinwalker transformed to attack you, Sam and Dean barged in and killed it.

From then on, they took you under their wing and trained you to be a hunter. You already had excellent researching skills, being fresh out of school. As a retired hunter, your father saw to your weapons education from when you were 10 years old.

Dean trained you in self-defense, while Sam was responsible for your strength and conditioning. In return, you were chief cook and bottle-washer, with laundry, nursing and research duties on the side. The boys always raved about your home-cooking, and you taught yourself basic doctoring skills for the more serious injuries.

Every year, no matter what you and Ruthie were doing, you watched the movie together and texted back and forth as it played. You both always had popcorn and a box of tissues nearby. Sometimes, Sam and Dean would wander through the living room area and stop to watch a bit of the movie. After a while, they left, shaking their heads at you. As the credits rolled, you called Ruthie and talked for a bit. Before you hung up, you promised each other to get together soon, said your "I love you's" and went back to your separate lives.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sam and Dean came down the spiral staircase, grocery bags in hand. You gathered up your tissues and headed towards the kitchen to help put away the supplies. They noticed your eyes were all red and puffy, and exchanged glances between them.

You noticed their facial expressions and lightly chuckled. "I'm fine, fellas, really. Ruthie and I just finished our annual viewing of Dead Poets Society," you explained.

Dean snorted. "Haven't you two watched that movie like, a hundred times? You both know how it ends, you both cry at the end, so why do you watch it over and over?" he asked.

You shrugged. "I don't know, Dean. It's something we've always done, just once a year, and it's a great movie," you replied. "I always wanted to be a teacher. Someone who finds and inspires that one kid who goes on to do great things in life. All because someone had faith," you remarked softly.

As you finished, you heard someone behind you, clearing his throat. "Pardon me, but where shall I put these?" he asked, gesturing to the grocery bags in his hands.

Your eyes grew wide and your hand covered your mouth as you realized who it was behind you. Arthur Ketch, you thought. What the hell is he doing here?!? I can't let him see me like this, with red, puffy eyes. I gotta get out of here, you thought. You kept your head down and stepped to the side to let Ketch get through to the kitchen. Then you backed your way out and once clear, you hurried to your room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When you determined that the kitchen was clear, you surveyed the contents of the newly-stocked fridge and pantry. You wanted to see what the boys brought home that you could use to make dinner. Sam wandered in a few minutes later, looking for something to drink. "So, what was all that about earlier?" he asked.

"I don't understand, what do you mean, Sam?" you asked.

"You were all fine until Ketch showed up behind you. Then you went running out of here like some teenage girl with her first cr--" he stopped short and grinned widely. "That's it, isn't it?? You have a crush on Arthur Ketch!" Sam gloated.

"Shut up, Sam, I do not!" you hissed.

"Oh, you so do. I saw your face, you went white as a sheet," Sam smirked.

"What is he doing here anyway?" you snapped.

"He's helping us with some case we caught that involves a djinn a couple of towns over. Heard it's pretty powerful, so we'll need all hands on deck. By the way, he will be here for dinner, so....hope you're making something good," he grinned.

You groaned. "I was just trying to figure that out. Hmm....I should make that Cheesy Broccoli and Chicken Casserole," you remarked. Sam shrugged and said that was fine with him, so you started to pull the items out of the fridge and pantry.

Once all of the ingredients were assembled, you put dinner in the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes. This gave you enough time to get yourself cleaned up. You didn't have a chance to shower before your annual movie watch with Ruthie.

After your shower, you pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans, your red sweater and slipped on your red tennis shoes. As you were walking back into the kitchen, you heard the oven timer going off. Dinner was done baking, so you removed it from the oven and hurried up to set the table.

You served a portion to each man, then you served yourself. You ate slowly, looking around at each of the guys, trying to determine how much they liked dinner. Judging by the lack of conversation, you figured that it was a success. When the pan was cleaned out, all three of the guys sat back in their chairs, having eaten their fill.

"Wow, that was great! Even better than the last time you made it," Dean remarked, patting his now-full stomach.

"Great suggestion," Sam added.

You thanked them for the complements and waited to hear from the man whose opinion interested you the most. When you didn't hear anything for a few minutes, you picked up some dishes and took them to the kitchen to be washed.

Ketch watched you leave the table with the dirty dishes. He had to admit, it had been a while since he'd had home cooking like that. And prepared by such a beautiful chef, as well.

"Top-notch cuisine, chaps. Do you eat like that all the time?" Ketch asked.

"Oh, yeah, we've got the best cook in the hunting world. If you think tonight's meal was good, wait until you have breakfast. She makes the best pancakes I've ever tasted," Dean remarked.

"Really. Well, here's to pancakes in the morning," Ketch grinned, holding up his scotch for a toast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Ketch agreed to help the Winchester brothers with this djinn, he looked at it as an   opportunity to escape boredom. Things on the hunter front were quiet  in his sector, so he jumped at Sam's invitation to work this case. Of   course, boredom wasn't the only reason. Little did you know, he was looking forward to a chance to see you again.

The first time he'd met you, it was on a mission to take out a nest of vampires that had taken multiple hostages. You, Ketch, Sam and Dean all entered the house, but from opposite directions. With the top floor cleared, you all headed down to the basement.

Your part in the mission was to check on the victims and determine who could be saved and who couldn't be. Of the ten that were taken, only four could be saved. You released the four, who Sam and Dean helped up the stairs to wait for you, since they hadn't lost too much blood.

As you released the last hostage, a female vamp attacked you. There wasn't enough time to slice off her head with your machete, so you punched her instead. She stumbled backwards, giving you enough time to regain your stance and separate her head from the rest of her body.

You then looked up to see that Ketch was locked in battle with a vamp himself, but his blade was out of his reach. You yelled at him to get down, giving you a clear shot at severing the vamp's head and keeping Ketch from being bitten. He nodded at you in gratitude, and you gave him a wink and a mock salute before returning to battle.

Ketch smiled as he thought about that first mission. Your paths crossed from time to time on hunts over the past couple of years, but nothing really came of it. You shared a drink or two in celebration of a successful hunt, but then you both went your separate ways.

To Ketch, that was really a shame. Because as tough as you were in a fight, he could see that you had a softer side as well. You were a woman who showed her love to her family through her cooking. Who cried at watching the same movie over and over again with her best friend. Who wanted to be a teacher to inspire the younger generation to go out and do great things, follow their dreams. Oh, he thought, I'll just bet there's a wealth of passion locked within that 5'3" frame of hers. Just waiting for the right man to bring it out. And tonight,  he decided that he wanted to be that man.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After the dinner dishes had been washed, you noticed that Sam, Dean and Ketch were still at the table, talking. You stopped briefly at the table, wished each man goodnight and headed towards your room. As you passed by Ketch, he caught your hand in his then brushed his lips gently across the back. This caused you to turn and face him, blushing furiously. "Lovely dinner, darling. Must see what I can do to be invited back for more of your excellent cuisine," he winked and smiled at you.

"Th-thank you, Arthur. I'm glad you liked it," you replied softly. "By the way, gents, I made some chocolate chip cookies earlier. They're in the kitchen, if anyone gets a sweet tooth later on tonight. Goodnight everyone," you said.

Once in your room, while you absently removed your shoes, you thought about that last interaction with Ketch. He kissed the back of my hand, you thought. A grin slowly crept across your face. And, he wants to have dinner with me--us--again some night. You shook your head and your smile fell as your self-doubt crept in. Nah, he doesn't mean anything by it. He could have his choice of any woman in the world. Why on earth would he choose me? you silently wondered.

You changed into your teddy bear pajama pants and a T-shirt, then climbed into bed. You picked up your book from your nightstand and settled in to read a few pages. However, your thoughts drifted towards the handsome Brit currently drinking with Sam and Dean. The man with the smoldering blue-grey eyes, the strong jawline with enough of a 5 o'clock shadow to be sexy. Dark brown hair you were itching to run your fingers through as his lips plundered yours. You shook your head. Enough torture, you thought as you turned out the light to try and sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back out at the table, Sam, Dean and Ketch were having an after-dinner drink, along with some of the cookies you had baked. When the subject of you came up, Dean turned and said something to Ketch. "Dude, you must like her or something, 'cause you sure were getting your flirt on," Dean smirked.

"Really? Dean, don't be absurd. Can't afford to have entanglements, you know that," Ketch scoffed as he took a generous gulp of his whiskey. Even as he said this, he realized there was some truth to Dean's words.

"I don't know, Ketch. She's a pretty tough hunter, as I'm sure you know. And you've just seen firsthand what she can do in the kitchen. I tell you, man, it's nothing short of magic," Sam interjected.

Ketch had started to feel a slight buzz from the second scotch he was drinking. He paused to consider Sam and Dean's words before adding his own to the conversation. "Well, lads. Here's the thing. I think she's an amazing woman. She's smart, kind, has a gentle soul and a great sense of humor. Not to mention she has mad cooking skills and she's gorgeous," he finished.

"Sounds like someone has a bit of a crush on a certain lady hunter after all," Dean observed with a smirk.

"Perhaps so, Dean. Might possibly have to stick around here for a while, to see what happens," Ketch winked.

About an hour later, the boys all called it a night, and headed to their respective rooms to sleep. Only Ketch couldn't fall asleep right away, because his thoughts were all about you. He thought about your short, wavy brown hair, your hazel eyes and perfect pink lips, almost begging him to take a taste. He wondered how your skilled hands would feel as they ran over the surface of his skin or your fingers through his hair.

When he could no longer stand it, he got up out of bed for a drink of water. He paused in the doorway at seeing your figure leaning against the counter. You were looking down at your phone and absently drinking from a water bottle. He watched as you looked around, put your phone in your pocket and quietly opened the back door that led outside. Ketch decided to follow you, thinking this may be his best opportunity to speak with you without Sam and Dean around.

Once outside, your gaze turned towards the sky and the millions of stars. Your eyes were wide with child-like wonder, leaving Ketch to wonder what you may be thinking. Suddenly, he heard a rustling from behind the trees. He was horrified to see a dark figure with glowing blue eyes and skin approach you from behind.

Before Ketch could react, you had disappeared without a trace. All that was left was your bottle of water, its contents leaking out onto the ground when it fell from your hand. He knew at once that it was the djinn you all were hunting that had taken you. By stepping outside of the bunker, you were no longer protected by its warding, so the djinn made its move. Ketch ran back inside to alert Sam and Dean of your disappearance.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What the hell was she doing outside anyway?? It's 2:30 in the morning!!" Dean thundered.

"I don't know, Dean. One minute she's leaning against the counter, looking at her phone and drinking from a bottle of water. The next minute, she's sneaking out the back door. I followed her to see what she was doing. But the djinn took off with her before I had a chance to grab hold of her hand. Sorry, lads," Ketch replied, his gaze dropping to the floor.

"Look, we have to focus on finding her. These things generally make their home in abandoned warehouses, where it's dark and there's lots of space. Sam, do a search for any of those within a 30-mile radius from here," Dean ordered. He clapped a hand on Ketch's shoulder. "Hey, Ketch, it's not your fault. We'll get her back, don't worry," Dean assured him, then left the room to pack a bag of supplies.

Sam tapped away at his laptop, to see if he could track the signal from your phone. While the online search was processing, he looked up at Ketch. "You like her, don't you?" he asked.

"Let's just say, she intrigues me. She's unlike any woman I've ever known," Ketch started, looking off into the distance. "To do this job for so long and still have a sense of wonder about the stars? To watch the same movie year after year with one's best friend, knowing how it ends and she's still emotional about it? That's endearing," Ketch finished.

Sam grinned. "Yeah, she's pretty special. By the way, she'd probably slap me for telling you this, but....you 'intrigue' her too," he admitted.

Ketch looked at Sam upon hearing this. "Thank you, Sam," he replied with a small smile.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You opened your eyes to the gentle sunlight streaming through the lacy curtains waving at the window. You sat up with a start to take in the rest of your surroundings. Fluffy pillows, soft mattress, flower-printed bedspread. This is not my bedroom back in the bunker, you thought. Where the hell am I? you asked yourself.

You turned to look at the nightstand for your phone, and your eyes landed on a picture frame. It looked like a wedding picture. Upon closer examination, it was a wedding picture....YOUR wedding picture. And the groom was none other than Arthur Ketch. You closed your eyes and fell back down onto the mattress. You quickly looked to your left hand to see a gorgeous diamond and white gold bridal set on your ring finger.

In walked Arthur, your husband, who was fixing his tie. "Darling, if you don't get up now and get dressed, you'll be late for work," his voice gently chided. He leaned over and kissed your cheek.

"Work?" you managed to croak out. Dear Chuck, he's a handsome gent. You hoped that your observation was only expressed in your head and not out of your mouth.

"It's your first day of school as the new English teacher at John F Kennedy Senior High School." he reminded you. Ketch must have seen the confusion on your face. "Are you all right, Love?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine, just not quite awake yet. I'm okay, getting up now," you said, giving him a quick smile. You swung your legs over the side of the bed, and when your feet hit the carpet, they sank into its luxuriousness. You walked over to the closet and tried to decide what to wear. You wanted something that would hopefully not draw too much attention to yourself. At least not until you could figure out exactly what was going on here.

You pulled on your navy blue pinstriped skirt and paired it with a pale blue button-up blouse. "Here, allow me," Arthur gently turned you around to face him so he could fasten the buttons for you. "Although, I'd rather leave it unbuttoned. Easier access, you know," he whispered. His index finger lightly traced your jawline and hooked under your chin. He tilted your face up so you could look into each others' eyes. Your palms ran up the length of his chiseled chest, then your fingers locked behind his head to pull him closer.

Just as Ketch was about to mesh his lips with yours, a searing pain hit your head, then you lost your footing. A vision of a dark and dirty warehouse passed before your eyes. In the corner, you saw yourself tied to a rack with tubes running from your arms. Djinn, you thought. I've been captured by the djinn we were supposed to be hunting.

You looked at Ketch and could see his mouth moving, but no sound was coming out. Finally, you heard his voice calling your name, asking if you were all right. You laid a hand on his upper arm and assured him you were fine. He wrapped you in his arms, pulling you up so you were close to his chest. You leaned back slightly from his embrace to look into his blue-grey eyes. "Shall we try that again?" you asked in a sultry voice.

You wound your hands around so they were clasped behind his head again. You gently tugged him closer, though he needed no encouragement. Your lips met in a kiss that started slow and sweet, then turned a bit more insistent, driven by need. When you broke apart, you were both trying to catch your breath. "You little minx," he grinned. "Just you wait until tonight, Love," he said as he tapped the end of your nose.

Ketch retrieved his suit coat from the back of the chair, while you finished getting dressed. As you were stepping into your shoes, he said, "Don't forget, we have reservations at Ravelli's tonight at 7 o'clock."

"All right, thank you for the reminder. Wait, are we celebrating something tonight?" you asked.

"Sweetheart, are you sure you're all right? I thought for sure you'd remember it was your birthday. Sam, Dean and your parents will all be there," Ketch explained. "By the way," he took your hand in his and pulled you closer. "Happy Birthday, Love," he whispered, brushing his lips on yours.

"Thank you, Arthur," you responded, as your cheeks turned red. "I love you," you replied softly.

"I love you, my blushing bride," he grinned. "Have a good first day of school, darling. I'll see you tonight," he promised.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey, Dean? Ketch? I got something! I tracked her phone to an abandoned warehouse about 25 miles from here," Sam called.

"All right, let's pack up and get going, we probably don't have much time," Dean said grimly. He did a final weapons check, then the men piled into the Impala and sped off to find you.

Ketch was in the backseat, his mind consumed by thoughts of you. Hoping they would get there in time to save you. Promising himself that when you were rescued, that he would take care of you and keep you safe. More importantly, he was going to tell you how he felt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had an amazing first day of school. Your students seemed to hang on your every word, and they were pleased to have no homework from you that first day. You reviewed the syllabus, only to have the conversation turn into more of a get-to-know-you discussion. In your last class of the day, you let it slip that it was your birthday, so your students sang to you. You couldn't wait to go home and tell your husband all about it.

Before you drove home, you were once again hit with the vision of a dark and empty warehouse. You could hear signs of a struggle nearby, like a fistfight going on. Soon, a man with a British accent came over to you, whispering that everything was going to be all right. He had some cuts and bruises on his face, some blood on his clothes, but he worked gently to free your hands and arms. As soon as you were disconnected, your knees gave out, but he caught you and carried you out to the car.

You sat in your car in the empty school parking lot, trying to get your bearings after the vision. The more you thought about it, the more you recognized the man who rescued you. His face and his voice matched that of your husband in this life. The car was Dean's beloved Impala.

It became clearer to you that you didn't belong here. You had to get out before the djinn managed to completely drain you, which you knew would kill you. Before you left for the restaurant, you went into the kitchen to grab a knife and slipped it into your purse. You knew the only way out was to die in the djinn world so you would wake up in the real world.

At the restaurant, everyone offered their toasts to your birthday. You blushed at Arthur's heartfelt declaration of his love for you, today and every day. Tears sprang to your eyes, knowing that while you would never have this in the real world, you didn't belong here either. You excused yourself to the restroom, bringing your purse with you. Once inside, you brought out the knife, took one last look in the mirror and plunged the blade into your stomach.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sam! Dean! She's over here!" Ketch shouted. You mumbled something, to which Ketch responded, "Shh, darling, don't talk. You're going to be all right." He disconnected the tubes running out of your arms, then untied your wrists from the rack. Your knees buckled, but he caught you before you hit the floor.

Ketch scooped you up and carried you out to the Impala. Dean jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Sam helped place you carefully in the backseat, then Ketch got into the back with you. He cradled you in his arms, almost as if he was afraid to let you go. Sam got into the front seat and Dean drove off for home. Ketch placed soft kisses to your temple, while you mumbled nonsense.

Once back in the bunker, you were taken directly to the infirmary to tend to your wounds and get some rest. Sam and Dean stayed out of the way, as Ketch insisted on patching you up himself. He treated your wounds with a business-like manner, and tried not to let his emotions show. He felt somehow responsible for your abduction in the first place. He hated to see you in such a vulnerable state, because to him, you were always so strong.

While Ketch was stitching up your left arm, you put your right hand on his cheek and stroked it with your thumb. "Arthur," you whispered. He paused and looked into your eyes. "I'm all right. You found me and got me out of there safely. To me, that's all that matters," you finished, giving him a soft smile.

He took hold of your hand that was resting on his cheek, and curled his fingers around yours. "I know you'll be all right, Love. But I should have done more to protect you so that this didn't happen in the first place," he replied, his eyes cast downward.

You sat up enough so you were resting on your elbows. "Ketch, look at me. I'm not some fragile, delicate flower that needs tending. I am a hunter, and I realize that with being a hunter, there are certain risks. This was not your fault, by any means. I'm just thankful you found me so quickly," you remarked.

"Well....I saw you go out the door, so I followed you. I was hoping to have a few words with you without Sam and Dean hovering about. Then I saw you disappear with the djinn, and....my heart dropped because you were in danger," Ketch responded.

Your heartbeat quickened as you let Ketch's words sink in. You were curious, so you voiced the only question on your mind. "Sam and Dean aren't around now, so....what did you want to say, Arthur?" you asked warily.

Ketch paused before answering, making you think that maybe you shouldn't have asked. Then he leaned closer to you, his thumb caressing your cheek this time. "You are the most intriguing woman I've ever met. You are also kind,"--(kiss)--"smart,"--(kiss)--"strong"--(kiss)--"and"--(kiss)--"beautiful," he replied with a smile.

You shifted again so you were sitting fully upright and placed your hands on Ketch's shoulders. "I also have a confession. When I was under from the djinn, you were in my vision. We were a bit more than friends," you said nervously.

"Really? Hmm," Ketch commented. "I suppose I would be all in for making your dream a reality," he smirked. "I hereby apply for a transfer to the Kansas Division of the Men of Letters. To serve the remainder of my commission under the command of the Winchesters and their lovely lady hunter," he declared.

"Well, I don't care what Sam and Dean say, but I wholeheartedly approve of your transfer. In fact, I'd say it's effective immediately," you said huskily. You leaned forward and closed the gap by meshing your lips with his. Ketch cupped your face with his hands and you wound your arms around his neck. Your mouths moved together, your lips slightly parted for Ketch's tongue to move in and explore.

The sound of two people clapping broke your kiss. "I told you so!" Sam exclaimed. You buried your face in Ketch's shoulder as he cradled you close to his side. Both Winchesters then shook their heads and left the two of you alone in the infirmary.

"Welcome home, Arthur," you remarked softly.

"Home sweet home, darling," Ketch replied as he moved in for another kiss.

[wild3flow3r]

Chapter Seven

January 12th

A package sat on Lorelai’s kitchen table. The top was opened and tissue paper was pushed aside to reveal a teapot. It looked like something that would take Lorelai years of saving paychecks to buy. The most expensive teapot of Lorelai’s collection couldn’t have even cost half as much as this one. The base of the pot was white with pink roses painted near the top. It was clearly an antique and Lorelai was almost too scared to touch it in fear of breaking it.

She also didn’t want to touch it because she knew it was from Harry. He’d mentioned earlier in the week that he had bought her a teapot. If she picked it up then it would be like everything he’s ever done to her didn’t matter. It was like accepting the apology he threw at her before driving off and hearing what she had to say back. It doesn’t matter what she would have said, really, except that she wouldn’t have accepted it. She wasn’t going to accept it then, and she wasn’t going to accept it now.

The return address was a part of London Lorelai didn’t know well. It was where people with real money lived, she knew, and she never felt like she belonged there for that reason. She preferred her ten pound meals at the restaurants surrounding her flat than the ones over there who charged triple that for a meal a third of the size. Nonetheless, Lorelai was going to drop the package off with a few unkind words if she ran into Harry. The package weighed a ton and she didn’t want to pay the overpriced charge the post would cost her when riding the tube over would cost less.

It takes Lorelai thirty minutes to arrive at the address. The building was surrounded by a courtyard and a small garden that Lorelai would die to have. Jealousy racks in her bones for a minute when she thinks of how unfair it is that someone like Harry gets to live here, but with a quick breath she dispels the feeling. They weren’t doing her any good.

Lorelai’s plan was going well until she entered the building and was stopped by a concierge at the front desk. He eyes her curiously and then to the package in her hands.

“Can I help you, Miss?” He asks with a polite tone.

“Hi um, no. I’m just here to drop a package off for a friend that lives here.”

“Who's the tenant?”

Lorelai wanted to turn around a leave, but she felt like that would be more embarrassing than this conversation right now.

“His name is Harry Styles. He sent this to the wrong person, and well, I wanted to give it back to him.”

The concierge nods before picking up the phone on his desk. “If you want to go up then I’ll have to ring him and ask for permission. What’s your name?”

Lorelai shuts her eyes and lets out a quiet breath. She didn’t know why she had thought this would be so much easier earlier. Nothing about Harry was easy.

“Lorelai Sterling.”

The man presses a few numbers on the phone before pressing it to his ear. “Hello Mister Styles, sorry to bother you, but there’s a woman down here with a package for you. Yes, there is. It’s a Miss Lorelai Sterling, sir. Yes, of course, sir. Have a good day.” The concierge hangs up the phone before returning his attention back to Lorelai. “He said you can head up. It’s the only room on the top floor.”

Lorelai heads over to the elevator as quick as she can, mumbling out a quick thank you on her way. She hopes that Harry wouldn’t leave his flat and that she could just drop it off at his door. But as she steps off the elevator on the top floor of the sixteen floored building she has no such luck of course.

Harry’s door was the only one on the floor as the concierge said. It was a narrow hallway between the elevator and the door which were only ten feet apart from each other. Harry stood in the open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. It was the first time Lorelai has ever seen him without a suit on. He wore a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, both hugging his body, and his feet were bare. His hair was wet and droplets would occasionally fall and drip onto his shoulders. His curls fly every which way. There was no expression on his face so Lorelai didn’t know how to gauge him.

Lorelai walks the few feet towards him, the package outstretched in her hands. Harry looks down at it but doesn’t make a move to accept it.

“Could’ve just mailed it back,” Harry starts, his tone absolutely neutral.

“Barely have enough money to use for myself as it is. I wasn’t about to waste it on a post charge for you.”

“It’s a gift. You really aren’t supposed to give those back.”

“I’m not accepting this. It looks like it cost a fortune, and you and I aren’t exactly friends. I wouldn’t even say we’re on the acquaintance level.”

Harry shrugs. “It wasn’t too much,” he replies, completely ignoring the second half of Lorelai’s sentence.

“Don’t be stubborn and just take it back.”

“Don’t be stubborn and just accept it.”

Lorelai lets out a loud breath from her nose. She narrows her eyes at him and holds out the box closer to him. Harry steps further into his flat and turns around, but he leaves the door open for her to follow. Lorelai follows him, almost stepping on the back of his heels with each step they take. She stops when he enters his kitchen. It’s only then that she allows herself to process her surroundings.

The entire floor was open plan except for two shut doors which Lorelai assumed led to the bathroom and his bedroom. The kitchen and the living room were connected, and the entire left side of the wall was just windows showing the beautiful London skyline. The left side also led to a patio with a garden, a sitting area, and a small pool. Harry’s kitchen was well stocked with all different kinds of cooking equipment, and a small kitchen bar separated it from a large dining table. The rest of the room was taken over by the living area of couches and tables and the a large television planted on the wall. Lorelai felt the jealousy rise again, but she swallows it down.

“You hungry?” he asks, breaking Lorelai out of her daze.

Lorelai snaps her head over to him. He’s taking a tray out of the oven with a loaf of bread on top. Her eyebrows shoot to the top of her head.

“You make your own bread?”

Harry glances at her while placing the tray on top of a cooling rack. “It’s healthier that way.”

“What the hell…” Lorelai whispers while leaning against the kitchen bar. Baker Harry was something she never expected.

“So are you hungry or not? I was about to make breakfast before you arrived.”

“It’s half past eleven and you’re only eating now?” Her body was in shock. This was all too much for her to think of anything past his question. “I expected you to be the kind of person who woke up at the crack of dawn even on a Saturday.”

Harry’s lips turn upwards by a centimeter. “I do, actually. And then I drink a smoothie while answering emails. And then I go to the gym, come back home and shower, and then I eat breakfast.” Harry turns to his refrigerator and takes a carton of eggs out along with a few other ingredients.

“I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have even come inside. Just take the present back, Harry.” Lorelai places the package on a kitchen counter.

“I’ll just mail it back to you if you leave it here.” He doesn’t even look up as he cracks two eggs into a mixing bowl.

Lorelai huffs and rolls her eyes. “I don’t want it.”

“Only because it’s from me,” Harry states, rather than asks.

“Well… yes,” Lorelai admits.

“How’s the new job going?”

Lorelai crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. “You said you wouldn’t hold that over me.”

Harry’s eyes meet hers briefly before he pours the eggs into a frying pan on the stove top. “I’m not. I’m genuinely just asking you how it’s going.”

Lorelai stares at him warily. “You don’t get updates from your uncle then?”

Harry shakes his head as he adds some vegetables with the eggs. “Every time I call my uncle he tries to get me to talk to him about my feelings like I’m one of his patients. Besides, thought it would be an invasion of your privacy.”

“Well, it’s going well so far, if you must know.”

Harry begins to slice up the bread. He puts half the omelet he made on one slice of bread, and the other half on another. He then places a plate on the bar in front of Lorelai and he stands on the other side of it right across from her.

“I didn’t say I was hungry.”

“You didn’t deny that you were either. Plus I wouldn’t put it behind you to eat something outrageously unhealthy for breakfast.”

Lorelai glares up at him. “I’ll let you know my breakfast was quite healthy, thank you very much.”

Harry takes out a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and two glasses. “What did you eat then?”

“Toast.”

Harry can’t help it as he lets out a bark of a laugh that shocks Lorelai. “That’s it?”

“That’s all I wanted.”

“That’s barely enough to eat for breakfast. How do you survive throughout the day?”

“Coffee.” Lorelai stares as he places a glass of orange juice in front of her.

“Well, eat this. It’ll make you feel better throughout your day.”

“And what if you poisoned it?”

Harry raises an eyebrow and shakes his head in amusement. “You saw me cook it Lorelai. And I’m eating the exact same thing as you.”

“That still doesn’t mean you can be trusted.”

“Just eat, Lorelai.” Harry grabs his sandwich and makes a huge gestures of him biting, chewing, and then swallowing the food. Lorelai hesitantly copies him.

She would be lying if she said the food wasn’t good. Apparently there was more to Harry then him just being an arsehole. He was an arsehole who could cook.

“So what does my uncle have you do for him then?”

Lorelai swallows the food in her mouth and pauses. She felt severely out of her element, while Harry acted like they had breakfast together every morning. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that his mortal enemy was in his house sharing breakfast with him. He looked relaxed actually, and was very intent on having a normal conversation with her.

“Just um… usual assistant stuff.”

The wrinkles by Harry’s eyes crinkle up as he tries to bite back a smile. “And that entails?”

Lorelai sighs. “I set up appointments for the clients and do some filing. Any of the boring work Xavier doesn’t want to do really.” She finishes her food before Harry does.

“So-”

“Why are you acting like this?” Lorelai suddenly interrupts, feeling like she can’t hold back on how weird he’s being any longer. He doesn’t look shocked by her outburst either. He was expecting it.

“Like what?”

Lorelai rolls her eyes. “Like you don’t hate me.”

Harry’s heads cocks to side and his eyebrows furrow. “I don’t hate you.”

“Yes you do.”

“Have I ever said it?”

“Well, no.”

“There’s a difference between riling you up for my own amusement and hating you, Lorelai.” Harry grabs both of their now empty plates and mugs and deposits them in the sink. He then turns back around and crosses his arms and leans backwards, the kitchen bar still separating them.

“Well you were obscenely rude to me at times.”

Harry frowns. “I know, I apologize. It’s just… how I was raised I guess. I‘m trying to get over it.”

That was the second time Harry’s apologized to her. Just like the first time, Lorelai was at a loss for words. Harry looks down at the watch on his wrist. When he knows he isn’t going to get a response, Harry steps out of the kitchen area and walks around Lorelai. He heads over to a closet and takes out a yellow sweater before pulling it over his head.

“I need to get going, but I can drop you off at your flat if you’d like?” Harry reaches inside the closet again for a pair of socks and shoes.

“No, I’m fine. I’ve got some errands to run.” Lorelai answers absentmindedly pulls her coat around her tighter. She needs to get away from Harry to collect her thoughts. He’s been jumbling them up since last Monday.

Harry’s silent for a moment as he straightens up. He bites his lip as he thinks over his next words. “I’ll pick you up from work on Friday.”

Lorelai raises an eyebrow and looks at him. “Bold of you to tell me this instead of asking.”

Harry shrugs while struggling to hold back a closed mouth smile. “I’ll be there, it’s your decision whether or not you get into the car.”

“And why will you be there?” Lorelai inches towards the door, Harry’s eyes following hers. If she was successful, she’d get him to forget about the box with the teapot, and so far it was working.

“I’m trying to make it to acquaintance level,” he notifies her with a smug look in his eye.

“And what if I don’t want to reach acquaintance level with you?”

Harry shrugs his coat onto his shoulders and follows her to the door. “Then you won’t get into my car, and I won’t bother you anymore. Although I would like to point out, the last two times we’ve seen each other is because you’ve inserted yourself into my day. You can’t start claiming I’m a stalker or anything.”

Lorelai heads towards the elevator and presses the button while Harry takes his time locking his front door. It opens instantly and Lorelai steps in. Harry turns around to face her as the doors begin to close, but he doesn’t go to stop them.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the teapot,” he calls out just as the doors shut.

Lorelai leans back into the elevator wall with a loud sigh. What the hell was happening to Harry, she wonders. He wasn’t acting his normal self, but then again did Lorelai even know what his normal self was?

~

January 18th

Friday finally arrived. The Friday when Harry told Lorelai he’d be waiting for her when she got out of work. Lorelai sits at her desk, anxiously fiddling with the hem of her skirt as the clock ticks away. She should’ve gotten up to leave five minutes ago, but she was much too nervous to make a move.

Her thoughts have not cleared at all since she saw him last Saturday. She’s more or less come to terms with what he said the week prior when he drove her home after she called him an arsehole. But what was he playing at now? Did he just want to try to make a fool out of her, or was he being serious?

Xavier exits his office and spots Lorelai immediately. He raises an eyebrow at her as he buttons up his expensive coat. “Are you okay? Thought you would’ve left by now.”

Lorelai nods in response. “I’m about to head out.” She tries to keep her face neutral, but Xavier sees right through it.

“Is something bothering you, Lorelai?”

“I’m just… I’m going to be meeting up with your nephew downstairs.”

Xavier doesn’t try to hide the blatant shock on his face, nor the smile on his lips. “He’s downstairs now?”

“I suppose so. I don’t exactly have his phone number so there’s no way I can know unless I go down there.”

“And what are you waiting up here for then?”

“It’s just… He isn’t who I thought he was, or at least now he’s pretending to be someone else.”

Xavier steps towards Lorelai. “I’ll let you in on a secret about my nephew. He never pretends to be something he’s not. If he’s acting different then that means he’s actively changing something about himself. He was raised a certain way, my brother certainly did a number on him, but I can tell he’s working on himself.”

“Was his father really that terrible to him?” Lorelai’s curiosity over the man was burning even more with each time the man was mentioned.

Xavier smiles sadly. “That’s something you’ll have to find out from Harry. Now come on, I’ll walk downstairs with you.”

Lorelai nods before taking one last deep breath. It should’ve been an easy yes or no question, but instead Xavier’s answer was vague. And that’s when she knew that Zachary Styles might just be as terrible as his voice sounded on the phone the week before. She stands and puts on her jacket before getting into the elevator with Xavier. While Lorelai usually takes the elevator to the lobby, she follows Xavier to the parking garage. She’s assuming that’s where Harry would be. And she was correct.

Harry stood leaning against the drivers door of his car. His eyes were obviously tired from his long week, and his body tense from what Lorelai is assuming the countless hours of work he’s been putting into Clemens & Son. Now that it was closing, Lorelai had to guess that Harry’s workload has probably tripled. Nonetheless, his lips tip upwards into a small smile when he spots Lorelai step off the elevator.

“I’ll see you on Monday, Lorelai. Nice to see you, Harry,” he calls out the last part before heading over to his car.

Harry nods to his uncle but doesn’t say anything. Lorelai takes small steps until she’s about two feet across from him. Harry twirls the keys to his car around his finger with ease. Lorelai notices the box with the teapot in it on one of the backseats immediately.

“I don’t know what your end goal is here,” Lorelai states followed by a soft sigh.

“Why does there have to be an end goal?”

“Don’t you always have a goal?”

“Not always. My career’s going to shit if that can be proof enough for you.”

Lorelai rolls her eyes and walks over to the passenger seat of the car. “Your career’s not going to shit.”

They both get into the car at the same time. Harry starts the engine and begins to drive immediately. “I’ve got nothing lined up yet for when Clemens & Son finally shuts down.”

“So get something lined up then. You’re Harry freaking Styles, I’m sure you can trick anyone into giving you a job.” Lorelai liked bickering with Harry. It helped her feel normal and it caused her worry about the night to slowly disappear.

“Easier said than done.”

“You’re an experienced lawyer and you’re actually good at what you do,” Lorelai says without even realizing the compliment was leaving her lips. She hopes Harry doesn’t realize but of course he does. He smirks over to her for a moment before focusing back on the road.

“There are reasons they won’t hire me besides my outstanding qualities.”

“And what’s that?”

“My father,” Harry replies with no further explanation. Lorelai doesn’t think of pressing him further on the subject.

“So start your own firm then,” Lorelai states in a ‘duh’ tone.

Harry frowns for a moment as he processes her words. It was like the idea had never crossed his mind, and maybe it hadn’t. “What?”

“You’re too bossy to work underneath anyone anyways. You’re so terrible at letting someone control you that even if someone did hire you, you’d probably end up getting fired anyways. Start your own firm, hire your own employees, take the cases you want to take and not ones that are dumped on you.”

“I… I could,” Harry replies, the uncertainty clear in his voice. “I’d have to think about it.”

“Well don’t freak yourself out about it,” Lorelai tells him when she notices him grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “It’s just an option. You could always change careers too.”

Harry rolls his eyes at that. “I’m not throwing away my law degree, which took me years to get in the first place, to change careers after only being able to practice as a lawyer for a few years.”

“I’m not using my degree and I’m doing just fine.”

Harry glaces over and gives her a look. “What was your degree in?”

“I studied business. I interned for so many different companies, but in the end none of them wanted to hire me. Clemens & Son was my last option before I had to give up and move back in with my parents, so I took it.”

“You studied business?” Harry asks, his voice shocked as he looks at her one more time like he was looking at a completely different person.

Lorelai nods. She didn’t know why she was telling him about this, but he was being pretty open with her so it was easy to return the favor.

“Yeah, didn’t know what I wanted to do with it but I’ve always liked working hard and it seemed like a pretty good fit for me. Too bad it didn’t pan out the way I wanted, but,” Lorelai shrugs, “that’s just how life works out sometimes.”

Harry parks his car in front of Lorelai’s flat. “You could always look into those jobs again if that’s what you really want to do.”

Lorelai only nods in response. She’d received dozens of rejection letters. Dozens of companies that basically told her that her qualifications were not good enough. She knew she shouldn’t have given up, but sometimes it was just easier to do so.

Lorelai looks at the the time on her phone. Harry had gotten her home nearly twenty-five minutes earlier than she usually does. “I’ll have to admit, this car ride was more bearable than the others we’ve had.”

Harry lets out a soft chuckle at that. “Have I made acquaintance level yet?”

Lorelai looks at him with a small smile playing across her lips. “Nowhere close.”

“How will I know when I make it then?”

Lorelai opens the car door and slides out. Harry rolls down the window to hear her next words. “I’d invite you inside.” She leans forward and hands Harry a crumpled up piece of paper she’d written on earlier. It had her phone number on it. “There’s rules to being someone’s acquaintance, you know.”

Harry accepts the paper, their fingers brushing for only a moment before Lorelai retracts, and carefully places it in his suit pocket. “Really? I wasn’t aware.”

“You don’t see them all the time, because that would freak them out. Although they do appreciate being driven home from time to time. After asking permission to drive them home of course.”

“Of course,” Harry responds with a playful shake of his head.

“Goodnight Harry,” Lorelai says before walking away towards her flat. She doesn’t look back once as she gets her keys out and unlocks the front door.

It’s about an hour later after Lorelai has changed into something more comfortable and has just finished dinner that her phone lets off a quiet buzz. She turns it on to see an incoming text from an unknown number, but she immediately knows it’s from Harry.

I’ll pick you up from work on Tuesday.

Lorelai rolls her eyes, but this time it wasn’t in annoyance. Thought you were supposed to ask for permission?

I’m not very good at that.

[vsplusonline]

Lockdown cooking tips and recipe from chef Alfred Prasad

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/lockdown-cooking-tips-and-recipe-from-chef-alfred-prasad/

Lockdown cooking tips and recipe from chef Alfred Prasad

I spend a week in Delhi every quarter, but for now I am in lockdown at home in London with my wife. It has been almost three weeks since the lockdown began here. The first week was stressful, because there was a bit of panic buying. Looking at empty shelves in shops was definitely scary. But now, about 95% of the produce is available, in enough quantities for everyone. Most of the supermarkets also stay open an extra hour only for people in the essential services.

We step out once in 10 days for groceries, but otherwise stay home. We are one of the lucky ones who have a garden in this city, so we can still enjoy the outdoors. My wife and I have always enjoyed cooking together, and we continue to share the duties.

One of the challenges for everyone at the moment is adapting our eating habits to the new normal, to this more sedentary lifestyle — be it by eating smaller portions, cutting down on proteins and carbs, or increasing our intake of immunity-boosting foods. I, for one, have been eating smaller meals. It took just a few days for my stomach and appetite to shrink and get used to it. I have also made a list of everything I have in store and put it on our fridge, so we can make a point of using the older goods first.

We cook a wide variety: I would say about 60% of our meals are Indian, and 40% a mix of Italian, Mediterranean and European grills. We are making a lot of one-pot meals these days, like khichdi, which lets us use up any vegetables that may be getting old. And also a lot of one-pot stews and wholesome soups.

Happiness bowl (serves 4)

Comprises chickpea salad, cauliflower rice, broccoli and quinoa, Tahini dressing, roasted peppers and marina mango

Ingredients for chickpea salad: 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 250 g cooked chickpeas; 2 medium carrots (ribbons); 2 tbsp grated fresh coconut; 1 tbsp chopped ginger; 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves; sea salt

Ingedients for cauliflower rice: 250 g grated cauliflower; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp lemon juice; sea salt; ground white pepper

Ingredients for broccoli & quinoa: 200 g broccoli florets blanched in salted water; 125 g cooked quinoa; 50 g baby spinach leaves; 2 tbsp pomegranate; 1 tsp olive oil; 5 tbsp sweet corn; Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for tahini dressing: 2 tbsp tahini; 1 small clove of grated garlic; 1 tsp lemon juice; 3 tbsp warm water; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; sea salt

Ingredients for marina mango: 1 salad mango sliced in wedges; Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 grilled red peppers

Add any/ all of these: Black olives, Cheese, Avocado, Baby plum tomatoes, toasted Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Walnuts, Salad leaves

Method: Toss all the ingredients of the chickpea salad and set aside. Heat one tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan and toss the cauliflower rice for one minute. Transfer to a plate, add salt, pepper, lemon juice and mix well. In the same pan, heat one tsp olive oil; add the sweet corn kernels and grill until lightly charred. In a bowl add blanched broccoli, cooked quinoa, charred corn, pomegranate, salt and pepper to taste. For the ‘Marina’ mango, which always reminds me of home: dust the mango wedges with chilli powder and salt. Mix together all the ingredients of the tahini dressing and whisk well to emulsify, set aside. Portion the chickpeas, cauliflower rice, broccoli, mango, red peppers into four bowls. Drizzle tahini dressing over the broccoli. Add other accompaniments of your choice, switch on your favourite music and enjoy your happiness bowl!

Recipe by chef Alfred Prasad

The Tuscan ripolita stew has been a favourite, and our comfort foods include pepper chicken, chicken biryani and the classic Indian Chinese dishes like chilli chicken with veg fried rice. Dinner is usually the lightest meal of the day: a simple salad, or a soup made wholesome with quinoa or grains simmered into it. We make soup with miso from a packet in hot water, and add some ginger, vegies and tofu. Our consumption of ginger has definitely gone up because of immunity-boosting properties — we also have it with tea, or just make a traditional drink with hot water and lime so that we remember to drink it and hydrate ourselves.

Hydration is important in times like these. It gets left behind, and we often don’t realise it. We are also having more high-water, seasonal produce like gourds and cucumber, and healing spices like cinnamon and turmeric.

Here’s a useful tip to reduce workload in cooking. One of the most basic masalas in cooking is sauteed onion and tomato cooked into a paste, with or without spices. This can be cooked and frozen in ziplock bags and ice trays. It can be taken out and used later whenever you want to, as a base sauce.

We are not just cooking for ourselves, either. During this lockdown, we put up a notice in our neighbourhood group (which comprises about five streets each to the North, South, East and West), asking if there are any elderly or vulnerable people who are unable to cook and would like some free veg meals. Two elderly people got in touch: a man and a woman each living by themselves. They were probably dependent on their neighbourhood restaurants for a few meals each week. So twice a week, we keep by their doors packs of the same food that we are having that day, in enough quantities to last them at least two meals. We haven’t met them yet, since we just ring the doorbell and leave, but we have made new friends, and will be meeting them when all this is over.

In this series, India’s popular chefs and restauteurs share their lockdown cooking habits and recipes with us.

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New York City Food Guide

New York City Food Guide: Where to eat in New York City? - Bikinis & Passports

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To me personally, travel has always been multi-dimensional. It is not simply a beautiful beach, a welcoming hotel or an agenda filled with sightseeing that makes a trip worthwhile. It is the culture. And that includes food. Luckily, Mike is the exact same way when it comes to traveling (actually, even more so than me) – vacation means planning our days around our meals. The only problem is that there is usually not enough time to work through everything on my foodie-list. That is why, during our most recent trip to New York, my goal was to only try new places. While we didn’t succeed 100% (always find myself going back to a few favorites), we did well in trying new places to eat in New York City and working our way through the many recommendations we had received from friends.

Since this was my 6th visit to NYC, I have been keeping tabs on all the places I love, jotting down notes and keeping a file of the best places to eat in New York City – I like to consider it my very own personal little New York City Food Guide, which I want to share with you today.

two hands up for this place.

Brunch / Breakfast

Juice Generation: By now, acai bowls have (luckily) made their way to Vienna, but still, I always have to have one when visiting NYC. At Juice Generation, I always order the Almond Butter Bliss or PB Acai. Also worth a try are their smoothies, especially the XO Coco or Protein Buzz.

Juice Press: Staying on the topic of Acai Bowls, the Almond Butter Acai Bowl with toasted coconut as a topping at Juice Press was my favorite for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, I feel like it is sort of a hit or miss thing depending on which location you go to. The staff is rarely friendly but if they get the acai bowl right, it is amazing! If you are not in the mood for an acai bowl, try their fireball shots. Best!!!!

Sunday in Brooklyn: As the name suggests, this place is perfect for a Sunday (or any other day for that matter) spent in Brooklyn. Go there for breakfast or a light lunch. If you can, grab a seat outside, soak up some sun and sip on their homemade lemonades.

Le CouCou: This restaurant is part of the 11 Howard Hotel in Soho and aside from the fact that their interior is beautiful (also suitable for a fancier breakfast meeting or date), the french press coffee is really good and “Le Californien” a must.

Two Hands Café: For Aussie-style breakfast in the heart of NYC, go to Two Hands Café in Nolita. I am in love with the neighborhood (right around the corner of Cha Cha Matcha, by the way) and the staff is super friendly (what else would you expect from lovely Australians). It doesn’t really matter what you order, everything on the menu is amazing – just be aware of the fact that the banana bread with whipped ricotta is more of a birthday cake dish than a healthy breakfast.

Bluestone Lane Coffee: Again, Australians know their coffee (almond flat white, please!) and breakfast! There are lots of Bluestone Lane Coffee Locations all around the city, I love the new spot in the West Village (Greenwich Ave 55)

Butcher’s Daughter: A plant-based restaurant, cafe & juice bar that has 3 different locations (including L.A.) serving breakfast, lunch, dinner & weekend brunch. All dishes are vegetarian, most even vegan and/or gluten-free with a focus on seasonal produce. The day we went, I was craving oatmeal and Mike opted for their breakfast bagel. Don’t miss their fresh juices.

Westbourne: This all-day café in Soho (open 8am until 10pm daily) is actually still on my list, one of the few things I haven’t tried myself yet. Still, looks incredibly promising and the next time I travel to New York, I will be sure to give it a go so I can update this post.

Snacks / Sweets / Coffee

Dr. Smood: “smart food for a good mood” This place opens at 7am (except for the Soho location) and is perfect for an early bowl of oatmeal to go along with that jetlag, a bag of nutmix for on the go, coffee or a healthy salad to bring on the plane with you.

Cha Cha Matcha: I don’t like matcha. Seriously, not a fan. But Cha Cha Matcha has converted me thanks to their iced ginger turmeric matcha latte. It is worth a visit, not just for the super insta-friendly branding.

Ludlow Coffee Supply: The Lower East Side is a place I just recently discovered and seems to be quite the foodie scene. The coffee at Ludlow Coffee Supply is great, it is a good place to sit and work off a few emails or to grab a slice of banana bread or a muffin in the morning.

Devocion: If you find yourself over in Wiliamsburg, head to Devocion for a coffee. The café is big and the wifi almost as strong as the coffee. Loved the interior.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream: Got a sweet tooth? Then how about some pre- or post-dinner ice cream at Morgenstern’s, a new American ice cream parlor focused on serving texture-driven small-batch ice creams with a renewed attention to flavor and palate.

Dough Donuts: We stumbled into Dough Donuts on accident after a very healthy lunch. I am not much of a donut person, but Mike is a big fan and his eyes instantly lit up after the first bite of a classic glazed donut at Dough Donuts. Later we found out that it is ranked amongst the best donuts in the city – no wonder and highly recommendable!

Lunch / Dinner

abcV: No meat, no problem! abcV serves the best vegetarian meals in town – at least from what I have tried so far. The interior is stunning (as is abc kitchen, both born out of a carpet & home store) and the food delicious. The cocktails beautiful and the flavors diverse. Vegetarian food at it’s finest – even Mike was impressed!

Carbone: Apparently this is Kendall Jenner’s and many other celebs favorite Italian restaurant in New York City. Recommended by a foodie friend of ours (he knows his stuff), this Italian-American restaurant is simultaneously elegant, comfortable and unpretentious. The menu includes dishes like a Seafood Salad, Linguini Vongole, Lobster Fra Diavola, Chicken Scarpariello and Veal Parmesan…

Catch: Girls night, date night, an evening with friends – I love Catch NY for special occasions. The restaurant is always buzzing and the food is good, especially if you like fish and seafood! Or truffle fries, which are a must when dining at Catch.

Lilia: “Lilia brings the best of Italy to Williamsburg where wood fired seafood, hand crafted pastas, classic Italian cocktails and warm hospitality come together to create a casual dining experience.” Unfortunately, this place is so popular that I haven’t made it there yet – however, it is at the very top of my list. Both for the food and interior. And the fact that we’ve received this recommendation not only from one but two different friends. Plus, I really fell in love with Brooklyn recently and want to spend more (culinary) time there.

BoCaPhe: Looking for a hot bowl of pho in a casual atmosphere? This is the place for you! This Vietnamese restaurant (with a French twist) in Soho is perfect for a quick, easy dinner if you are craving the comfort of Vietnamese food. Fun fact: They also serve breakfast all day long.

The Standard Grill: I am not sure what it is about The Standard Grill, but it has such a special atmosphere to me. Their Standard Burger is crazy delicious, but you definitely shouldn’t miss the brussel sprouts or their fish entrées either! Always worth a visit!

Tacombi: Think tacos and micheladas! With a side of extra guacamole, of course. A super easy-going Mexican place for great food without the hefty (NYC-style) bill.

La Esquina: While we are at it… more Mexican food. With four different locations around the city, La Esquina is a good place to keep in mind when you don’t know where to go for dinner. Because let’s face it, Mexican food is always a good idea!

Cosme: And just because that wasn’t enough viva la Mexico, Cosme is a restaurant in New York City’s Flatiron District serving contemporary Mexican-inspired cuisine. Their dishes are rooted in Mexican flavors and traditions, while also celebrating local and seasonal ingredients.

Barbuto: For our last lunch in NYC, we were craving Italian within walking distance from our hotel in Meatpacking District. Google gave us Barbuto and we are so glad it did. Famous for their chicken on the spit, kale salad and homemade pastas, “the restaurant occupies an airy garage space on the ground floor of Industria Superstudios on Washington Street, between Jane and West 12th Streets. With garage doors that can be opened and closed, guests can enjoy a sidewalk table in the warm months. The simple décor and open kitchen add to the restaurant’s warm and inviting feel.”

Contra: For a special date night, we opted to dine at Contra in the heart of Lower East Side on Orchard Street. The restaurant serves an ambitious set menu (6 courses, fixed price), featuring interesting local and seasonal ingredients. We shared a wine pairing, which was plenty for both and loved the dining experience. The food was great and the price of 78$ for the 6-course menu more than fair!

Delis

Marlow & Sons: We heard about this place via a food documentary we watched and instantly put it on our list of things to do in New York City (it is actually located in Brooklyn). I love their approach with a “no gratuity” policy in an effort to make the industry more sustainable. Their menu prices include service and there is no need to tip extra. The food was good and restaurant really cozy – I just think we should have gone for dinner & drinks instead of a lunch on a super sunny day. This is the perfect place to enjoy a couple of oysters, olives, wine and other good things with friends!

Katz Delicatessen – since 1888: On our first night in the city, we decided to give the famous Katz Delicatessen a try. I have never really been a fan of the idea of over-priced sandwiches (22$) with nothing but white bread and tons of meat, but I have to admit, the meal was epic. I am not sure if the long flight + jetlag, super authentic atmosphere, hunger or hormones were to blame, but the pastrami sandwich was simply beyond anything I had imagined. In a very good way. The portions are huge (!!) so I would recommend sharing a sandwich and taking things from there. We ordered the classic Katz’s pastrami hot sandwich and rueben hot sandwich – both are highly recommendable but we had to leave way too much food behind.

lunchtime bloody marys – don’t mind if I do.

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Source: http://www.bikinisandpassports.com/new-york-city-food-guide/

[moonpriestessa]

The Killer Sandwich

I feel like I’ve uncovered some Big Breadda conspiracy....

Today’s blog post is going to address a weird subject: 

Bread. Specifically the weird science-y ingredients added to bread to make it cheaper to make or whatever reason why. I’m using this blog post to report my findings from the research I did for the video I made. 

THE KILLER SANDWICH

Research on Breads Ingredients Sliced Pans

I was looking at the back of the packets of Sliced Pan bread in my house and I found all these science-y names that I couldn’t pronounce and so I Googled them to find out more. I was specifically researching the “Triacylglycerols’ (try saying that out loud) and I found some interesting things. 

I’ve attached the links to the studies and articles I’ve found in this post and I’ve made a video for this research too which I will post here.

I have compiled a list of the commonly found breads here in Irish markets that contain these ingredients and a list of these that are safer but still a risk and I will be doing a simple video on how to make bread next.

BREADS THAT HAVE THESE INGREDIENTS:

Tesco White Sliced Bread 800G

Tesco White Tortilla Wraps 8 Pack

Tesco Multi Seed Tortilla Wraps 8 Pack

Irish Pride Sandwich Pan White 800G

Irish Pride Vitamin D Wholemeal 800G

Irish Pride Big Toast White Sl. 800G

Fitzgeralds 6 Kids Wraps Plus 2 Free 320G

Pats Toasty Sliced Pan White 800G

Pat The Baker 100% Wholemeal Thck Sliced Bread 800G

Weight Watchers Wraps 6 Pack

…

This is just an example of some of the breads I found on the Tesco Website that had these ingredients listed. Some breads did not have these ingredients listed such as Brennan’s Bread, however they did have other scientific names listed in their ingredients that I am weary of ( and also will have to Google to understand what they are ).

So what I discovered was that one study found that Triacylglycerols were linked to causing cholesterol and visceral fats. That there was no doubt and that these things are detrimental to cardiovascular health in particular.

Fatty Acids have detrimental impact on Heart Health [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23531781] acc. Aug 25

The triacylglycerols ( triglyceride, di- and mono-glyceride fatty acids ) are directly linked to cardiovascular health issues such ad heart disease, Atherosclerosis ( the build up of plaque in arteries: cholesterol ), stroke, Adult On-set of Diabetes and play a major role in metabolism. 

Trigylcerides have to be converted by special enzymes into free fatty acids and glycerol. If not broken down they are stored as fat and as fat in the liver typically [https://source.wustl.edu/2009/08/fat-in-the-liver-not-the-belly-is-a-better-marker-for-disease-risk/], or as visceral fat ( which is the most dangerous kind of fat to have as it surrounds the organs, rather than in the skin tissue - it is the hardest fat to lose, cannot be lost through exercise ) which increase the risk of diseases such as:

The following diseases are caused by visceral fat, visceral fat is a result of too much of these tricylglycerols.

Type 2 diabetes

Heart disease

Breast cancer

Colorectal cancer

Alzheimer's disease

[https://www.diabetes.co.uk/body/visceral-fat.html] acc. Aug 2018

Personal Opinion/Observation: 

“I am no scientist but I recently made an observation. My parents, and further back - my grandmother, who’s 92, would have been raised generally on the kind of bread that was made fresh daily, it was stale after a day, but all it would have been was “Flour, Water, Butter, Yeast, Salt” - whole ingredients. In their lifetime the daily substitute for bread has been switched from that Whole Bread to these Store bought Sliced pan that have all these ingredients added to them. They eat bread daily and have done for 50+ years. Their generation is also experiencing a huge increase in cardiovascular health problems, adult onset diabetes, breast cancer and weight issues. Now I am aware there are many factors contributing to this such as many having a much more sedentary lifestyle than their parents, or grandparents may have had etc. BUT I also worked n the Healthfoods industry for a few years and the number one thing we saw people coming into the shop with was their children’s allergies to wheat and dairy. That was the number one thing I saw - so many children developing allergies to both wheat and dairy - but what if they aren’t? What if it’s these chemical ingredients being put into our foods that our children are so sensitive to? If there is even a slight correlation between these ingredients that are being added to our foods - like the household staple of bread, and causing an increased risk in these diseases - wouldn’t we all want to know? So that we could prevent them? I mean food and eating is literally chemistry but many people aren’t aware of the impacts of what they eat has on their bodies. Someone who is already predisposed to higher glycerol levels will be more likely to be prone to these health risks just from eating habits. No one ever checks their personal levels before they have their lunch sandwich - they just eat the sandwich - and they shouldn’t have to think of these things. They should just trust that bread is going to be bread and fuel them not slowly kill them.”

What You Can Do: 

My advice is to either go to a trusted bakery, find out what their ingredients are, and if they are regular old flour/water/milk/fat, then support them with your custom. Or alternatively learn to make bread yourself - it is honestly so cheap and easy to do and takes 20 minutes. ( the same time as a shopping trip or cooking a meal - cheaper in the longer run and safer for you! ).

Or alternatively cut bread out completely. Eat only in minimal amounts.

I would also avoid anything that has science-y names on the ingredients; if you can’t understand what it is at a glance you shouldn’t be eating it.

All these science-y things like triacylglycerols are found in our foods - but the difference is that those foods work with our bodies to break them down, to add them into foods and add things like Thiamin and Niacin and omega 3 oils - which sound like they make the bread “healthier” but I’m now even more suspicious that they are not just added to counter the effects or lessen the affects of the added triacylgylcerols, as the Wiki page suggest in the “Reducing triacylgylcerol levels” section found here [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triglyceride#Metabolism] .

Apologies if I’ve offended any food scientist or nutritionist - I am not a scientist. I am just someone who thought about these two things and formed a possible link based on what I can see. I mean I can think of many people I know in real life that have suffered from all these diseases listed and they would have had bread daily if not even more regularly. ( I am aware that these ingredients would be present in other foods and I am not ruling other foods out. They occur naturally in fats like olive oil and butter - but perhaps its the extracted version that’s being chemically added to the food that’s the issue. I am just questioning the necessity of these ingredient in breads, and if they are necessary in those “Store Bought Sliced Pans” then my question extends as to whether “Store Bought Sliced Pans” themselves are necessary and whether or not we should go back to the old way of having bread: freshly baked every day from the home or local bakery - with the simplest of ingredients… Flour, Milk/ Vegan Milk/Water, Oil, Soda, Yeast, etc. 

Extras: 

Tesco Food that’s NOT bread that has these ingredients that were NOT DECLARED but are PRESENT!!! [See Ingredient section]

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=299556420 

As “Humectant” Glycerol - 

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=275712998

More Studies: 

Relationship of lipoproteins to cardiovascular events: the AIM-HIGH Trial (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome With Low HDL/High Triglycerides and Impact on Global Health Outcomes).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23916935

[acc Aug 2018]

Triacylglycerols Determination by High-temperature Gas Chromatography in the Analysis of Vegetable Oils and Foods: A Review of the Past 10 Years.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24279461

[acc. Aug 2018 ]