#in my head they are reading peacefully on different couches during this exchange

[likerubies]

tim: happy anniversary

jason (panicking a little): what?

tim: it’s your death day

jason: oh

jason:

jason: the fuck do you mean Happy—

[burningupp-replies]

Sleepless | Zuko x reader

A/N: this was requested like a week ago, i know :( school is kicking my proverbial butt at the moment, but i promise im working whenever i can to get new content for you all! i hope you will forgive me :( (also yes, i am working on another part for Teamwork, no need to worry)

Prompts:

13: I always sleep best when you’re next to me.

44: Why are you still awake?

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Word count: 3k

Warnings: there is a pretty steamy kiss at the end, but other than that, just tooth-rotting fluff :)

The fire nation palace felt so… big and cold, especially at night. It made you feel small and alone, and you usually found yourself clutching your pillow to your chest for dear life. You had been with the others during the war, helping the cause in any way you could, and even six months later, you couldn’t shake the feeling of general uneasiness you got when seeing anything related to the fire nation – especially when you were trying to sleep.

When the war ended, Zuko had asked you to remain behind in the fire nation with him. He needed help understanding cultures other than his own, since his nation and culture had been romanticized for him his entire upbringing. He knew very little of rituals, rites of passage, linguistic differences, and so on. Even the question of climate could be difficult for him to grasp at times, which made you laugh.

When the fire prince first suggested for you to stay, you were hesitant at first; leave your family behind, get used to this new idea of the nation which had haunted your nightmares for so long, and being mostly alone in your situation hadn’t sounded appealing at all. However, once Aang agreed that you really could do some good by staying, you begrudgingly agreed – you hadn’t spent all that time trying to help the world just to back out now.

So now, two months since your move to the fire nation and since taking up your new position at the fire lord’s side, you were staying in a palace which gave you nightmares. Zuko had been very kind to you, doing his best to accommodate you in a way which made you comfortable and happy, but the general unease you felt was far from his fault – he was more or less the reason you were there to begin with.

Of course, the crush you had been harboring on the boy since he first joined you in the western airtemple had aided in your decision to stay; not that anyone other than Katara knew the truth. He was just so… cute. Spirits, he would kill you for even thinking that about him, but you honestly couldn’t help it. He was awkward, but not in a creepy kind of way. He was really sweet and caring, and extremely understanding. He did his best to keep the mood light, without going overboard (cough Sokka cough). He had taught you so many things, seen so many things with you and you could just feel your heart yearning for his whenever he crossed your mind.

So, staring up at the ceiling – completely sleepless – you huffed out a sigh and a groan. You tossed your pillow aside and sat up in bed, putting your head in your hands. If you didn’t start catching up on your sleep soon, you were going to lose your mind. You groaned out loud, sighing again, and staring at the ceiling again.

“Damn it, I need to do something,” you muttered to yourself, getting out of bed. You slipped into a red silk robe and a pair of red slippers to aid your feet in not falling off, and started tip-toeing out of your room towards the kitchens.

Since you couldn’t sleep while you were here, you  had made a habit for yourself to go to the kitchens and make a cup of tea during the night. You usually then brought your cup with you into the library, where you could read up more on fire nation culture, so as to aid the fire lord better in his quest to make peace.

You were so used to your routine at that point, you didn’t even need to look for anything; it all just flowed smoothly, and you didn’t even make a sound throughout the entire process. Heating up the tea would have been difficult if some of the servants hadn’t been non-benders who needed some assistance to heat the tea up without bending, but you were in luck. Grabbing the jar with the jasmine tea, you prepared a pot and grabbed a mug, placing everything on a tray before sneaking the rest of the way to the library.

The doors were big and heavy, so you had to turn around to push with your back, since your hands were occupied. Once the door had slid open, you turned around to walk in, only to find Zuko already in there, pouring over a book on the sofa. You stilled, not really knowing what to do. Had he heard you enter? You had become quite proficient at sneaking the past few weeks, but you knew the man had excellent hearing, so him not noticing your entrance seemed unlikely.

Just as you were going to turn around and leave, Zuko’s head snapped up and his gaze met yours. Your body immediately came alive, blood rushing to your face and ears, and your stomach erupting with butterflies. You smiled bashfully at him, and opened your mouth to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Zuko. I did not know you would be in here at so late an hour,” you stuttered. You wanted to facepalm, but both your hands were occupied, so you just stood there awkwardly. “Uhm, I can leave.”

“N-no! I…” he started, sucking in a deep breath before smiling and continuing. “I really don’t mind your company. And please, just call me Zuko.”

You grinned at him, and he grinned back. “Sorry I went all formal and weird, I know we know each other, I just… haven’t seen you since you became fire lord, I guess.”

There hadn’t been any meetings regarding other nations’ cultures yet, and so you hadn’t seen Zuko since moving in; he had sent you a few notes, just telling you that you could come to him if you had any issues. It had been very sweet, and you had always sent a ‘thank you’ right back. Still, you had been a bit unsure of how to act in front of him.

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed a little as you set your tray down on a table and went to shut the door. “I guess you haven’t, huh? I’m still not used to it, if I’m honest,” he grimaced, and you smiled.

“I hope it’s okay that I raided the kitchen for jasmine tea?” you inquired, and the boy smiled at you fondly.

“No problems at all, Y/N. I remember you used to drink a lot of tea, you said it was ‘good for your nerves’,” he teased, and you blushed again. “The staff informed me that a lot of tea seemed to be missing, I was suspecting uncle.”

You started apologizing again, but he just laughed and waved you off. After that, you both fell silent, and you decided to get up and find the book you had started reading earlier that week, but had never gotten to finish. You opened the pages delicately, searching for your place before finding it and settling into your usual armchair by the fireplace, which was lit for once. The entire time, you could feel Zuko’s gaze on you, studying your every move.

When you paused to pour some tea into your mug, you looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

The boy blinked at you a few times, before shaking his head. “Oh, uh, nothing,” he mumbled, and you smiled back at him. “I was just wondering… why are you still awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you shrugged. For a moment he looked as though he was going to inquire further, but then he seemed to let it go, and no more words were spoken until he had to leave so he could get some sleep.

The whole interaction had been weird at first, but incredibly soothing once all the awkwardness had dissipated. His presence reminded you of… not simpler times, per se, but happier ones. Ones spent laughing with the first friends you had ever really had, friends who you were now missing so dearly. But having the comfort of one of them calmed you down enough that once you finally went back to your own room, you slept more peacefully than you had in a long time.

After that night, the two of you met up in the library at night at least three times a week. He was a busy man, but he wanted to make time for one of his dearest friends – and long-time crush, but he still maintained that part was irrelevant. He never thought you would like him back, like ever. It was a concept he didn’t even dare think about, for fear of getting his hopes up only to get them crushed later.

Three more months later, you had met up in the library during sleepless nights countless times. It had become a routine of sorts; he was usually there before you, since you were busy making a pot of tea to bring (now with two mugs, of course), and once you arrived, you would exchange a few words before settling down with a book each in comfortable silence.

The more times you met up, the more comfortable you became with each other. The first night had been spent with him on the couch, and you in an armchair – two weeks later and you were both on the couch. At this point, you tended to lean back against him on the couch as he played with your hair, still silently reading your own books. It was the highlight of your time in the palace, for sure.

This particular night, you were very tired. You even contemplated skipping the library, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it, no matter how much your mind screamed at you for some rest. So as you sank down against Zuko’s form, his fingers running through your hair, your eyelids started drooping. You tried to fight against it, you really did, but it was no use; five minutes later, and you were out like a light.

It took a while for the fire lord to recognize that you were asleep – you were a very peaceful sleeper, no snoring or movement, and he was so content with you against his chest as he turned the pages of his book. Still, once he realized, he kind of panicked.

You were sleeping against his chest. He wanted to move you, carry you to your room or something, but he was scared to wake you. So for a while, he just stayed there, frozen. He didn’t even dare turn the page of his book for fear of stirring you from your – much needed – sleep.

After around 30 minutes, though, he realized staying like that wasn’t doing anyone any good. Your neck was at an awkward angle, his back was getting stiff, and honestly? The sound of your breathing was lulling him to sleep as well. He sighed, but carefully extracted himself from you before picking you up in his arms as though you weighed nothing. He decided to leave the tray with the mugs and kettle; you were more important. You slept soundly the entire way to your room, and only woke when Zuko carefully placed you on top of your soft bed. You didn’t open your eyes though, just stretched a hand out to get him to join you.

The gesture made Zuko freeze where he stood – were you really insinuating what he thought you were, or was it a dream? A hallucination born from the desire to be near you, perhaps? But when you sleepily whimpered his name, it was confirmed for him; you wanted him to stay and sleep in your bed with you.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” he asked carefully, and at your huff combined with an intense nod of your head, he smiled.

Had he been less tired, he might have been able to resist. However, he was tired, and longed for your warm, soft curves to be pressed up against him. Maybe in your embrace, he could escape the nightmares that plagued him so. As soon as he was next to you and you both were under the covers, your tiny frame wrapped around his tall, muscular one, and you found sleep with a sigh.

He managed to kiss your forehead and wrap his arms around you before the darkness overtook him, his mind more at peace than it had been since early childhood.

In the early hours of the morning, the sky just burgeoning on a light pink, you suddenly woke. You were unbelievably warm, and even more comfortable. You were surrounded by the smell of firewood and pure manliness, which comforted you greatly. A few moments later, however, you found yourself nearly panicked; you were sleeping in the same bed as Zuko. How in the entire world had that happened?!

Of course you weren’t upset that he was there – if anything, it was like all your dreams coming true – but you had no idea if anyone had noticed his absence, if there was widespread panic, or, worst of all, what if he didn’t want to be there with you?  What if he was annoyed with you for falling asleep in the library?

You were broken out of your panic when the man in question groaned and stretched, automatically grabbing you and pulling him into you. You stiffened even further, not knowing how to react to the sudden affection he was showing towards you.

Once he realized he wasn’t dreaming, Zuko stiffened too. In his defense, this exact situation was very often part of his dreams; dreams where you were his wife, you had children together, and everything was more than perfect. It still felt that way when he had woken up, just as perfect as a dream, if not better.

“G-good morning,” you stuttered, deciding to break the silence.

“Morning,” he answered hesitantly, and the sound of his gravelly voice first in the morning damn near made you swoon.

After that, neither one of you really knew what to say. The sky was slowly brightening to include red, then orange, before yellow and white tones joined in, creating a beautiful gradient that signaled the start of yet another day. He didn’t want to break the silence, and neither did you. It was a thick kind of silence, and he was scared that breaking it would break the spell of just being together. Alone.

You both realized that you couldn’t stay like that forever, though, and after a while, you decided to bite the bullet.

“I’m so sorry I fell asleep yesterday.” Your voice was hardly above a whisper, but he heard you loud and clear nonetheless.

“It was really not a problem, Y/N. I’m just glad you finally got some rest, is all.”

His voice was still gravelly, but somehow felt smooth at the same time. He didn’t seem annoyed or angry, in fact he seemed perfectly content to remain exactly where he was. And he was.

“Well, I’m sorry you slept here. I didn’t mean to intrude on your resting time…” you mumbled, and he exhaled a breath.

“Y/N…”

You interrupted him immediately. “I mean I had no intention of falling asleep like that, especially on top of you! I just kind of, I don’t know, felt comfortable, and I’d had a really tiring day, and-“

“Y/N, I sleep better with you next to me,” he decided to inform you, interrupting your ramblings. When you gave him an incredulous stare, he laughed a little. “We used to sleep next to each other all the time. Granted, those were stressful times, but I think I got used to it. Even when the others weren’t exactly accepting of my presence, you always treated me with kindness. I guess I’m… comfortable around you. And I think… It may be because I like you. A lot.”

His words stunned you into silence. How could this perfect man, with more power than anyone would ever need, like you? He had always treated you kindly, and that was part of his appeal. Even when he was supposedly trying to capture the avatar, he had seemed a bit on edge, almost like he wanted to hold back. A few times he had held back, even though you could see how much it hurt him to do so. When he joined you, he’d had no issues carrying his own weight, even helping relieve some of the others’ burden. He had been so patient with Aang while teaching him firebending, and with all of you when it came to your slightly odd humor and hijinks.

In short, you loved this man, and in an effort to show him, you decided to kiss him.

Your lips seemed to meld with his perfectly. He took it slow and steady, caressing your cheek as he kissed you. Your arms seemed to have a mind of their own as they curled around the back of his neck, playing with the locks of hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him a little bit closer.

The kiss was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of; he was everything you had ever wanted and dreamt of, and he was more. His lips were soft and pillowy, he responded so beautifully to your kisses and caresses, tugging you closer and grunting with pleasure.

Zuko himself felt like he was dying. Spirits how he loved to kiss you, touch you, make you feel good. The way you played with his hair drove him absolutely crazy, and the feel of your lips was the most exquisite thing he had ever felt in his entire life. You were everything to him, and now that he knew what you tasted like, he could never go back.

Unfortunately, you had to pull apart eventually. You were both gasping for breath, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, but you were both smiling like idiots. Everything was about to change, but neither one of you minded in the slightest.

Being sleepless had never resulted in anything better.

[anotherbeingsworld]

Bounded by the words.

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Casey Valentine)

Summary: A momento from a patient lead to a new hobby for Casey, as it records the moment of their relationship. 

A/N: It was an impulsive reaction, but.. I wanted to post something and this has been in my drafts for months. I actually have submitted this before, and I am posting this again since it is edited much better than before. Today is the 25th and, honestly... it is a hard date for me in a way. So, I am coping it with fics unfortunately, but... I wanted to post it for a while now and I had shown it to @bratzlahela​ before she went on hiatus; and nikka, this is for you and i miss you soo much ! This is a love letter AU which had been in my drafts for months now. I am also dedicating this fic to @mrs-raleighcarrera​ as a thanks for everything,  <3 I have something planned later, I hope I manage to start it but... enjoy. 💜     (I noticed... my love for letters can be shown.. I am so sorry ;;) 

Tags:  @bitchloveskcbaseball​ , @storyofmychoices​ @jaxsmutsuo​ , @mvalentine​ , @princess-geek​ , @lahellacute​ ,  @this-person-is-busy​ , @annekebbphotography​ , @mrsbhandari​ , @dcbbw​ , @choicessa​ , @choices-confessions​ ,@fantasyoverreality98​ , @baltersome​ , @ofpixelsandscribbles​ , @thundergom​  @starrystarrytrouble​,  @kelseaaa​  ,@bratzlahela​ , @choicesficwriterscreations​  , @lalizah​ , @drethanramslay​ , @arcticlumineer​ , @choicesstan1​ , @aveeiro​ , @eleanorbloom​ , @openheartfanfics , @brycesgirl​  , @rookitcarrera​ (if you want to be removed or added, let me know 💜)

MY MASTERLIST

Casey is assigned to take care of 19-year old, Brianna who is diagnosed with a Gastroenteritis. As she walks in the room, Brianna was burying herself into a book. She smiled at the sight, as she tries to remember the last time she gets a chance to read a book herself. The title on the book caught her attention, with the minimalistic cover that certainly calms her eyes. ‘Bounded by The Words.’ The title says.

“Bounded by the words?” Casey said to capture her attention.

Brianna startled, as she drops the book down to her lap. Her eyes widen as she saw Casey there grinning at her.

“You scared me!” Brianna stated as she places her hands over her beating heart whilst Casey walks towards her.

“I’m sorry Bri, you looked like you were drowning in the book. I had to save you somehow.” She winks at her, as a smile appear on Brianna’s face.

“Ha ha ha, very funny doc.”

“So, what is the story about making you drowned in the pages?” Casey asked as she checks on her vitals.

“It’s a story of two lovers..”

“Typical.”

“Hey, I am talking here!”

“Alright, alright my lady.” Casey bows as she lets herself have fun with her.

“As I was saying, it is a story of two lovers who was bounded by a series of letters. They never really got a chance to see each other face-to-face as the man is apart of the world war before. Their communication only relies on letters, handwritten letters that caused their love to grow each day. Unfortunately, neither of them got their happy ending as the man sacrificed himself into the war leaving her a thousand letters behind as a reminder that he will always be there for her…” Brianna wipes a tear as she describe the book.

“Oh wow… that is really sad.” Casey felt her heart break a little from hearing Brianna talk about it.

“Yes, it is. I ended up crying every time I read it and this time is any different.”

“Can I take a look at it?” Casey asks her as she immediately pass the book to her.

“Maybe you should hold onto it, as a momento for taking care of me and keeping me company.” Brianna said with a small smile plastered on her face.

Casey’s eyes widen,

“It’s your favourite book Bri…”

“Don’t worry, I have a few more copies of it at home! You should keep it and maybe try read it at your free time. I know doctors don’t have much time to rest, so consider it as a self-care gift from your favourite patient, which is yours truly to you.” Brianna insists before Casey could return the book in her hands.

“My favourite patient? How did you guess?” Casey asked with amount of sarcasm in her voice causing both of them to break into laughter.

Both of them ended up talking for a little while, exchanging stories, a few hugs and a signature from Brianna aswell. Patients like Brianna, really reminds herself why she wanted to be a doctor in the first place. She loved helping people, saving lives, but she is also interested in knowing the stories of her patients. During her time at Edenbrook, she had met a lot of people with various backgrounds; a surfer, a lawyer who is living this world as she is. She always felt pleasure in knowing her patients, and Brianna is one of those patients that gives her the sign that she loves her job.

After finishing up her shift, Casey makes her way back to Bryce’s apartment as they often have sleepovers with one another. She makes her way to the apartment, where she was met with Keiki who was furiously typing on her (Bryce’s) computer as her brows furrowed in frustration. Casey immediately took off her coat and make her way to the couch, as Keiki perks her head up at her presence.

“What do you got there?” Keiki eyes the book she was holding as she sat down.

“It’s a gift from a patient, I think I am gonna absorb myself in some literary entertainment after those long shifts.” Casey said as she gets herself comfortable on the couch, she starts to read the book. After felt like an hour, she already had surpassed the 100th page.

The door opening pulled her out from the zone, as Bryce finally arrived from the hospital. Casey turn her head to the sound, and smiled as she saw him. Casey stands and give him a kiss on the cheek, guiding him to the couch where Keiki is still on the computer looking more ease than before.

“So, what did you guys do today?” Bryce asked as he placed an arm around Casey pulling her close to him.

“I am trying to finish up this darn assignment, and its just so hard! Why did I take computer science?” Keiki whined as Bryce lets out a small laugh.

“What did you do today Cas?” Bryce turns his gaze to her, as both of their eyes meet.

Casey smiled as she shows the book to Bryce.

“Bounded by the words? It sounds like a cliché rom-com if you ask me.” Bryce said as his eyes are on the book.

“Hey, I am a hopeless romantic and this book managed to play with my heartstrings!” Casey protested as she held the book like her life depends on it.

“Okay, okay…Enlighten me, tell me what is the interesting scenario you have come across in the book?” Bryce challenge her with a wink.

“Their entire love story consists of letters, and they never met yet they still love one another…” Casey felt herself gaze as she placed a dreamy look on her face as Bryce just shook his head.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night Cas.” He says as he placed a kiss to bring her back towards reality.

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Casey suddenly felt herself to be inspired from the book, as she felt her heart hold on to the concept of writing love letters. It is midnight, as Casey felt herself feeling awake. She slowly makes her way out of Bryce’s hold as he was sleeping peacefully. She puts on one of Bryce’s shirts and heads out to the living room. She sat down on the floor, with a box full of stuff contains, coloured paper and a huge amount of pens. She smiles, as she proceeds.

My dearest Anastasia,

The darkened days had now befallen us, the roared of the enemy unmistakable. Where it’d be my last sacrifice in the name of thy country. The time has come for me to filled in my word, as I would let myself be pained from the death that followed me every day. Regrets washed over me, as this letter would be the final reminder, where life with you made it very much better. The warmth of your touch can still be felt, as our farewell was playing in my mind for the longest time, a needed farewell that kept me awake on one of these days, longing to be in your touch again. But, even in the depths of the darkest roads, you will always be in thy heart. Forever, and always.

Love,

Roland.

The one that started it all, the final letter of Roland Rosio to his long last love, Anastasia Luvielle as their love continues to grow even after the death of Rosio during the final battle. The inspiration that started it all.

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Dear Bryce,

It is our first date together despite the hundreds of times we went and spend our nights at Donahue. It is when we are, something. Something beautiful, as one would say it. The 21st night of September, was a date to remember; our first night out as something more. As a kid, I always imagined myself going to the ball with my very own Prince, as we dance the night away.

But, in this case… they were no prince, a dress, a castle, a glass slipper, heck there aren’t any pumpkins involved in the beginning of our story. It was a story of clumsiness, fairy lights and a whole platter of fries. An interesting combination one might say, as it started with grace and ended with a bag of loaded fries from a small vendor.

It was unique, as you told me your jokes as I would find myself getting red, as the sight of your sweet and smiley face. The way we danced around the circle, as the fairy lights were hanging above us, has been a permanent attachment in my mind.

Lights, Fries and Bryce? A perfect combination.

Love,

Casey.

The first of many has been recorded, as she slips it into a box. A small box which is going to be playing a huge role in her life moving forward. Bryce stops himself in his tracks, admiring the smile on her face before moving towards the living room. The memory of their days together, playing in his mind.

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Dear Bryce,

I don’t know where to start, I miss you. I miss everything about you and, I don’t know how long I can do this anymore . I always wondered why couples would fight over the littlest things and, I hoped that the fate won’t fall down to us, but…I was wrong. It felt like a downfall, and I regret yelling those words at you. You were never a burden, you were the light and I don’t know how I haven’t met you before. My life had changed with you, and it has change again, and… I miss you. I miss everything about you, your hugs, your silly jokes, the way you’d talk at the movies despite being shush away by the audience, especially you. I miss being able to hug you when I was happy, and…I am going to make this right.

Love, Casey.

The first fight, as there were words left unspoken. One of many that made were stained with her tears, as the sadness took over. Her life was different with Bryce, and she didn’t give up. She tried and tried, and tried and try again until one day, she did it right. Neither did he.

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Dear Bryce,

I can’t believe our time has come, we are finally getting married tomorrow! It is a common feeling of excitement to be a bride, and I am very excited for our adventure next. I always felt like you were the one with the huge benefit in doubt in myself, the day we meet in that locker room at Edenbrook. The first time I laid my eyes on you, it felt like I was going to meet a stereotypical male from a rom-com, but… you are different. A good type of different, you have been there for me since the very beginning.

You have seen through it all, and I am very lucky to be apart of your life. You have always been my number one support through the highs and the lows, and I am always going to be grateful for everything we have been through that lead us to this very moment. I am excited for our new beginning, I will see you soon.

Love,

Casey.

The day they become as one, where Casey Valentine and Bryce Lahela finally tied the knot after all these years. A new adventure awaits them, as a whole new life is looking them with a wide-smile. The ceremony was intimate, as all of their close friends and family members were invited. They got married at one of his favourite places, the beach. As they finally got their happily ever after.

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Dear Bryce,

I did it. WE DID IT! After all these years, we did it. I am finally pregnant, after all the negatives. We did it, and you are going to be a dad! I remember those days, you were telling me about teaching our  kid surfing, and silently hoping they will follow your footsteps. Our dreams have been granted, and I am truly ecstatic! The feeling of being a parent had lingered on my mind since early on, and… I am beyond grateful to be on this journey with you.

Baby Lahela is 3 months strong, mommy and daddy can’t wait to see you soon. I can’t wait for all of the new memories we are going to make together. We love you daddy!

Love,

Casey.

After a few years of marriage, and trying… they finally did it. Both of them starting a new adventure with their little bundle of joy, the first adventure with the little Lahela. And, they were very excited for it.

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‘Dad, what is these letters?’ Louis asked in fascination, as he finished reading one of Casey’s letters after all these years.

A smile appeared on his face, remembering the memories from years ago. The day Casey starts to become obsessed over a piece of literature that changed their lives one way or another.

‘Mom loves to write letters, and these is all of hers. She writes it every time we are happy, sad, angry and everything in between. I never understood the purpose of it all, and your mother tends to get emotional over the littlest things and, she still managed to blow me away every time…’ He lets out a sigh, rereading the final letter in the pile. It was written a few days ago.

Dear Bryce,

We have been through it all, am I right? It has been 25 or maybe more years, since our first meeting and I can’t believe it has been that long. We have done an amazing job together, and I am very very proud of what we had achieved all these years. You have been an amazing dad to our little ones, who is not so little anymore. Our little Louis, is our astronomer now, I still remember the first time we were giving him a bath, he was a quiet baby but with a lot of determination and a gold heart, just like his father. Our little girls Kailani and Alexandra, has managed to follow in our footsteps, even though we warned them about the stress and pressure of med school along with warnings from our dear friends, and I can’t believe they did it. They were always so smart, and I can’t say how proud of I am of our little angels. Bryce, you have been my rock, my best friend, my lover, my partner and… I will always cherish you in my heart. You are the first person who never gave up on me, and… life with you, has been the best chapter in my life. You have made me a better person, you have seen me in my lowest and you didn’t left. You were there through thick and thin, and I love you for it. I will never forget the day where we said, the three words. The day where our life started to change every day. You have given me unconditional love and care, you have made my life the way it is today. My mom, always wondered how I came across someone like you before, and I would laugh; fate brought us together and Edenbrook was the start of it all.

Unfortunately, some stories would come to an end. And, the end of mine is coming very soon; take care of the kids, and tell them that mom is very proud of them. My love, you had made me the happiest and… even in the depths of the darkest roads, you will always be in thy heart. Forever, and always.  

Yours,

Casey Lahela.

The end of the letter, the one line that started it all, as a small smiled appear on his face despite the tears falling down on his cheeks. Alexandra and Keilani made their way as they pulled Bryce into a deep hug, letting their sorrows take over breaking every façade that they had. Louis joins in too, as they stood there together, as a family. Her memories were playing in his mind, a recording of every sense from their little time together made it into the highlight as, the letters felt like a metaphor, a feeling somehow she is there with them, looking down with a huge smile. A smile of satisfaction, as a chance to finally let herself go.

‘I will always love you Casey. Forever and always.’ He whispered slowly, as their life story was flashed through his eyes which is the best moments of his life.

THE END.

[thatrandomcatoverthere]

She Devil Part 2

Author: I'm so sorry to anyone that wanted to read part 2 sooner, work has been kicking my ass and I'm trying to get stuff straight to get a new car and the sorts. I’ll try to get better on updating and posting more often just bear with me please. My tag list is open for anyone that would want to follow this story, and my requests are also open. Sorry if this chapter is a little rushed or cliche the next one will be better. Thank you and remember to live a little. 

Summary: Y/n explains to everyone what happened. They all agree she needs to show everyone what she can do and Steve makes her and Bucky start training in the mornings instead for now on.

Warnings: uh just mild cursing, talk about death, talk of being kicked out, a little fluff normal stuff honestly nothing too bad 

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Y/n stood up and walked to the end of the table to explain. Taking in a deep nervous breath, all eyes were on her. She barely knew the people in the room with her, now she was forced to tell them what she so desperately tried to hide.

“I'll start with an apology for keeping secrets. I guess everyone now knows why I'm called the She-Devil. Basically I can shift into whatever you want to call it. I grow black horns and devil tail, I don’t really know why. I don’t really know why, I got angry one day at my mom and it just sort of happened. I also gain super speed in that form, and a few years ago I found out I also have fire power. I got kicked out of my home when I turned 16 by my mom. When I was living on the streets I was attacked by some drunk guys and some man saved me.” She said nervously and thought back to that day.

She watched as a man dressed in all black stabbed the highly intoxicated men. She was scared, her true form showing. When the man finished he spoke to her, “What is such a young lady doing out all alone at this time of night?”

“Pl-please leave me alone. I won’t tell anyone. I promise!” She stuttered out taking a step back. “I won’t hurt you, I can see you're  special. I can give you a place to stay, in exchange for working for me. Theres plenty of people there, including some girls your age.”

Not knowing what else to do. She agreed. Unknowingly becoming part of the biggest assassin organization in new york.

Y/n snapped out of her thoughts when Fury cleared his throat, “Y/n continue. I don’t have all day.”

“Right sorry. So I agreed to his offer. A place to stay, as long as I worked for him. Who wouldn’t when you're 16 with no where to go? At first it was easy, just finding info on certain people. Then he forced me to train to be an assassin. He black mailed me into it. So I did. That was years ago. I found out the people I killed were innocents trying to take down my boss. So I killed him. Convinced some of the other girls to help me. And now I'm here.” She finished. She caught Bucky's eyes, they were reassuring. He went through this, he had to explain what happened when he was in hydra’s clutches. He understands.

Steve was the first to speak after some silence, “Y/n, Bucky. I want both of you to start training with us. I want to know what you can do. Tony and Bruce will be doing some testing so maybe we can learn a little bit more about the she devil.”

Y/n froze, they were ok with this? Why? Why weren't they scared and kicking her out. “Hey, Y/n it’s ok. We don’t look at you any different, we all have red on our ledger. You’re no different than us, I promise.” Nat said and everyone agreed.

After more conversation about it Bruce brought her to the lab immediately. He was curious about it, wanted to know why it happens and what happens when she devil comes out.

Y/n was internally groaning, she just wanted to go back to her room and read her book. “So Y/n, first i’m going to start with a body scan while you're shifting. Please onto the platform.” She complied.

When Bruce gave the go ahead she shifted. Tony gave a cat call when he walked in, “Damn I expected something scary not something of a fantasy.” She gave him a glare her red eyes piercing his. “Ok ok I yield!” He put his hands up in surrender, “So Brucie what did the scan show?”

“It’s so odd, its like the horns and tail grow from her body within seconds. There’s no magic involved with the shift, but I don’t know how. It’s showing your canines grew too, mind showing me?” Opening her mouth it showed they had gotten longer and sharper. Just enough to obviously not be normal.”

An hour later and Bruce taking blood for more testing she was headed to the kitchen. She was hungry and tired after the previous events. When she walked into the kitchen she bumped into a firm chest of someone much taller than her. “Oh shit!...” She looked up to lock eyes with the super soldier, “Sorry Buck I wasn’t paying attention.” 

“No no it’s fine I should've been paying more attention too y/n/n, I ordered pizza  if you’re hungry.” She could’ve sworn he seemed a little nervous talking to her. It make her sad to think about honestly, the first friend she made here being nervous to talk to her now. Putting the thought onto the back burner for now she accepted the offer. They both made their way into the living room and sat on the sofa next to each other. She still made sure to keep her distance of course, still waiting for the rejection she’s been expecting. 

When the pizza arrived it didn’t take long for everyone to gather around in the living room watching a movie. After having blood drawn y/n got increasingly tired after eating. About an hour in she finally passed out, her head resting on Nat’s shoulder. Bucky looked over to see the girls reaction to the scene playing only to have the assassin tell him to be quiet. 

He take a second to take in the scene, not only was the fiercest assassin letting someone fall asleep on her shoulder, but the reserved girl who didn’t really talk to anyone or touch anyone or even really come near anyone at that. Was asleep peacefully on the assassin’s shoulder, all the fear and stress of hiding what she is and then being exposed wiped from her face. He hadn't really thought about how pretty she is before, but damn is she gorgeous. 

A little later Nat got up to go to bed, so she carefully moved y/n to where she was laying her head on Bucky’s lap instead. Whom had also fallen asleep during the second movie of the night. Everyone else had pretty much gone to bed by then except for Steve and Tony. Both of them watched Nat’s antics knowing the two most reserved people would freak when they woke up like that later. They were complete opposites in appearance, Bucky much larger than the girl laid out on the sofa with her head on his lap. Though both of them could absolutely fuck you up in a fight. 

“I bet you $20 that Bucky will wake up in the morning and bring her to her room.” 

“I dunno Captain I bet you $50 they're going to wake up in the morning cuddled up on the couch to the others talking about it.” 

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The next morning Y/n woke up to the smell of food being cooked. She hadn’t moved yet, she was enjoying the warm embrace of arms wrapped around her waist.

....Wait. Her eyes snapped open to see the living room instead of her bedroom wall. She carefully craned her neck to not wake the mystery person up and looked behind her. She immediately recognized the man propped up against the arm rest and back of the couch. She was laying on her side with her head on his lap. 

With a beat red face of embarrassment she carefully started getting up. “Please do not wake up.” Was on repeat in her head. 

When her mission to get up without waking up the man she walked silently to the kitchen. Stopping in her tracks when none other than Steve Rogers turned to look at her while standing at the stove. “Damn, looks like neither of us win this time.” Tony makes his presence known sitting at the table. 

“I was looking forward to that $20 too.” Steve complained.

“Who else saw?” She was red again from embarrassment. 

“Just me and Tony, well I mean Nat technically but she was the one that laid your head on him. She didn’t want to wake you up by taking you to your room. Want some pancakes? You have to train this morning so I suggest eating.” Steve explained flipping one of the pancakes. 

This was going to be a long day. 

[snickerl]

Of Monsters and Men, and a Woman - Part II.

- Wine smells better than smoke. -

I was asked to write a sequel. I’m sorry it took me so long. Life, work, and a three-week-vacation in Scotland got in the way but here it is now. If you want to familiarize yourself with part I, you will find it here. 

Tagging @today-in-fic

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Jackson didn’t know how long he had been looking outside lost in thought. Next to him in the back seat of the car, Dana was sleeping peacefully. Her head was tilted to the side so her face was turned to him. Jackson studied her face and recognized features he saw when he looked in the mirror: the freckles on her nose, the high cheekbones, the angular jaw. His hair had been reddish as a child but had become darker once he had hit puberty. The color resembled Mulder’s more now, who was sitting in the front steering silently. Jackson looked at the back of his birth father’s head and realized their hair was pretty much alike: dark brown, thick, shiny. He hadn’t shared any resemblances with his mama and pops. Of course not, they had been his adoptive parents, these were the parents whose genetic material he shared. 

Maybe he should stop talking about them like this, labeling them his adoptive versus his birth parents. Maybe it was time to accept he had two sets of parents. One that had raised him and had given him the best childhood he could think of, and one who had always been there and had always cared about him but only now had the ability to act as parents. It broke his heart when he thought about how cruelly the Van De Kamps had been murdered but it also filled him with immense relief to know that he wasn’t alone. And this Mulder-and-Scully duo (he still found it a bit weird that they called each other by their last names) gave him the impression they knew what they were doing. They seemed capable of standing up to his enemies. They sure stood up against that smoking jerk, especially Dana, no matter how hopeless their situation had appeared to be or that she was so much smaller physically.

The car was coming to a halt in front of a steel gate. Mulder turned around and looked at him. “Would you mind opening that gate for me, Jackson?" 

"Not at all,” Jackson said unbuckling his seat belt. “Do you see the input box at that pole over there? The code it 1013. And close it again behind us, please. Make sure it’s securely locked.” “Yes, sir,” Jackson couldn’t help replying to the more than explicit request. He jumped out of the car and pushed the gate open. It was heavy and creaked quite a bit. He wondered where they were. It was pitch dark, the headlights of the car were the only source of light, they hadn’t come by any sign of human habitation for the past half hour, and now these security measures. Jackson asked himself where they were taking him. Mulder drove slowly through the gate Jackson was holding and waited until he had pushed it back shut. The boy heard a click and rattled it a little to check if the bolt had latched completely. The light at the input pad, which had turned green when he had typed in the code, switched back to red. Everything seemed fine, so he hopped back in the car. “When Dana said you had a house in the countryside I didn’t expect it to be that far away from human civilization,” Jackson deadpanned while buckling up again. He had no idea how much longer the trip would be. Mulder chuckled. “Yeah, well, we’ve come to appreciate a certain quiet and isolation from the rest of the world. There was a time we didn’t want to be found. By anyone.”   Jackson let the words sink in. What was he to make of them? Had they been in a situation like this before? Having to flee and hide from people pursuing them? He didn’t have time to ponder about it much longer as a few minutes later a house came into view. A nice two-story building with gray roofing shingles, green wooden window frames, and a porch. A lamp illuminated the steps leading up to the front door. The place looked cozy and inviting. It actually reminded Jackson a bit of his first home, the Van De Kamp farmhouse in Wyoming, only that it had been much larger with stables for cattle and pasture lands surrounding it, but the place had evinced the same emotions in him: homecoming, comfort, safety. 

Mulder parked the car in front of the porch and cut the engine. He turned around in his seat, looked at Scully who was still sleeping, smiled, then squeezed her knee gently. “Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. We’re home.” It was inconceivable that she was able to sleep after what had happened, Jackson thought. She either had been totally drained or so full of trust for that Mulder guy. Said Mulder guy obviously knew what Jackson was thinking. “She can stay awake for more than 36 hours straight if need be, on a stakeout or at a patient’s bed in the hospital, but in a car when she’s not driving or reading a case file, she’s asleep in no time. It’s a gift. I wished I was able to do that. I am a notoriously bad sleeper.” Mulder got out of the car, opened the door in the back and bent down to pull her sleeping form out when she stirred. Her eyes opened abruptly, she lifted her head and straightened herself up. “Mmmm, I must have dozed off for a second,” she said, her voice a sleepy mumble. “Yes, sure, Scully. Just for a second, as always,” Mulder said. Jackson bit back a chuckle. This was obviously a well-known, recurring pattern in their lives. Scully shook her head a little to get rid of the last remnants of sleep and swatted Mulder’s hand away from her knee. “Now let me get out. You weren’t thinking of carrying me, were you?” Mulder put his hands up as if he had been told to freeze. He got up from his bent posture, stepped back and sighed. “No, of course not. Heaven forbid that you are not in charge for a split-second.”   Mulder was annoyed for a moment. Why was it so difficult for her to let him carry her, either figuratively or literally? She had allowed herself to be weak in his arms a few times lately: in the morgue after she had given her speech to what they had believed was their long-lost son in a body bag or in the motel when she hadn’t been able to sleep during that hangman case. She had even admitted her fear that he might find someone else one day. Someone else…what nonsense! As if there could ever be anyone else for Mulder than Scully.   Jackson noticed the slight tension between them but was distracted from thinking about it by a high-pitched barking. “You have a dog?” he asked, his memory going back to the dog he had as a child: Champ, a Golden Retriever who had followed his every step.

“Yes,” Mulder answered, “his name is Daggoo. He’s Scully’s actually. She stole him from a crime scene.” “I didn’t steal him. I saved him from the animal shelter,” Scully defended herself. “Secretly scheming to move him in with me because you weren’t allowed to have pets at your place.” “Oh come on, you’ve got so much more space and you can’t deny that walking him three times a day is doing you good.” “I’ve always loved how you’re able to manipulate people into thinking something’s good for them when it’s actually good for you,” Mulder said with a smile on his lips. “I don’t have to remind you what happened to Queequeg, Mulder, do I? You owed me.”   Mulder only sighed at Scully’s stern look. 

Jackson had followed their banter, glad on the one hand that the moment of tension had subsided, but also irritated that they had been talking of my place/your place. He had thought they were living together, that they were a couple. They had had him, made him ‘in an act of love’ as Dana had said, they had to have been together at some point. Had they ever been married? Their different last names left him guessing.   Mulder had opened the front door in the meantime. A white/brown terrier was jumping down the stairs yelping happily and wiggling his tail so much that his whole body was shaking heavily; as if he knew they were coming home from a dreadful endeavor and needed some cheering up. Jackson’s eyes lit up when he saw him and because dogs sensed instinctively who liked them and who didn’t he made toward the boy immediately and jumped up against his legs. “Daggoo, down!” Scully berated him but Jackson wasn’t minding the animal’s affection one bit. “It’s okay, I love dogs,” he said kneeling down petting him behind his ears. “Good boy,” he cooed, “you’re such a beauty, do you know that?” Daggoo licked his hand in return. It was love at first sight between them obviously. Mulder and Scully exchanged a short glance, relief written on their faces. Their dog (they could banter as much as they wanted about 'my dog/your dog’, he really and truly was theirs) had conjured a bright smile on their son’s face for the first time since they had been reunited and they enjoyed seeing him so cheerful. Each of them made a silent promise to themselves to do everything in their power to make Jackson’s life happy and carefree again. They watched the boy and the dog for a moment longer, then Mulder ushered everyone inside. Jackson looked around and felt instantly at home. The living room wasn’t tidied up, there were magazines lying around everywhere, a greasy pizza carton resided atop a coffee table and a blanket had been thrown haphazardly on the couch, but that was exactly what made the place homey. Scully saw it slightly differently though. “Goodness, when did you last clean this place up, Mulder?” Bang! Another sign she wasn’t living here. Jackson slowly familiarized himself with the idea that his birth parents - his parents - weren’t a couple. What would this mean for him? Would they take turns caring for him? Like his best friend Pete spent his weekends alternately at his mom’s and dad’s? Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to have called for them after all. But where would he be now without them? With the Smoking Man? Believing this asshole was his father? Jackson’s insides tied a knot. No, he was definitely better off with them than without, no matter what the status of their relationship was. In any case, they were on good terms with each other, that much was clear. They would have to join forces to make this work for him. They owed him that much after they had given him up for adoption, didn’t they? “I don’t mind the mess,” he came to Mulder’s rescue. “No, of course, you don’t,” Scully mumbled more to herself than to Jackson, “you’re also a man. I will never understand how one can live in such a mess. What has gone wrong in evolution to burden us with such a neglectful gender when it comes to housework?” She sighed deeply, picking up the pizza carton and throwing it into a trash can. She opened a cabinet, took a cleaning rag out, opened another one which contained the cleaning agents, soaked the rag with water and dishwashing liquid, wrung it out above the sink, then started wiping the coffee table. At least she knew her way around the place, Jackson thought. If she really didn’t live here, she was a frequent guest at least. She definitely moved around as if she was at home. She was folding the blanket now and placed it on the couch’s backrest before she took care of the throw pillows, shaking them out and arranging them in an orderly fashion. “See, this is something we men will never understand. What is the purpose of an exact arrangement of pillows on a sofa?” Mulder asked shedding his dirty jacket and throwing it carelessly on a chair. “Can you explain to me the scientific nature of pillow arranging, Dr. Scully?” “It looks nice and tidy, Mulder. It’s aesthetic. It makes the place appear maintained instead of neglected and run-down,” she explained slightly irritated. And as if to strengthen her point, she lifted the jacket off the chair with two fingers and left the room. A moment later a loud thud could be heard, most likely the door of the washing machine.  

Jackson threw Mulder a glance who only shrugged. This was all very familiar to the boy, he had witnessed interactions like this a million times between his parents. His other parents. Jeez, having four parents instead of two wasn’t easily put into words. Scully re-entered the living room where Mulder and Jackson were still standing at the same spot, only Daggoo had moved and was making himself comfortable on one of the cushions she had just arranged. She looked at him and sighed, “et tu, Brute?” Jackson didn’t know what that meant and he also didn’t care that much. He was hungry. He hadn’t had a decent meal in days having been on the run from his pursuers. “Uhm, you said we could have something to eat,” he reminded them. “Right, sure. I’m afraid the fridge isn’t well-stocked,” Mulder said and Scully chuckled loudly enough to strengthen her point about men and housekeeping. “But we can order something in. What would you like, Jackson? Italian, Thai? Or a burger maybe?” “A burger would be great. With bacon and cheese, if it’s possible.” “Sure. Fries?” Jackson nodded and watched how Mulder pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Wasn’t he going to ask what Dana wanted, he wondered. She didn’t seem to ask herself the same though. Uninvolved in the process of deciding on the food, she slipped out of her shoes, put her feet on the coffee table, reached over to Daggoo and started petting him gently. Jackson listened as Mulder placed his order. “Two deluxe double bacon cheeseburgers, please. Onion rings, two large orders of regular fries and one of the sweet potato fries. Make the sweet fries unsalted. A mixed salad with extra arugula instead of the radicchio, no onions but mushrooms, and the non-fat Italian dressing. …  Deliver, please. The name is Mulder. 227700 Wallace Road, Farrs Corner. …  Yes, I know how far out it is. Tell Pete to give me a call when he’s at the gate. I will meet him down there. He knows the procedure. … Thanks. Bye.” He winked at Jackson when their eyes met and added, “Pete knows he gets a generous tip.” It didn’t go unnoticed by Jackson that Mulder knew exactly what to order for Dana, and her choice wasn’t exactly mundane. The sweet potato fries were also for her, he presumed. Which real guy ate sweet potato fries? Unsalted, to top it. And if messy homes were typical for men, salads with non-fat dressings were typical for women. No wonder she was so tiny and thin. If her diet had consisted more of greens than anything since her youth, her body had simply lacked the nutrients to grow. At least that was what mama had always told him. “Eat your steak and potatoes, Jackson, so you grow up fit and strong!” He was glad he had inherited his height from Mulder and not from Dana. Small women were cute and evoked a man’s protective instinct (Jackson was sure though that she hated her stature had this effect on men) but small men were a target of mockery. He was even taller than Mulder, and he was only seventeen. Maybe he would still grow a couple of inches. When Mulder got back with dinner, Scully and Jackson had already laid the table. They ate mostly in silence, Mulder and Jackson eating with their hands gobbling down their food like hungry wolves, Scully picking listlessly at her salad with a fork. The unsalted sweet potato fries remained untouched but Jackson watched how delicate manicured fingers made their way into the box with the regular fries. She put a handful of the salty, greasy food into her mouth, chewed and swallowed, licked her fingers with relish, which was then followed by a satisfied hum. Mulder didn’t even look up as all of this happened, he registered it out of the corner of his eye and just smirked slightly. Jackson couldn’t help but think that they acted so much like a married couple; as if they had known each other for years and years. How could they not be living at this place together? Well, he would get more hints about their relationship once the sleeping arrangements were discussed. When they had finished their food and Scully got up to clear the table, Mulder grabbed her wrist and made her sit back down. “Nuh-uh, Scully, let the neglectful gender take care of this. How about you make yourself comfortable on the sofa with Daggoo?” “Nice idea, Mulder, but someone has to change the sheets in the guest room. I can’t see you taking care of this after my last sleepover.” With this, she vanished into the hallway and left Mulder and Jackson alone with a very uncomfortable silence. Finally, Jackson addressed the elephant in the room. He needed clarity anyway, he might as well ask. 

“I thought you guys were married.” “Uh, no, we’re not.” “So you’re divorced.” Jackson simply assumed they had to be divorced if they weren’t married. They had a child together, him, so they had to be married sometime in the past. He wasn’t prudish or anything, he knew people had sex without being married, but where he came from people got married when they wanted to have children. “No. We…erm, we never got married.” “Well, it makes sense then,” Jackson said. “What makes sense?” “That your last names are different.” “Our last names don’t have much to do with it, actually. Even if we had gotten married, I doubt we would ever have been Mr. and Mrs. Mulder. I guess we simply missed the right moment to tie the knot. I asked her once to marry me but she didn’t believe I was serious.” “Were you?” “Hmm…I don’t know. Maybe not a hundred percent. But if she’d said yes, I wouldn’t have regretted asking.” “And the topic has never come up again?” “No.” “Not even from her?” “No.” “Strange. I thought all women wanted to get married and have kids.” “Scully isn’t like other women. Her independence is very important to her. We weren’t any less committed to each other because we weren’t married, that’s for sure. Maybe that’s why. Our commitment to one another was so strong, we didn’t need a wedding certificate to prove it.” “Whatever, you spared yourselves an ugly divorce with your separation.” “What makes you think we’re separated?” “Well, you’ve been talking about 'mine’ and 'yours’ a lot, like separated people do. Daggoo is her dog that cannot stay at her place but needs to stay at yours. The mess we stumbled into also was yours, Dana made that clear. And she sleeps in the guest room. All of that cries out 'separation’. I have a good power of observation.” Jackson had seen it happening to a friend’s family. Everything that had belonged to the family before became branded with 'mine’ and 'yours’ all of a sudden. His friend’s mom even sawed through the leather couch with a chainsaw just to get even with her former husband who had cheated on her. “Hmm, you have a point but…uhm, how is the fact she’s called this our house when we were in the car fit into your theory?” “Freudian slip?” Mulder chuckled. “That would never happen to Scully.” Looking at Jackson’s puzzled face he added, “I’m sorry, pal, this must all be very confusing. This is our house, we bought it together and lived in it together. We lived like a married couple for many years and people mistook us as married many times but we never actually were married.” “Lived. Not live. Like in we did that in the past but not anymore.” Mulder sighed heavily before he answered. “Right, that’s over. Look, Jackson, our lives have always been…difficult and complicated. Due to our work. There was a time we thought we could leave it all behind us, at least Scully did. She wanted a restart so badly. She’d lost so much because of our work, most importantly you, and all she wanted was normalcy. A job, a home, a partner to share her life with. And I tried to give it to her, all of it, but I failed her. I couldn’t let go of my quest for the truth, and I ruined everything. So, one day the inevitable happened: she packed her things and left to save herself from being pulled underwater with me. She needed to get out of here to be able to breathe. But Scully wouldn’t be Scully if she left me to my fate. She still cared. She looked after me and helped me find my way again.” “And what’s your status now? I mean, you take care of her dog, you know exactly what food to order for her, she stays over…” “We’ve never stopped being friends. We’ve never stopped…caring deeply for each other. She just doesn’t live here anymore.”   Mulder felt a bit awkward talking to his son so openly about his romantic feelings for Scully, that they had never stopped loving each other, but the boy deserved to know, didn’t he? “I just don’t want to impose.” “Impose?” Mulder didn’t understand. His face apparently showed his puzzlement because Jackson explained, “I don’t want to force the two of you together, you know. I don’t want you to think you have to do all this,” he was fidgeting with his hands in the air making clear he meant what was happening at this very moment in this house, “just because of me.” “Just because of you?” Mulder parroted, disbelief threaded into his voice. “Are you crazy, Jackson? You are the best thing that ever happened to us. You’ve been our miracle. The time you were with us was the happiest time of our lives. It was much too short, especially for me, but neither of us ever wanted to miss it. We’ll figure this out. We’ll figure us out. You simply have to trust us. I know it’s not easy after what we’ve done but…” Mulder stopped abruptly when Scully’s purposeful steps could be heard on the floorboard. She was making her way back to them and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to know of Jackson’s concerns about their relationship and his staying with them. “Your room is all set, Jackson,” she said entering the living room. “It’s upstairs on the right. I left a towel on the bed in case you’d like to take a shower. Is there anything else you need?” The delight in her eyes told Mulder how much she enjoyed doing this and the thought that their son felt uncomfortable about it clasped his heart with a cold fist. “Thanks,” was all Jackson mumbled. He didn’t even look at Scully. She either didn’t notice or didn’t want to acknowledge it. She continued undeterred, “if you need anything, we’ll be down here. Just ask.” He did ask, laying his finger right into the wound. “Where are you guys sleeping? Just in case I need something at night.” The question was dangling between them for a moment, both Scully and Mulder taken off guard by the directness of it. Jackson held his breath, quite aware it was a delicate issue. He wondered who would take the initiative and answer, and, of course, how. It was Mulder who was able to find his voice again. “The master bedroom is also upstairs, at the other side of the hallway,” he answered, avoiding the issue of who would be sleeping in there. He wasn’t sure what Scully’s sleeping arrangement would look like. They had shared a bed a few times recently - platonically and two times not so platonically - but she hadn’t moved back in. On her nights over she had always insisted they slept apart, Mulder in the master bedroom and her in the guest room. They were far from resuming their romantic relationship. He wasn’t even sure if they were in anything other than a relationship of friendly co-workers. Or co-working friends? Well, they were co-working best friends formerly lovers, if he was precise. To him, she was still his constant, his touchstone, that had never ceased to be the truth, but he wasn’t sure what she saw in him. Well, he could go around the status of their relationship over and over until he went mad, whatever it was, it was so them: complicated, in-flux, undefined. Mulder caught Jackson’s questioning look and held it, hoping he would leave it at that. He didn’t want Scully to feel obliged to explain or even defend herself. They were all exhausted from what had happened in the factory, now wasn’t the time to discuss their long-term future. They needed sleep and when they were replenished, they could have a talk. To Mulder’s immense relief, he watched how tiredness was overwhelming Jackson. His eyelids drooping, he yawned extensively. Mulder let the breath out he had been holding when Jackson finally acquiesced. “Okay, I think I should get some shut-eye.” With this, the boy turned around and headed for the stairs. Mulder and Scully looked after him. Their eyes remained trained at the top of the stairs until their son disappeared from their view. They listened to a door open and close and eventually to the shower being turned on. “Goodnight, my son,” Scully whispered to herself, hiccuping a sob which awakened Mulder from his trance-like state. He looked at her and realized she was shaking. The last few weeks were finally taking their toll on her. Mulder knew how much it took to make Scully break down. What had happened since she had realized her seizure was caused by her lost son who tried to communicate with her definitely was enough to make her falter. She was inches away from shattering into a million pieces, like a crystal glass bursting to a high note sung by an opera singer. Mulder turned toward her and pulled her into an embrace. The willingness with which she was giving in told him he had assessed the situation correctly. She melted into him, laying her head against his chest. She wasn’t wearing her heels anymore and their height difference was at its maximum expression. Mulder had always loved it when she was like that, bare of all the paraphernalia of Professional Scully. She allowed only a handful of people to see her without the makeup to hide her freckles and the sensual mole on her upper lip, the business suit to cover her feminine curves, and the heels to make her taller than she actually was. And he was lucky to be one of those few people. They stayed like this, mute and still, for a long time. Eventually, Scully took a deep breath and pulled back, a clear sign she had regained her strength. But she didn’t let go of Mulder completely. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “How about a glass of red wine, Mulder? I think I’m too stirred up to be able to sleep although I’m totally drained. Do you have a nice bottle somewhere?” “What about the one Skinner gave us when we signed the sales contract for this house?” “You still have that bottle?” “It’s a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it needs to rest a long time. Wine of this quality gets better with age. Just like us,” he added with a smile. “I’ve waited for the right moment to open it and if this is not a good moment to have a first-class wine I don’t know what is. You make yourself comfortable on the couch, I’ll go and fetch it.” He knew exactly where the bottle was, where he had put it all those years ago when Skinner had handed it to him with a smile on his face. Their boss had been as happy and confident as them that settling permanently into a house would be the beginning of a new life for them. It hadn’t come quite as they all had hoped. With Mulder sliding into a depression and Scully thriving as a doctor in her new job they had slowly grown apart. Funny that a relationship so unique as theirs had been susceptible to a development so cliché. But that had been then and now was now. Their son was sleeping peacefully upstairs, they were on the right track repairing their relationship, this was the perfect moment to open this bottle. When he returned from the pantry where he had indeed found the 2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape exactly where he thought it would be, Scully had already resumed her place on the couch next to Daggoo who was snoring slightly in his sleep. A corkscrew and two red wine glasses were waiting for them on the coffee table, most certainly placed on coasters. Scully hated stains on the table’s surface. Mulder placed himself next to her and leaned his back against the backrest. He was holding the bottle in his hands and looked at the label. Skinner had written something on it which had faded over time and was hardly legible anymore. He pulled his new glasses out - progressives, no bifocals - and tried to decipher the words. He had never been good at reading Skinner’s scribble, Scully was so much better at it. “Scully, can you read this?” he asked, passing the bottle to her. She looked at the label and squinted. “I think so,” she said. She didn’t even need glasses. “What does it say? Are you going to tell me?” “It says, 'Always remember who your friends are. Skinner.’ That’s it.” Mulder took the bottle back to open it. He carefully inserted the corkscrew, cautious not to damage the cork which could be brittle after such a long time. After he had pulled it out, he checked for a corky smell but it seemed fine. He poured some of the red liquid into their glasses, the rest into a decanter. The wine would need time to breathe to develop its full taste. He handed a glass to Scully, they clinked, then put the glasses to their lips. Scully only hummed when the liquid was running down her throat, Mulder clicked his tongue. “Jeez, this is good,” he said. “It sure is,” she agreed. “What he wrote on the label makes me think, Mulder.” “Think what?” “That Skinner has always been our friend. That we’ve been unfair to him probably, having thought he betrayed us. Remember when he came to the hospital after my seizure and you started a fight with him?” “He’d acted weird and he did smell like smoke.” “Yes, he did, but we should’ve given him credit instead of assuming he’d be working against us. Looking back at it now, I believe that he was indeed coming to us after a meeting with the Smoking Man, a meeting where he had probably been told about Spender’s deluded idea that he was Jackson’s biological father. Skinner tried to keep this information from us, Mulder. He tried to protect us from it. He has always been our friend, and we were too paranoid to see it.” “We weren’t paranoid, Scully. The threat was real. I had just stopped a man from suffocating you by cutting his throat and then Skinner came stumbling in after having been unreachable for hours, smelling like smoke and wearing a face so explicitly blank…what were we supposed to make of it?” “And still, we should’ve known that he would never switch sides. He’s an honest soul who’s covered our asses more than once.”

“That’s true enough, but when it comes to you, Scully, I will never risk trusting the wrong people.” “Trust no one, huh?” “That motto saved our lives a few times.” Some of the occasions he was referring to came to Scully’s mind. She put the glass to her lips with a sigh and took another sip. The wine had breathed enough already to develop some of the rich, red-fruit aroma and herbaceous note for which it was famous. Scully hummed delightfully. “This really is a good wine, Mulder. I’m glad you remembered you had this in your pantry. You’re not stocked as badly as I thought,” she teased him.   Under normal circumstances, Mulder would have taken her remark as the opening of one of their casual banters but the circumstances weren’t normal. His son was resting safely upstairs in the guest room, or rather the son he had always believed was his. He had heard things tonight that made him doubt his fatherhood. “Is it really true, Scully?” he asked abruptly without any adequate introduction. “Is what true, Mulder?” “That I am his father?” Scully took a sharp intake of breath. She set her glass aside, turned toward Mulder and looked him in the eye. She then took his glass out of his hand and placed it next to hers on the coffee table. Taking his hands in hers, feeling his slight tremor, she gave them a reassuring squeeze before she started speaking.   “Yes, you are his father. I’d been feeling it so strongly from the moment I was told that I was pregnant. You were missing, then gone, and for so many months I believed the baby growing inside me was to be my only connection to you. I knew it was yours.”   “But you ran multiple tests anyway.” “You know me, I seek proof of what I want myself to take as fact. And I got myself proof. I am a thorough scientist, Mulder, my proof is one hundred percent reliable. You are Jackson’s father, the DNA doesn’t lie. If you want, and if Jackson is okay with it, we can do another paternity test.” “No, I trust your scientific evaluation, Scully. I always have.” They smiled at each other briefly before Scully’s expression changed. Mulder’s face had been the one marked by worry a moment ago, now it was hers. “Do you think he will stay with us?” she voiced her concern. “I hope so.” “We just got him back,” Scully whispered close to tears, “I don’t want to lose him again.” “Me neither, but I guess him sleeping upstairs is a good sign. He trusts us. He protected me when he…erm, got rid of those Purlieu people coming after us.” “You mean when he made their bodies explode?” “Yeah, well, our son does have extraordinary abilities. Given all the weird stuff I’ve seen, this wins first prize but what I was getting at is that he made sure I wasn’t harmed. And today he also got us out of there. He wants us to able to be there for him.” “I hope you’re right. If I could be his mother again…” Scully hiccuped. “You have always been his mother, Scully. Maybe he isn’t aware of it, but I am.” “Thank you, Mulder.” They gazed at each other and Mulder’s heart was overflowing with compassion for Scully. How much had this woman had to endure? How come she was still sane and hadn’t gone completely mad after what life had burdened her with? He admired her so much for her strength.   “Jesus Christ, I so want to kiss you right now, Scully. May I?" 

Anxiety over possible rejection was creeping up Mulder’s spine when a tear started running down her cheek but he had to finish what he had started. When she nodded, more tears spilling, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her as softly as he could. This wasn’t about passion but about companionship, about a life lived together, about an unwavering feeling of love for her. 

"We will make this work, Scully. I am sure of it. You, me, and Jackson. We will make this…this family thing work. Maybe he will never call us mom and dad but somehow we will manage to be parents to him.”

Scully leaned into Mulder and put her head on his shoulder. She hummed silently and took another sip of wine. 

“This is nice, Mulder. You and me together here on this couch, this wonderful wine, our son upstairs in the room I had always thought would have been his if things had been different.” Mulder thought back to his earlier conversation with Jackson, how insecure the boy had been about their current relationship and how he fit in. 

“Let’s give it try, Scully. Let’s give Jackson a stable structure, something which comes close to what he had with his adoptive parents. He still is a kid, he shouldn’t have to doubt where he belongs. I want him to feel he belongs to us. Move back in.” His words echoed in the silence that followed. Mulder couldn’t see her reaction to his bold suggestion as Scully’s head was nestled against the spot where his shoulder met his neck. He already feared he had pushed too hard when he heard her whisper, “but there’s no extra room for me anymore.” “Do we really need an extra room? The guest room has always been intended to be his, not yours. Our bed is too big for me alone, it never felt good sleeping in it on my own. I wish for nothing more than us being together again. Not only as co-workers but as partners. Life partners. We could make it legal even, maybe adopt him back if we can. We could be a family. Officially, for everyone to see. The Mulders. Or the Scullys, if you want. I don’t care. I only care about us, us three being together.” Scully straightened and pushed herself back from Mulder. She looked at him with wide eyes. Putting her hand on his forehead, she stammered, “are…are you running a f-fever, Mulder?” “I’m in my right mind, and I am serious.” “Fox William Scully?” she offered, giving him her trademark arching eyebrow. “Mr. Dana Scully,” he replied with a boyish grin, “sounds good to me.” Scully brushed a tear off her cheek and laughed. “I’ll ask you again tomorrow when you’re down from your high; whatever caused it.” Mulder left it at that. He knew there was no use arguing now. She probably needed time to let his suggestion sink in, or rather his proposal. He had really and truly proposed to her! How many years had he waited now to pop the question a second time? What an irony that again she didn’t believe he meant what he said, that he was under the influence of something clouding his judgment. She couldn’t be further from the truth. He was as sober and clear in his head as humanly possible and he had no problems at all asking her again tomorrow. He would ask her as often as necessary until she considered his proposal to be credible. Scully nestled back into Mulder’s side and put her feet on the coffee table. He placed his long legs alongside hers, his thigh touching hers. When her head was back at its prior resting place on his shoulder he kissed her hair. This was exactly how it was supposed to be, he didn’t need more to be happy. Scully in his arms, hopefully, his wife-to-be, his son upstairs in the second bedroom, and the prospect of a family life. It almost ached physically to imagine a happy future was waiting for him around the corner. And then Scully said something that made his heart skip a beat. 

“You should ask Skinner to be your best man.” Now it was Mulder who dissolved their snuggling position. Sitting up straight with eyes wide as saucers and his heart in his mouth, he stammered, “what? Was…was that a yes, Scully? Do I have to check you for fever now?” She laughed wholeheartedly, a sound which had always made his heart swell. “If you could only see your face, Mulder! There’s terror written all over it. You haven’t seen this coming, have you, Mr. Scully?” “You always keep me guessing.” Mulder resumed his prior position next to her. He took her free hand which rested on her thigh and intertwined their fingers. “So? Are we engaged now?” he asked tentatively. “I think so,” Scully answered. “Wow.” “Yeah, wow.”  

On the landing at the top of the stairs, there was another person thinking the same: Wow! They are doing this for me! Jackson had been on his way down to get a glass of water when he had heard his name. He was touched by how anxious they were about him and how much they wanted to make this work. And suddenly they had been talking about marriage and Mulder had even suggested reinstating their parenthood by reversing the adoption. Jackson wasn’t sure what he thought about it, if it would feel like he betrayed the Van De Kamps if he became a Mulder. But no, wait a minute, if at all, he would become a Scully. Jackson Scully…it sounded unfamiliar but okay. Another idea sneaked itself into his mind on its own accord. What if…? No! That wasn’t really an option, was it? Maybe, it was. Maybe it was exactly the right thing to mark this new phase of his life. What if he took his old name? His birth name? If Mulder was willing to let go of his name to mark their family bond, he could do the same, William Scully didn’t sound so bad. William Jackson Scully. He let the name roll off his tongue in a whisper. Fox, Dana and William Scully. The Scullys. It would be the three of them against the rest of the world. It was a soothing thought that made Jackson smile. He abandoned his plan to get some water and retreated to his room. He didn’t want to disturb them downstairs. If they were to kiss again, he didn’t want to be ogling. Jackson had just left his observation post and was closing the door to the guest room behind him as Mulder was cupping Scully’s face and leaning in to kiss her. The boy had escaped his parents’ caresses for now but was doomed to witness them over and over in the time to come.

[wewillwriteyou]

Friends Will Be Friends || Chapter 1

Prologue

A few elements from the main plot: A very special group of friends: early days, drama, laughter, booze, success, rock stars life, girl power, friendship, love, sex, music, misunderstandings, some more drama, family. Pairings in the tags

Summary Chapter 1: Introduction of some of the main characters (Melissa, Roger). We don’t wanna give away to much, just read it lol

Word count: 2.3K

Warnings: mention of alcohol, a little bit of swearing and angst (blink and you won’t see it)

A/N: We’re sooo excited to share with you the first chapter of our story. Please feel free to comment below and let us know what you think. If you need more information, click on the link at the beginning of this post. If you want to be tagged, our tag list is always open 💕

Giggles. That’s the thing that woke Mel that Saturday. Well, that and almost every other Saturday morning of the year, actually.  She slowly got up from the bed, rubbing her eyes and walked towards the source of the noise, which she already knew it to be some floozy girl sitting on the kitchen counter. And there she was, in fact, legs dangling on the counter and sitting on a stool right in front of her, Mel’s brother, Roger, the reason for the girl’s presence.

She was all giggly and flirty, while not so subtly caressing Roger’s arm and thanking him for the previous night and for the impromptu breakfast he had so kindly made for her. Meanwhile, Roger was literally on another planet: he was nodding along with what the girl was saying, barely paying attention and writing something on a scrambled piece of paper.

They were too busy to notice that Mel had made her way into the room and was now standing on the other side of the counter, preparing some coffee to go. She gazed at her brother, giving him a look that said I wish I woke up one Saturday not feeling like we live in a bed and breakfast for one-night-stands. He scrolled his shoulders and kept on writing. That was their way of saying ‘Good morning’.

They performed that same routine since Mel had started uni and moved in with him and his roommate. They grew up in a small city in Cornwall and since Roger moved to London to study biology, it seemed a logical decision for Mel to attend university in London as well. She was into Physics so her high school professor encouraged her to submit for a scholarship at the Imperial and that’s exactly where she ended up.

From where she was standing, Mel noticed a mass of wavy brown hair lying on the couch, feet on the coffee table and book on the lap, trying his best to concentrate on his reading. That was Brian, the third roomer of the apartment. He studied Physics as well but was almost four years ahead of her. He was one of Roger’s best friends and co-founder of a band named Smile, which the two of them had formed a few years before: Roger played the drums, while Brian was on the guitar. They had struggled for a while to find a new singer since their former one left, but eventually another friend of Roger’s, Freddie, joined and things started to work out okay again. The only thing missing was a bass player, but they were working on that.

“I think I should go, thanks again for last night Rog” the girl smirked at Roger “Give me a call sometime”

He smirked back at her as she went toward the door, but Mel knew he would not have called her. That’s just how Roger was like different girl every weekend, sometimes two, one incredible night of passion and then they would never hear from him again. Mel could not understand how those girls put up with him being such a jerk. Although she might have understood why they fell for him at first: he was actually handsome and he was in a band, so that did half of the work.

“Just when I think you could have changed and actually cared about that girl enough to make her breakfast, you ruthlessly shrug her off like that” she teased him.

Roger ruffled her hair passing behind her “There’s no hope for me, little sister” he said jokingly “and also, Brian made breakfast. Thanks mate, by the way”

Brian flipped him off without even lifting his eyes from the book, then added “What time do you get off work tonight Mel?”

“I have a shift from 9 am to 1 pm and then from 2 pm to 7 pm. As usual. Why you ask?” she said, already picturing the answer.

“Do you have any plans after that?” Brian said casually.

“Why. Do. You. Ask?” she repeated more forcefully.

“Well,” he said cautiously “we’re playing at the Riz tonight and you know it’s always kinda… well, it’s not popular, we were wondering if you wanted to come see us. You know, so that we have at least one person in the audience”

Mel snorted “No Bri, you know I hate that place: there are only middle-aged men that make unflattering comments to every young girl who enters the bar”

She didn’t have to look at him, she knew he was making puppy eyes at her, so she sighed “Fine! If – and I say if – my afternoon shift doesn’t kill me, I’ll try to stop by…”

Brian joyfully thanked her, and she excused herself to go get ready for her job.

She worked on Fridays, Saturdays and basically anytime she could at a local shop called Biba: they stored famous and expensive clothing, which she could only admire the beauty of, not being an expert on the subject. It was just a small job to make some extra money and help out Roger with the rent.

As she walked through the doors she was welcomed by her co-workers Mary and Chelsea: all three of them were hired on the same day and had been working there since summer. They often chitchatted during breaks but weren’t properly friends, well Mary and Chelsea were, but Mel never hung out with them outside of work, which was why she was surprised when Mary asked her

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I kinda promised a friend I would quickly stop by the bar where they’re playing, before heading home. But I have all the intention to blow them off in favor of sitting in front of the telly, watching Coronation Street” she answered, already picturing the warmth of the blanket and cup of tea in her hands. “You doing anything special?”

The two girls exchanged a look and Chelsea said:

“Well… a friend of ours is throwing a party near Ealing’s main building and he asked everyone to spread the buzz. Apparently, someone challenged him to gather the biggest number of people he could. There will be music and, hopefully, a lot of alcohol. You interested?”

She almost denied the offer, but she had to admit she was actually pretty tempted and then realized she hadn’t been to a party in a bit.

“I’m in” she finally said with a smile.

The three of them worked peacefully till closing hour and then headed to the party together. She had to admit they were quite good company and they seemed to get along pretty well.

The party was held in the exhibitions area in the Design department of Ealing College, which was unused at that time; Mary and Chelsea knew their way around since they both studied design there. The place was not that crowded but there must have been at least three hundred people, mostly students and half of them was already tipsy due to the pints of beer that were being distributed at the entrance. The girls grabbed one each and dove into the crowd, making their way towards the dance platform.

They chatted for a bit, laughing and starting to feel the alcohol inebriating their mind as they begin to feel the rhythm of the music. While they were dancing Mel felt someone passing behind her to reach Chelsea, grabbing her by the waist and almost making her spill her drink.

“Oh my God Tom I almost spilled all of this on the girls” Chelsea screamed.

He apologized quickly, gave her a kiss and offered to get rid of their empty glasses.

“Are you okay?” Mel asked, seeing the annoyed look on her face.

“No… Yeah… I’m sorry about Tom, he’s – well he’s my boyfriend but we’ve been through a rough time and I didn’t expect him to be here.” she said and thought I hoped he wouldn’t be here.

Chelsea didn’t exactly know how or when it had started but for the last couple of weeks, things between her and Tom had been… different. They had been together for almost three years and known each other since grade school, but all of a sudden, they were unable to communicate with each other without fighting. That’s why she had hoped to have fun that night, trying not to think about the fact that she was considering the idea of breaking up.

“Don’t worry doll, we’re gonna make sure you have fun tonight.” Mary said “C’mon, let’s dance” and she dragged both of them on the dancing floor.

They danced a couple of songs, then the band announced the end of their set, so the girls decided to go for another drink.

“Go find a place we can sit, I’ll go get the drinks” Mel offered, and she made her way to the counter and ordered three more pints. She thanked the bartender and fumbled to keep all of them in her hands when suddenly someone bumped into her back and she lost grip of one of the glasses, pouring the drink on the floor and on the shirt of a guy next to her at the counter.

“Hey would you mind looking where you’re going?” she furiously said. But the person who hit her was already mixed with the crowd.

“What a jackass”

Mel turned around to meet the eyes of the person who just spoke and realized that was the guy she had spilled the beer on.

Her eyes widened as she said “I am so sorry for your shirt”

She grabbed some towels from the counter and added “Here let me help you”

“Don’t worry I was headed home anyway. My band just finished the set so that’s a wrap for tonight” he said jokingly

She grinned “Wait you were playing just now? You guys were good! What do you play?”

“I’m the bassist” he said smiling “It’s very kind of you, but I know we’re not that good” he chuckled.

“Well my brother’s in a band and they replace the bassist almost every two months because they’re all shitty and I was there every time… So trust me when I say that you are actually pretty good”

He flushed and quickly answered “Well in this case, thank you”

They were standing really close, while she was dabbing the towel on his shirt and when she looked up he was looking at her.

He smiled at her and she could feel her cheeks flush bright red, as she smiled back, thinking he had the most handsome smile she had ever seen.

She was brought back to reality by the new band coming up on stage and making the crowd cheer.

“I should go find my friends” she said picking up the pints

His smile vanished and he tried to hide the disappointment “Sure, I think I’ll head home anyway”

She saw him smiling slightly before she turned on her heels and headed towards the tables. She was still smiling when she sat beside Mary.

“How come you only have two?” she asked.

“Oh, well I didn’t feel like drinking another one all by myself” she shrugged her shoulders, restraining a smile.

“What are you all smiley about?” Chelsea asked smirking.

Mel couldn’t help but picture his smile again and chuckled “It’s nothing, I think a drank too much of that stuff, I feel all tipsy” before realizing she hadn’t even asked him what his name was.

Chelsea was not at all convinced, but she decided not to investigate.

She was startled by hand over her shoulder and when she looked up she saw Tom, who said: “We need to talk”

She got up, already knowing how this would have ended up, but decided to confront him once and for all.

“I’m all ears” she said when they distanced themselves enough from the crowd

“What’s going on Chel? You’ve been avoiding me for weeks”

“I’m not avoiding you… I just – I just need a bit of time”

“What for? Don’t you trust me enough to tell me what’s bothering you?”

It was always like that with Tom. Everything was about him. She was so sick of that.

“No, Tom, it’s not you” she snorted “I just think I need a bit of time to sort things out”

“What does that even mean? Are you telling me you want to break up?”

“NO! I didn’t say that! Christ Tom, you are always pushing my buttons!” she yelled, scoffing and rubbing her forehead. She continued calmer “Look, I love you, but you can’t deny we’ve been fighting a lot recently and seem to have lost the ability to communicate properly.”

He looked her dead serious in the eyes and she cautiously carried on “Don’t you think we need a break? I don’t mean breaking up.” She quickly added seeing the look on his face “I just think – carrying on with our lives trying to sort things on our own and then maybe-”

“Maybe what Chelsea?” he blurted out “Are you suggesting we see other people? Oh fuck, is there someone else?” he said running his hands in his hair “Please tell me it’s not John” he added pointing an accusatory finger at her.

“What? No Tom no! We are roommates but he’s my best friend and yours too by the way.” She replied, hurt by his insinuation.

“Tom there is no-one okay? I just want to be by myself for a while, God why can’t you understand that!”

“Well maybe you should stay on your own forever” he spat out “I’m done with this shit. Call me when you’re back being yourself Chel”

He said that with a poisonous tone however she couldn’t help but think he was right. He left, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. She had to get out of there: she bolted through the crowd excused herself with the girls and rushed out in the hallway before they could catch her.

All she wanted to do was scream from the top of her lungs she had had enough. As she walked rapidly towards the apartment where she hoped to find John’s comforting arms, tears started to stream down her face.

Chapters: | next ⤑

[bearofohu]

The Story of Tonight  - Professor Layton LMDA Fanfiction

Rating: K+ (Mentions of birth, newborn babies, panic attacks.)

Summary: Luke and his wife Marina have been anxiously waiting for the arrival of their son for months. After a difficult night of his wife in labor, Luke is faced with his newborn son, a child of his own. Luke is overtaken by panic as he accepts his failure as a father before their life together even begins. Hershel sheds some light on what it means to become a true father to a child.

Author’s Notes: I’ve written so many edgy fanfictions, here’s a wholesome one for once! This is a one-shot and pretty vague without context so make sure you read the summary! If you read my text post before I posted this, you’ll know why I wrote this. My Evil!Luke AU fanfiction is coming out soon for all you guys who love my overbearing angst. The story is actually a lot longer than it was supposed to be. My emotions are a wreck. Also, see if you can catch the shameless Hamilton references.

NOTE: This takes place during the timeline of LMDA, however in an alternate scenario in which the relic stone mystery is never pursued and everyone lives happily ever after as a big ‘ol puzzle family. Hino and his bad writing have no power here.

Luke’s delicate heart seized and ached as the little pink and red bundle in his arms gave a meek whimper of the tiniest discontent as the nurse accelerated the heart machine, so the steady and healthy heartbeat of Marina would be more audible for her inspection. Marina’s pale violet eyes slowly opened and in spite of her exhaustion, she beamed sympathetically and passionately at her sensitive husband as he slowly succumbed to the tears, mirroring the anxious sorrows of his confused newborn son.

“Luke, lovebug,” she said dotingly, sitting up a little straighter in the bed. “It’s alright. Our little boy is okay.”

Luke lowered his head, and his shoulders heaved, overcome with a foreign anxiety, a kind of sympathy pain he had never felt before. The crying of his son was almost unbearable. It made him feel like he was failing as a new father. Already failing.

He remembered Kamilia as her body seized and convulsed with unmedicated labor. He remembered her piercing cries as he clutched her hand and worked on the baby girl that was slowly entering the world.

Luke averted his eyes from his son from just a moment to look up at the six-year-old Katrielle as she sat beside Alfendi on the couch in their room. She was watching him, her eyes shining with passion; she looked rather mystified by this whole ordeal. Young Alfendi was hunched beside her, leaning a little bit over his father’s lap, absolutely dead to the emotional scene around him in exchange for getting consumed by an intense, loud game of Pokemon Red on the Gameboy.

And Hershel sat at the very end of the hospital couch, his eyes trained on Luke, his apprentice. He looked incredibly somber, but the shining sympathy and the threatening mistiness of his eyes allowed the private notion of understanding to pass through the two of them. Hershel knew. How could he not?

Luke knew he would be lying to himself if he said he never ever thought about how life would be different if she had been his daughter.

Kamilia had told him he would make an excellent father as he held Katrielle at her shoulder. How could he make her proud, how could he be all she thought he was if his son was already sobbing in his arms mere hours after birth?

There was a heavy silence in the air as Luke silently sobbed, in spite of the fact the baby boy’s whimpers had long since ceased as their nurse awkwardly excused herself on regards that Marina was in full health. The nurse seemed to be getting pretty sick of being their nurse all day and into three o’clock in the morning, or more specifically, maybe she was getting sick of Luke’s overbearing worry.

“Luke, darling,” Flora said a little flatly, a bemused smile on her face as she rubbed Marina’s back, as the labored woman slowly began to flutter back into sleep, “you do know that newborns cry no matter what, right? You’re not doing anything wrong.” She smiled a little broader at her childhood friend. “Goodness, do you ever stop being a worrywart?”

Luke’s moistened lips parted as the tears that never stopped coming dripped down past them onto his chin, “I-I, I just-- I don’t know w-what to do. Does he w-want me? Did I m-make him cry?”

Kat spoke up a bit meekly, though the emotion in the voice was loud and clear, “Of course he wants you, Uncle Luke!” She said confidently. “He loves you, I know he does!” She turned to her father and nudged him in the shoulder rigorously. The sorrow emitting from her surrogate uncle was obviously making her upset. “Right, papa? You tell him!”

Hershel was completely silent for a few more heartbeats, watching Luke’s shoulders tremble and heave as he lowered his head to rest it lightly on the small and fragile body of his son, who was now peacefully asleep, taking the small and whispering breaths newborns usually take. Then, Luke’s mentor put his hands firmly on his knees and stood up with a bit of aging effort, and came over to his apprentice’s side very slowly. He stood with his shoulder pressed against Luke’s, and then raised a hand to put it down on his apprentice’s shoulder, the grip firm and confident, the aura of Hershel Layton’s assurance and support falling over him once again, like it had when he was a boy, a gesture that soothed his panic and told him to think a bit clearer.

“My boy,” Hershel spoke very softly, and gently, his eyes hard into Luke’s own, forcing them to make eye contact. “You are having a panic attack, and you look very pale. Come to sit with me.”

Katrielle made a huff of displeasure, obviously, this was not the assurance she was expecting. However, Luke was beginning to feel the lightness of his head, his physical health succumbing to the mental strain of his panic. He nodded very slowly, tears falling from his chin.

Flora abruptly stood up from Marina’a sleeping side and was briskly there in an instant, almost eager to get a chance to hold her surrogate nephew a second time. “You sit, Luke.” She said firmly. “I’ve got your little dork.”

Luke couldn’t stop a weak but genuine smile from entering his features. Taking one more hard, affectionate look at his son, he passed him over into the arms of Flora as gently and gingerly as possible. He found himself beginning to lean against his mentor’s shoulder as the faintness of his head got worse and worse. Sensing this, Hershel began to slowly lead him towards another small couch near the back exit of the room, supporting nearly all of his weight until he slowly settled the younger man down into a sitting position, and then sat beside him.

Everyone watched the pair as Hershel put a comforting hand on Luke’s knee after a long silence. Luke was slowly feigning nausea by putting his eyes in his hands and breathing deeply.

“Luke.” Hershel said slowly and clearly, rubbing the knee of his apprentice just a little bit, “Do you remember when you helped deliver?” He prompted quietly. Luke quickly picked up on the vagueness of the question, as to not make Katrielle uncomfortable by making it obvious they were recounting her difficult birth. She simply watched them, oblivious, but intent.

“Y-yes.” Luke rasped, shaking vigorously only one more time before his trembling began to die down.

“She cried, did she not? As you held her, did she cry?” Hershel pressed, refusing to break eye contact despite Luke’s face being held in his own hands.

“She cried,” Luke breathed, slowly removing his humiliated, tearful face from his hands.

“Luke.” Hershel said very softly, almost too quiet for everyone else to hear as he touched Luke’s chin and lifted it up with his two fingers to where they were looking each other straight on, “when babies come into the world, it is entirely foreign to them. They weep to convey things they do not understand. They do not cry because they are not happy with who is holding them. Your little son is only three hours old. My boy, look at him.”

Luke followed his mentor’s gaze. Flora stared back at him as she sat at Marina’s side, his newborn son sleeping softly in her arms.

“Your boy fell asleep in your arms, even though he cried at first. It was because he was confused. He does not understand the world around him. But your presence soothed him into sleep.”

“That’s a pretty stupid baby,” Alfendi muttered under his breath from where he sat next to his sister, obviously simply upset because his Gameboy had just lost battery. His words were not made from spite or hatred for his uncle’s newborn… his Gameboy was just dead, and he was hungry, and he didn’t want to go to school tomorrow. Katrielle elbowed him in the ribs from where she was sitting, causing him to yelp.

Luke was oblivious to exchange happening to Hershel’s two children, as was Hershel. They were simply staring deeply at each other, two souls afflicted with similar losses, one had watched the other grow up, and now he sat with the honor of watching the boy he practically raised receive his own son.

Hershel’s eyes fell downcast for just a moment as if he was deep in thought before he turned back to look Luke straight in the eye.

“I remember when Claire and I held you, in a room just like this. When you were only a few hours old. Your mother was exhausted. Your father was overwhelmed with emotions I had never seen from him.”

A stricken silence fell on the room.

“I will never forget how you cried and cried, Luke. Nonstop. You were just like your baby that is with us now. I handed you back to Claire over and over again because I was terrified I was hurting you.”

Luke began to give quiet, strained sobs as he lowered his head and pressed it against his mentor and dear friend’s chest.

“Listen to me. Do not accept failure before your journey even starts.” Hershel said firmly.

“Your son will love you and Marina as much as I did. He will dote upon you both.”

“I know he will.”

[greysfanpage388]

I’m A Fighter - part 3

 Hey guys- here is chapter 3 of  ‘I’m A Fighter’. This chapter describes Amelia’s recovery at home, post operatively- and depicts her interactions with Owen, Addison and Megan. Enjoy!!! :)

P.s. I apologize in advance for this chapter being even more lengthy than usual. :P  Guess I got a little carried away

p.p.s Thank you @jia911 for helping me to proofread and @francescabuccino for giving me feedback! You guys are amazing <3

 Here are the links for chapters 1 and 2 of the series if you haven’t managed to read them yet :

 http://ailingnoor.tumblr.com/post/165995047136/im-a-fighter

 http://ailingnoor.tumblr.com/post/166248359631/im-a-fighter-chapter-2

 It was raining heavily as Amelia stared out of the car window, not noticing Owen looking at her.

She was finally going home after several months, and it was a weird feeling indeed.

Now that the tumor had been removed from her, she felt like an entirely different person altogether. Like what DeLuca had pointed out- she was so used to being sick and having a tumor growing inside her head that when it was finally removed, she felt like something was missing. The tumor had been a part of her for so long that she didn't know who she was anymore now that it was gone.

The recovery from the surgery had been painful. She was in a coma and intubated for 11 hours, spoke only French for the first day, and was in extreme pain for the first couple of days. Most of all, she was confused and scared. She didn’t know what lied ahead of her. Would she still be the same person? The same wacky, sarcastic Amelia who loved to make witty remarks? Would she still be able to remain a surgeon? Could she still operate on patients with the same surgical precision as before?

The most pressing question in her mind was-would her relationship with Owen still be the same? If her proposal to him and getting married to him, but also running away from him was due to the tumor- then what would happen now between them, with the tumor being removed from the equation?

 As they reached a traffic light, she turned away from the window to look at Owen, who was gazing at her lovingly. He seemed to be so glad that she was finally following him home. 

She had offered him an out- saying that she didn’t know who she was anymore and that he was free to leave her. She had even planned to stay with Meredith and Maggie as she was recovering, not wanting to place a burden on him. To her pleasant surprise, he walked towards her instead and took her hands in his, claiming that he married her and not the tumor, adding that they were together in sickness and in health. To top it off, he asked her to come home with him.

 Of course, she noticed that he wasn’t there by her side during the first couple of days post-operatively when she was in pain. Meredith, Maggie, Addison and even DeLuca took turns to visit her, but not Owen. She didn’t blame him though, she knew that he was still confused, angry and upset about all her actions during the past year and was also still reeling from the shock of discovering that she had a brain tumor. Furthermore, his sister Megan also needed him by her side. He would also have been out grocery shopping, buying her favorite food and adjusting the thermostat at home to prepare for her homecoming.

Sometimes, she really wondered what did she do to deserve such a wonderful man in her life.

As their eyes met and they looked at each other lovingly, Amelia rested her hand on Owen’s lap and he placed his hand on top of hers. With the tumor gone, nothing was going to get in between them now.

15 minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the house, which seemed dark and abandoned. With Amelia not staying there for the past few months, and Owen spending most of his time at the hospital, the house seemed to be unoccupied and this gave it an eerie feeling.

As they entered the house and Owen switched on the lights, Amelia looked around, inspecting the house which she had not stepped foot in for the past few months.

The entire living room looked the same as she remembered, except that it had been tidied. The couch, the TV, everything was still in the exact position as she recalled. On the coffee table were several bouquets of flowers, all labeled ‘Happy Homecoming, Amelia.’

Tears now welling up in her eyes, Amelia walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, which was stocked with all her favorite food, including yogurt and frozen pizza.

 ‘Owen- thank you so much for doing this for me.’ Amelia said gratefully as she walked over to him and embraced him in a hug. 

 ‘You’re my wife, Amelia, and I’m just so glad that you’re home.’ Owen replied as he kissed her tenderly on the top of the forehead.

He then cupped her face in his hands as they looked at each other in the eyes, full of love.

He now reached down to kiss her on the lips as she tiptoed to reciprocate, and they kissed passionately.

 ‘Welcome home, Amelia.’ Owen whispered into her ear, hugging her tightly.

 ‘I’m so glad to be home.’ Amelia muttered, still in his embrace. 

She realized that it felt so good to be back home where she belonged.

_______________________________________________________________

 Later that night, the couple were both snuggled up in bed, cuddling each other, just savoring the moment of being in each other’s embrace.

Owen didn’t realize how much he missed having Amelia in his arms. Amelia didn’t realize how much she missed Owen’s strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe and secure.

Amelia suddenly released herself from Owen’s arms and darted to the bathroom to throw up. She was still experiencing some nausea and vomiting post surgery.

Without hesitation, Owen rushed over to her and rubbed circles on her back as he held her hair up. It broke his heart to see her so ill and he wished he could do something to make her feel better.

When she had nothing left to throw up- she sank on the floor groaning.

 ‘I hate this. ‘she muttered.  ‘Koracick did warn me about having occasional bouts of nausea for the first-week post op.’

 ‘I’m sorry, is there anything else I can do to help? ‘Owen asked, feeling helpless and wishing that there was more he could do to help her.

 ‘Its ok, I’m just grateful to you for being here with me.’ Amelia replied weakly.

Owen carried her to the bedroom and lied her down on the bed.

He climbed on the bed beside her and held her close to him as she slowly dozed off in his arms, comforted by the warmth of his touch.

As she slept peacefully, he looked at her, noting how beautiful she looked even as she was sleeping. 

He couldn’t help but feel guilty for almost breaking up with her. He was about to break up with her that very moment he discovered that she had a brain tumor, which most likely was the cause of her irrational decisions. He was so angry and confused about her actions- yelling at his face that she didn’t want a baby and subsequently running away when she had been on board trying for a baby just a couple of weeks prior to that. Now that he understood her irrational decisions were due to her tumor, he felt so guilty for being angry at her for something which was beyond her control. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she continued sleeping peacefully.

Now that she was back in his arms, he vowed in his heart to make it up to her and love her even more.

He finally drifted off to sleep too, feeling the comfort of her in his arms.

That night, they both slept peacefully, snuggled up to each other for the first time in months.

_______________________________________________________________

 The next morning

The bright sunlight shining through the bedroom window woke Amelia up from her sleep. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she looked around the bedroom as she came to her senses and realized that she was actually sleeping in her own bedroom for the first time in several months. The bedside clock showed 8:30 am.

Turning over to the other side of the bed, her heart sank when she noticed that Owen’s side of the bed was empty. As far as she recalled, Owen had taken another few days off work to be by her side. Where could he be?

Groaning as she felt a headache, she slowly got out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. On the way to the bathroom, a note placed on the bedside table caught her eye.

She walked over to the bedside table and picked up the note. A smile formed on her face as she saw Owen’s familiar scrawly handwriting.

 ‘ Dear Amelia

I got called to help out in the ER today as there was a huge pile-up which brought a sudden influx of patients. But I’ll be back as soon as I can in the evening. I have called Addison and she is coming over to accompany you today.

P.s. I love you’

 As she slowly went down the stairs after her shower, she thought she smelt the aroma of coffee. For a moment, she wondered whether she was imagining it.

To her pleasant surprise, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Addison in the kitchen pouring two cups of coffee.

She smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

‘ Oh hey.’ Addison greeted her cheerfully. ‘ You’re awake! I’ve made a cup of coffee for you as well, just as you like it. 

Amelia took a seat next to Addison beside the kitchen table as she sipped the coffee. It tasted heavenly.

‘ Thank you, Addie.’ she said gratefully. ‘ It tastes perfect.’

Glad that her friend liked the coffee she made for her, Addison added, ‘ I’ve made waffles too. Chocolate and peanut butter waffles, which are your favorite. You were the one who taught me how to make those waffles.’ Addison admitted as she sliced a piece and placed it on a plate in front of Amelia. ‘ Jake and Henry love them. I always make it for breakfast.’

‘ I’m glad that you put the skills I taught you to good use.’ Amelia said chuckling. ‘ Unfortunately, I’m not a good cook when it comes to lunch and dinner though. Owen is a much better cook than I am.’

The two women exchanged a smile. 

‘ Speaking of Owen, he called me early this morning asking me to accompany you for the whole day.’ Addison admitted. ‘ I was actually contemplating coming over before his call, but I was afraid I would disturb your privacy. ‘

‘ You mean you’re afraid you would find us making out on the couch or going even further than that?’ Amelia winked at Addison.

‘ Ugh… don’t give me that visual.’ Addison groaned playfully as she pretended to dismiss the thought with a wave of her hand.

‘ Well- I do remember walking in on you and Sam at home one time.' Amelia teased as Addison covered her face with her hands.

' You still remember that.' Addison muttered.

' Of course, I do. This is a good thing because it shows that my memory is still intact.' Amelia replied cheerfully.

‘ You seem to be feeling better now. I’m glad.’ Addison pointed out, changing the topic.

‘ I’m still having some headache.’ Amelia admitted.

‘ Studies show that caffeine helps with a migraine.’ Addison said. ‘ So finish your coffee.’

Amelia closed her eyes as she savored the taste of coffee going down her throat.

‘ It feels a little weird, enjoying breakfast in the morning without having to rush to work.’ Amelia admitted as she took a bite of her waffle. ‘ Oh my God, Addie, this tastes so delicious!’

‘ Do you even make them yourself anymore?’ Addison asked as she narrowed her eyes.

‘ Well, I do make them sometimes, for my sisters, nieces, and nephew. Owen loves them too. But your waffles top mine.’ Amelia said as she took another bite of the waffle.

‘ Well, I learned from the best.’ Addison smiled as she looked at Amelia enjoying her breakfast.

There was a comfortable silence in the kitchen as both women enjoyed their food. 

‘ Amelia- how long have you not been home?’ Addison asked, breaking the silence.

‘ A few months.’ Amelia noted. ‘ We were both planning to try for a baby right away. But I suddenly felt suffocated by my fear of having another anencephalic baby. Instead of talking it through with him and admitting my fears to him, I shouted at his face that he was suffocating me like he did to Cristina, and I ran away from him. In retrospect, I think it was the tumor. But I have to take responsibility for my actions too.’

Addison wondered silently whether Amelia’s action of running away from James was also caused by her tumor. It might be too late to save James and Amelia’s relationship, but it wasn’t too late to salvage Amelia’s relationship with Owen.

 ‘I hope Owen understands now that you had no control over your actions, and that it was not your fault.’ Addison said. ‘ He seems to be a really nice and understanding guy.’

Amelia swallowed hard before replying. ‘ That day when he found out about the tumor, he was about to break up with me, Addie. He was really mad at me for running away from him. When he saw my name on the scans and realized that those were mine- you could see the look of guilt and devastation on his face. He was there to support me after that.'

Addison remained silent, not wanting to interfere in her friend’s personal life, but wanting to just be there for her. 

 ‘He wasn’t there when I was in pain post-op. You were there, Maggie and Meredith were there. But he wasn’t. Knowing him, I think he was hurt, confused and couldn’t take seeing me in so much pain.’ Amelia continued.  ‘I gave him an out yesterday- I told him that I don’t know who I am anymore and that he was free to leave me. But he refused to leave and instead claimed that I’m his wife in sickness and in health. His words really melted my heart.'

‘ I agree- maybe he was hurt, confused and couldn’t bear to see you in so much pain.’ Addison said.

 I’m just so grateful that he’s here to support me now, after how I’ve treated him- running away from him with no explanation. I know it’s due to the tumor, but I would’ve left myself. Owen is such a great guy indeed.’ Amelia admitted.

‘ Amelia.’ Addison said as she held Amelia’s hand. ‘ You should stop blaming yourself. You couldn’t control your actions because of the tumor. Now that the tumor is gone- you can be yourself again. It might take quite a while for you and for those around you to adjust to the new normal, but once you’ve adjusted, you will be fine.'

‘ I hope so.’ Amelia shrugged as she took another bite of her waffle.

Just then, her phone rang. 

‘ It’s Charlotte calling through FaceTime.’ she announced as she answered the call, and signaled Addison to move closer to her.

‘ Amelia!’ Charlotte exclaimed, excited to see her friend. ‘ How are you doing?! Oh, you have a nice headband there.’

‘ Yeah…. For a moment post-operatively, I thought I was gorked, and it was a scary feeling. I was in extreme pain for the first day and spoke French, a language which I didn’t know I still speak. But I’m fine now, except for some headache, nausea, and vomiting.’ Amelia admitted. 

‘ I’m so glad that you’re ok.’ Charlotte said earnestly.‘ I would give you a hug right now if I was there. Can you give her a hug for me, Addie?’

‘ At your service.’ Addison chuckled as she gave Amelia a tight hug.

Amelia continued chatting with Charlotte for several more minutes before the rest of the L.A. gang joined Charlotte in the kitchen. Amelia took turns to speak to each one of them personally. 

‘Amelia,' Sam said suddenly as she was chatting with him.  ‘Look who is here to pay a visit.'

Amelia gasped as she saw Sheldon walk into the kitchen.

 ‘Sheldon!!’ she exclaimed. ‘ I’ve missed you so much! ‘

 ‘I’ve missed you too.’ he said, smiling at his old friend as he waved at her.

They spent a good half an hour chatting, catching up on each other's lives, as Sheldon filled Amelia in about his impromptu trips around the world. After Miranda had passed, he took her last words to heart and traveled to every continent in the world. He was determined to enjoy life to the fullest, making full use of the second chance in life he had been given. Amelia loved receiving postcards from him. 

The rest of the L.A. gang added to the conversation at times, as a cheerful atmosphere filled the kitchen of Oceanside Wellness and also the Hunt home.

By the time Amelia had finished chatting with her friends, an hour had passed and she was feeling much better.

Addison and Amelia spent the entire day watching romantic chick flicks and eating ice cream and frozen pizza.

_______________________________________________________________

 Owen returned home early that evening, and Addison excused herself to return back to her hotel room.

Owen and Amelia were sitting in the living room, relaxing on the couch after having some grilled chicken which Owen cooked for dinner. Owen had just finished changing Amelia's bandage.

Amelia was starting to feel a little exhausted from chatting and watching movies with Addison for the whole day.

‘ You feeling better now?’ Owen asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her near to him. She snuggled close to him, resting her head on his chest and feeling the warmth of his heartbeat.

‘ A little better. Addison was a great companion and kept me entertained for the whole day. We watched movies and ate pizza. And I FaceTimed my L.A. friends too.’ Amelia answered, smiling.

 ‘ I’m glad that she’s here to keep you company. She seems like a very good friend indeed.’ Owen said earnestly.

‘ Yes, she’s much more of a sister to me than my biological sisters.’ Amelia admitted.

‘ You sure you don’t want me to call your mom or any of your sisters to come over?’ Owen asked.

‘ No.’ Amelia answered adamantly. ‘ They weren’t here for our wedding, they don’t get to be here for my recovery.’

‘ Well ok.’ Owen conceded. ‘ I respect your decision. I just thought that you need some support from your family.’

‘ They are not family. You are my family. Maggie, Meredith and our other colleagues are my family. My friends in L.A. are my family.’ Amelia answered.

Owen remained silent, feeling sorry for Amelia that her family members weren’t more supportive of her.

They sat in comfortable silence on the couch, staring at the TV which was airing a family drama, but not really watching it.

Sighing, Owen picked up the remote control and switched off the TV.

‘ Amelia.’ he said. ‘ I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for being such an ass recently. I could sense that there was something wrong with you and it was not your normal behavior. But instead of supporting you and trying to find out why,  I blamed you and thought you were behaving irrationally. I even thought that you were using again. I was upset, angry and confused about the time you ran away from me. In my mind, I blamed myself, wondering what did I do wrong to cause you to run away.’

 ‘It’s ok- you were hurt, confused and angry. You didn’t understand why I ran away. ‘Amelia said.

 ‘Yes, I was angry with you, but that didn’t excuse my kiss with Teddy.  ‘Owen admitted. ‘ I was hurting and upset, and I didn’t know where you were. She was there with me at that time, offering me support and comfort, which I took advantage of. She pushed me away, saying that we should remain just friends and nothing more than that. In hindsight, I realize that I was just acting at the spur of the moment. I don’t feel the same way about her as I feel about you. She’s just a friend- but you, you’re my wife and the love of my life.’

 Amelia remained silent for a moment as she tried to process his words, She would be lying if she said that it didn’t hurt, because it did. 

 ‘Well - I would be lying to the both of us if I say that hearing your admission doesn't hurt, because it does.’ she admitted.  ‘But I’m glad that you’re being upfront and honest to me about it, instead of keeping it a secret from me. I know you were hurt and acted out in the spur of the moment that time. I trust you when you say that you both are just friends and nothing more than that. I hope I can continue to trust you on that.’ she said as she looked at him in the eyes.

 ‘ Yes, you can trust me, Amelia.’ said Owen as he held her hands and looked back at her with pleading eyes.  ‘I promise I will never hurt you again.’

‘ I’m so sorry for running away too.’ Amelia admitted. ‘ I know it’s a stupid and irrational thing to do. Yes- I was, and still am afraid of having another anencephalic baby. But I should have opened up to you and discussed it with you instead of running away like that. I just couldn’t control my actions. I was hurt and confused too. Now I know why.’

A brief moment of silence passed as Owen tried to process Amelia’s words.

‘ You had an anencephalic baby before?’ he asked softly. He remembered her briefly mentioning to him about her baby in the hospital chapel when they were lighting a candle for Samuel Avery, but they were merely colleagues that time, and she never brought up the topic anymore after that.

‘I did.’ she replied. ‘It was Ryan’s. He was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I held him in my arms for several minutes before he developed respiratory distress and had to be taken away from me. When Addison and Jake took him away,  it was like a piece of me was being taken away, and it left a hole in my heart. I called him my unicorn baby because he was miraculous. I was given the option to abort him earlier on,  but I decided to carry him to term so that he could donate his organs. In the end, after his birth, he donated his organs and saved lots of lives during his short time here on earth.’ 

‘I’m so sorry to hear that, Amelia. That’s a very honorable thing to do.’ Owen whispered, as he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze as a gesture of support. He respected her even more now. Not every woman would willingly carry their anencephalic baby to term just so that they could donate their baby’s organs. It was such a noble thing to do.

Amelia shook her head as a stray tear rolled down her cheek.

 ‘I still miss him so much and think about him sometimes, when I’m alone. I wonder if he’s happy up there with Ryan, Derek and Dad. Maybe they’re taking good care of him. ‘ she sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. 

Owen’s heart broke at her admission. He couldn’t imagine losing a child after holding the child in his arms. He held her tight, rubbing soothing circles on her back, at loss of words to say to her.

 ‘ That’s the reason why I’m afraid to have another baby. I’m afraid that our baby would be anencephalic too.’ Amelia admitted. ‘It was the main reason I ran away actually. In my tumor filled mind, I was afraid that you would leave me if our baby had any abnormality.’

 ‘Amelia, I would never leave you, regardless of whether we have healthy babies or not. Remember, we are married. We are in this together. ‘Owen said earnestly.

  ‘I know. Which is why I feel so guilty for running away from you without an explanation. ‘Amelia admitted.  ‘I should have opened up to you and talked to you about my innermost fears instead of just shouting at your face that I didn’t want a baby after agreeing to try for one just a couple of weeks prior to that. I knew that running away was the wrong thing to do but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t control my actions. I didn’t even know the person I was becoming anymore.’ she added as another stray tear rolled down her cheek.

 ‘It’s ok, Amelia, I didn’t get it back then, but I do now. You had no control over your actions. But now that the tumor has been removed, you can return back to being you.’ Owen said comfortingly.

 ‘To being me? I don’t even know who the real me is anymore.’ Amelia said as she shook her head sadly.

 ‘ You are brave, strong, amazing, intelligent, compassionate, kind, caring person and an extraordinarily skilled neurosurgeon. That's the real you.’ Owen said earnestly as he took Amelia’s hands and looked her in the eye.

As she blushed, he cupped her face in his hands, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

 ‘I love you so much, Amelia. Listen, we don’t need to have babies just yet. When the time comes, we’ll talk about it. But right now, we’ll just enjoy each other first, ok?’ he suggested.

 ‘Ok. I love you too.‘Amelia answered as she leaned back on his chest and he held her tight.

 ‘Owen?’ Amelia asked as she looked up at him.

  ‘Yes? ‘he answered as he looked at her lovingly.

 ‘Will I still be a neurosurgeon again? If yes, will my surgical skills still be the same as before? ‘she asked, fear and worry evident in her eyes and in the tone of her voice.

 ‘ Of course, you will. ‘ Owen said confidently. ‘ Remember what Dr.Koracick said? He said that you will return to being the brilliant neurosurgeon you are in a month’s time. He’s confident that your surgical skills haven’t been affected at all. 

 ‘But he’s cocky. He always talks highly of himself. What if I am not as good as before? My patients will pay the price.’ Amelia said, frowning, as the reality of the situation hit her hard.

 ‘ Amelia, listen.’ Owen said as he cupped her face in his hands again. ‘You will go back to becoming the amazing, brilliant, talented, skilled neurosurgeon you are. It might take longer than expected, and require a lot of hard work and determination. But you’ll pull through like you always do, being the strong fighter you are. I have full faith and confidence in you, so you should too. ' he said as he looked at her, an honest expression in his eyes.

Feeling encouraged by her husband’s support and confidence in her, Amelia leaned back to Owen, feeling the comfort of his hands wrapped around her shoulder. She had to admit, she really missed his touch for the past couple of months and it felt good to finally be back in his arms.

_______________________________________________________________

 Throughout the following week, Amelia continued recuperating at home. It was a welcomed change for the first few days, just lazing around the house, not having to rush to the hospital to round on pre and post-operative patients early in the morning. It felt good, not having to rush back and forth from the ER to the OR and skipping lunch. She could sit down on the couch in front of the TV to enjoy a proper meal while watching her favorite TV shows. 

Addison had returned back to L.A., after expressing remorse for not being able to spend more time with Amelia due to work obligations. But she promised to FaceTime her daily.

Meredith and Maggie took turns visiting her when they weren’t at work, bringing the Shepherd children to cheer her up.

For a few days, Owen stayed at home to accompany her. He would make breakfast for her in the mornings, and prepare her favorite food for lunch and dinner.

It was bliss as she snuggled on the couch in front of the TV beside him, leaning onto him as they binged watched TV shows and movies. Owen had bought plenty of chocolate ice cream, her favorite dessert, which she savored while they binge-watched.

Night times were spent snuggled in bed, with him reading journals and her reading some story books which she purchased but never had the time to read before. They would chat for hours about their past, their families, their innermost secrets, and dreams.

They both felt that they had discovered more about each other during these few days than in the past months they had been married.

Amelia confessed to Owen how her family had always treated her as a disappointment, and how she always felt like she was the black sheep of the family. Owen confessed about how he still felt guilty deep inside about what happened to Megan, although she had assured him repeatedly that she forgave him and it wasn’t his fault. Amelia comforted him, saying that she knew what it felt like, but at least Megan was still alive and he still had the chance to make things right with her.

They would then fall asleep on their huge comfortable bed, snuggled close to each other.

_______________________________________________________________

 After a few days, Owen had to return back to work. He wasn't able to take a longer leave due to a shortage of trauma surgeons in the ER. He was reluctant to leave Amelia alone at home, but she assured him that she would be fine. 

The first day of being left alone in the house, Amelia was bored out of her mind.  Both Meredith and Maggie were at work, so she had no one to keep her company. She focused her energy on doing household chores, sweeping and vacuuming the entire house clean. The furniture was dusted, decorations rearranged, and windows scrubbed clean.

Owen called from work, reminding her to rest and take care of herself. She promised him on the phone that she would rest, but returned to doing household chores instead.

That evening, she attempted to prepare dinner for Owen before he returned home from work. Her attempt to grill chicken was unsuccessful as she set the fire alarm off. 

Owen came home to a tearful wife that evening. He comforted her, saying that he was touched by her effort and she should rest and not attempt to cook for him. They ended up ordering pizza that night.

 ‘Amelia, you’re supposed to rest and recuperate at home, not do housework.’ Owen said as they were snuggled on the couch that night. 

 ‘I know, but I just can’t help it. I’m going crazy without anything to do at home and anyone to keep me company.’ she admitted.  ‘I cannot chat with my L.A. friends for the whole day, they have patients to tend to. Also, I will go crazy watching sappy soap operas and reading sappy novels the whole day.’

Owen chuckled, acknowledging the truth in her words.

 ‘How about I let Megan keep you company?’ he suggested as Amelia gave him an incredulous look.  ‘ Her fever has subsided and her white blood count is back to normal. She is going to be discharged tomorrow and I’m thinking of letting her rest at home too. She insisted on staying with our mom, but I asked her to come home to stay with us for a few days first, as mom needs a little more time to prepare the house for her homecoming.'

 ‘Your sister who hates me and says that I’m a terrible wife to you?’ she asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Her blood was starting to boil again, as he didn’t even ask for her permission to bring his sister back. She tried to calm herself down, knowing that she had to think and act rationally. After taking a deep breath, she realized that Megan was Owen’s sister after all, and he had every right to bring his own sister back to their house. Still, it would have been nice if he had consulted her first.

 ‘She doesn’t hate you, Amelia. She just doesn’t know you yet. Once she gets to know you, she’ll love you, I’m sure.’ Owen said as Amelia pretended to be interested in the game show they were watching.

‘ What are we supposed to talk about?’ Amelia muttered.  ‘The weather?’

Owen chuckled at her sarcastic remark. He was glad that the Amelia with the witty remarks was back.

 ‘You should give her a chance.’ he said. ‘ I spoke to her again for quite some time yesterday, telling her about what an amazing person you are. She trusts me, and it seemed like she believed me yesterday. I told her to give you a chance too.’ Owen said earnestly.

 ‘ Both of you have rather similar personalities and I think you’ll get along well with each other.’

 ‘Well, okay.’ Amelia said hesitantly.

‘ Besides, you wouldn’t be alone with her. Her son, Farouk would be with her.’ said Owen.

 ‘ Alright.’ Amelia conceded. ‘ I’ll try. I’ll be nice to her. But you have to make it up to me later’ she said, winking at him.

 ‘Amelia! I thought Dr. Koracick said no sex for at least a few weeks!’ Owen exclaimed, a horrified look on his face.

‘ I don’t mean that! I mean ice cream and cuddles on the living room couch! ‘Amelia retorted as she smacked him playfully on the arm.

They both laughed as they snuggled close to each other on the couch and continued watching TV.

_______________________________________________________________

 Megan and Farouk arrived at the house at 10 a.m. the next day. Owen had gone to the hospital to pick them up.

Amelia was sitting alone on the living room couch, waiting anxiously for her sister-in-law’s arrival. 

Her heart beat fast when she heard the front door unlock and a little boy’s excited voice outside the door.

She straightened her hair as she walked towards the door to greet them.

Megan was dressed in street clothes for the first time since she saw her, and beside her was a cute Middle Eastern boy.

‘ Hey.’ she greeted politely.

To her pleasant surprise, Megan smiled at her.

‘ Hey.’ she greeted back.

‘ Farouk, this is your aunt Amelia.’ she said as she bent down to speak to the child. ‘ Say hi to her.’ 

‘ Hi aunt Amelia.’ the boy greeted cheerfully as he extended a hand for her to shake.

‘Amelia, this is my son, Farouk.’ Megan said. 

‘ Hey, Farouk. Nice to meet you.’ Amelia said,  finding herself smiling. too. Megan had done a great job of raising this kid right, she thought to herself.

As Owen lead Megan to the guestroom, carrying her luggage for her, Amelia was left alone with Farouk in the living room.

‘ Wow, this is such a nice house!’ Farouk exclaimed as he admired the interior of the house. 

 ' Thanks.’ Amelia replied.  ‘ It usually isn’t this tidy.’

 ‘Wow! You have lots of books!' Farouk pointed out excitedly as he ran over to the mini library set up at the corner of the living room.

 ‘Yes, they’re all adult books though.’ Amelia answered. ‘ Do you like reading?’

 ‘ Yes, I do.’ Farouk said excitedly.  ‘They don’t have English books over there though. My mom was the one who taught me English.’

 ‘That’s good.’ Amelia said smiling.  ‘The more languages you learn, the better.’

 ‘Do you want to watch TV? ‘ she asked, switching on the TV for him. ‘ What do you like to watch?’

 ‘I don’t know. There isn’t much to watch on TV over there.’ the boy answered. 

 ‘You can watch as much TV as you want here.’ Amelia said. ‘ Do you watch cartoons?’ she asked as she switched to a channel which the Shepherd kids loved to watch.

By the time Owen came down the stairs with Megan, Farouk was already engrossed in the new children’s TV show he had discovered.

‘ Make yourselves comfortable, alright?’ Owen said to his wife, sister and nephew. ‘I’ll be back in the evening. I love you all.’

 ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have a blast.’ Megan said as she winked at him.

He ruffled Farouk's hair playfully before giving Megan a hug. He then walked over to Amelia and kissed her gently on the lips before whispering in her ear.  ‘It’s ok, she’s nice, trust me.’

Amelia nodded as she smiled up at him reassuringly.

 ‘I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.’ she whispered back.  ‘Now, go save some lives.’

As Owen left, only the sound of the TV was heard, as Farouk continued being engrossed in the show and Amelia and Megan both struggled to find the right words to say to each other.

‘ He’s such a good boy.’ Amelia said, breaking the silence.

‘ He is.’ Megan agreed, smiling. ‘His parents were killed in an air strike years ago, and he had no relatives left. He had no one. He was crying and looking at me with pleading eyes. I just had to take him in.’

 ‘That’s very noble of you.’ Amelia said earnestly, having new found respect for her sister-in-law.

 ‘ Now I can't imagine my life without him. I was afraid I would be separated from him forever and wouldn’t be able to get him back. So imagine my joy when he appeared in front of me last week.’ Megan admitted. ‘I’m forever grateful to Nathan and Meredith for helping to bring him to me.’

 ‘I can imagine.’ Amelia said earnestly as she nodded. For a brief moment, she wondered what her life would have been like had her unicorn baby still been alive

Another tense silence came in between them as Megan struggled to find the right words to say to Amelia. Ever since Owen told her about Amelia having a tumor, she had felt remorse for misjudging and making assumptions about her. Owen had explained to her that Amelia was usually a very funny, smart, kind, caring, loving and compassionate woman, and that her actions were probably caused by the tumor.

‘ You never got to know her.’ Owen had said. ‘ You will love her once you get to know her.’ 

‘ Well, ok, since you’re my big brother and I always trust your judgment, I’ll try to get to know her.’ Megan had conceded, rolling her eyes playfully at him.

Megan cleared her throat before she began.

‘ I’m sorry.’ she said.

Amelia turned to look at her, puzzled.

‘ Sorry for what?’ she asked.

‘ I’m sorry for misjudging you and making assumptions about you.’ Megan admitted. ‘ I wondered where you were when I first arrived and Owen was there by my side taking care of me. I asked him why weren’t you there by his side taking care of him and offering him emotional support. I assumed that you were a distant type of person who didn’t care much about your marriage. I questioned his marriage to you. I even told him that he deserved better. I didn’t know that you were also fighting your own battle that time. Owen explained to me that the tumor caused you to be unable to control your actions, and now I understand. I’m so sorry.’

Amelia looked at Megan and saw the honest expression in her sister-in-law’s face and the earnest tone in her voice.

‘ I accept your apology and I don’t blame you.’ she said honestly. ‘I wouldn’t like me either if I were in your shoes. When you first arrived, I just disappeared while Owen was still coming to terms with you reappearing in his life. As his wife, I should have been there to support him, but instead, I was nowhere to be found. So I totally understand why you would think that way. You were just looking out for your sibling because you love him. If my brother’s wife disappeared when he needed her, I would have thought the same.’

Megan nodded in relief, grateful that they could have a civil discussion. She was starting to like her sister-in-law.

‘ Thank you. I’m glad that we can talk this through like the mature adults we are.’ she said. ‘ Let’s start anew, shall we?’

‘ Ok, let’s.’ Amelia agreed, smiling back at her.

They started a casual conversation, which began as chatting about work, with Amelia telling Megan about her work as a neurosurgeon and Megan filling her in about working in the army.

They then talked about their families and backgrounds, with Amelia telling Megan about Derek and her sisters, and Megan telling Amelia about the strong bond she shared with Owen as children.

‘ Once, a guy in class bullied me and I came back crying.’ Megan admitted. ‘ The next day, Owen went to class and beat the guy up badly. They both got suspended, but that was when I knew that I would always have my brother’s back.’

‘ Derek would do the same for me.’ Amelia sighed sadly at the memory of her brother.

‘ I’m sorry.’ Megan said as she touched Amelia’s arm comfortingly. ‘ I can’t imagine losing a sibling.’

‘ Do you know that Owen never stopped thinking about you?’ Amelia said. ‘ He would always tell me about you and say how much he missed you. He told me how you always tagged along with him when he went out with friends and how you both shared a strong bond together.'

The two women shared a smile.

‘ One night he was dreaming of you and woke up screaming your name.’ Amelia recalled. ‘ He really thought that you were dead, but he still clung on to the hope of you being alive. According to him, not a day went by without him thinking of you.’

Megan remained silent, feeling guilt overcome her. In retrospect, she should have at least made an effort to contact her family to let them know that she was still alive. 

‘ When we received the news that you were still alive, Owen blamed himself. He was in a daze the entire day, and he told me that he felt so guilty for going on with his life while you were being held captive in the war zone. I think he’s still blaming himself now.’ Amelia continued.

‘ I’ll need to have a heart to heart talk to him about it later.’ Megan admitted.

‘ Yes, please do talk to him. He loves you so much.’ Amelia said.

‘ He loves you so much too. I can see it in his eyes when he speaks about you.’ Megan pointed out. ‘ When we were younger, I used to tease him that he would have a hard time finding a woman who would give him many children. He had always been a family person, and always wanted a big family.’

‘ I know.’ Amelia nodded. 

‘ Have you both ever discussed having a family?’ Megan asked.

‘ Well, we had that discussion before, but I guess it hasn’t happened just yet.’ Amelia answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable about the question.

Megan nodded in understanding. ‘ He shouldn’t force you into starting a family. You shouldn’t be pressured to if you’re not ready.’ she said.

Amelia contemplated telling Megan about her unicorn baby but decided that it was a story for another time.

‘ I know.’ she nodded instead.

‘ So tell me- what made you fall for my brother?’ Megan asked in a light-hearted manner.

‘ Wow, where do I start?’ Amelia answered, laughing. ‘ Well, first off- at work, he is hard-working, dedicated, strict and takes charge of things. In personal life though, he is loyal, kind, caring, loving and compassionate.’ 

‘ Well, ok.’ Megan agreed. ‘ Yes, he has those characteristics in him.’

‘ He would get a kick out of us talking about him.’ Amelia joked.

‘ Let’s tease him about it later.’ Megan winked.

The two women chatted for the whole day- throughout TV sessions with Farouk, while making lunch and eating ice-cream together, and while going for an afternoon stroll in the neighborhood.

Megan told Amelia about her time in the army and her time in captivity for the past 10 years. Amelia listened attentively, feeling uttermost respect for her sister-in-law. She had respect for all the people who served in the army, but being a woman and serving in the battlefield deserved an entirely new level of respect altogether. 

That evening, when Owen turned the keys of the main door and opened it, he was pleasantly surprised to hear laughter and excited chatter coming from the direction of the living room. Apparently, his plan to have his wife and sister bond worked out well. Knowing that everything was going to be fine after all, he smiled to himself as he walked towards the living room to join them.  Life was good indeed.

  Alright guys- this is it- the end of chapter 3 of ‘I’m A Fighter’. I hope you liked it! Comments, reblogs, reviews and messages are very much appreciated. Please do let me know what you think- I would love to hear from you all!! <3 <3 <3

[letmewritemylife]

The Sorceress of Chaos

You can't resist her majestic voice…                                                                                    - Kalidia

A/N Shoutout to me for trying to seem smart by referencing Marlowe. And my post about Maneskin got almost 1000 notes?!?!?!!? Thank you, I guess

TRIGGER WARNINGS Prophetic dream (is this even a thing?), nightmares, blood (at the end)

Many, many years before Thanos was even born, a young and powerful sorcerer, known as Oreish, pledges allegiance to the ruler of hell, the demon Mephisto. The man asks to be given unlimited knowledge for twenty-four years in exchange for his soul, a pact which Mephisto can’t refuse. The naive sorcerer, however, soon realizes his mistake and tries with any means to save himself, studying even the darkest and least known spells in a vain attempt to defy Mephisto. But years pass fast and the devil comes to claim what is due to him before the sorcerer can find even just one incantation able to defeat the mightiest demon to ever exist.

And so, screaming and crying, begging to be spared, the sorcerer is dragged to hell, where he loses his soul and becomes a demon, even if deeply different from others. Smaller in size and darker in colour, Oreish can count on a  much wider knowledge of dark magic than any one else around him. Mephisto soon takes a liking to him, encouraging him to lose even the few scruples that he had before.

Not much time passes that Oreish earns himself a variety of titles, all equally feared by humans, who become terrorized by the sorcerer turned demon for seeking knowledge and power. Of all his new names, Oreish seems to prefer the one other demons refer to him with, “the devil’s best warrior,” because that’s what he is - an all powerful demon serving the ruler of hell with cunning and curses. He even starts appreciating his demonic appearance, quite unique but definitely scary.

Unfortunately, something unexpected happens. His dear body is stolen from him by the Ancient One, who has grown tired of him walking Earth spreading terror and death. Deprived of his physical form and banished to another dimension, Oreish can’t get out without possessing another being. For years he hopes to see Mephisto come to his aid, but the ruler of hell has quickly forgotten his dear right hand. 

Alone and abandoned, Oreish plots revenge against the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, responsible for his downfall, and Mephisto, who condemned him to be a demon in the first place. His wait lasts years and years, a time during which the Ancient One entrusts the mirror leading to his cage to the New York Sanctum. 

It’s 2016 when the mirror falls under the protection of two sorcerers alone, Stephen and Wong, who hide it from anyone, including their new friend Lara. Little do they know that the same woman will, just a few years later, accidentally free Oreish.

The clock on the wall indicates two am when Lara’s eyes dart open, tears staining her cheeks. She presses a hand to her mouth, suppressing a scream, and forces herself to breathe deeply, in and out. Her mind is racing more than usual, glimpses of Oreish’s torture still vivid in her head.

With great effort she sits up on the couch and she scans the room, moving her gaze among all the Avengers sleeping peacefully in the strangest corners of the room. Few of them had a room at the Compound - or at least that’s what Tony said, - the rest were left in the big living room. 

Her eyes set for a moment on the man curled up on the other end of the couch, the man who tried to help her hours before. Scott. Lara is quite sure his name is Scott. The man snores, his head abandoned against the back of the couch. A few muttered words leave his lips. “I’m… the best grandma.”

Lara can’t help raising a brow, but decides not to question it too much. Instead she focuses on her heart slowing down and the beads of sweat still rolling down her forehead. She makes to get up, but she remembers about her brother, lying on the floor right by her side, just a second before stepping on him.

She sighs, putting all her efforts into not touching him. Not that he would probably notice, judging by how tight his sleep seems. Once her feet are on the cold floor, Lara kneels down by Jonathan’s side. She looks at him for a moment, her eyes trailing down the pink scar on his cheek. He didn’t have it when they surrendered to SWORD, she’s sure of that.

With a movement of her hand, she moves him on the couch. She reaches for that joke of a blanket that Tony gave her and covers his broad shoulders as best as she can, struggling to hold back tears when Jonathan clutches her hand in his.

Escaping his weak grip, she makes her way to the small common bathroom. The brightness of the LEDs hurts her eyes and it takes her a moment to adjust to it. After walking to the sink, she opens the tap, letting cold water run down on her wrists.

Breathing deeply, she closes her eyes, focusing on slowing down her heartbeat. Oreish’s voice still echoes in her head and she grits her teeth.

Washing her face with even colder water has almost no effect, her cheeks still flushed. She stays still for a moment, breathing erratically and staring at her reflection in the big mirror, drops of water trailing down her neck as far as her collar.

A knock on the door that Lara foolishly left open. Tony tugs the corner of his lips upwards, leaning against the doorframe.  “Are you okay?”

She reserves him no more than a side glance and nods. Why is he so concerned about her?

He smirks. “Okay okay or ʻI may die in the next five minutes’ okay?”

A laugh escapes her control. “What about ʻIt’s none of your business’ okay?” She unconsciously grips the edge of the sink more tightly, her knuckles turning even paler than they already were.

Tony’s gaze falls on the mirror. He looks at her disheveled hair, a few dark strands plastered to her face by sweat and water, and he can’t help noticing some cuts on her scalp, still red and visible. They are on both sides of her head, always in groups of four. He wonders for a moment if she really cut herself with her own nails like he suspects.

“Tony.” Lara’s voice is deep, much deeper than Tony remembered it. Not that he heard her talk much before Thanos. However, the way she says his name surprises him. It’s the first time in five years that she calls him by name and it’s also the first time that she puts a hint of kindness in addressing him.

Still, kindness or not, she doesn’t move her eyes from the mirror. “I’m fine, go back to sleep,” she adds, her tone just a little softer. 

He shakes his head and instead takes a step towards her. She doesn’t move, merely studying his movement with the corner of her eye. “You know,” he begins, fidgeting with his wrists, “I just don’t understand why Hayward treats you like a highly dangerous terrorist.”

She smirks, looking down at the marble sink. “Ask Nebraskans.” For a second she wonders whether they rebuilt that house she threw at Oreish. Maybe not.

“Well,” he attempts, getting one step closer to her, “I’m sure they’re not as angry as you think.” The confused look she throws at him upsets him and he seems to finally understand how Rhodey, Pepper and Happy feel when dealing with his self-esteem issues.

“I mean, it’s not like you killed anyone, you even gave them good hairstyles,” he adds with a smile, noticing how his jokes work better than his attempts at being profound.

She smiles slightly, stepping back and turning to the inventor. But when her eyes meet Tony’s and he gets to see the purple sparkles dancing in her irises, her face suddenly darkens. “Don’t push it, Hayward’s right,” she says. She opens her mouth again, but says nothing. Her gaze falls down on the floor before she adds anything. “I’m sorry for your plan.”

Something roars inside Tony, a protectiveness that he never thought he’d ever feel for the woman who almost killed him years before. “Is that why you let SWORD take you?” he asks after a moment of hesitation and Lara can’t help noticing his anger. “Because you think you’re dangerous?”

She stands still for a moment, thinking. Why did she surrender to SWORD? That’s a good question. “No, I mean… not at first.” F*ck, has her throat always been this dry? She stutters, too many thoughts coming to her mind all at the same time.

Finally, she takes a breath and begins explaining. “After Tryon,” she says with a trembling voice, her volume so low that Tony has to step by her side to hear her, “I was brought into this… place. It was like the Sanctum, just… bigger. And in another galaxy. I stayed there for a while and, I swear, it was good. Really good.” She stops, biting her bottom lip. She sighs loudly and continues. “But staying there, reading and doing nothing else until some extinction-level threat came sucked. I felt- I was useless.” A hint of indignation paints on her face and she furrows her brows. “No, worse! I was a forty-year-old idiot in need of a goddamn babysitter.”

She stops, eyes glued to the floor. Tony has to strain himself not to hug her. Pepper always told him that he had some sort of savior complex. He swallows heavily. “So you came back?”

“Of course I did,” she replies angrily, struggling to keep her voice low. “What was I supposed to do? Stay there being nothing?” She drags her hands down her face with a groan. “Those other sorceresses there healed people, read the future, fought demons.” Her voice shakes. “And I can’t even sleep.”

“And you let SWORD imprison you not to be a burden?”

Now that Tony says it loud, a mix of pity and empathy in his voice, it all sounds so much dumber. Lara nods. “If I can’t be useful, at least I’m not being dangerous.”

He hints at her collar with his head. “And that?”

“Keeps my powers at bay.”

“And hurts you.”

Lara laughs bitterly, torn between appreciation and contempt for the inventor and his stupidly sensed remarks, making her seem even stupider than she already is. “Still better than f*cking up reality.”

Tony tilts his head to the side. “Maybe, but what if you used them for something good?”

“And what should I do? If I take this off,” she says, wrapping a hand around her collar, “I may not be able to control my powers. What if I hurt someone?”

“You won’t, just like you didn’t hurt me or Rhodey in Tryon,” Tony insists, leaning forward just enough to better see her blue eyes shining under the effect of the LED lights. “Your powers are in good hands and I know a magic user who’d agree.”

Lara smiles, fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt. “Jonathan doesn’t count, he’s too biased.”

The man smirks. “I wasn’t talking about him.” 

She looks down, hiding away the sad glow in her eyes, and she bites the inside of her cheek. “Him too.”

The strong stench of sulfur fills the air, making it almost impossible for Lara to breath. Her eyes wander on the nearby landscape, taking in the dark sky dotted with stars and the large volcano surrounded by vast, grey land. Finally, a woman, small, insignificant, curved on a wooden chair in the middle of that nowhere.

A black veil covers her from head to toe, leaving only her pale hands exposed, clutched on her lap. Her head is hung low, but for some reason Lara knows that if she looked up, she’d have the deepest purple eyes ever seen.

Now that she pays more attention to it, Lara notices the row of candles and flowers by the woman’s feet. The feeble lights dance with the weakest breeze, but somehow the flames still manage to burn Lara’s finger when she reaches for one candle. Normally, she would curse, but no voice leaves her throat. Instead, she caresses the bunches of dill and goldenrod laying on the ground, pale green and bright yellow contrasting together.

Something inside her tells her to run away, but there’s no escape from dreams. Before she can even register it, her hand moves of its own free will and rips off the veil covering the woman, revealing a pale face that she knows too well: her own.

She takes one, two, twenty steps back, knees shaking and voice long lost, as the woman - no, her other self - gets up and the old chair disappears along with everything else she was surrounded by. The sun shines behind the volcano, slowly rising and lighting up the whole plain.

A snake, long and bright green, hisses as it wraps around the other Lara’s arm. It’s definitely too big, its head almost as long as her fist. Its forked tongue brushes against her skin, but she doesn’t seem to care, too focused on the equally as disproportionately large dragon that just landed by her side, still flapping its dark wings.

Voices come from around them and several men and women gather in a circle, speaking each in their own language. Lara’s eyes scan the place, but she can only recognize a few of those faces: sorcerers from Kamar-Taj, witches she studied on Duirl, people who look nothing like humans but that are covered by so many relics to clearly be powerful magic users.

Lara isn’t sure who starts chanting first, all she knows is that at some point everyone is repeating with one pedantic pace the same words. “All hail the Sorceress of Chaos.” Dozens and dozens of people are gathered there, pouring out that single sentence, like some prayer, but the other Lara seems to like it, a smug grin forming on her dark lips.

Something burns inside Lara - the real one, - some sort of pride for that woman that looks perfectly like her and seems so powerful that everyone feels the need to celebrate her. But that good feeling is short-lived. “Anima pro anima,” a voice, deep yet slightly familiar, whispers in her head.

It takes just a second for the witch to stop smiling, thick, dark blood falling copiously from her mouth as her eyes turn completely purple. However, the chants don’t stop, roaring louder and louder with each passing second. Lara’s head is exploding, her ears filled by the repetitive prayers and the gulps of the witch bleeding out. 

But as quickly as it began, everything stops. Silence falls on the crowd, their eyes glowing in the dim light of the sunrise, and the witch stands still for a moment, looking right at Lara with pure sadness written on her face. Her mouth, slightly open and still dripping blood, slowly closes and the witch swallows hardly before falling down.

As soon as her back hits the dusty ground, Lara wakes up with a jolt, sweat all over her face and a taste of iron in her mouth.