#jo and I were talking about how funny it is to have divorce just be like

[kingkatsuki]

JO it’s been awhile since i’ve been in your ask box lol hope you’re doing well. I heard this crazy (it’s actually a little sad but funny from an outside view ngl) office story at dinner tn and it made me think of all the times you’ve talked about secretary/office reader

Sooooooo imagine you’ve been working at the office for a couple months but before your started working you were going through a really nasty divorce/breakup with someone who happened to work at the same place. They were SO nasty (vile honestly) that they decided to send an official work email with nude pictures and videos of you with your name and work email to ALL OF YOUR COWORKERS!! (again i felt really bad for the poor girl this happened to). Not only was it traumatizing that your coworkers saw, but more so that you’d never seen a lot of these pictures before. To think that you had been in a committed relationship with such a disgusting person.

I’m thinking you work at different job and you tell Katsuki because you’re too embarrassed to go back to work and face your coworkers. He gets so so livid and threatens to get back at him, but he obviously gets shut down by you pleading for him to not get involved. He would definitely plot something with Kiri and tell him; Kiri would feel so proud to help Kats beat the shit out of this dude. He might even include Denki and Sero if he had something real sick and specific in mind.

Instead of telling you this, he’d make you come to the agency and you’d do your work in his office. He’d be more excited if it weren’t for the circumstances, but he can’t deny that he loved getting to spend more time with you. Trying to make you forget about the whole thing and overcome together the best he can- might even get Mina and the guys to have lunch at the agency together because he knows they will cheer you up.

I can’t imagine though if you were working at his agency and HE SAW THE EMAIL and maybe you guys weren’t together yet or you just started dating! i’d simply pass away.

Omg this is insane and so fucking malicious.

I’m torn between making it Dynamight’s agency, or making it a different office.

Like imagine you just work at a different office, so the moment you come home to tell Bakugou about it he’s seething. Not only because someone’s done that to you, but because it’s one of the most slimy things you can do to a person. And when you tell him you don’t even recognise some of the pictures he’s even more angry, because that means he’s been taking all sorts of illicit pictures or videos of you and who’s to say how many there are. He knows with his power and influence in the city he can ruin this guys life with one call, but he wants him to truly suffer. So of course he goes to fuck the guy up, he doesn’t even need to call the guys but he does, because he knows they’ll stop him from going too far.

And then a few days later, he’s sitting in his high rise office and he still makes that call to your job, asking for the CEO as Bakugou asks what he’s going to do about the situation, and what he’s going to do with the employee. Until your boss shuts the phone off, thinking it’s just a prank. So imagine his surprise when the number two hero Dynamight shows up in the reception of his agency not even an hour later, even more pissed. And your ex? Is even more terrified now as he sits there with bruised ribs, broken arm and dark marks across his body. Trying to avoid bringing any attention to himself as Bakugou shouts to him to get into the fucking office and he scampers in like a lost puppy.

But if it was Dynamight’s Agency? God, think of how much more worse it would be. When the email chain is sent to everyone, it means everyone. Bakugou pulling up his laptop to click the email full off attachments as he scrolls through each one. Of course he knows who you are the moment he sees your name, probably one of the few names in his agency that he remembers. And not because you’re close or that your job is a highly important one, but because you always seem to take your coffee breaks at the same time as him. (Bakugou 100% ensures to schedule his around yours because he loves the conversations you end up having at random hours of the day🥺)

But when he sees the pictures of you? He’d be lying if he didn’t look, you’re even prettier than he imagined. He can already feel his heart racing as he scrolls further down and sees more of you, but then he starts feeling the rage creep up inside him. Because you don’t deserve this, no one should be looking at you like this and especially not his entire agency. He’s now looking at the email chain as he tries to find out who sent it, asking his secretary who the fuck your ex-boyfriend is and what department he works in. Bakugou sends an email out in response, threatening to fire anyone that saves any of the pictures or videos, telling them that he’ll get his tech team to check for save files as he stops the email chain from repeating. Anyone that’s already replied is getting fucked too, but not right now. Right now he’s making his way down to the exact department your ex works in, and the only thing Bakugou can say right now is he’s lucky he’s at work and not on the streets because at least for him he’ll make it out alive.

And after Bakugou is so mad at himself for not looking for you first, because he allowed the rage to dictate where he went first. And he steps into the women’s bathroom on the 27th floor with no shame as he instantly hears you crying in one of the stalls as he tries to coax you to open the door for him.

[lonely-soul-02]

I bet Noel and Liam wouldn't tell anyone else if they were speaking? They would try to keep up some sort of hostility due to the amount of publicity it gets them. People think that them talking to each other and getting along automatically means an Oasis reunion when all we want is to see them chilling together, making solo music and generally being pleasant to each other

Agreed that we all want them to be friends again before any Oasis reunion.

I know it's a popular theory that all this hostility is just acting. The thing that makes me skeptical is how dedicated to the cause you'd have to be to pull it off. And Liam and Noel don't strike me as the kind of guys who'd put that much effort into keeping up the charade. Not one this elaborate. Like, that's a lot of effort over the course of a year's worth of interviews and tweeting to sustain the lie, when all they had to do was say a version of "I haven't spoken to him and I'm not going to speak to him, he's a cunt. Don't talk to me about him." And put something like that out at either end of the year, silence on one another in between, Noel tells journos no questions about my brother. That would've been far easier. Instead, they take the harder route by talking about each other at every opportunity whilst putting on a performance? For over a year? With Noel going through the stress of divorce on top?

Think back to Liam's interview with Jo Wiley when she played him Noel's 'I dare you to call me'. Liam told her it was putting him in bad mood and then he said can we move on now. That didn't sound like Liam lying, or putting on a performance. That sounded real to me. He sounded hurt. Or when Noel called him a coward and he went mental on twitter, the anger over that seemed quite real to me.

And then over the summer when Liam brought up the Manchester bombing again on twitter, how would that have gone down afterwards if they were friends? Would they just laugh if off? Like, would Noel have just gone haha Liam that was so funny the way you accused me of not caring about the victims of a terrorist attack again and getting fans to hate me for it, it's so funny how we're fooling them. I just...don't buy it. I wish I could but I just can't as of now. I hope something will happen in the future that'll make me change my mind.

[papabearbobbynash]

Btw since 911 is on hiatus I decided to catch up on all the other shows I've been neglecting and the first one was Grey's anatomy.

I stopped in the first part of S17 because the whole C0V1D storyline was too overwhelming) and now I decided to catch up with the latest 2 seasons.

I do have a bunch of opinions about the characters, but I will be talking about Amelia because honestly she has been my point of interest in Grey's since season 14. Actually It's kinda funny how my two current favorite characters (Bobby from 911 and Amelia from Grey's) are addicted in recovery (Richard could be there too if the writers didn't make his sobriety a comedic relief sometimes. At least Amelia's sobriety is taken seriously in my opinion)

So talking as someone who loved Amelink in S15-16 and got really sad over how they ended, it's beyond me how it's obvious Amelia is miserable through season 17 dealing with that domestic life. It's so obvious and yet people still chose to completely ignore that when blaming her for how her relationship with Link ended.

"It was the healthiest relationship she had and she ruined it"

Okay, at some point it really was the healthiest relationship (S15-17) she ever had, but it wasn't anymore. That happens, things change. It wasn't helathy anymore the moment she began to feel miserable and wish to drink every night and hide all that feeling from Link, because she knew he loved that domestic life of a house full of kids they were obligated to have due the lockdown. Then the whole part with Link proposing countless times even when Amelia let it very clear she did not want to marry, didn't really help. Like Instead of getting a clue on why he got the first "no" and even bother to ask the reasons, Link just kept proposing hoping she would have changed her mind, even proposing into someone's else marriage ceremony (???).

Also if we're being honest it's not a secret Amelia never wanted that that life for herself as she ran from her fiance in L.A and she ran from Owen because of that "house full of kids" matter. She did co-parented Leo and Betty after her divorce with Owen, what helped her to mature enough by the time she gave birth to Scout, but being able to handle that life isn't the same of wanting that life again.

If we are being frank Scout was completely an "accident" and neither Amelia or Link had any views of being such a serious couple until her pregnancy, they basically only got really together because of Scout. So, they didn't even have the time to figure out what they wanted individually before getting together, and then living together is what really played the effect of them diverging in their views of what they wanted for their life.

Amelia could have communicated better her reasons ofc, but if we think about it she chose to cut it off the relationship instead of deluding Link into "playing a role" in a life she realized she didn't want for herself, and there is no wrong on that. She chose to let him go so he could live that life with someone else.

As Amelia answered perfectly to Jo's (not very appropriate) question of "how do you let go from perfect (Link)?"

Link wasn't perfect for her.

Then we have the whole thing with Kai... Honestly I'm still fomenting my full thoughts on it, I do love the NB representation and definitely didn't like they broke up in S19, but I can't say I'm not appreciating Amelia having sometime alone.

She jumped from Owen to Link and then to Kai with no breath between each relationship at all so it's probably the first time in a while her character is alone out of a romantic relationship and I'm appreciating that fact because it opens space for her to grow more like she has been growing since S14, but I do hope Kai come back at some point.

[outrunningthedark]

Reports say Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are getting a divorce and have been separated for 6 months. People say they can't believe it bc they posted happy couple pictures on instagram not long ago. This is so funny to me bc these people don't seem to realize that many couples (famous or not) pretend to be ok while figuring things out before announcing a breakup. And for famous couples (who use their relationship for their image, contrary to celebs who prefer to have complete privacy), there's also the fact that they become a brand and so ofc they're still gonna play along until right before the announcement is made

Everything I learn about the Jo Bros personal lives is incidental (I don't hate them, they just hit it big when I was moving on from my love of boybands for a while), so I had no idea there is a bit of an age gap or that Sophie was so young when they got engaged. Those two things paired with Joe keeping a steady gig alongside his brothers while Sophie...works...but hasn't had a role that's got people talking or made an impact the way GoT did...I can't say I'm surprised they're finding themselves on separate paths as the years drag on.

ITA with you about the naiveté from fans re: public personas. I can understand the readiness to accept things "as is" when all we had to go on were tabloids or pre-screened interviews (So what is the truth?.gif), but in the age of social media? When *regular* folk are posting stuff to tumblr that they'd never put on FB or IG or even say out loud because they don't want their IRL family and friends to know? Really? Whether they want the title or not, celebrities become role models to fans, particularly fans that see some of themselves in that person. Being a "role model" (in PR speak) means acting like you have your shit together so fans can say "I wanna be like them." It's one thing to know you're lying to the people around you. But admitting it? Owning it? That's a "stain" these people can never wash away. How are they supposed to continue selling an image successfully when fans don't know if they're hearing the truth the second (or third, or fourth, lbr) time around? It's the "Fool me twice, shame on me." mentality.

[literaphobe]

I know we talked about it but. Fucking. Glaciator

ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THIS OOPS SORRY IM LATE i just finished my s3 rewatch (i now think its rather slay. i like dragonbug and um well snake noir could have a better design but i love it when they combine miraculouses and its just two of them against the world <3) anyway rewatching glaciator now! (this got long. putting it under a cut for those who care <3)

thoughts before rewatch: i love the ice cream episodes. andre sucks but his villain episodes are so good and for what. i cant wait to see the rooftop scenes again

i love scenes that have nothing to do w the regular episode formula. ladynoir randomly saving some bus from crashing is so cute. but also wtf is up w this city. like OKAY so these 14/15 year olds have superpowers and u dont so they have to fight supervillains. whatever. but they gotta help you uphold the integrity of your public transport system too?? get a grip paris

i find it so funny whenever adrien does an unexpected pussy slay transformation sequence and plagg is like woAoOAoaoOAHH i would love to see tikki act this way. also obsessed w how kwamis r like ur secret best friend who judge ur every move and laugh at ur L love life

how the fuck does andre just KNOW marinettes in love w someone w green eyes. and hes fucked up for exposing her :/ i agree w her freaking out man i wouldn't want my classmates knowing i like someone like. im mysterious ok.

also he doesn't charge for his ice cream right?? like ive never seen anyone paying this dude. what a baby... like ok big deal some teen girl doesn't want to eat. no need to cry over it loser...

tikki and marinette r like. neurotypical therapist talks to adhd girl. shes rsding rn tikki she thinks all her friends will hate her for ruining everything n that she'll never be happy. i also believe theres a universe where ladybug would've went to meet chat noir if she had time to. but she got upset so she forgot. again, she has adhd

also marinette realizing chat is in love w ladybug for real is so funny. like what did u think he wanted. what did u think he was. she straight up thought he was just balling or like some kind of player who flirts w anything that moves. i find it incredibly relatable that she had no fucking clue <3

'im... so sorry' 'why? its not your fault' i also always apologize even when its not my fault. anyway this scene is awesome. its her fault but its also not her fault. i love drama

'whats that? another supervillain in love with you?' i want this to be like a pattern. like imagine if there were multiple akumatized villains in love w marinette. obsessed w her unbeatable rizz

the sensitive side of chat noir... like it or not. this is when she started slowly falling for him

i love it when one of them is mad at one of the other's alter egos but totally chill w the other. like oh hi marinette :) -> fuck you ladybug >:(

ladynoir arguing... maybe its the broken family divorced kid in me but i love it when they do that

this episode gains points for ladybug's idea being kinda weird girl strange. it gains more for chat's cataclysm being part of the plan and not just to like break the akuma <3

obsessed w rejection scenes that r like. very romantically charged. this is how i feel about the little women 2019 jo/laurie scene. like they had more chemistry in a rejection scene than literally every amy/laurie scene. im right. im also right that the moon looming behind ladynoir as she sadly turned him down only to blush when he kissed her cheek goodbye was romantic. she FELT something. so awesome. obsessed w push pull dynamics. obsessed w repression and denial

one of my fave things about this episode is that chat wasn't mad when she rejected him, only upset when she didn't turn up at first. he wasn't mad that he 'failed' to get her or that she loved someone else. he just wanted to get a chance to tell her how he felt and be with her. he was happy even to be her friend. to be important to her... he was happy just to have spent time with her :(

For The Ending,,,,,,, personally i think it would have been a tad bit more interesting to get some adrienette interaction? like i like the idea of them just barely missing each other and having ice cream on opposite sides of the bridge to an extent, but it would have been interesting if adrien walked up right as andre was scooping marinettes ice cream and theyre like oh hi haha and marinette sees adrien get his very obviously ladybug themed cone and be like ??? about it and have one of them or maybe even andre suggest they get a cone together someday......

overall! ive decided 8.7/10. def a good episode with a lot of important moments, but there's def other episodes and stuff that outshine it. B+!

[deadbeatdadjokes]

DARKWORLD DIVORCE RATE AT 100%

[navalcriminalimagines]

Every part of you

Request: Something just fluffy and domestic would be so nice...missing that old man. Maybe something like baking with him? Fluffy smut or just fluff, I would be really happy to see you write either. 💕

Warnings: Smut, blowjob, p in v, unprotected sex, kitchen sex

Words count: 2,4k

Joel Miller x Reader. Insecure Joel. No virus, no apocalypse. Divorced!Joel.

* * * * *

After his divorce with Sarah’s mother, Joel entered years of celibacy, except for the occasional hookups. He didn’t want to go down that road again, his marriage wasn’t the best one but he loved his wife and expected it to last forever, like they promised each other.

But things changed when he met you over a year ago.

It was one of those nights where his brother Tommy dragged him to a bar. You were there with some friends and the first thing he noticed about you was your smoking hot body. And before he knew it, Tommy brought you to their table to have a drink with them.

It was supposed to be one of those hookups. No strings attached. In the morning, he would’ve left and you probably wouldn’t have never met again.

But he broke rule number one on the first night anyway: never take someone home. He always found a way to go to his partner's place, or at least, found a place to do it, but never at his place. His home.

Until you.

Once you were done, he realized how young and innocent you looked. He could see the struggle on your face, as to whether you should leave or stay. He felt bad about himself and told you to stay. You warmly smiled and faxed yourself under the covers, your warm form curled up against him.

In the morning, he woke up to the smell of coffee and French toast. As you had breakfast together, you told him a bit about yourself and Joel found himself to be interested.

You left your phone number and two weekends later - he spends every two weekends with his daughter - Joel invited you for a drink. Which turned into a few ones. Which turned into taking you home again.

That was over a year ago. Now, you’re moving in with him.

He didn’t expect for it to happen. It’s just that when you mentioned wanting to move out from your crappy apartment, he simply told you to come live with him and Sarah. His teenage daughter is very fond of you, and Joel is deeply in love with you. There’s no reason this could go wrong, is there?

But somehow, it caused your first fight.

It was hard to fit two homes into one, and Joel wasn’t compromising at all. He didn’t want to get rid of anything.

“You have to meet halfway, Jo.” You told him, clearly annoyed.

“I am. I just don’t want to get rid of my couch. What’s wrong with that?”

“Well, for starters, mine is fairly new, bigger and way more comfortable. But it’s not just about the couch. It feels like you don’t want me to move in after all,” you said with such sadness in your voice, Joel felt horrible.

“I asked, didn't I?” He answered, defensively.

“Probably because you felt bad about my struggle to find a new place. Just like you felt bad after our first night together.”

“…What?”

“I’m not stupid, Joel. I know you didn’t want me to stay at first.”

“But you did.”

“Well, yeah. Because it was my first time hooking up with someone I just met. And—“ you took a deep breath. “I really don’t want to compliment you right now, but the sex was—mind blowing.”

You obviously were still pretty mad but Joel couldn’t help but smirk in his beard. Sex with you is indeed pretty mind blowing. There’s love, trust, passion, and you’re open-minded concerning his kinks. He never witnessed that before. Actually, he discovered new kinks with you, pretty much like if you were his very own kink.

“Take that smirk off your face. That’s unfair.” You breathed out.

Joel closed the distance between your bodies, and gently kissed your forehead. “Letting you stay that night was the best decision I’ve made in a very long time,” he kissed your nose. “I’ll get rid of the couch.” Then he kissed your lips and moved to your neck. “Let’s ruin it before.”

You chuckled and you did ruin his old couch.

A few weeks later, you were all moved in. Joel was exhausted, he fell asleep on your - extremely - comfortable couch. You covered him with a blanket and took care of the last details before cooking dinner.

Your parents had been owners of a restaurant for the past thirty years, your father being the chef and your mother doing pretty much the rest. You spent most of your time in the establishment as a child, and your father happily shared his know-how with you.

In the past year, Joel had barely spent time in the kitchen, as it became your space. Not that he minded.

He does mind the weight he’d been gaining though.

He woke up to the smell of one of your dishes, two hours after falling asleep. He could hear you doing your thing in the kitchen. He smiled, stretched himself and when his mind seemed awake enough, he joined you.

You felt his strong arms wrapping your middle, and took advantage of your messy bun to plant wet and sloppy kisses in your exposed neck. You felt shivers all the way through your body. “Hi handsome. Sleep well on the couch?”

“Bite me.” He growled against your skin and you chuckled.

“Did that last night.” You said, referring to the bite mark you left right on top of his shoulder. He had made you cum so hard, you didn’t control yourself.

“I love when you mark me.” He whispered in your ear, nipping your ear lobe.

“Good, I’m taking you for a scarification tomorrow. My name, right above your penis.”

“Hmm,” Joel was still planting kisses anywhere he could and you could feel his growing erection against your ass. It was getting really difficult to focus on the marinade in front of you. “I can meet you halfway and agree to get a tattoo.” You laughed but somehow imagined it. It would ruin any relationship for him if you two ever break up. “Only if you do the same, obviously.” He added.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

He hummed in answer and you felt his hand playing with the waistband of your sweatpants. But you slapped his hand away before he could slide it in. “Put your hands to other use for now. Cut the onions for me,” you playfully rubbed your ass against his crotch but only to push him away.

Joel let go of you and looked around to find the onions. “Wow. I like punishment but only if I know what I did wrong.”

You laughed before throwing two onions at him, which he almost missed. As he began to peel them off, you gently grabbed the knife from his hands and squeezed a lemon on the blade. Joel looked at you, lovingly. “There. You won’t cry.” You said, handing him the knife.

“Huh, we’ve been dating for a year and you’re only telling this trick, now? I thought you loved me.” He used his best complaining voice, and he felt your hand slamming against his ass.

“What will we talk about in ten years if I tell you everything now?” You casually asked and it caught Joel off guard. He stayed silent while cutting the onions in small squares and you didn’t push it. You focused on your marinade and checked on the steamed vegetables.

“Are you picturing us still together in ten years?” He finally asked once he was done. He gave you the bowl with the onions in it.

“Well—yeah. Don’t you?” You took the bowl from his hand, preparing the pan in order to cook them.

Joel sighed. It had been a struggle since you two started to date. Your relationship had been so perfect, you had been an amazing partner, it almost feels surreal to me. “I guess my marriage broke a part of me.” He paused, staring at you cooking. “It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

As you ditched the onions in a hot pan, a soft smile appeared across your face. “That will happen when your alien friends will come to pick you up, in order to bring you back to your home planet.”

Joel couldn’t help but laugh. He couldn’t believe you were real. He stared for a moment. You are so beautiful, young, funny and smart, with the biggest heart. How did he got so lucky?

He jumped on the part of the kitchen plan you weren’t using. “Or when I got so fat from your cooking, you’re not attracted to me anymore.” He finally said and you stopped everything you were doing.

“…what?”

“I gained a few pounds lately.” He confessed, avoiding your eyes this time.

“Yeah so?”

“Oh so you’re agreeing? Not even something like ‘honey that’s crazy, you haven’t changed a bit.’?”

"I'm sorry. Let me do this again.” You took a step back and got into character. “Joel! Are you crazy? You didn’t gain any pounds. Are those masculine magazines making you feel bad, again?”

“Wow. Don’t quit your day job to become an actress.”

You playfully punched his shoulder and he let out an “ouch!”. “But seriously love,” it was your loving and smoothing tone again. “Do you really feel bad about this?”

“Kinda. I’m already older than you, I can’t have that too.”

“Baby,” you settled between his legs and tiptoed to kiss him softly. “You’re perfect to me. I don’t care about your age, your weight, your height, the size of your—okay that, I do care but still.”

Never a woman made him laugh like you manage to. No matter the subject, the time of the day, his mood or your mood, you’re always able to bring a smile to his face. He’s so in love with you. “Do you get my point or do I have to take you upstairs to show it to you?” You stroked his beard and Joel leaned into your touch, humming in content.

“I won’t mind the show. But I’d rather have you showing me—here.”

“I better stop cooking and focus on my other hobby then.” You turned off everything and invited him to get down. “My favorite actually.” You whispered, before kissing him gently.

“Please do.” He pleaded, sticking out his tongue in order to meet yours.

As you kissed, you brought him against the wall of the kitchen. He moaned at your sudden dominance, and you felt his semi hard cock against your belly. Joel tried to travel under your tank top with his hands but you prevented him access. You quickly worked taking his tee-shirt off, throwing it on the floor. Your lips immediately crashed against his hairy chest, while your hands were softly caressing it. “I love you, Joel.” you whispered against his skin. “I love every part of you that you don’t.”

It was overwhelming. Never in his life has Joel felt this loved, this attractive. It was such a mix of feelings, he could have cried on the spot as well as fucked you senseless. But he only stood there, panting hard as you were taking his sweatpants and briefs off. He stepped out and you threw it away, next to his shirt. He was dying to undress you, to feel your smooth skin against his, but he knew better.

You kneeled in front of you, taking his hard member in your hand. You looked up to him with your big and loving E/C eyes. “You’re everything I’ve ever dreamt of,” you said. “Call me crazy but I’d follow you to your damn home planet.” you confess, referring to what you said a moment ago.

Joel intensely stared at your mouth when you gave him a first lick. This view was so damn perfect.

You teasingly played with your tongue against his cock before taking him in your mouth. Joel moaned, deeply and you sucked him for a moment, not taking all of his length yet. Your jaw needed to relax first. No matter the amount of time you’ve seen his cock, you’re always amazed about how thick and long he is.

Joel’s hand grabbed your hair bun into his fists, guiding you. When you were ready, you took all of him inside your mouth, your nose buried in his pubic hair. “Fuck, baby!” he growled as his cock hit the back of your throat. “God I love your mouth so much.”

You kept going for a moment until you felt his urge growing. Joel was basically facefucking you, thrusting his cock deep inside your mouth. But you weren’t done with him yet, so when only a trail of saliva was connecting you to his length, you took advantage and got back on your feet.

You passionately kissed him, allowing him to taste himself. “Sit on the chair.” You ordered him and Joel obeyed.

You striped in front of him as he was lazily stroking his painfully hard cock. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Y/N.” he said before you straddle his lap.

“So are you, Joel.” He almost didn’t catch that - maybe because a part of him didn’t want to - as you guided his cock into your wet cunt. He was stretching you open, it almost hurt but you kept going until he was fully inside you.

“So fucking tight.” he growled against your neck.

You settled for a slow pace at first. Joel’s face was buried in your chest, assaulting your rounded breasts. One of his hands was in the small of your back, following your hips movements. “You feel so good inside me.” you moaned, your hands buried in his hair. He was so deep inside you, you two almost could hear every time he reached your end. “I’ll never be able to be with anyone else but you.”

His urge was coming back and yours was building up. You quickened the pace, and Joel furiously rubbed your clit with his hand. “Yes Joel, right there!” he looked up at you and crashed his lips on yours. You could feel his fingers digging on your hip, while yours did the same on his scalp.

“I’m gonna cum.” he warned you, thrusting as fast as he could.

“Me, too. Don’t stop,”

“Never.”

It was a closed call but you came practically at the same time, both crying each other’s name.

You stayed in the same position as you and Joel came down from your high. You held him close against you, feeling his cock softening inside you. You were both panting. “Every part of me, huh?” he said.

“Every single one.”

[pagingevilspawn]

you gave me your word (but that didn't matter)

t.s x jolex week 21

day seven: sour- traitor

wc: 1.1k

pairing: Jo Wilson/Alex Karev (past). Alex Karev/Izzie Stevens

summary: jo writes a letter (spoiler alert; it's a shame she's the only one who ever sees it.)

rating: general audiences

warnings: angst, heartbreak, no happy ending

A/N: this is my favorite thing i've ever written for jolex. for once i can say i'm actually proud of a fic i put out. i hope you guys like it too! this is actually part of another series i'm working on that i'll probably never finish, but hey... it's worth a shot. again, enjoy!

____

The pen felt heavy in her hand, but she knew that if she truly wanted to let him go, she would let her hands write the words her lips so desperately wanted to say.

And with that, she began to write.

Alex,

The truth is that I could play dumb. I could say that you acted perfectly normal in the weeks leading up to your trip to what I thought was Iowa. I could say that your eyes didn’t look guilty every time they said they loved me, that your little white lies went unnoticed. But then I’d be lying, and that makes me just as bad as you.

I brushed it off then, thinking that you were just stressed about your mom, worrying that it would take a strain on our life together if you needed to spend more time out there than you originally had planned for. I made excuses for you. I shouldn’t have.

Because I know now that you talked to her —Izzie, who knows, maybe you even did worse; whispered through the phone that you couldn’t wait to see her the same way you had once for me. But I said nothing, because I thought that at the end of the day, when the calls to your ‘mom’ were over, you would crawl back into bed with me. And you did. For a while.

It’s almost humorous, the way that the second that you came back into contact with her you had already left me. There’s no point in denying it. You weren’t mine anymore. And not just because she had your kids, you said it yourself, how it was like no time had passed. Funny, last time you saw each other she had left you in a letter, only to come back later and for you to end things. Quite a different situation that the one you’re currently in.

You betrayed me, Alex. You can say that you’re sorry all you want, but I don't think that you are. I think that you're so caught up in this picture perfect life with your new blonde girl and what I’m assuming are little blonde children that you haven’t realized how much your actions have hurt me. Because I like to think that the man I know, the man I married, would never have done something that he knew would hurt me so greatly.

I loved you Alex, through everything. Every crappy thing you’d ever said in a fit of anger, any hurtful word you might’ve muttered without thinking, I loved you through it all. I was there for you. But it seems like in the end, none of that matters, because I’m here, and you’re not.

How long did it take you Alex? How long did it take you to wrap her in your arms and whisper that you love her? Two weeks? Did it take you two weeks to go off and date her? To whisk her off to some nice restaurant that you would never take me to because you knew how much I hated places like those. (You’d told me once that me and Izzie were nothing alike, almost polar opposites personality wise.)

I’m choosing to believe that you didn’t cheat. That you didn’t sleep with her or kiss her until you had been told that our divorce papers had been filed. I’m choosing to believe that you weren't a cheater. But you’re still a traitor.

You’ve made me question everything Alex. I never doubted that you loved me. I know that you did. I’m just wondering if you ever loved me as much as you loved her. If you ever stop being in love with her.

Because, let’s be real here for a second, if you were being honest with me for all these years, and that you were in love with me, then that means that you also never fell out of love with her. Because there’s no way you can fall in love with someone that quickly.

Looking back on it now, I feel a bit foolish. You never answered my questions about her, giving me short answers that I associated with memories that you would rather not bring to the surface. But what was it really Alex? Were you scared that talking about her would show me that you weren’t really over her? That you were still in love with her, like you were with me?

I brought up the embryos once, remember that? You’d told me that I was paranoid, that you didn’t have babies with Izzie. (But would you look at that? You did)

I had said that even if you didn’t have babies with Izzie, you wanted them. You'd assured me that you wanted everything with me, but was that just because you didn’t think you could have it with her? Was I just second place?

Because if you wanted everything with me Alex, truly wanted everything, you would’ve told me. You would’ve told me about Izzie, you would’ve told me about your twins, and not through a letter. If you truly wanted everything with me Alex, the dog, the kids, and the stupid house with a white picket fence in a good school district, you would’ve told me everything. Because you know me better than I know myself Alex, and you know damn well that I would’ve easily become a step-mom to your kids. I would’ve moved to Kansas if you wanted to. I would’ve gotten us a house out here if you preferred that. I would’ve done anything without hesitation Alex, and it wouldn’t have been much of a sacrifice, because I would’ve had you.

And that’s all I ever really wanted.

I want you to promise me something. It’s the least you owe me, after all.

When you and Izzie are sleeping in the bed we made (the way the comforter is folded back the way I showed you so that you can have both on leg under and on leg on top when you sleep) don’t you dare forget about the way you betrayed me.

—Jo.

She signs off her name, and she can finally feel the hot tears on her cheeks, multiple drops splatter across the pages, blotting the ink. She folds the papers, placing them into the envelope she had set off to the side for this.

To: The Traitor the envelope reads, and she takes a match to the object that had once caused her so much pain—

And she lets it burn.

God I wish that you had thought this through before I went and fell in love with you.

____

@thejolexgroupchat

[doc-pickles]

that was our place, I found it first

in which alex and jo both struggle with their new realities and that overwhelming sense of deja vu....

hey hi hello this isn’t new (it’s been on AO3 for a hot minute) but I hadn’t shared it here so enjoy. and everyone say thank you to olivia rodrigo.

It’s three weeks into his stay in Kansas when the weight of his new reality hits him square in the chest. He’d wrangled both kids inside and sent them to wash up, quickly changing out of his scrubs before meeting Eli, Alexis, and Izzie at the dinner table. He’s about to ask how the day has been for everyone but he’s stopped dead in his tracks, the words slipping from his mind.

“Hey, you're invited to Mer's for Thanksgiving.”

“Really?”

“I'm invited and, uh, I'm bringing you.”

“The attendings are gonna be weird if I'm there.”

“No, they're not.”

“Just go without me. We'll meet up after.”

“You think I wanna be there if you're not.”

“You're sweet.”

“Okay, screw it. How about we get takeout chicken and eat it in the car like we were raised to do?”

“I think I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, settle down.”

The sound of his daughter’s voice brings Alex back to the present, eyes moving from the platter of fried chicken in the center of the table to Alexis who’s staring at him in confusion. He quickly plasters a smile on his face, making a joke at his daughter’s expense that makes both children giggle loudly. Dinner passes by quickly and soon both kids are off to bed, visions of a bright eyed brunette intern closing Alex’s mind as he cleans the kitchen.

+

“Auntie Jo!”

The exclamation from Zola sends all three Grey Shepherd kids hurtling across the room to wrap their arms around Jo’s legs. Struggling to keep her balance, Jo let out a laugh as she listened to each child bombard her with questions. She hadn’t seen them for almost two months so the attack was unavoidable but not unwanted as she let the kids contagious joy bring a wide smile to her face.

“Hey, glad you could make it,” Link appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, Scout wriggling in his arms. “I’m not much of a cook but there’s fresh coffee and donuts. I got them from that place that’s on...”

Link’s voice faded out as Jo’s eyes settled on the pink bakery box behind him, the children clinging to her forgotten as her mind drifted.

“Cheers to an incredible day. You deserve it. Actually, I helped, too. So cheers to us.”

“Hey, powdered sugar's your favorite.”“Yeah, no. This is great. Thanks.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“So it’s been a long morning around here,” Link, oblivious to the far off look in Jo’s eyes, finished his thought off before turning back to his friend. “Can I get you some coffee? You look tired, no offense.”

Jo nodded her head, shaking off the last foggy visions of the supply closet from her mind as she hoisted Ellis onto her hip, “Coffee sounds perfect, thanks Link.”

+

“You know, maybe we should just head down to the courthouse, make things official.”

Alex’s head snapped up from the bowl of cereal in front of him, eyes wide as he stared at Izzie who was packing lunches for Eli and Alexis. Her comment was nonchalant, eyes not even leaving the lunch bags in front of her as she continued the thought.

“It might make things easier than going through a big fuss, plus it’s close to the hospital so it wouldn’t be super out of the way,” Izzie finally looked at Alex who was staring at her in shock still. “What do you think?”

“I don’t even know if my divorce has gone through yet, I think getting married is jumping the gun a bit Iz,” Alex forced the words out of his mouth, heart pounding loudly as Izzie began to laugh. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I meant go down to the courthouse to get you on the kids paperwork,” Izzie stifled another laugh as Alex let out a breath of relief, his heart rate coming down significantly. “Geez, what kind of backwoods tacky idea is a courthouse wedding anyways?”

Alex’s mind began to drift as visions of vampire teeth and fake blood on a day not too long ago filled his mind.

“For better or worse...”

“For better or worse.”

"...for richer or poorer...”

“For richer or... pregnant.”

“What?”

“I'm pregnant.... Ha! Scared you! I got you so good.”

“Wait. You're not pregnant?”

“No. Oh, my God, you should've seen your face.”

“... so I told Jenny we’d swing by around 8,” Izzie looks expectantly to Alex, who’s coming out of his mental dog and still staring into his cereal bowl. “Alex? You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” his eyes flit to the living room where Eli and Alexis are playing a game, loud peels of laughter coming from them. His heart twisted for a moment, picturing Jo between the two children playing along with them as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Yeah I’m good.”

+

“You’re just the cutest baby in the whole wide world aren’t you,” Jo’s voice was a soft coo as she rocked a drowsy Scout in her arms, the loud voices of his cousins outside drowned out as they stood in the living room. “You’re gonna be handsome just like your daddy and so smart like your mama. I don’t know what those two are gonna do with you.”

“You’re a natural you know,” Jo’s head popped up, meeting Amelia’s gaze as she leaned against the doorframe of the living room. “He won’t even fall asleep for Maggie.”

“Well Auntie Jo just has the magic touch,” Jo pressed a finger against Scout’s cheek, the infant curling closer to the new source of warmth. “Maybe that’s why OB sounds so appealing, all the babies I get to hold and love on since I’m clearly not having any of my own anytime soon.”

A low chuckle left Amelia as she crossed the room and grabbed Scout from Jo, the little boy nuzzling into his mother’s chest contentedly, “Don’t count yourself out. I wouldn’t put it past you to become a mom sooner rather than later.”

Jo watched Amelia walk towards Scout’s room, her mind thinking back to a time when having her own kids wasn’t just a far off dream.

“I'm ready. I mean, let's do it. Let's make a baby, right now.”

“Are you out of your mind? We’re not having a baby!”

“I want to have kids with you. I love how much you care for Kimmie, and it really makes me want to have kids with you. And if it's okay with you, I would really like to take your last name. Because I've never had the last name of anyone who's loved me.”

“I'm sorry I talked about kids on our honeymoon. It was stupid. It was just... you were talking about the future and snow stuff, and it just popped into my head. Like, I could see our kids playing in the snow, having fun, which is... You know, kids, snow. It makes sense.”

“Alex, shut up, please. I-I have an idea, a big idea, and I love you, and I will love all of our children, or at least one child eventually.”

“We're in the baby hat place? Are you pregnant and you didn't tell me?”

“She asked me if we wanted kids, and I said yes because we do. And she's making the hats extra big because I had an extra big head.”

The thoughts in her head overwhelm Jo, heart beating erratically as she collapses onto the couch in a fit of tears she hadn’t realized were falling. Eventually Amelia comes back, silently bringing Jo into her embrace as her tears fall. She doesn’t know how long she sits there crying, begging any higher being that would listen for Alex to come back so they could have the family they so desperately wanted.

+

“There’s a storm brewing! Expect two to three days of nonstop rain and wind in the North Eastern Kansas area, this storm is not letting up.”

Alex’s eyes floated to the window of his office, the news report blaring from his laptop fading as he focused on the rain hitting the glass. He’d lived in Seattle for a large majority of his life, he should be more than used to the sight of rain. Instead though the water dripping down reminded him of another storm years earlier, a storm that changed his life.

“Listen, I have to tell you something.”

“No, you don't.”

“You don't even know what I'm gonna say.”

“I think I do, and you shouldn't.”

“Jo…”

“I'll mess it up, Alex. I mess everything good in my life up, and... we work as friends really well, and... and I don't wanna mess that up.”

“You won't mess anything up.”

The memory fades from his mind as a knock sounds on the door of his office, one of his attendings hurtling questions at him a mile a minute. Jo’s bruised face and beaming smile haunt his thoughts for the rest of the day though, the feeling of her lips on his haunting him as he attempted to keep his head screwed on straight.

+

“Watch out Seattle! Another super soaker is in the area. Local officials are advising everyone to stay off the roads until this storm passes. If you have an emergency or need to leave…”

“Great, we’re going to get the whole of Seattle’s dumbasses in the ER tonight,” Bailey’s voice broke Jo out of her trance as she stared at the TV in the attendings lounge, fingers absentmindedly twisting the necklace around her neck. “Wilson, keep an eye on the NICU for me. If the power goes out we’ll need to keep an eye on those babies.”

Jo nodded, leaving the lounge in a daze as her mind brought up her first Seattle superstorm and a night not unlike tonight that changed everything.

“Last night, before the tree, you asked me a question. You wanted to hear me say the words. So I'm... Saying them right now.”

“I don't hear anything.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, but…”

“I'm... I'm serious.”

“Fine.”

“I love you.”

The words still echoed around her, the storm drowned out by the look on Alex’s face as they finally shared a kiss that felt like it was years in the making. That night changed everything for them, it started them off on a crazy eight year rollercoaster that despite its tragic ending Jo wouldn’t change for the world. As she walked the halls of Grey Sloan she was reminded of countless memories between them, their whole relationship playing out in the hallways of this hospital. A light feeling settled in Jo’s chest, the memories for once bringing a smile to her face instead of sending her into a crying fit. Maybe that dreaded sense of deja vu wasn’t always a bad thing…

[jobrookekarev]

One Step Forward and Three Steps Back: Chapter Two

Chapter Two of Six

Words: 1421

Summary: Jo wants to marry Alex more than anything, there’s just a few hoops she has to jump through before she can make that a reality. When she finally takes the plunge to free herself from her past, it all comes back to haunt her.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson, Jo Wilson/Paul Stadler (Past).

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Stephanie Edwards, and Paul Stadler.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences,

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Assault.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: I know it's a few days late and I did have this written before, I haven't felt well enough to post it until today. Still enjoy.

TW: Assault and abuse.

……………………………………………………………………

“Hello, Brooke.” 

Jo froze at the sound of his icy voice. It was Paul. He was standing there in her doorway looking as terrifying as he always did, with that horrible smirk on his face. It was then that Jo realized what she had done by trying to divorce him. She had given him her address in the voicemail, and she didn't know why, she thought he wouldn't come straight there. 

Paul took a step forward and Jo took a step back. He looked around the loft. It was empty, there was no one there and Stephanie would never hear them as she kept sleeping.

“You know I always wondered where you were. Whether you had gone to another state or even another country and here you are. Then you call me the weekend that I'm in Seattle too. How funny is that?”

Paul walked forward, and Jo stepped back until she ran into the shelves, but Paul continued to walk towards her until he was pressed up against her and towering over her. 

“I told everyone back in Orlando that you had run off with some guy you were cheating on me with. I told everyone that you were probably dead in a ditch somewhere, and now you finally will be.” 

Before Jo could even scream, he wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed. He pushed her down until she fell on the floor. He fell on top of her and pressed his knee into her chest. Jo gripped his arms, desperately trying to force his hands off of her throat as she gasped for breath.

Jo scratched at his forearms trying to get away, but he was dressed in one of his expensive suits, and her nails just caught fabric. She reached for his face and scratched his cheek enough to draw blood. Paul didn't even react, he just squeezed harder and harder, pushing his thumbs into her throat.

She kicked her legs as she tried desperately to get Stephanie's attention. She looked around frantically and saw the crates with the plants on them. Jo moved her leg and kicked the boxes, it tipped over as the plant crashed to the floor. She prayed that Stephanie heard it. Jo kept kicking and pulling at his hands, desperate to try anything, but he just kept squeezing harder, and she couldn't breathe. 

Suddenly someone's fist collided with Paul's cheek, and he fell back, letting go of her neck and falling off of her. Alex picked up Paul by his lapel and stood over him as he punched him again and again. Jo tried to turn to watch them, but despite how his hand had left her neck, she still couldn't breathe. Jo scratched at her neck, desperate to try and do anything, but all she could do was keep kicking.

“Jo, Jo, oh my god,” Stephanie said, as she appeared above her frantically looking between Jo and Alex and Paul. “What the hell?”

……………………………………………………………………

Stephanie was still in shock at the sight before her. Alex was hitting some guy in a suit who up until two seconds ago was on top of her best friend choking her. Jo laid on the floor, her neck was black and blue as she gasped and grabbed at her throat, trying to breathe. 

Suddenly Stephanie went from friend to doctor and quickly assessed Jo's injuries. Jo's breathing was most urgent, and Stephanie ran her fingers along her neck to feel where her trachea was dipped and caved in. 

“Alex! Alex!” Stephanie screamed, looking up to see that he was still hitting the man. As much as she wanted to let him keep hitting him, she needed his help. Alex looked up for a brief second looking back at her and Jo. “Get the med bag now!”

“Yeah,” Alex just nodded and ran over to the cabinet where they kept their supplies.

Stephanie tipped Jo's head back and looked down her throat. Jo was still gasping for air and she had stopped kicking as her lips turned blue. Stephanie knew that if she didn't do something fast, Jo would asphyxiate. Alex came sliding in next to her on his knees with the bag next to him, and Stephanie opened it up, rifling through it until she found an intubation tube and the laryngoscope. 

Alex took over holding her chin, and Stephanie inserted the laryngoscope and looked down Jo's throat. She could barely see anything with how swollen it was, but she managed to pass the tube down her throat and inflate the cuff. As soon as she pulled the laryngoscope back, leaving just the tube, Jo took a deep breath. Stephanie let out a breath of relief as Jo started breathing again and began to pink up.

“Oh God, Jo,” Alex cried out, petting her hair as he leaned down he pressed his forehead against hers. Jo looked up at Alex as tears streamed down the corners of her eyes.

Alex had his phone up to his ear and Stephanie took it from him as he dropped it. She put it up to her ear and listened as the 911 dispatcher. Alex hadn't been able to tell them much of anything, so Stephanie explained what had happened and gave them the address as a dispatcher told her that the cops and two ambulances were on their way.

Stephanie looked over at Jo again, she looked at the dark bruising around her neck and prayed her carotid arteries were still intact and delivering blood to her brain. She moved her hands to feel for her pulse on each side, it was slow on the left side, but the right side was strong, and she reached in the bags for the collar and put it around Jo's neck. Although she was kicking and turning her head earlier, Stephanie didn't want to take any chances. Jo laid as still as she could, but Stephanie knew she was in a great deal of pain and wished she could put Jo under.

Alex started an IV and held up the bag before Stephanie rifled through it to see what other kinds of drugs they had. There was ibuprofen and acetaminophen, but nothing liquid. Stephanie then looked down at Jo’s chest where he was sitting on her and undid her shirt to reveal a dark bruise in the middle of her chest. Stephanie ran her fingers over it, assessing the injury, but the dark bruises were all she found, and she sighed in relief that Jo’s sternum and ribs weren’t broken. She grabbed the stethoscope and listened to Jo’s heart and lungs. Her breathing and heart sounded good and Stephanie sat back on her heels. 

With Jo not dying in her arms, Stephanie took a moment to look around the loft. The door was open and the stack of crates was tipped over as the potted plant was a mess on the floor. The man that had attacked her was lying unconscious by the door.

“Who the hell is he?” Stephanie asked, looking over at him. 

Jo moaned, but the tube in her throat made it impossible for her to talk. Alex picked up his head and Stephanie turned to look at her.

“Sh, Jo, don't try and talk,” Alex said, running his fingers over her forehead.

Jo moaned again, her eyes darting over to the man.

“Jo, do you know him?” Stephanie asked, looking down at her before she gleaned back at the man.

Jo squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. 

“Yes, you know him?” Stephanie asked, putting one hand on Jo’s cheek and brushing away her tears that hadn’t stopped falling.

“Who is he?” Alex asked, glancing over at him again. 

“Oh my God,” Stephanie said, looking over at him. Everything that Jo had told her earlier about her divorce and her abusive husband suddenly clicked. “Jo, is he the guy, is he the guy you left?”

Jo squeezed her eyes shut before she opened them, telling Stephanie yes. Black tears fell from the corner of her eyes as her mascara darkened her tears. 

“What's going on?” Alex asked, looking between the two of them. “Who is he?”

Stephanie paused, staring at him, she didn't want to reveal Jo’s secret, but she knew it would all come out eventually. Jo reached out and grabbed her wrist, squeezing it tightly. Stephanie looked down to see Jo squeeze her eyes shut once in a yes. Unfortunately, Stephanie didn't get the chance to tell Alex anything as the paramedics arrived.

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X11

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I liked this episode overall even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I thought that in this episode we were going to see Meredith and Derek reunite one last time on the beach and then Meredith was going to wake up in a dramatic fashion and we would get some big dramatic scene. I now think that that's going to happen in next week's episode or the one after. I like that they showed that she was getting better but that the challenge now was to get her to wake up and stay awake. While it wasn't super dramatic it was probably more realistic to how the disease actually works and affects people in real life.

I kept thinking every time Meredith fell back asleep that she was going to appear on the beach, and I was little disappointed that she didn’t. That being said, I really loved Jo's scene with Meredith. I thought it was really sweet and touching and I like that Meredith was supportive and told Richard what Jo had said so that he could help her. Jo was scared that Meredith would yell at her and not understand if she told her so that was nice to see. I also liked that this episode combined with the previous one seems to indicate that the beach exists in Meredith’s head, it’s her happy place, and that she can hear people when they talk to her at her bedside and can potentially hear people when they stand outside her room.

This means that when she does wake up for real, they won’t have to rehash plots that we’ve already seen because Meredith will already know what happened and they can just go from there. I also really liked the scene where Richard came to Jo and she was worried he was angry with her and would try to talk her out of switching specialties, but instead he told her he wanted to help her but he couldn't do that if he was in the dark. That being said, while I’m okay with Jo switching it up, I'm still not sold on Jo switching to OBGYN because I don't think they've done enough to set up the storyline.

We’re 3/4 of the way through the season and all Jo has done is talk about it, but she hasn't done anything to actually make it happen. We got more set up for her switching to Urology and being mentored by Catherine in one episode than we've had all season with Jo wanting to switch to OBGYN. Jo’s had plenty of time to talk to people in the field about her desire to change careers, talk to her superiors, and find a mentor. She’s done none of that. In fact she’s been hiding her desire to switch from everyone who could actually help her with feels a lot like self-sabotage. If she’s really interested, she should have gone to Meredith, Bailey, and Richard in the first half of the season and talked about how she was feeling.

She should have asked Hayes and Carina what working in OBGYN and Pediatrics was really like. She hasn’t done that and right now she seems to have a very rosy picture of what the field is like that just doesn’t match the reality. She keeps talking about how it’s going to be great because it’s all about happy Moms, but that isn’t the reality for everyone. There’s a lot that can go wrong in childbirth, not everyone is happy to be having a baby, some might be placing their children for adoption, they may be fighting with their partner, they may lash out because they are in pain, the list goes on.

If Jo is serious about switching, she should be asking Hayes and Carina a thousand questions and finding someone to mentor her. Instead her and Carina haven’t had a single scene together this season that I can recall, and she spent two whole episodes screaming at Hayes and being super aggressive towards him when he was already terrified about Meredith and Irene. She knows that if she switches specialities she’ll be working with Hayes and people in his Department a lot. Which means she should be super nice to him and being asking for his help. Instead, she’s created this super weird dynamic in which she’s either yelling at him aggressively or they are exchanging polite conversation about work.

Hayes makes it clear to Irene that they are not friends, he is not interested in her, and has no desire to change that which is on Jo because she went from being nice to him and being friendly and teasing him about his feelings for Meredith last season to taking advantage of the fact that they are coworkers to scream at him when he didn’t want to break protocol after what happened to Meredith and was upset after Irene was admitted. She also made that horrible comment comparing his wife’s death to her divorce from Alex and seem to take the fact that he was upset and wanted the best care for Irene as a personal offence and to mean that Hayes think she’s incompetent. None of which is true. It’s all in Jo’s head.

So yeah, I’m not sold on her switching to OBGYN because they haven’t done enough set up and they already tried that with Carina, and it didn’t work. There just isn’t enough material to have a character appear on the show regularly if they are an OBGYN only and can’t perform pediatric, fetal, or neonatal surgery. After they wrote Arizona off, they spent two seasons trying to find stuff for Carina to do before pairing her with Maya and moving her over to Station 19. Several of the current writers were present during seasons 14, 15, and 16 so they were there when that happened, and they were involved. So, I’m confused as to why they think something that failed the first time is going to work with an existing character.

If this is the show’s last season, I feel like this storyline is going to end with Jo re-specializing and adopting Luna. If this isn’t the show’s last season and they’re doing one more I don’t understand how the writers think they are somehow going to get a season’s worth of content out of Jo delivers babies and sleeps with Jackson. We got some good patient storylines this episode and the storyline about the newlywed couple was funny and interesting. I had a feeling as soon as Bailey convinced the guy to talk to his life that it was going to go the opposite way than Bailey intended.

I like that Owen took Bailey’s advice and gentle prodding to heart and apologized to Teddy. I am happy that Owen finally made amends and that he and Teddy seem to be moving forward. I was so sick of them fighting so I’m glad to see that storyline come to an end. It was exhausting and I'm glad that Owen finally got it and that that they are both starting to heal. It was long overdue. I think he heard what Bailey was saying and even though it didn't hold true for the couple they treated it did hold true for him and Teddy and that's what Bailey was trying to share with him.

As for what the future holds for Teddy and Owen, I'd like to see them become friends again and find a way to co-parent peacefully with Amelia and Link for the good of their kids and themselves. I think there's been too much drama and heartbreak for them to work as a couple at this point. I loved seeing Maggie and Hayes work together to treat a patient. I liked the scene where Maggie said it was time to let the patient go and Hayes looked at her and said aren't you some kind of genius or something? Figure it out.

It was nice to see her in a non-romantic storyline with someone that Meredith is interested in. I never liked the “Meredith is dating or interested in someone or they are interested in her, but her sister misunderstands the situation and thinks they are into her or cluelessly asks them out” plots. I love that Hayes is finally getting his moment in the sun. He's played a big role in the second half of the season so far and I'm really happy about that. He's one of my favourite new characters and they really underutilized him in the first half of the season. I loved seeing his interactions with Maggie and watching them find a solution for his young patient. I really loved the scene where they're all in the OR and their idea works. The unfettered joy on their faces was palpable and it filled me with joy!

The scenes where the patient’s father confided his fears to Hayes about his son and how his wife hasn’t been able to get out of bed in weeks and then just before they took him into surgery, he talked to his son about all of the things he wanted to do with him. That made me tear up. I loved how Hayes got the idea for the surgery from Jo being metaphorical and convinced Maggie to do it. I was surprised that Maggie’s engagement wasn’t mentioned, and I got the impression that Maggie hasn't told anyone about her engagement yet as no one commented on it so I'm interested to see when that will come out and people's reactions to it.

I liked that Link’s parents showed up and offered to take the kids out for the day (safely) and that we got to see Link having a happier interaction with his parents and that Amelia and Link got a break. While his parents have come across as selfish and sometimes cruel and irresponsible in the past it was really nice of them to offer to take the kids for the day and I like that they happily offered and accepted Meredith’s kids as family and that Link’s Mom called Amelia her daughter-in-law and said she considered her part of the family.  

I really loved the Amelia and Link scenes this episode. They were great! They were emotional and sexy and fun and silly and heartbreaking all at once. I'd like to see them get married, but not because his Mom keeps pushing it or because they find out that Maggie and Winston are engaged, but because they feel it's right for them. Link is at that place, but Amelia isn't and I don't want to see her jump into something because of outside pressure. She's done that before, and it always ends badly.

I really appreciate that the series is actively addressing Amelia's addiction and what it's like to live with that. Addiction is a lifelong battle, a chronic illness of sorts, and it is not a one and done deal. Amelia and Link don't have a lot of story options available to them because of Meredith's COVID storyline this season so I like that they are taking the opportunity to explore that more. I liked the comparison to her relationship with Owen where Link said I love you and I want to marry you, but I'm not Owen so I'm not here for the drama and if us getting married could cause you to relapse then we should wait. Link proposing and Amelia shouting no at him especially when he was shirtless made me laugh! I’m always here for shirtless Link!

I also really Jackson and Mama Ortiz’s storyline. They addressed a real issue in that sometimes people try to help because they feel moved or called to do so, but their band aid fix creates more problems long term than they solve. I like that Jackson got what Ortiz was saying and that he called her at the end of the episode and asked for her ideas for how they could use his money to really help people in their community long term. I love the actress who plays her and I'm excited that she’s getting more screen time.

I loved seeing Tom back in action! His lines in the trauma room were great! Bailey had some great scenes this episode as well. They're focusing more on the characters I really like or find interesting in the second half of the season so I'm really enjoying that. I had a few favourite scenes this episode. I loved the moment where Meredith woke up and Richard said, "Hey there, sleepy head," and Meredith said she was sorry he had to put her on a ventilator because she knows how hard that must have been for him and he said he'd do it again. And then Meredith said, "I'm glad I chose you." I love their father daughter relationship and that scene warmed my heart. I also really liked Teddy's line about the tea. That's a meme waiting to happen.

Onto next week’s promo! We see Jackson running by a Black Lives Matter protest which puts this episode at either the end of May or the beginning of June 2020 as George Floyd, may he rest in peace, was murdered on May, 25, 2020 and protests erupted the next day and grew in size in the following weeks and months. In the promo Richard brings in a wounded protestor and tells Jackson they were marching peacefully, and Jackson appears to be treating Hayes who we know has two black biracial children.

We also see Meredith being taken into the Hyperbaric Chamber by Levi, Maggie talking a distressing phone call, and Teddy doing chest compressions which means she’s back at work. Here’s hoping that Teddy took Amelia’s advice and found a new therapist that works for her. The most intriguing part of the Promo for me is that we see Bailey, dressed in full PPE, duck into a stairwell and scream “What?!?” out loud several times. I’m curious to know what she’s screaming about. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it both? Is it something bewildering? Can’t wait to find out.

Until next time!

[domesticmail]

happy new year || vince dunn

AUTHOR’S NOTE: happy new year to everyone!!! i hope you’re all ringing in this year with love & kindness! this is a fic for @hockeynetwork​ ‘s fic exchange, particularly for @pucksnsticksnhockeyboys​ !! 

i think you’re officially the last fic recipient of 2020, so congratulations!! i hope you like the fic <33

lots of thanks to @makarsy​ for beta-ing this for me!! <3

WORD COUNT: 5.7k

WARNINGS: dysfunctional family, divorce, alcohol !

SUMMARY: going back to your hometown to visit your family for the holidays is supposed to be fun. accidentally running into your childhood best friend is supposed to be nostalgic. love is supposed to have a happy ending. nothing disappoints more than high expectations.

She’d hung the mistletoe right under the hallway arch. The gray-green leaves, attached to stems that seemed to sink with the gravity, dangled from the red ribbon holding them together, tied to a hook hanging from the highest point of the arch. Small berries, white in color, caught your eye as you stood, frozen, in the living room. 

The familiar feeling of dread and terror floods your veins. Your chest begins to freeze over as your heart picks up pace. It’s like someone lit a bonfire in the middle of a glacier, and it’s melting you. If you were a little less aware, you’d think you were sinking to your knees, weakness invading and settling deep in the bones of your legs like the mere memory of him saps you of all your willpower.

There’s a strange floating feeling in the gravity you feel. It’s like you’re being pulled up and down simultaneously, and for a moment you feel so confused, and it scares you, this feeling of anxiety and fear.

A familiar hand settles on your shoulder, pulling you out of the spiral. “I thought maybe it’d be a...cute little touch.” From the way the deep voice is straining to hit a higher octave, you’re guessing it’s your brother, mimicking your mom.

You turn, and you’re right. He’s rolling his eyes, saying some smartass comment or another. Something about how she has no regard for anyone but herself. You nod noncommittally as he downs a glass of champagne. You raise an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you should pace yourself? It’s just more fuel for Aunt Cindy.”

“Y/N, I’ve never cared about what she thinks, and I sure as hell am not gonna start now.”

You shrug as he looks you up and down. Your shitty christmas sweater is the only one you own, but it’s the perfect mixture of funny and definitely going to offend Mom. It’s a knitted, ugly green, and the front has Jesus with a party blower in his mouth. He’s wearing a birthday hat, one of the pointy cone ones, and is holding a white, circular balloon that has “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” written on it in red. He’s wearing a shirt that says “BIRTHDAY BOY”.

She nearly had a heart attack when she saw you wearing it last week. The mistletoe, then, is payback, presumably.

“Danny?”

He turns back to you, eyebrows raised.

“Are you getting more champagne?” You ask. He nods. “I want some too,” you sigh, joining him at the kitchen island. He smiles conspiratorially.

While he pours you a glass, you inquire about his life. You don’t see each other often, with you up in New York and him traveling over 300 days out of the year. “It’s a miracle you’re even here,” you joke.

Danny snorts, taking a sip of his own drink. “Couldn’t miss another family event, especially not since last month.”

Last month was his 10-year anniversary of joining the Bureau, a week after he turned 33. Your mother’s pride and joy, she’d gone all out, and had been infuriated when an hour into the party he’d been called to the office. And even while she was annoyed with his duties, she still took the time to go out of her way and inform both you and your sister, Jo, that “at least he has an important job.”

You laugh. “She was pissed.”

“Yeah, she called me later that day.”

“She called you? While you were at work?”

“Do you think she has any respect for my time?”

You raised your eyebrows, eyes wide in shock. “How can she possibly be so….not self-aware?”

“I have no clue.”

As though summoned by the mention of your mother, Jo enters the room, long blonde hair a mess around her face, red and puffy. She takes the spot next to you, grabs your champagne glass, and downs it. 

“Hi, Jo,” you and Danny say in unison, neither of you surprised.

“Mom’s being such a bitch,” she spits, wiping her eyes. On her left hand, you spot something shiny, and it takes a moment for you to register the huge diamond ring on her finger. Like you can read each other’s minds, you and Danny look at each other, back to the ring, and then back to each other. Danny’s mouth is wide open in an ‘O’, and Jo squints at him. “What, Danny?”

She notices you staring at her, too. “Guys. What? Can’t you see I’m obviously in distress?”

“With that ring? You should be the happiest woman on the planet, Jo,” Danny replies.

“Ugh.” Jo sniffles aggressively. “I can’t be happy when Mom is being so...judgemental! I mean, can’t she just be happy for me?”

“Wait, wait,” you interrupt, hands up in a ‘slow down’ motion. “Who gave you that ring?”

Your sister looks at you like that’s the dumbest question you’ve ever heard. Her face in this expression looks almost exactly like your mother’s, and it strikes a nerve deep down. “You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“Peter. From - “

“The guy from the coffee shop?” You’re completely surprised. Jo makes impulsive decisions, yes, but getting engaged to a guy she’s been on four dates with? That’s just plain reckless.

“Yes. He proposed last week.” She sniffles again, this time trying to seem at least a little more dignified. Chin high, she proclaims, “We’re in love.”

Danny sips his champagne, still completely caught off-guard. He has a small smile as he watches you say, “Jo, that’s fucking insane.”

Jo rolls her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re too young.”

Your brother laughs. “She’s only two years younger than you.”

“That’s two whole years of experience she doesn’t have.”

“You realize I’m not seventeen anymore, right, Jo? I’m an actual adult.”

“An adult with an actual job,” Danny points out.

“I have a job!” Your sister protests.

“What job? Oh, wait, you mean being a sugar baby, right? That’s your job?”

Jo glares at you. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”

You shrug and drink some more champagne. “I’m being honest.”

“You’re being mean.” “Oh my god, Jo. You’re the one getting married to a guy you’ve known for two months.”

“We’re in love!”

“You can’t possibly be in love!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was talking to the expert of all things romantic! Please, O Great One, give me your opinion!”

You pressed your lips together tightly. “You’re not funny.”

“Oh, wait! I forgot,” Jo continues. “The Master of Love has a boyfriend.”

Your face heats up. You’d only told your mom you had a boyfriend so she would stop badgering you with questions about your love life. You hadn’t been thinking about the consequences, you’d just wanted to stop the questioning, and that had clearly backfired. “Mom told you that?”

Your sister smiles, seemingly satisfied with this secret knowledge. Danny, who’s been listening to the conversation with wide eyes, is grinning like a maniac behind his champagne flute. 

“Yes,” Jo says. “So, where is he?”

Scrambling internally, you frown. “He’s busy.”

“Probably spending Christmas with his family,” Danny cuts in. That is surprising - usually he’ll let Jo beat you down, and then show support later. And anyway, he doesn’t even know you’re lying about the boyfriend. “They’re probably ten times less dysfunctional.”

At the last word, Jo switches gears completely, snapping her head to look at Danny. “We’re not dysfunctional,” she hisses.

Your brother laughs in her face. “Yes, we are.”

As they begin to argue, you take this as your chance to escape. You leave your champagne on the island - alcohol will only make this worse, and you want to be somewhat lucid for dinner. On the bright side, the less you drink now, the more you can drink later. You make your way down the hall, stopping to look at the photos framed on the walls in a remarkably perfect design. Every Christmas card photo meticulously arranged from oldest to newest, below the childhood pictures. There are a few of Jo, with her beautiful curls and pearly-white teeth, playing lacrosse. Everyone’s high school graduation photos. Lots of photos of Danny, the eldest and golden child. His first birthday, his eighteenth birthday, first day in college, first Christmas back home, various pictures of him and your parents. Any picture including your dad is small and inconspicuously placed, so as not to draw attention to it.

Scattered between pictures of your siblings are the ones of you. They’re all smaller; the only large one is your high school cap and gown picture. And the others aren’t of your accomplishments - they’re of you at home, smiling, with a book, or building a snowman with your dad in the backyard. Tucked below a picture of Danny and one of his ex-girlfriends (Sandy, your mother’s favorite) and above Jo’s first varsity photo is your favorite. Your dad took it when you were fourteen, on an old camera, one that used film, and had developed it himself. You had gone to visit him in Oregon, the only one who’d wanted to go, and as a surprise, he’d taken you to the beach. Your hair is wet and sticking to your face, and you’re making a silly face - lips puckered, eyes crossed, hands at either side of your face like fish gills. It’s a decade old, and the memory has faded a bit in your mind, but you can still remember the way he laughed at you when he took the photo. “That’ll be a good one,” he’d proclaimed. “I’ll send it to you.”

That’s how it was every summer since then. You went off to stay with him in Oregon, and Jo stayed at home with your mother. Danny, seven years older than Jo and nine older than you, wasn’t involved, at that point - he was just joining the bureau. Nobody had batted an eye when your dad didn’t show up to the party last month. Him and Danny had never quite gotten along.So you spend June through August with him at Gold Beach. Just the picture brings to mind memories from the cottage; the summer your dad grew a beard; him bringing you to the touristy area, to a struggling record shop to let you pick out your first album. You still had it, tucked away in an old box of vinyls in the back of your closet at home. The Chain, Fleetwood Mac.

There was something surprising about your mom keeping this picture. She hated that you spent your summers with him. It wasn’t uncommon for her to blame your personality as an adult on those vacations with your dad, as though he was the reason you were a journalist, and not that he’d simply loved you for who you were, and given you the love and affection you’d needed. So the picture here, that was confusing. In fact, you’d thought for years she’d thrown it out, because she talked so often about how deeply she wishes she’d fought for full custody in the divorce. Why would she keep the picture?

There’s no way she kept it as a reminder of him. She’d never voluntarily keep something like that around.

So then, why does she have it?

“Do you have to wear that horribly offensive sweater?”

And there she is, the devil herself, shrill as ever. You turn to the end of the hall and find your mother there, in her favorite cream-colored dress. Her hair was in a bun, and you knew without even being close to her that she had wasted an incredible amount of hairspray on keeping it in place. She’s wearing the pearl earrings and necklace set Danny gave her for her birthday last year, and on her wrist was a surprise - the white watch you’d gifted her. 

“Hey to you too, Mom,” you greet, not dignifying the question with an answer. The best way to deal with her was to pretend you didn’t hear her little jabs.

“Honestly, Y/N, how do you expect us to have a peaceful dinner with my family when you’re wearing such blatantly tasteless clothing?” She approaches you and seems to be picking apart your appearance piece by piece. You expected no different. “Our family. And I know Leah and Mark will think it’s funny.” The only two cousins of thirteen that you can stand, Leah is Aunt Cindy’s only daughter, and Mark is her eldest son.

“What?” Genuine confusion etches itself into her features.

You raise an eyebrow. “Our family. I’m related to them, too.”

She snorts. “No, you take too much after Ryan’s family to be a Benson.” The mention of her last name, once her maiden name, presses a button for you. When they got divorced, Danny took your mom’s last name, and when Jo asked, she took her to city hall so she could change it back to Benson.You were the only child who kept your father’s last name.

“Technically, I’m half Benson, half L/N.”

“Mmm,” she hums noncommittally. “Sure. If that’s what you believe.”

You furrow your brows. “You gave birth to me.”

Smiling tightly, she says, “Babies have been switched at hospitals before.”

Completely taken aback, your jaw drops open, and she takes this chance to survey your teeth. “I see you’ve had dental work done since last month.”

You close your mouth tightly and frown. “Just a cleaning.”

She looks you up and down and once again offers nothing but a disingenuous “Sure.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence before your mother inhales sharply and asks, “Has Jo told you yet?”

“About the engagement?”

“Yes.” She is gritting her teeth so hard you’re sure she’s going to crack a molar.

“Yeah.”

“And your opinion?”

You shrug. “I think it’s royally stupid, but it’s her decision.”

This seems to satisfy her, because she nods and, after looking you up and down once more and confirming that you are not going to change your outfit, she heads past you, her heels clicking forcibly against the hardwood.

You exhale audibly when she is gone, the tension in your chest and back releasing slowly. Conversations with her are so tense you can hardly breathe, she takes up so much air.

Raised voices echo down the hall from the kitchen. You look uncomfortably in the direction the chaos is coming from. Forcing yourself to walk towards the room, you find yourself standing quietly in the entryway to the kitchen.

Jo and your mother are going at it again. Your sister’s face is red and puffy, she’s clearly been crying the entire time. Danny is sitting down at the dining room table, pouring himself yet another glass. You sigh, and there’s only one thing that comes to mind as you watch this scene unfold, your mother talking loudly and sternly to Jo, who is yelling and sobbing.

God, you hate it here.

---

You’ve been banished (read: released) to the store, to pick up eggs. And milk. But only almond milk, the soy kind. You’re not sure that exists, but whatever. Any chance to escape your mother’s house is a chance you’ll take.

This grocery store has been standing since before you were born. Your parents went to it, their parents went to it, and even their parents went to it. O’Malley’s General is over five decades old, and even worse -

As you enter through the old wooden door, you peer around at the inside of the store. Fruit and veggies are still on your left, the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to your right. No different from when you were five.

“Y/N!” The man sitting at one of the two checkout desks to your left offers you a wide grin.

- it’s a family business. When you were younger, it was run by Dennis O’Malley, a charmer in every sense of the word. You, Danny, and Jo used to make fun of your mother every time she blushed at one of Dennis’ not-quite-well-meaning flirts.In the time you’ve been gone, Dennis must’ve died, because his usual spot at the foremost checkout counter, his rickety metal stool, is occupied by his son, Ryan. He’s your age, and it appears he never grew into his big front teeth. You offer him a wave as he sets down his magazine and makes his way over to you.

“Hi, Ryan,” you say, picking up a basket from the stack near the door.

He takes a place next to you as you head for the small refrigerators at the back of the produce section, where you know the milk and eggs are. “How are you? Feels like I haven’t seen you in years!”

You laugh politely, smile stretching thin. “Yeah, it’s been a little bit. I’m good.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

The awkward quiet stretches on. You open the glass door and look for the milk your mom asked for, almond soy milk, you’re sure that isn’t real but nonetheless -

“You look just as pretty as when I last saw you,” Ryan compliments, and you feel your stomach turn at the words. Even in high school he’d been this way, interested in you, watching you from across the cafeteria and sticking notes to your locker in passing periods. He’s a little too close, you realize as you turn to him. You can feel his hot breath on your face, and instantly you smell that he didn’t brush his teeth this morning. Your flesh crawls as you meet his eyes. “Thanks,” you offer slowly. Your eyes dart to find a way around him as you say, “Ryan, you’re a little too close to me.”

He doesn’t make an effort to give you any space - in fact, quite the opposite. He steps his right foot forward, moving at nearly the pace of molasses, and you feel your adrenaline spike when he reaches his hand out to feel the cloth of your ugly sweater, his touch suddenly turning to a death grip on the cotton. “We’ve been this close before,” he murmurs, and you panic.

Your hands come up to his shoulders and shove him away as hard as you possibly can. You succeed in pushing him away, partly, but his right hand is still gripping your sweater, anchoring him to you. His quiet demeanor dissolves into something resembling hurt as he pulls you closer to him, grabbing your other shoulder with his free hand -

The front door squeaks open. Ryan, distracted, turns to look at the door. You take this moment to finally shove him off of you, running around him. There’s another man standing at the front door, eyes flicking back and forth from you and Ryan. When you move to get past him, he appears to regain his senses, following you out of the store. 

“Wait! Are you okay?” He yells, and the sound of his voice stops you in your tracks.

You freeze in the middle of the sidewalk. There’s no way. There’s no way. You’re delusional. “Excuse me?” He asks again.

You turn slowly on your heels. He looks so concerned, his face contorted in the same way he used to frown when you’d fail a turn on the ice while practicing your routine. That worry, reminiscent of how he’d skate over and offer you a hand, pulling you up with a simple “Are you alright?”

You exhale, hard. There’s no sign of recognition on his face, no nostalgia, no recovered memories of an old friend. You’re having a freak coincidence right now, and the only other person who would understand has no idea who you are.

He walks over, his boots crunching rock salt as he surveys your face for wounds. “Can you hear me?”

Snap out of it.

You blink a couple times. Nod. Twice. “Yes, I’m sorry, yes, I’m okay.”

The friend smiles, but it’s confused, worried. “Do you need me to call 911, or…?”

“No,” you laugh. The noise catches both of you by surprise, but you can’t stop, dropping the basket, giggles shaking your body. The situation is a little comical, in all honesty - you’re stuck in your hometown with your dysfunctional family, you were practically just assaulted by someone who’s been in love with you since the eighth grade, and the boy you were once in love with doesn’t remember you. It’s like the plot of a Hallmark movie, if Hallmark movies were written by whoever writes Grey’s Anatomy.

You look up at him, and there’s that little chuckle of his, the one that lights up his whole face. He’s confused, yeah, but he’s got the right spirit. You clear your throat and extend your hand to him. “Thank you, really.”

He takes it gently. “Sure. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, definitely, thank you.” Releasing his hand, you pick up the basket from the ground. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m good.”

“Okay.” He’s still watching your face carefully. “You know what? Why don’t I accompany you home?”

Oh, no. No thank you. Not today. Not in my Hallmark movie.

“No thanks. I’ll be fine.”“Can I at least give you my number?”

You look at him incredulously. “Why?”

He shrugs. “So you can text me to make sure you got home okay.”

Your laugh is cold, abrupt. “Why would you care?”

“Because I just saw you get assaulted! Is it a crime to care about people?”

“No, but it’s weird to give your number to a stranger.”

“People do it all the time.”

“Oh, do they, really? Where?”

“Bars. Clubs. Parties.”

“We’re not in any of those places.”

He rolls his eyes with a smile, already whipping out his phone. “I’m Vince. Dunn.”

You laugh a little self-consciously. “Yeah, I know.”

Vince looks up from tapping his screen to raise his eyebrow at you. “You’re into hockey?”

“No. We went to school together.”

His eyes widen, first with shock. You see the initial confusion pass and become replaced by intense, sudden recognition. “Y/N?”

You grin broadly. “Long time no see.”

---

This absolutely wasn’t your fault.

You hadn’t ever expected him to go along with it, let alone offer himself up to help you. You’d merely been commiserating. Right, sharing your troubles with a friend. 

Vince takes you to brunch the next day, a welcome reprieve from your family. Your mother protests, but you’re only half-listening to her while you watch the read 9:13 am appear below your most recent text to him.

vince

La Fontaine is way overpriced. Let me show you a place

You smile and type back, what? so you can get me alone?

vince

Is it really so bad to want to spend time alone with an old friend?

vince

We haven’t seen each other in years, there’s no way you know any good breakfast places here

you

you remember that i grew up here, right?

vince

Sorry, how long’s it been since you’ve been here?

you

touche

you 

bastard

Vince

It’s within walking distance. I’ll meet you at Bailey’s at 10?

you

sounds like a plan

It’s good, to see him again. Your breath fogs the space in front of you, dissipating when you walk through it, your steps in perfect synchronization with Vince’s. He leads you down a back road that hadn’t existed when you were little and entertains you the whole walk with tales of his hockey shenanigans. You find yourself shocked that the Vince you knew as a child, the goofy kid that never quite fit in, is now a famous professional athlete. Time has changed him, too; he’s so mature now, with his good posture and manners. He holds the door open to a small diner off Quincy and Arlette, and you find yourself wondering if an alien kidnapped your childhood best friend and possessed his body.

When he starts talking is when you feel your heart begin to slip. The way he grins when he’s talking about his friends or his family or something stupid he’s done is breathtaking, his lips reaching his eyes. The way he throws his head back when he laughs, a deep, shaky noise, like if he’s too loud he’s going to break something.

So when he asks about your love life, you can’t help it. You open your mouth and words materialize on your lips without you even consciously forming them. You tell him everything, about your tragic love history and the way you felt when your mother asked snidely if you were going to bring a boy home for Christmas and the panic in your chest when you blurted “yes.”

And when your lip wobbles after you finish, he swears he can see tears beginning to prick at your eyes. Baby, he thinks - no, he feels the word in his heart, looking at you like this.It’s not your fault he offered himself up. He’s a grown man, he makes his own decisions, and he is the one who decided to pretend to be your boyfriend at Christmastime. In front of your family.

You’re just the one who’s going along with it.

---

“We should probably hold hands.”

The skin of his hands is rough, calloused, a sharp contrast to your soft touch. His palm feels so big against yours, the flat surface nearly dwarfing your whole hand, long fingers enclosed around yours. He bites his nails - you know from one glance at the chewed nubs of calcium.

“And hug,” he adds. “Couples hug.”

“Okay, fine, hugging, too.”

When his arms snake their way around your torso from behind, you become acutely aware of just how touch-starved you are. Every nerve ending is on fire, rocketing signals lightning-fast to your brain, adrenaline flooding your system. Your heartbeat quickens, and you know he feels it, the bastard, because your mother asks him what he’s smiling about, and he says “Nothing.”

You turn in his arms when she leaves, taking a step away from him. He looks mildly dismayed at the loss of your warmth but doesn’t comment on it. You lead the topic of conversation away from the hug.

“What about kissing?” Vince points out. “Couples kiss.”

Five.

That line has been ringing through his head all night. Every glimpse he catches of you, every tiny little look, makes the phrase rattle around his skull like a maraca of that one phrase.

When you catch his eye across the kitchen and make a funny face at him, a small gesture of togetherness in an atmosphere so cold and distancing.

“Couples kiss.”

Four.

When he rounds the corner to find the bathroom. You come around the opposite side at the same time and smack your face right against his chest, and when you pull back frantically you look up at Vince with a look of such pure apology he can’t help it.

“Couples kiss.”

Three.

You take his hand under the table at dinner. You don’t even really know why - it’s a strangely intimate gesture - but you see it through, your small hand resting gently on top of his.He flips his hand over so you can lace your fingers through his.

“Couples kiss.”

Two.

You huff, considering him.

“Only if it’s an absolute emergency.”

New Year’s isn’t an emergency, Vince knows. He knows New Year’s is actually the exact opposite of an emergency, nothing important, and if he could, he’d walk away. At least, he pretends he would.

But he can’t, because your siblings are egging him on, face-to-face with you. 

“Couples kiss.”

“Only if it’s an absolute emergency.”

“An absolute emergency.”

“Couples kiss.”

“Emergency.”

“Only if it’s an absolute emergency.”

He knows New Year’s isn’t an emergency and he knows he could just brush Danny and Jo off but the light is framing you so perfectly, and the way you smile at him so earnestly - his brain is shaking like a pinball machine but he doesn’t have time to consider that so he kisses you.

One.

He kisses you.

Your lips are sweet against his. You taste like sugar, he notices.

And then you pull away and make an excuse to use the restroom again and while Jo and Danny screech congratulations and celebrations at him. The champagne glass in his hand feels empty, and the hand he had tangled in your hair only seconds ago feels like it’s burning.

Couples kiss.

---

When you press the hastily-wrapped present into his hands, you won’t meet his eyes. It’s days after that kiss, that goddamned mistake, and you’re so shaky you can barely keep it together. The sight of you in such an uncomfortable state in Vince’s presence hits him in the heart and causes a deep knot to settle in his stomach. 

Idiot.

“I know we said no presents,”

“We’re not a couple,” you said. “You don’t have to get me anything.”

“But I think you deserve at least one. For putting up with my family.”

“What if I want to get you something? As friends?”

He offers his best normal smile. “You didn’t have to,” he says. A car horn blasts from somewhere near.

You scowled at him, but he just continued. “I can get presents for my friends.”

It’s ironic that he’s the one who asked to give presents but here you are, with a present, and here he is, empty-handed.

The silence is awkward.“Well,” you say. “Have a good trip.”

You’re turning to leave when his hand grips your upper arm, holding you in place. You move your gaze to meet his, and before you can say anything, he says,

“Hey.” His eyes are boring holes into yours. You feel goosebumps litter your skin when he says, “Happy New Year.”

“Thank you,” you murmur, and he lets you go.

He lets you go.

---

The box weighs heavy in his lap. The car moves with every bump in the road, and with each jolt he feels the cardboard corners, wrapped in patterns of reindeer faces and Santa’s smile, pressing into his legs. The sharp, quick pain is a constant reminder, and it makes him think of you. Even the wrapping paper is so stereotypically you, obviously something you grabbed from the back of your closet or (more likely) borrowed from a neighbor or classmate. He could see it now, the way you asked with a smile if they had any ugly wrapping paper, the confusion on their face as you lit up when they said, yeah, why? You delighted in the stupid pattern, so busy that he could barely focus on just one aspect. And you’d certainly picked a black Sharpie to write his name, knowing full well it’d easily be lost in the mottled colors and insane patterns. The way you wrote Vince, in that unique combination of print and cursive, like you couldn’t decide - again, so predictably you. He traces the big V with his index finger, picturing you in your apartment, on the floor, taking special care to write his name this way, on the top where he would at least have a chance of seeing it. Your hair falling into your face, hand gripping the pen and being oh-so-meticulous about the way you wrote it, his name, not wanting it to be too big, but not too small either. Just the right size to grab his attention.

Of course you would.

And you’d have known that he would hate to tear open the paper, to rip something with so much significance to him. He flips the box over and finds the taped-over seam. There has to be a way to undo this without ruining the wrapping, he knows, so he picks at the tape gently, taking care not to destroy the delicate paper. The taping is perfect, because you, obviously, couldn’t handle anything else. It spans the exact length of the box, no more, no less; you’ve always been a perfectionist.

He manages to unwrap the box with only one or two tiny tears and feels a tiny moment of pride immediately eclipsed by the desire to know what, exactly, you’ve given him for Christmas. He flips it over to find the top once more and does so successfully. The top flaps of cardboard are folded over each other without any tape, and he remembers begging you to teach him how to do this when you were kids, making presents for the teachers at your school. You never did.

He pulls one of the tabs and, like magic, the whole top undoes itself. Inside, there’s another small box with what he assumes are polaroids, two tiny boxes next to each other, a wrapped present in the shape of a book, all placed meticulously on shredded filler paper. Delicately taped on top of the book-shaped item is an envelope.

On the front, Vince, in your script. Of course.

Something about the box smells familiar, so he brings the envelope to his nose, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. The scent of your favorite perfume, the one you wear constantly, your lucky charm (as you’ve informed him several times), floods his senses, and he nearly cries at the nostalgia that fills his heart. His whole body aches with pain, begging him, make the Uber driver turn the car around, run back.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he opens the envelope carefully. Inside is a stack of papers folded together several times, small enough to fit the package. He can’t help but smile at the long, flowing script you use when you write on loose-leaf, when you’re feeling emotional. Again the way you write has his heartstrings tugging. He isn’t a crier, usually, but for you he makes an exception. For you tears gather in his eyes, threatening to break and bury him. For you he feels, feels so deeply and painfully he doesn’t know if he can manage to read more than Dear Vince because it might kill him, the aching in his heart and the begging in his hands. The memory of you is poised for destruction in his mind and he can’t help but wonder if you’d known this is what you could do to him, this was the power you held over his life.

Dear Vince, that fatal first line reads.

Dear Vince.

[thebirdandhersong]

Fairy tale retellings! because I couldn’t help myself (under the cut because I got carried away and remembered my fairy tale retelling phase from middle school........ oh boy)

Cinderella 

Cinderella (2015 Disney live action): beautiful beautiful BEAUTIFUL (the music! the script!! the Hope! the costumes! the dress! the gentleness at its heart! the overall design and the colours!) (I still believe it’s the best live action re-adaptation they’ve come up with so far) (then again they DID have one of the Rogue One writers and Kenneth Branagh--both of whom understand story AND fairy tales--on the team, and possibly the best combination of actors and costume designers)

Cinderella (Disney animated movie): like a dream. Can’t remember it that well because I haven’t watched it in over ten years, but I remember that I loved it

Cinderella, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical featuring Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana: Laura’s Cinderella is so lively and hopeful and bright and affectionate and I Love Her!!! The script is also surprisingly funny, and the little changes they made (like the fairy godmother being an old beggar woman in the village, the subplot with her stepsister, the scene at the ball where she suggests that they should all be kind to one another, the fact that the prince is called His Royal Highness Christopher Rupert Windemere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman (HERMAN!) Gregory James....... iconic) added rather than detracted from the themes they chose to emphasize

A Cinderella Story: possibly one of my favourite films. I loved the fact that they knew each other before the ‘ball’. Loved the way the fairy tale was ‘translated’ into the 2000s. The friendship was strong with this one. I had the best time watching this movie. (Dress-wise, Hilary Duff’s dress is my least favourite, but that’s a minor quibble, and is also due to the fact that it has Lily and Laura’s gorgeous fluffy ballgowns to contend with, and that’s not fair competition)

Persuasion, by Jane Austen: does it count?? The way I see it, Persuasion is like Cinderella gone wrong (we discussed this in class, and my prof called Lady Russell a fairy godmother who means well but fails her protege before the story even begins. We talked about Anne’s ‘Cinderella’/makeover moment taking place over a longer period of time, about the ‘evil’ stepsisters, etc. etc. I’m not entirely sure I agree with every single comparison he made, but he made some Very interesting points).... at least the first time :)

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. Oh, the images!!!!! Marissa Meyer is WONDERFUL at them. You wouldn’t think they’d translate well into a futuristic sci-fi (almost steampunk) world, but she did it SO brilliantly (the slipper! the ‘dress’! the whole family situation!)

Rapunzel

Tangled (Disney animated movie): an absolute joy. Rapunzel is an Ariel-like character who has hopes and dreams of her own, and I love how warm and vivacious and endearingly transparent she is. The dance scene is so, so lovely. (I stand by my opinion that very few little went right with Disney’s fairy tale retellings after Tangled.)

Cress, by Marissa Meyer: once again. Images. I can’t believe she managed to pull Rapunzel-in-space off so well. (Plus she’s a hacker, and such a sweetheart!!)

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated movie): Amazing. Gorgeous. Brilliant. The buildings and the music and Belle (Belle, my darling!!) and the darker, more Gothic feel to the art and the design...... Yes

Beauty, by Robin McKinley: knocked it right out of the ball park, right through the atmosphere, right into outer space... The language is so lush and atmospheric, and even though I knew roughly what was going to happen, I loved every moment of it. She puts a special emphasis on family and on human connection and I Loved that so much.

Rose Daughter, by Robin McKinley: also gorgeous!!!!! Beauty is still my favourite of the two, but this one was also a gem. (Again: the emphasis on family and sisterhood!!!)

Beauty and the Beast (the Broadway musical): Susan Egan’s voice is SO lovely. And Home deserved more than just an instrumental reference in the 2017 version.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George: the Best. The sisters are easier to distinguish, the changes/things she added (the war, the queen’s past, etc.) make the story even more interesting, and Galen is fantastic (courteous, kind, brave, AND likes to knit?? NICE)

The Barbie movie: I loved it when I was a little girl (it is also Muffin-approved!)

The Princess and the Pea

@fictionadventurer​‘s Wodehousian one :) which is an absolute delight. Every once in a while I remember it and then can’t stop smiling

The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale: the Best. And by the Best, I mean the absolute Best. Her writing is so beautiful and her characters are so real and distinctive. The worldbuilding is fascinating. It’s so simple and so beautiful, and is near-perfect as a retelling and as a novel. The rest of the Bayern series is also wonderful!!

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Disney movie): can’t remember it very well, except for the chef who wanted to cook Sebastian and also Ariel’s very cool sisters.... the music and Ariel’s character are lovely :)

The Little Android, by Marissa Meyer: genius. The first time I read it, I cried furiously. What does it mean to be human?? Marissa Meyer loves to talk about this in her other books (through malfunctioning robots, androids, werewolves, etc.). And the conclusion she comes to is always the same (and always done so beautifully): it’s about love and sacrifice (and tbh even though she’s talking about this through robots and werewolves, she’s got a point!!! When you act with love and self-sacrifice, you reflect the character of the Maker and His love and self-sacrifice, which is what makes us in that moment the most human--or at least human in the sense that that’s what we were made to be and to do towards our neighbours and enemies)

Ponyo (Studio Ghibli movie): this counts, doesn’t it?? A film that is an absolute joy through and through. It doesn’t completely stick to the original fairy tale but it also talks about compassion, kindness, and love as a choice

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog (Disney animated movie): can’t remember it very well, but Anika Noni Rose has a fantastic voice, and I loved Tiana’s practicality, optimism, and kindness

The Prince of the Pond, by Donna Jo Napoli: can’t remember it either (read it in third grade) but basically it’s about how the prince turns into a frog and starts a family with another frog (the story is told from her perspective). I do remember that the ending made me so sad, though

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty (Disney movie): can’t remember it at all either, except for: 1) Once Upon a Dream (a brilliant song) and 2) forget pink or blue. I liked her grey dress the most

Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley: the story was told in such an interesting way (the animals! the way she wrote about love and protecting the people you love and self-sacrifice in familial and platonic relationships!) with Robin McKinley’s beautiful style

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

East, by Edith Pattou: I was obsessed with this book in elementary school. Obsessed. I kept rereading it over and over again because I just loved it so much. It’s been a few years since I’ve read it, but I can remember certain scenes (Rose entering the ballroom for the first time, the white bear’s hulking figure in the doorway, the architecture of the hall where she washes the shirt, her fingers running over the wax, the reunion scene) so vividly as if it had been a movie instead of a book, or if I’d actually been there, experiencing what Rose was experiencing

Orpheus and Eurydice (which kind of counts)

Hadestown (the Broadway musical, the original cast, AND Anais Mitchell’s original concept album): I’ve talked about it so much I probably shouldn’t even start slkfjsdl;kfjlk; I just wanted an excuse to mention it again

Tam Lin

Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones: I loved it when I first read it but I was so confused and so fascinated by it.

The Snow Queen

Frozen (Disney animated movie): no (insert heart emoji)

And contemporary(?) books that are considered modern classics, if not modern fairy tales (depends on how you look at it, really):

Peter Pan

Peter Pan (Disney animated movie): a childhood favourite!!!

Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry: the whole series is so much fun (and they’re among some of the funniest books I’ve read). This one serves as a sort of prequel to Peter Pan, but it’s safer to say that Dave Barry reimagined the whole story.

Peter and the Starcatcher (Broadway play adaptation of the book, which is a reimagining of the original Peter Pan..... yeah): the source material is incredibly funny, so naturally the play adaptation makes you laugh until your sides feel ready to split (I mean!! You have Christian Borle as Black Stache, Adam Chanler Berat as Peter, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly..... they’re all brilliant) The script, the way the cast makes use of the set and props, the perfect comic delivery....... love it

Finding Neverland, a musical adaptation of the movie (the A.R.T. production with Jeremy Jordan as James Barrie): the music is so good, and the way they write about the value of looking at the world through the eyes of a child?? of seeing the beauty in everything?? of hope and imagination and wonder?? If it weren’t for the way it handles adultery (even emotionally cheating!) and divorce :( but Laura Michelle Kelly is absolutely enchanting, and the script is also incredibly funny and heartwarming

Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson: a twisted fairy tale... it was quite disturbing at times, but it was also beautiful and heartbreaking. It’s a darker take on the story, which I tend not to like (at all), but the way it explored Tiger Lily and Peter was quite interestng

The Wizard of Oz

WIcked, the Stephen Schwartz musical--I haven’t read the book: as far as retellings-about-the-villain-of-the-original-story goes this one is my favourite. It is another twisted fairy tale, though, and there’s a constant undercurrent of doom and dread, even in the motifs Stephen Schwartz uses... the ending is not completely happy, but the music is FANTASTIC (Mr. Schwartz also did The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Prince of Egypt!!)

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland (Disney movie): another childhood favourite... I also haven’t seen this one in over ten years, but I can still remember specific scenes very clearly in my head

Alice by Heart: a musical about a girl called Alice Spencer whose coping mechanism (quite literally) is Alice in Wonderland. She knows it by heart (again. Literally) and she dives into the world as a form of escapism (LITERALLY. There’s even a song at the end where the characters acknowledge how unhealthy this is). There’s a lot about growing up, losing a loved one, learning to let go... about self-deception and grief and the control one has over one’s life (unfortunately it IS subtly antagonistic towards Christianity at times)..... i do wish that writers didn’t have to treat sexual maturity as the most prominent/interesting part of coming-of-age stories, though. The characters, the set and lighting and costume design (BRILLIANT, by the way!!!!)... all wonderful. But the strangely sexual references can be a bit uncomfortable. (Really!! You can tell a coming-of-age story WITHOUT that stuff, you know!!!!!)

That Disney Movie directed by Tim Burton: wouldn’t recommend. Alice doesn’t need to be a warrior. (At ALL.)

Would also like to mention: Princess Tutu :)

[hailbop1701]

25 Days of FicMas

December 19th prompt: The Magical Adventures of the Santa hat

Word count: 1,581

A Kirkian Christmas Set Up

Sort but cuuuute. Read it, love it, write songs about it. It would have been longer if I didn't feel the strong need for sleep. Remember to drink water and love yourself. Cause I love you. I need you so...now you can't leave me. No returns.

-H❤🖖

No one knew where it came from. The damn thing just showed up a few days before Christmas, and of course Captain James. T Kirk had to wear it. The crew snickered and grinned at the little decoration, “Nice hat sir!” one ensign called out when Jim entered one of the rec rooms with Spock following behind; it was a Tuesday night and Tuesdays were always chess days. Kirk grinned at the young ensign, “It’s in the spirit of the holiday,” he bowed his head a tad letting the ball of the Santa hat sway over his shoulder. You sat in a large comfy chair in the corner with an old fashioned book in your hands, you watched as The Captain and The Commander set up at a table right next to you, “Hey Lieutenant, good read?” Kirk asked casually sending you a kind smile. You shrugged glancing at the front of the book, seeing the title was faded somewhat, “Just some Dickens sir. Like you said the spirit in the holiday and all that,” 

Kirk gave you a look, “Jim, (Y/N). Call me Jim when we’re off duty,” he ordered. You rolled your eyes good-naturedly, “of course sir,” you said almost teasingly making Jim groan annoyed. “We’ll get there,” he muttered moving a piece on the chessboard, “Which ghost are you at?” he asked not taking his eyes off of the Commander’s movements. “Present,” you answered absentmindedly as you read; Jim smirked making another move, “Most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom unless the writing be erased,” he quoted like he was reading over your shoulder. Raising a single eyebrow you breathed out a laugh, “I’m impressed sir,” you said honestly and Kirk shrugged. “Gotta love the classics, isn’t that right Mr. Spock?” 

The Commander looked up from the game in front of him toward his superior, “Yes Captain. I too enjoy old Earth literature. I find the works of George Orwell and Oscar Wilde fascinating,” he said as he moved a rook to the next level of the board. Jim narrowed his eyes in thought, “I love Tolkien personally,” he murmured. You chuckled and nodded, “I knew it! I totally pegged you as a Lord of The Rings fan. Ginly owes me fifty credits,” you grinned at the prospect. Kirk barked out a laugh, “Well I’m glad I could help you out. Let me know if I can do anything else for you,” he winked. You huffed mildly amused but not exactly surprised; Kirk was a known flirt so you didn’t think anything of it. You certainly didn't notice him check the time. 

The conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence until Sulu and Chekov collapsed into the chairs by you to watch the ‘exciting’ game going on between The Captain and Commander. “Nice hat sir,” Sulu complimented flicking the white puffball so it swung and smacked Kirk in the face, the man scrunched up his nose in response. He took off the Santa hat and threw it in Sulu’s face with a huff, he moved another piece on the board calling “Check,” 

Sulu pulled the hat from his face and secured it on his head with a snicker, “Checkmate,” Spock announced making Kirk curse under his breath. Spock raised a single eyebrow but otherwise said nothing and began to reset the board. Glancing up from your book you saw that Kirk was whispering lowly to Sulu who was grinning madly, ‘Oh this is going to end badly,’ you thought with a snort. Shifting in your chair so your legs were now over the arm you looked up again when the rec room door swished open. Scotty and Uhura were walking through talking about upgrades for the comms relay, Kirk jerked his head toward the CE smirking. Sulu bounced up and whispered hurriedly into Scotty’s ear, “What are you planning Jim?” Uhura asked dryly walking to Spock’s side, arms crossed over her chest she leaned against her boyfriend. You gave her a little wave in greeting before getting back to Dickens. 

Scotty grinned at the little plan Kirk had cooked up and gave Sulu a little salute. Hikaru deposited the Santa hat on Scott’s head and watched him scurry out the door. You didn’t notice Sulu casually get close to your chair before it was too late, the helmsman snatched the aged book from your hands and raced out the rec room doors like a bat out of hell. “Damnit Hikaru!” you shouted floundering in your chair. You flipped out of the thing landing on your hands and knees, jeans getting dirty on the floor and mild stinging on your palms didn’t stop you from chasing the man out the door. Uhura stood there shocked and wide-eyed for a moment, “Okay Jim seriously what have you cooked up!” she scolded. She stopped abruptly noticing Spock hadn’t said a word or did his customary eyebrow raise, “you’re in on it,” she accused looking between the Captain and his second in command. “Let’s just say we know a couple of people who need...a little push,” Jim explained moving a knight on the chessboard. He looked up at Uhura with a cheeky grin and nodded at Pavel who pulled out a PADD with Enterprises schematics. It took a moment for the comms officer to catch on but when she did she couldn’t help but grin, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but damn Kirk you’re a genius,’ she said gracefully plopping down in your vacant chair. Jim grinned and held out his arms in a “Ta-da” motion. 

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Scotty dashed through the corridors of the Enterprise like his life depended on it; mostly because it did. He poked a bear and now he was running from said bear; that metaphorical bear was the ship’s CMO Leonard McCoy. “Damnit Scotty come back here!” McCoy shouted eyes blazing. Montgomery Scott refused to say that he was afraid of anything but at that moment he practically screamed like a “Wee lass,” as he ran through his lady. Glancing over his shoulder he saw McCoy gaining on him, yelping Scotty picked up the pace hoping to get to the drop-off point in time. 

Scotty whooped when he saw Sulu at the end of the corridor running toward him with you hot on his heels. “Drop it, Scotty!” Sulu shouted passing by the man dropping the book he was holding on the floor before continuing like hell itself was after him. Scotty bent down and gently dropped the object he was holding before sprinting past you. Santa hat flying off his head he dove into an empty turbo lift laughing hysterically as the doors closed him in. You skidded to a stop before you tripped over the object Scotty dropped on the floor, panting you picked up the hat and what looked to be a holo frame. Looking down you saw a smiling little girl with a missing front tooth, “I think this belongs to you,” you said holding up the picture. McCoy huffed and picked up your book from the ground, “Dickens?” he asked impressed. You blushed and held out the picture frame, “ I like the classics,” you mumbled nervously. Leonard smirked as you traded items, “My daughter just finished To Kill A Mockingbird,” he said weighing the frame in his hands. You grinned, “I loved that one when I was little,” you said excitedly. “How did she like it?” you couldn’t help but ask. McCoy chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, “She loved it if I could guess by the video message she sent me,” 

You were walking back down the corridor with Doctor McCoy when suddenly the lights dimmed and Christmas lights sprung to life lining the walls with holiday cheer. You laughed nervously, “Is it me or are we being set up?” you asked rubbing the back of your neck. Leonard raised an eyebrow, “now darlin’ whatever gave you that idea?” he asked dryly making you giggle. “So this is what he was up to,” you murmur with a shake of your head, “I’m not sure if I’m gonna kill him or…” McCoy trailed off muttering curses under his breath. You bit your lip to keep from smiling, “Well better make the most of it, “ you said and placed the Santa hat on your head. Leonard laughed a wide smile breaking across his face; you couldn’t help but follow suit. Your smile caused Leonard to pause his walking, his heart thudded in his chest and his breath caught. He had to admit he had always thought you were beautiful, smart, funny, and genuinely kind but he never dared to ask you out or even if he should. The divorce was such a messy painful thing he didn’t want to experience something like that again.  You cocked your head to the side curiously, Leonard cleared his throat nervously. “I uh I’m running out of book titles to recommend to Jo, I was wonderin’ if you could help me make a list…” he trailed off clutching the holo frame in his hands tightly. You beamed, “Of course I’ll help! Does she have a favorite genre?” and with that, you were both off again. You and Leonard talked for a good portion of the night, neither minding waking up tired for shift the next day. For the future was bright and full of new stories to tell. Like the one, Joanna McCoy would ask for every Christmases to come: “The Magical Adventures of the Santa Hat,” 

Tags:

@thottiewithashotgun

@lauraaan182

@writerdee1701

@dw-writes

@marvelouslytrekking

@spenceneedsahug

[chachkayes]

It Takes a Village

Title is subject to change. This fic is in a different format then my other fics, it is substantially longer than almost any chapter of Begin Again or one shot i’ve ever written. Also @herrera-n-hayes confirmed for me that this may be one of the most angsty fics I’ve ever written. Apologies if this causes you to go on an emotional rollercoaster. I tapped into my dark and twisty side to write this. Have fun :)

Word at Grey-Sloan Memorial spread fast – only a few hours after being admitted into the hospital after being found unconscious in the parking lot, practically the whole staff knew that Meredith Grey was once again in a fight for her life.

She’d woken up 4 hours later, with countless text messages from her friends at the hospital. She’d wondered how everyone found out so quickly and why everyone was acting like her exhaustion was just a big deal. That was, until she realized she’d become a patient in the COVID-19 Unit at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. What she didn’t realize was that her closest friends at the hospital were inundating her old friends that’d moved with seemingly hourly updates about her condition.

-

“Hey Yang, I found Grey passed out in the parking lot. Not sure why she’s not responding, just thought I’d let you know. I’ll keep you updated.” Cormac Hayes messaged Cristina Yang about Meredith the moment he got the chance. He knew she’d want to know if something were to happen to her best friend. “Okay. Thanks.” Was all he got back from his former boss.

The next morning. “She woke up a little while ago, in case you want to facetime her. She’s tested positive for COVID. She’s not taking it very well.” He sent her the update. Not too long afterwards, she replied. “Ugh, seriously? Great. Just great. Um, okay. Yeah, I’ll facetime her. Thanks for letting me know. Get yourself tested as well. Also, she’s incredibly bitchy when she’s in the hospital, so word of advice: stay on her good side.” Cormac chuckled slightly at Cristina’s advice. “I’ll try my best” He responded. Seconds later, he got paged away, back to the peds floor. He didn’t want to leave Meredith, he certainly would’ve much rathered paging her to join him, in order to spend some time alone with her, and see her work her surgical magic. 

-

“Meredith has COVID.” Maggie said through tears once Alex picked up his phone. “Damnit. Damnit!” Alex yelled. “Please just tell me it’s a mild case.” Maggie sighed. “Well, she was found unconscious in the parking lot of the hospital, so I don’t know. I hope it’ll just be mild.” She told him truthfully. 

“You’re her power of attorney.” Maggie reminded him, after remembering herself. “I… I can’t. I would, if I could be there in person. I swear to god, I would in a heartbeat. But I can’t travel. She has to be okay.” Maggie closed her eyes and grimaced at Alex’s worry. “Does Yang know?” Alex finally said after a few moments of silence. “Uh, yeah. Hayes is keeping her updated.” On the other side of the phone, Alex looked confused. “Hayes? Who’s that? And how does he know Yang?” 

Maggie had forgotten that Alex had never gotten the chance to meet Hayes or co-chief with him because of his formerly unexplained absence. “Uh, long story, but I’ll try to make it short. He’s the new you. Chief of Peds, that is. He worked with Cristina in Switzerland, she sent him here, he and Meredith became friends. They’re... weirdly close.” Alex raised his eyebrows on the other end of the phone. “Hmm. I’ll have to give Yang a call later today. Okay, Pierce, I have to go, but keep me updated. Okay?” “Okay.” End call.

-

“Torres! How are you holding up in New York?” Miranda Bailey asked her former classmate. She knew that New York was hit hard by COVID. “It’s a madhouse here, Bailey. What about you?” Miranda silently shook her head as she went over every little issue in the hospital. “Oh! Hi Bailey!” Arizona Robbins’ voice piped up from the other end of the phone. “Hey Robbins. Uh, it’s crazy over here too. Grey just tested positive last night after being found unconscious and pulled off the pavement by our chief of peds. It feels like everything is on fire and we have no way of getting out.” She said, entering her office. The only place she could find some solace, and take off her mask within the hospital because she was alone. 

“Wait. Meredith has COVID? What?” Calliope’s voice quickly changed from frustrated with the state of the world, to an intense worry. “And Alex found her?” Arizona followed. “Yes, she did. And oh boy, is she pissed. And Arizona, no. Alex no longer works at Grey-Sloan. Cormac Hayes is our chief of pediatrics, he was recommended for the job by Cristina Yang. So, figures he’d be the one to find Meredith Grey passed out on the ground.” She said with a slight sarcastic undertone to her final sentence. “What?? What did Alex do now?” Arizona’s voice peaked. “Uh… he quit. And moved to Kansas. And divorced Jo to be with Izzie Stevens.” Callie let out a huge sigh and chuckled to herself, remembering when George had left her to be with Izzie. “You’re kidding…” Arizona said seriously. “I wish I was.” Bailey said. “Well, keep us updated on Meredith. Good luck out there.” Callie said, trying her best not to show how worried she was for her friends at Grey-Sloan. “Will do. You too, the both of you, stay safe.” End call. 

-

4 days later. Meredith was only getting worse. After facetiming with Meredith, Hayes picked up his phone again and dialed Cristina Yang’s number. He knew the time difference was insane, but he also knew that Yang wouldn’t care about the time when she heard the update about her friend. “Hayes, what the hell. It’s like, 3am.” Cristina scolded him as she wished about going back to sleep. “It’s Grey. She’s doing worse, Yang. I’ve tried my best to be there with her whenever I can, but god it’s so suffocating to see her deteriorate the way she is.” Cristina was now wide awake. “Hayes, this is Meredith Grey we’re talking about. She’s practically immortal. Compared to everything else she’s survived, this virus is nothing.” Hayes chuckled slightly at Cristina’s words. “You know, it’s funny. I told her that this virus had nothing on her as well.” The former colleagues went silent for a few moments. 

“She told me she’s scared to die.” Cormac finally said after he regained his train of thought. “You must be pretty special then. She doesn’t just open up like that to anybody.” Cristina said, smirking to herself at the other end of the line. Hearing Cristina say that made Cormac’s heart start to race, and the little internal butterflies appeared as he thought about his relationship with Meredith Grey. “Alright, I know it’s late. Get back to sleep. And for the love of god, don’t tell me that you’re afraid if you fall asleep you won’t wake up again, as well.” Cristina laughed slightly. “Keep me updated, and let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She ordered him. “Got it. Night, Yang.” Cristina yawned. “Night, Hayes. Keep an eye on my girl for me.” End call. 

-

“How’s she doing?” Alex’s rough morning voice rang through Maggie’s phone. “Not good, Alex. Her lungs, I mean- I just don’t know. It’s not promising for a speedy recovery.” She said, taking a deep breath. Sometimes, Maggie had to remind herself that she could breathe properly. Alex groaned on the other end of the phone call. “I hate this. I hate that she’s alone. She’s always had me, or Shepherd, or Yang by her side, laying with her on those hospital beds. Even if we were all there, she’d still be alone. I hate every single part of this.” Maggie sighed. She almost couldn’t handle the amount of anguish she was hearing from Alex. “Well, if it’s any consolation, even though we can’t lay with her, she’s not alone. Someone is always with her. If I’m not in the room, sitting beside her bed, Amelia will facetime her. Or Hayes will be in there, cracking jokes with her and distracting her. If he’s not on the peds floor, he’s with her. She also has all the people on her medical team, but I’m not sure if they really count since they have to go in there with her periodically. She’s not alone, Alex.”

A sigh of relief came from Alex. He was still pissed that no one could lay with her to comfort her, but it brought him some comfort to know that she had people looking out for her constantly that weren’t involved in her medical care. “This Hayes guy - I’ve heard quite a bit about him from Yang now that I’ve talked with her. Is he as good a friend as he’s made out to be? Does the rest of the staff like him, or is it just Mer?” Alex asked. “Well… he’s well liked among the staff. But Mer really seems to like him, and he seems to reciprocate it. They were always working together before the pandemic. I found out that he was the one who found her on the ground the night she passed out and tested positive. He is - a good friend to her. They get each other, and need each other on a whole other level than most of the rest of us.” Silence. “Think they’ll get together?” Alex asked after a few moments had passed. “If she survives, I hope so.” A pang hit Maggie’s heart as she uttered the words, ‘if she survives.’ The same pang hit Alex as he heard her say it. “I have to go, Alex.” Maggie said, as she felt tears forming in her eyes the more she thought about her sister’s condition. “Alright, talk later. Bye Pierce.” End call.

-

Incoming call. Callie Torres. Miranda picked up her phone, dreading the update she’d have to give Callie on Meredith. “Hey Torres.” She said as she answered the call. “Bailey! How’s Meredith doing?” Callie said happily, expecting a good response from Bailey. “I wish I had good news for you, Callie. Her lungs have gotten substantially worse, she collapsed again, she’s sleeping more often. She updated her power of attorney and her advanced directives. She’s preparing for the worst. If I’m being honest… I’m starting to as well.” A tear ran down both Bailey and Callie’s cheeks. “Have you talked to her at all?” Bailey inquired. “No. But I probably should, shouldn’t I?” Callie asked, shuddering as she thought about how she would feel if news got any worse. This was Meredith Grey, right? Basically immortal, stronger than a bull, always willing to put up the fight. Well, except for that day where she stopped fighting in the water and almost died after drowning in Elliot’s Bay, but Callie tried not to think about that day very often. “Yeah. You should.” Bailey said, grimacing at the thought of having to call anyone and tell them that Meredith had died. She hoped she’d never have to. “Alright. Thanks Bailey. I’ll talk to you later.”

-

“She’s in a coma.” A text that Cristina Yang, Calliope Torres, Arizona Robbins, and Alex Karev, amongst many others, received 2 days after they’d been informed of Meredith’s worsening condition. The amount of tears had been shed in the past 48 hours across both past and present staff at Grey-Sloan Memorial would surprise the average person. Everyone was worried as Meredith’s life hung in the balance. When Hayes had told Cristina that she was in a coma, he thought he may have heard her cry for the first time in the now almost 3 years of knowing her. When Maggie told Alex through broken sobs, all Alex could mutter was “Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.” over and over again. All he wanted was to be able to be there with her. Callie, Arizona, and Bailey broke down in tears together over the phone. Jackson had become a shell of himself, he couldn’t bring himself to cry when he updated April about their friend’s dire situation and heard her sobs.

-

1 week. It’d been 1 week since Cormac Hayes had gotten a text from Meredith Grey, heard her voice, or seen her eyes brighten as she smiled behind her mask. He kept thinking about their last surgery. Could that have been the last surgery they’d ever perform together? And their last conversation played in his head. “This virus has got nothing on you.” He’d told her. Did he just tell her that to ease his own mind? God, there was nothing more that Cormac Hayes wanted than to hear Meredith Grey say his name again. To tell him that he looked like crap again. His mind raced as he laid in his hotel room. He was away from his boys, and his closest friend at the hospital was hanging onto life by a thread. He couldn’t just keep lying there, letting his dark and twisty thoughts take hold of him. So, he got up and drove to the hospital. And he sat with Meredith in the dead of the night. The sound of her breathing comforted him. He was in full PPE, and he held her hand, praying that she would wake up. God, he needed her to wake up.

Hour 3 of his overnight stay in Meredith’s room - that he knew he’d probably get in trouble for, but frankly didn’t care too much about getting in trouble for, if it meant Meredith wasn’t alone while she fought for her life - Cormac Hayes called Cristina Yang. It was early morning there, and Hayes figured that even if Meredith couldn’t hear, Cristina would likely want to talk to her friend. “Hey. What’s up?” Cristina said as she answered her phone. “Not much, unfortunately. I wish I had news. I’m just sitting in her room with her now.” There was a lull in conversation. “So, why’d you call me then?” Cristina asked, curious as to why she’d get a call from Hayes if there was no update. “I’ve got you on speaker. I don’t know, I was hoping that maybe hearing your voice, if she can hear at all, would help her decide to live.” Cristina snickered to herself internally. “That’s sweet. And gross.” Cristina had just woken up, which was when her sarcasm was at its peak. “Yeah, I realized that once I said it.” He hit back. 

He didn’t know if it was the exhaustion hitting him, or an overwhelming sense of dread that filled the room, but Cormac admitted to Cristina, “I’m trying to be strong for her. When she was awake, everyone else around her just worried and worried and worried. She told me I was the only one who distracted her from the fact that she was sick. And I’ve been there for her sisters as best as possible, trying to be strong and distract them as I would her. But god, Yang, I’m so scared.” Cristina sighed. “I know. I am too. We just have to remember that this is Meredith. Hayes, you likely haven’t heard these stories, but she’s survived a bomb, a plane crash, a drowning, and so much more. She’s strong, and she’s going to die when she’s old, in a nursing home, and surrounded by love. She’s probably being convinced by Derek to live right now, if this time is anything like her drowning.” Cristina said, her softer side appearing, trying to convince both herself and Hayes that Meredith would be okay, eventually. “I know she’s strong. I see it every time she talks. But I still can’t help but worry. It feels too much like watching Abby slowly fade away from the cancer. She’s just too important to me, I can’t lose her. I can’t see another disease take away another woman that I…” Hayes caught himself before finishing his sentence. Unfortunately for him Cristina caught on to what he was going to say. “Love? Cormac Hayes, were you going to say that you love her?” Hayes didn’t respond, he only closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact of whatever comment Cristina was going to make next. “Oh. My. God. You were. You were going to say love! Ha ha! Yes!” Cristina gloated and teased, since it was a good conversation deflection from the sad, sappy one that she and Hayes were previously sharing. 

“Alright, place that phone next to Meredith’s ear. I’m gonna talk some sense into her. She’ll listen to me, she always does.” Hayes chuckled, moving the phone closer to Meredith’s ear. “Alright, Mer, you gotta wake up. For the love of god. I know you’re listening. You’ve got too many people that love you, waiting for you to wake up. So as much as I’m sure that you’re enjoying hanging out with Derek, Lexie, Mark, George, and all the other people you’ve lost, you have too many more people on earth that need you more than them. Dying isn’t an option.” Hayes smiled and chuckled to himself as Meredith’s twisted sister gave her a pep talk that only she could. It restored his hope that she’d pull through. About 30 minutes later, he said goodbye to Cristina, not knowing that only 2 hours later, he’d be calling her again with one of the final updates he’d ever give to her about Meredith, because Meredith would be able to begin updating Cristina on her own. She’d woken up. 

He messaged Bailey, Richard, Maggie, Amelia, Teddy, Jackson, Link, and Owen in a group message as soon as her eyes fluttered open. He smiled breathlessly at her and she smiled weakly when she saw that he was in her room with her. He’d never been happier to see her smile. “Thank you, for deciding to live.” He said quietly. “Thank you for not speaking loudly.” She laughed to herself, a slight cough following. He laughed with her. His favourite thing to do. Laugh with Meredith Grey. Within 30 minutes, practically everyone knew that Meredith had woken up. There was joy in the hallways of Grey-Sloan Memorial for the first time since the pandemic started. Meredith grabbed Cormac’s hand and squeezed it as he continued to sit with her, talking to her about what she’d missed while she was out. They were glad to hear each other’s voices again. 

-

“She’s awake.” Maggie and Bailey texted Callie, Arizona, and Alex. Sighs of relief erupted from all 3 former Grey-Sloan surgeons. 

Meredith Grey still had a long road to recovery, but her waking up from her coma was a step in the right direction. Meredith had decided that once she was finally deemed eligible to leave the hospital and quarantine in a hotel, she wanted Cormac Hayes to stay with her. Andrew DeLuca was quite upset with this, he wanted Meredith to choose him, because he figured that he was already her doctor while she was in the hospital. However, she told him that it was only because Hayes wasn’t working on the COVID floor like Andrew was, where he was needed daily, as opposed to the peds unit, which was incredibly quiet and could be looked after by Jo. And this was all true, for the most part. But Meredith had her other reasons for asking Hayes to stay with her. Cormac, unknowing of Meredith’s true reason for asking him, of course, happily agreed. He would have agreed had he known her real reason as well. He’d been there when she’d first collapsed, then again when she needed someone to be vulnerable with, then again when she’d woken up. Now, he could be there to see her every step of the way to a full recovery and getting back to work. To him, any time he got to spend with Meredith after she woke up from her coma felt like a blessing, so he wasn’t going to pass up the offer to be with her, alone, every day, for 2 weeks straight. Meredith simply might have just casually neglected to mention that she chose him because she heard him talking to Cristina Yang the night she woke up, and heard him almost say that he loves her. Of course, she’d keep that little detail to herself til much, much later.

[fan4196]

Emergency Contact (Part 2)

Hey everyone, here's part 2 of the HAPPY FREAKIN' HALLOWEEN JOLEX FIC CHALLENGE, (a day late but better late than never, right?) so here's some Jolex fluff for you. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

Thank you again @angry-slytherin 🧡

-

After a sleepless four hour flight Alex doesn't even think about going to Mer's house first. He has to see her. He has to see her chart, see all the test they did, he has to see that there's still hope. Because even though he hasn't seen her in two years and hasn't been sure if coming here was the right decision, he can't let her die. He still cares so much about her, she's for sure still one of the most important persons in his life; that will probably never change. She made him to what he's today.

The drive to he hospital felt like hours, his thoughts racing through his brain, never letting him come to rest.

Sprinting into the hospital, he immediately makes his way to the ICU, calling Mer while he waits for the elevator to get him to the right level, but she's not answering, even though she promised to stay with Jo as long as he's on his way. So he askes a nurse for Jo's room and finally almost 24 hours after getting the call from Mer, he sees her. Lying in a hospital bed, in one of those awful gowns, connected to all those machines, eyes closed like she's just sleeping peacefully, still looking flawless as ever. She had been stabbed five times and barely survived her surgery, but she still looks so perfect. Alex pushes his suitcase into the corner of the room and pulls the chair closer to the bed. Grabbing her hand, he's immediately relieved that it's still warm.

An hour after he arrived Mer finally shows up to check on Jo and tries to convince Alex to come home with her but he's not going anywhere. Not anymore. He's done running, leaving people he loves. He will stay until she wakes up, no matter how long it will take.

+

Like all the mornings before Alex wakes up on the uncomfortable hospital chair today as well. Covered in this scratchy blanket that he got from one of the nurses, facing the wall, still holding Jo's hand in his. He's not quite awake yet when he feels a thumb stroking over his hand, playing with the wedding ring he never took of.

"Oh my God, Jo." He whispers immediately wide awake, turning towards her. Looking into her eyes for the first time after what felt like an eternity, he can finally breathe again. She's awake. She's alive and breathing. She can hate him, be angry, he would even let her punch him, he doesn't care, she's alive, nothing else matters.

+

After getting her checked out, they sit together and talk for hours. Alex tells her the whole story about his kids turning out not being his kids and he apologizes a million times.

"You know now that I'm awake you can finally go take a shower." Jo teaes him with a laugh.

"Are you saying that I stink?" He fakes a sulky face and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Yes Alex!" Jo laughs.

"Well three days of anxiety sweat do that to you. And you know who's fault that is." He shrunks his shoulders, holding back a smile.

"Oh now it's my fault that you stink like a thirteen year old teenager." Now Jo's the one playing sulky but laughs immediately. "No. But I'm serious, Alex. You should go take a shower, change your clothes, than you can come back. I promise I won't go anywhere." She jokes.

Convinced by her smile he agrees. Squeezeing her hand a last time he stands up and grabs his suitcase. With a last glance at her he leaves.

As he leaves her room, he spottes Mer at the nurse desk so he walks towards her.

"Hey Mer. Could I go take a shower at your place?" He asks, interrupting her tipping on the tablet.

"Sure. My keys are in the attendings lounge. My car keys are there too, you can take it instead of calling a taxi- Are you even listening?" She follows Alex sign, seeing Link walking out of the elevator with a little boy and a girl on his hands, towards Jo's room. They disappear in said room, which makes  Alex walk towards the room too, but he gets hold back my Mer grabbing his arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asks him, placing herself in front of him, holding him back from storming into this room.

"This were Jo's children, right? She concealed them from me. I- just I-" He can't even express what he is feeling right now. She did it too. She did the exact same thing as Izzie and kept his kids from him. He can't even believe it. They talked for almost four hours and she didn't even mention kids. He has to talk to Jo immediately. He pushes Mer to the site, about to storm the room again, but Mer holds him back again.

"They are not yours, Alex! Yes they are her kids but they are not yours."

This sentence hits him like a knife in the heart. She has kids with someone else. More important she has someone else. A new man that loves her. Of course he wanted that for her, to be happy again, but that was before he discovered that his kids weren't his.

"You know Jo. You know that she would never do that. She would never keep away your kids from you. Also do the math, you left two years ago and they are three. How should that work, ha? She adopted them." Alex immediately relaxes. "They are twins and she's raising them alone. So no they are not yours and there's also no new man in her life, because you ruined her." Mer complains, pointing her finger at him. "She tried dating but it never worked. So calm down and go to my house. Take a shower, put on some new clothes, than you can come back an talk to Jo. But for now, go!"

+

The hot water is burning on his skin as he stands in the shower in Mer's house. Thinking about everything that happened in the last hour.

She's a mother. Jo has children. Children that aren't his and he knows that he should be happy for her but he's sad. He always thought that he would be the father of her children. Every time he looked into his future he saw Jo. He saw himself and Jo surrounded by their kids and grandkids. Teasing each other and eating donuts until they die in each other's arm. He never saw him leaving her. He never saw a divorce or her with other children than his. It's so selfish of him to think all of this but he can't stop. He can't stop seeing everything that could have been. Everything he ruined the day he left. To be with kids that aren't his. He left the love of his life. He has missed Jo every day, but thought he did the right thing being with his kids, until one day during a rutine checkup of the twins he discovered that they aren't his. That Izzie lied to him, just to get him back. Since that day he has thought about coming back to Seattle every day. But he couldn't.

After his shower and changing into new clothes he makes his way back to the hospital as fast as he could. Even though he is not Jo's husband anymore, he still cares. He cares so much about her and nothing will ever change that. She's his best friend, his soul mate and even a divorce can't break that. He rounds the corner to Jo's room as Link leaves the room. Walking closer he can watch her through the window. Sitting on her hospital bed. Changed into some comfy clothes instead of this ugly hospital gown. Her daughter snuggled into her site while they read a book. Her son kneeling on the chair beside the bed, playing with a blue racecar on the bed beside Jo. She looks like a natural. As if being a mother has always been her destiny. He knows that she for sure is the most wonderful mother to those two. He had always known that, he always knew that one day she would be an awesome mom.

His thoughts get interrupted by Jo spotting him staring through the glas, waving at him to come inside.

"Hey." She greets him as he finally walks into the room.

"Hi." He replies with a smile. Her kids stop what they're doing and stare at him.

"Guys can you say hi to mommy's friend Alex. Can you tell him your names?" She asks her kids with a smile, stroking their little heads.

"Parker." The boy says shyly hiding his face in his mothers armpit. Alex can immediately tell that he's a sweet little boy, with big blue eyes and dark brown curls.

"I'm Emery." The girl answers more confident than her brother. There's a big proud smile on her face after she told Alex her name. Her light brown, long curls shake when she looks up to her mother, who smiles down on her kissing her forehead. She's a little tougher than her brother and probably also a little wilder.

"Hi Emery, hi Parker. I'm your mommy's friend Alex." He greets the twins, giving both a high five as he walks closer. "I like your car, Parker. I had one just like that when I was younger. And your dress is very nice Emery. Blue is my favorite color." Alex tells them with a sympathetic smile.

"Parker come here, let Alex sit in the chair." Jo patts on the bed next to her.

"Oh no I should probably go anyway." He says and is about to leave the room again when he gets interrupt.

"We can share mister Alex." Parker tells him, scooting a little to the side to make room for Alex on the chair.

"That's so nice of you, baby." Jo praises her son, stroking his hair, while he grinns widely, left from all the shyness he showed just a few minutes ago.

"Look now there's space for you. My mommy says I have a little booty so-"

"Parker!" Jo disciplines her son but has to laugh.

Alex has to chuckle too on the comment of the little boy.

"Well, your booty may be little but look at mine. I have a big booty so I don't think we will fit both on the chair. But thank you for the offer, mister Parker."

Alex comment now making the little boy chuckle.

"You are funny, Mister Alex." He giggles. "You could also let me sit on your lap, you know?"

"If you want that."

The little boy nodds with a smile. So Alex picks him up and puts him on his lap, as he sits down on the chair.

...

-

@doc-pickles @odd-birds-and-booksellers