#just... both eggs have received a lot of hate and i know the crows love them both

[princess-lnfinity]

SHOUT-OUT TO THE GHOSTIES!

I don't usually get to jump into a BBH stream, but when I do I'm always pleasantly surprised. They're always so welcoming and nice! They always catch me up to speed as quickly as they can! And they love to pester their streamer juuuuuust right, so it's NEVER intended as harsh or rude.

But what REALLY surprised me is how well they handled the "Tio Bad loves Richas more!" Situation! As a Crow, we know Lullah expresses her feelings through her words. She is emotionally intelligent and easy to read when you actually stop and listen. Most of the Ghosties got that Lullah was actually upset right away when talking about spending time with her Tio Bad. While most of her signs had a bit of sarcasm early on in the conversation, they read between the lines easily. Some told BBH to really consider her feelings while others laughed along with him in his weird approach to defuse the situation. Others even made suggestions for Lullah to get her day with her Tio.

While "Who's your favorite" is NEVER a fun conversation, I think BBH handled it well enough! But the Ghosties? They handled it great too! I saw no one BASHING Richas for acknowledging and even relishing in the fact that "Uh YEAH! I absolutely spend the most time with my Tio and I LOVE IT". I know Richas is a gremlin with a heart of gold, but to see the Ghosties not even TRY to blame him was so adorable. Because, while it was neither of the Eggos fault, some people REALLY take Richa's nonchalant attitude as him not caring when we all should KNOW he'd be upset at the mere THOUGHT of being left out suddenly. We also should know that Lullah needs her time to connect with those she loves because SOMETIMES she doesn't get it and it's THE WORST 😭 (See "You and me. You and me always.")

Early on in the QSMP recall a lot of misplaced anger at Richas. I also remember it with Lullah as well. So to have them both put against each other, no matter how small of a quarrel, made me think I would have to close the stream. I was wrong.

I've never been happier to be wrong.

[taehyungiestummy]

Stuck -- Chapter Six

Masterlist     Previous     Next

Word Count: 2534

           “Damn it,” I groan, curling into a tighter ball on the bed. Cramps have been hitting hard this morning, and my pain pill is taking forever to kick in.

           Haipeo whimpers, snuggling into my back. She’s only been with e a few days, and she already reacts like I raised her from a puppy.

           Keyowo licks my face multiple times in an effort to cheer me up. She ends up lying down and just looking at me.

           “Yes, she is in a lot of pain,” Taehyung says into his phone as he walks out of the bathroom. His hair still wet form the shower he finished just minutes ago, and shorts his only article of clothing.

           I smile at the body of my boyfriend. He has a toned back with firm shoulders. His arms don’t really show it, but they are muscular. His chest is smooth and strong. It is his soft tummy that I love the most.

           “Thank you,” Taehyung says before ending the call.

           “Tae,” I call out.

           “Hm?” He looks over at me. “Oh, jagi,” he rushes over to my side, placing his phone down on the bedside table.

           “Who was that?” I tenderly smile.

           “Just Mr. Son,” he smooths hair out of my face. “I wanted to let him know you won’t be coming in today.”

           “Oh,” I pout. “This sucks.”

           “I know,” he kisses my forehead. “You’ll be good tomorrow, but today won’t be terrible. A day home with our dogs. Doesn’t that sound lovely?”

           “I just want to be with you,” I sigh. “One day will be fine.”

           “I’ll sing for you when I get back. How does that sound?”

           “Wonderful,” I giggle as Haipeo and Keyowo perk up from my improved state. “Your tummy is my new favorite thing.”

           Taehyung stands up, a chuckle leaving his lips. “Why? It’s soft and not fit.”

           “That’s why I like it. It fits you better than abs. A cute tummy for a cute man.”

           “I can be more than cute,” he trials his fingers lightly up my arm.

           “Oh, I know. I have watched you on stage.”

           “If you need anything today, remember, I am just a call away. Do not hesitate to call for my help.”

           “I won’t,” I reach out to poke his stomach. “Tell the boys what’s up.”

           “No worries, I’ve already sent out a text in our group chat.”

           “Looks like you have your shit together,” I slowly sit up. “Can you get take-out on your way home?”

           “Of course,” Taehyung leans in and gives me a kiss. “I need to finish getting ready, and then I’ll be off.”

           “Am I a distraction?” I innocently bat my eyelashes.

           “Hell yes you are,” he presses a hard kiss to my lips. “A good one. Helps me stay sane.”

           “Get going, Tae,” I shove him away. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you get home.”

********

           “Tae,” Jimin sits down next to the younger boy. “Are you okay?”

           “What?” Taehyung snaps out of the thoughts of his hurting girlfriend.

           “Seriously dude, what is on your mind that you can’t focus?” Jimin slings his arm around the shoulders of the other boy.

           “Amber’s here to stay, there’s no need to worry about that,” Jungkook speaks up as he goes through some of the choreography again.

           “I’m not worrying about that,” Taehyung waves the youngest boy off, “When I left this morning, she was curled into a ball as a wave of cramps was taking her. Here I am, having fun as I work, and I should be home taking care of her.”

           “She’s been having periods for years, Taehyung,” Yoongi steps up to be right in front of Taehyung. “Little one is tough, and I know she’ll pull through this like she always does. She doesn’t need you to baby her. She knows what to do.”

           Taehyung releases a frustrating sigh. “I won’t baby her. I just want to take care of my girlfriend when she’s in pain.”

           “You’ll be able toa after practice, and the many more times she’s in pain. Not to mention the countless times you’ve already helped her.”

           “Nari said Emily went over and checked on her,” Seokjin adds in as he hold the door into the practice room open for Hoseok and Namjoon. “She’s doing fine, Tae.”

           “Amber has painkillers,” Namjoon adds. “So the pain will be masked until it fades away.”

           “Kids tough,” Hoseok begins dancing with Jungkook. “She also knows how much she can take. If she were doing really bad, she’d call one of us. I know that for sure.”

           Taehyung runs a hand through his hair, “I guess so. It just sucks.”

           “I know it does, Tae,” Yoongi pats the younger boys shoulder. “I’d love to have her here as well. It’s just one day, so both of us can cheer up and make it through the day. Besides, I’m sure she’s lying around missing us too.”

********

           “They call me, baepsae,” I shout out the lyrics as I dance around the apartment. The painkillers kicked in not too long after Taehyung, pushing the pain down to a dull pulse in my lower abdomen. I was able to get up and make myself a simple breakfast of eggs and toast. Then I look a long hot shower to relax my tense muscles. Emily stopped by to check in on my as well, and we talked for a bit which was nice.

           Of course, I can’t just sit around while I wait for my boyfriend and take-out, so I’ve been playing a K-pop playlist. I have a lot of groups I need to look into, but that can wait.

           “I’ve got a crow-tit’s legs, and you have a stork’s legs. They all say their legs are worth a million bucks. My legs are shorter, so how do you expect me to keep up? They say it shouldn’t matter since we’re coming from the same place,” I perfectly rap along with Yoongi. “Never, never, never.”

           Haipeo rushes passed me into the kitchen with Keyowo hot on her tail. The two get along better than I could have ever hoped.

           I fix my booty shorts as I walk over to the bookshelf holding my notebooks, mumbling the BTS song.

           After I realized I was going to be home alone for most of the day, my confidence soared, and my outfit shows it. My blue booty shorts show everything, and that includes my big thigh. The cut-up t-shirt with puppies on it exposes my tummy and lower back. My feet are covered in socks with penguins on them.

           The song switches as I pull a journal off the shelf. Instantly I recognize it as “Congratulations” by Day6.

           “Yes, this song rocks,” I walk over to the couch, tossing the journal by my pencil.

           The whole day hasn’t been filled with singing and dancing as it may seem. I made myself lunch while just listening to music. I’ve also been writing poems, anecdotes, and planning a new story. I also took some time to fix up my Instagram. The profile pictures is now of Taehyung and me, and starting now it will be used to give ARMY’s a better inside look of my life and the boys. They already seem to be liking the idea. A video of Haipeo and Keyowo was the first thing I put up and was so well received. No hate comments to be seen.

           Haipeo lets out a bark as she rushes to the front door.

           “Haipeo,” I scold. “Bad girl,” I shake my head, turning away to get back to playing air guitar.

           It doesn’t click in my mind that the husky heard the rattling of keys signaling Taehyung’s return. The dog has rushed back into the room before the thought even flickers in my brain.

           The smell of take-out makes my stomach growl, but I can’t take my focus off the music.

           It’s not until two tan arms wrap around my middle that I realize I’m no longer home alone.

           “Oh my gosh, Tae,” I jump in his grasp, scared for only a second.

           “This is how I want to come home on the rare times you are here without me, princess,” Taehyung nuzzles his face into my neck, placing opened mouth kisses on the skin.

           “Tae, why didn’t you call,” I pour. “I would have gotten dressed.”

           The song changes again, this time to “Adore U” by Seventeen.

           “But you aren’t naked,” he pulls his head away form my neck. “Plus, you look super sexy.”

           “Really?” I feel my cheeks heat up.

           “Yes, really. I love you when you are drowning in sweatshirts, and I love this showing of skin. You are beautiful, jagi.”

           “I’m just insecure, you know that.”

           “That’s why I am telling you just how amazing you look,” he places a kiss to my cheek. “I will do whatever it takes for you to always love your body.”

           “I’ve come a long way.”

           “I know you have, and I am so proud. Body positivity all the time. That’s how I try to be.”

           I open my mouth to reply, but am cut off as my stomach growls.

           Taehyung giggles, “That is too cute.” He gently pinches my stomach. “Are you hungry, princess?”

           “Very. That food smells so good,” I turn my face to get the first glimpse of my boyfriend since he got home. “Good thing you remembered.”

           “I’ve been thinking of you all day, so it would have been hard to forget,” he lovingly smiles.

           “You don’t have to worry about me anymore,” I push my lips onto his for a quick kiss. “My man is here to protect me and make me feel better.”

           He grins, “Let’s get our food so your stomach becomes happy, and you can tell me all about your home along adventures.”

           I giggle, “That sounds wonderful, Tae. You have to tell me about your day too, though. It’s only fair.”

           He presses a hard kiss to my lips, chuckling afterwards. “Of course. Now come on, I want to hear what you did all day without me.”

********

           “I’m not as nervous as I was last time we took a train to see your family,” I smile as I tear my gaze from the window to look at Taehyung. “Not that I’m not a bit scared at how your extended family is going to react, because I am. I just feel better knowing your sister will be there.”

           “She’s excited to see you again,” Taehyung grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers. “My family missed you, jagi.”

           “That’s good. That means they really liked me, and it wasn’t a façade.”

           “Of course they like you,” he pushes my glasses up my nose. “You are kind, speak Korean, and are such a ball of sunshine. Plus, you are just so cute,” he presses a kiss to my nose.

           I giggle, scrunching up my face for a moment. “You’re just saying that.”

           “Nope,” he shakes his head. “It’s all true. If you don’t believe me, there are many others who can say I am right. Do I need to list them off?”

           I giggle, “No, no. I believe you. I know the boys will tell me how cute, funny, loveable, and so much more that they always say I am. Emily and Nari too.”

           “Then why question it?” He pouts. “Jagi, you did it yesterday too.”

           “I’m sorry,” I pat his cheek. “It’s just shocking. After ten months apart, compliments in person have a different effect. Over Skype is one thing, but we are together again.”

           “I guess I understand. Now I can see all of you, and you have to get used to it again.”

           “That’s actually right. My flaws are much clearer than over a web camera.”

           “I love everything about you. Even what you call flaws. Your tummy, thighs, acne, and whatever else. I love all of you so much.”

           “I love whatever you think of flaws too, Tae.”

           He cups my face in his big hands, “I know you do. You love me for me, and I love you for you. We fit together like two puzzle pieces.”

           “That is so cheesy,” I place my hands on his. “You are adorable.”

           He places a tender kiss on my lips, “You are more adorable, princess.”

           “I can’t believe you love my acne,” I pull his hands off my cheeks.

           “Pimples are just little friends. Plus, everyone gets acne. It makes you human. I get acne, and so does Jungkook. All of us get it on occasion. We can do face masks together.”

           “That sounds fun. I have always wanted to try one of those masks. My forehead has an outrageous number of pimples.”

           “I know. I saw them when you were getting ready in the bathroom this morning. You are so cute,” he moves my bands out of the way, littering kisses all over my forehead.

           I squeal, pulling away from my boyfriend. “Taehyung, you are too crazy.”

           He lets out a deep chuckle, “I’m just showing my jagiya how much I love her.”

           “Well, can you tone it down just a little bit? I love skin-ship, don’t get me wrong. Just, now that we know that people take pictures every time they see us, and I don’t want a lot of kissy pictures. Unless taken by us or our friends.”

           “Of course,” he grabs my hands. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way. I’ll try to stop being all over you in public.”

           “Just ask if its going to be a bit touchier than normal. Skin-ship is lovely, but I get a bit shy and anxious in public.”

           “I understand, jagi. You get flustered easy, and you don’t’ like it.”

           “Thank you, babe. You are very considerate. Grandma raised a good boy,” I poke his cheeks.”

           “She did,” he flashes a boxy smile. “I just love seeing you smile and be happy. Your eyes get all squinty when you give a big smile. Its so cute,” he coos, tickling my sides for a second, and then he pulls me into his lap.

           “Tae,” I gasp, squirming to try to get off of Taehyung’s lap. My face heating up in embarrassment. “Please, you just said you would hold off on skin-ship in public.”

           “We are one of the only people in this car, and the other’s can’t see us,” he presses a sloppy kiss to my cheek, and then one to my jaw. “Jungkook was so excited to be taking care of our puppies today. Yoongi-hyung said he’s check in when he could. I’m sure the other boys will stop by. Besides Namjoon-hyung. He’s on a date with Emily.”

           I sigh, snuggling into Taehyung’s chest. “Nice change of subject there, Taehyungie. Embarrassing me, such a meanie.”

           “No, I’m not mean,” he gives me a squeeze, rubbing our cheeks together. “I’m the best boyfriend to you. Sure, I make mistakes, but everyone does.”

           “Okay, maybe you aren’t that mean,” I tease. “You are the best, Tae-Tae. I promise. Without you, I’d be stuck in America, not as happy, and with less friends.”

           “I love you, Amber,” Taehyung kisses my temple. “Today is going to be a lot of fun.”

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

Hope you enjoyed reading! Scenes are probably going to seem a bit shorter because I am not going to do much editing to make them longer. Still, I think you will enjoy! :D

[spaz8550]

Love Me Harder

Ch 26 

A few days later Kerry walked into the clubhouse dropping off brownies and cookies she helped bake with Abel and Thomas. 

“Lass, how are yeah?” Chibs asked as he and Bobby stopped talking. 

“I’m ok. I wanted to drop these off and go see Tara. Jax said she’s doing better.”  

“Kerry, I have to say you are the glue holding all this shit together. It’s bad and just seeing you around keeping everyone fed and helping with the boys is great.” Bobby said giving her shoulder a squeeze. 

“Did Koz’s brother get his cut?” Kerry said looking at her feet.  

“Yes, we had Dan bring it. Since he and Koz got close we figured he or Hap would be the best. Hap didn’t want to leave you with everything going on.”  Bobby said as Kerry nodded. “Dan’s doing good in Tacoma. I know you were worried about him but he’s a good fit. The Tacoma chapter say he’s a good prospect.”  Bobby continued. 

“Good, he needed something-  a family.”  

“You’ve been a breath of fresh air around here, lass.” Chibs said frowning a bit as Tig stumbled out of his room looking worse for wear. 

“Tig, sit down and I’ll get a coffee and something greasy.”  Kerry said noticing the dark circles around his eyes. 

“Your too good.” Tig said flopping on the couch as he put an arm over his eyes. 

After making some eggs and bacon for Tig and BLT sandwiches for Bobby and Chibs Kerry made her way to the hospital. Tara still seemed to be in a funk but she listened to Kerry talk about the boys and looked at some cards that Abel had created. 

“Kerry, has Wendy Case been around?” Tara asked. 

“No, not that I have seen. I’ve been in and out to check in at the club house and a meet the teacher event.”  

“If you see her tell Jax. We don’t want her around. The doctors say I should be going home in a day or two.”  Kerry nodded and after saying goodbye made her way to the school to pick up some more paperwork before going home. 

The days following were spent the same way. Kerry and Gemma spent most of time with Abel and Thomas at Jax and Tara’s house. Kerry brought Kasey who kept Abel busy while she helped with cooking for the club and caring for Thomas. Kerry was spending time with Abel reading books and drawing both of which were something he requested when she walked through the door. The following day Tara would be returning home. Kerry was going to spend the day putting together meals as Gemma and a few of the crow eaters cleaned. Kerry saw the bruises on Gemma’s face and how skittish she had been at the mention of Clay. Abel was at the table making a large poster for Tara. 

“You are quite the artist.” Kerry said giving his hair a ruffle as she took a break from making pasta sauce. 

“I miss mommy, Auntie Kerry.”  

“Me too but she will be home today. She is going to love the poster.”  

“Auntie Kerry, when can I go to your school? I want to go to school like Ellie and Kenny.”  

Kerry smiled. 

“Soon, little man.I love to hear you want to go to school.”  

“I want to read books like you and mommy.”   

Kerry stayed around till Tara returned home and then stopped by the local Chinese restaurant on the way home to pick up dinner for her and Hap. Happy arrived home looking exhausted. 

“I hate those Irish sons of bitches.” He mumbled grabbing a beer. 

“What happened?”  

“They have a house of babies. Just like in Ireland.”  Kerry frowned as Happy continued, “We had to go there with Galen. Jax lost it after what happened with Abel. I wanted to go off too.”  

Kerry wrapped her arms around Happy, these moments that they had alone were the only time that things felt right in the world. Later that night there was a shooting at the clubhouse and Clay ended up in the hospital. Kerry and Happy arrived after a call from Chibs. 

“Where is Bobby?”  Tig asks as Chibs pointed out that Juice was missing as well. Kerry sat with Gemma who has been receiving updates from the doctors. 

“So they were black? Niners?” Tig asked Unser who had been talking to sheriff. 

“Had to be.” Chibs said. 

“I can’t be sure. I didn’t see colors.” Unser walked off to check on Gemma. 

“This is on me. Clay wanted me to stay. He has a feeling something was going on.” 

“We don’t know nothing yet, Tiggy.” Chibs said as he and Happy tried to talk to Tig.  

“He asked for help and I turned my back.” Tig said shaking his head as he stalked off. Gemma went to get an update as Kerry stood at Happy’s side. 

“I’m worried about Tig.” 

After a few hours Jax arrived and he briefly spoke to Chibs and Happy before leaving. 

“Kerry, you should go home. You’ve spent the day taking care of the boys and you should rest.” Gemma said. 

“I’m going to stay.”  

Gemma nodded. 

“I’m going home. I’ll be back tomorrow.”  

Kerry stayed with Happy and Chibs for several hours until V. Lin and Rat arrived. 

“Go get some sleep.” Happy said in the early hours of the morning. 

“I can stay-“  

“You need to rest. Rat, drive Kerry home and stay around until I come back.” 

Rat nodded as Kerry sighed. 

“Ok, if you’re not back by 10 I’m coming by with coffee and breakfast for you all.” She said. 

When she got back to the house she gave Rat a blanket as he settled in on the couch and Kerry brought Kasey upstairs. She tossed and turned before falling into a light sleep for a few hours. At 10 she walked through the doors of the hospital with coffee and muffins for the club members who were gathered around. 

“I’m going to go check in on Gemma.”  Kerry said as Happy nodded. “I don’t need an escort. Mary is going to stop by the house for lunch.”  

“Lass if you stop by the clubhouse can you check in on Tiggy? He’s not answering his phone.” Chibs said as Kerry nodded. 

“Bobby, Juice, and Opie?”  The two men shrugged. “I’ll check with Lyla about Opie and let you know.”  Kerry stopped by Gemma and Clay’s house to see Gemma finishing a coffee. “Do you need anything?”  

Gemma shook her head. 

“The hospital called and Clay is going in for another surgery. I’’m going over to spend some time with Tara and the boys. No sense in me being at the hospital when there is nothing I can do.”  

Kerry nodded and sat at the table. 

“If you need to talk or vent I’m here.”  Gemma nodded and sighed. “It’s dark times here and you have been one of the people holding it together. Have you seen Tig, Bobby, Juice, or Opie?”  

Gemma frowned. 

“Bobby would never take off. The other three like to run or in Tig’s case drown himself in crow eaters.”  

“I’m going to check with Lyla. I doubt Opie would go to her but you never know.”  

“Kerry, be careful. Op is not in a good place. What I am going to say can’t leave this room. Piney is dead- I can’t say any more then that.” Kerry’s eyes widened as Gemma frowned. “Op has been through a lot. Loosing Donna and all that shit with Lyla. She was never cut out to be an old lady. She’s not strong and meant for this life. It’s just you and me.” Gemma said giving Kerry’s hand a squeeze before she stood. “Just check the clubhouse for Tiggy. I’ll call him too and make sure he’s ok.”  

“Ok, I’m going to go by the clubhouse and then I’m going to the diner to meet Mary for lunch. If you and Tara would like to join us.”  

“I’ll think about it and let you know.”  

Kerry headed for the clubhouse as Gemma went to Jax and Tara’s house. Much to Kerry’s annoyance the clubhouse was empty and the two crow eaters she found hadn’t seen or heard from Tig. Kerry sat at the picnic table to call Lyla. 

“Hello?”  

“Lyla, it’s me. Have you seen or heard from Opie?”  

“I picked him up last night and he’s crashing on my couch while I’m at work.”  

“Thank god. Clay was shot last night and everyone was worried about the guys who were missing. Did he mention seeing Tig, Bobby, or Juice?”  

“No, he said that he had talked to Jax and he knew where he was.”  

“Ok, well… that’s good. How have you been?”  

“I’m ok. I know I’ve been a real shitty friend but I can’t really be around the club with how things are with Op and I.”  

“I understand. I miss you and Piper though. Sometime soon we will have to plan either lunch or shopping.”  

“Sure, I know with school starting you’ll be busy but we can work something out.”  Kerry and Lyla ended the call and she called Happy. 

“Hello?”  

“Hap, I checked the clubhouse and no sign of Tig, Juice, and Bobby. Opie is with Lyla. Gemma is going to try to call Tig.” 

“Jax is going to check in Stockton to see if Bobby made it together yesterday. Be safe.”  

“You too. I love you.”  

“You too.” 

Kerry arrived at the diner a few minutes before Mary and she assumed that Gemma and Tara would not be joining them. Kerry enjoyed the lunch with Mary who spent the time chatting about her classroom designs and upcoming trip to Vegas. 

[they-are-not-just-stories]

Another Year, Another Demon

A/N: Hey bbg! I wish you the best birthday ever. I am so sorry this was late I just wanted it to be perfect for you! I don’t know exactly how you are feeling but I can understand from my own experiences and I want you to know I’m here if you ever want to talk! It doesn’t have to be about anything, I can be there just to listen too whatever you need! Happy Birthday sweetie! This one’s for you! Also I haven’t written for Supernatural in a while so thank you for this request!

Request: So my 18th birthday is in nine days and the closer the day comes, the stronger gets my depression. So I would like to rrwuest something where Reader is the Winchesters little sister and it's her birthday (anonymous)

Pairings: Winchester’s x sister!Reader

Warnings: Angst, Dean being oblivious, major fluff at the end

Word Count: 4k

“Happy birthday baby.” You hear her candied voice break through your slumber. You flutter your eyes open to see your mom smiling down at you. The same look, like you were her whole world. 

You sat up and smiled at her, rubbing at your tired eyes. “Thanks mom.” You lean to peck a kiss on her cheek. 

“Of course baby girl, your brothers made you something. You better get up to see them.” She touched a finger to your nose making you scrunch your face. You threw your legs over the edge of your bed and scrambled to the kitchen.

Both of your bother’s were bustling around the kitchen cooking pancakes and eggs and flinging toast across the room. They had your favorite music playing in the background. They noticed you standing there and Dean was the first to scoop you up and plant kisses all over your face.

“Look how big my baby sister is getting! Double digits!” He swirled you around in his arms laughing and smiling with you. He was proud at how strong and beautiful you were growing up to be, but he would never admit that to anyone but himself. 

“Come here sis.” Sam gently offered his arms out to you. Releasing your grip on Dean, you pulled yourself in, resting your head on his chest. He was always more laid back than Dean, but the combination of the two was unbeatable. “Happy birthday Y/N.” He kissed the top of your head. He lead you to the table showing you the mounds of food they made for you. You giggled because there was no way you would eat all of this. 

Dean noticed your look and waved you off. “I’ve seen you eat Y/N. Don’t give us that look.” You slapped his arm, receiving a laugh from him. 

“Have you seen you eat Dean?” You spoke as you hopped on to the bar stool. Grabbing a plate and piling food onto it. 

“I’m a man! I gotta eat a lot.” You rolled your eyes at him. Sam started making fun of him and they both engaged in playful banter. Your parents sneaking up behind you, both planting kisses on either sides of your face. 

“We love you Y/N, happy birthday baby girl.” They both said. You turned your head towards each of them, smiling. Turning your gaze towards your brothers play fighting, your parents laughing and cleaning up the mess they began making, thinking...this is the life you’ve dreamed of and you couldn’t believe it. It sat right in front of you and reveled in the warmth it brought to you. Goosebumps creeping their way onto your skin. You smiled at the chaos around you, the sensation of being surrounded by those you loved being equivocally tender. And it was all there before you, happily dancing and making you feel loved and protected. 

----

18. A consecutive digit in the numerical timeline, but also the number you would be aged today. You barely hear the devoid whisper of your mother waking you. The quiet is metaphorically loud. It was just yesterday you turned ten and you wake up to your parents and your brother’s making you breakfast. But that time has passed. All these years and your heart still mourns for that memory. No more mom, no more dad, your brothers would probably forget again or they would be off on a hunt. So it would be just you, lighting a candle for another year of survival and another year of the demons piling up in the line to drown you. 

You flop the covers away from yourself and drag your stiff body out of the room. The house was quiet except for the creaks from your steps. There was no sign of your brother’s except a note on the fridge. 

Out hunting, be back for dinner. -Dean

You ripped it from the fridge and threw it in the trash. You turn to lean over the counter, dropping your head. You hated this. Of course it wasn’t their fault, it was no one’s really. Just the weight in your chest really brought you down. It got worse and worse as this day approached and the nightmare became a reality. You sat yourself in the exact stool you did so long ago. You imagined seeing your brothers dancing around the kitchen, seeing Dean sing in to a whisk and Sam rolling his eyes at you. You saw your parents kissing and watching their kids have fun and you; you watched it all, trying to savor this moment which had been ripped from your tender grasp all too soon.

Before the silence made you explode, you got dressed, grabbing your switch blade, a coat and your keys, slamming the door behind you. The air outside was cold and crisp, making your cheeks sting instantly. It was always quiet around here. No visitors, make exception for the special guests your brothers came across on their hunting trips. You didn’t have any friends, or at least any that lasted long enough you could feel comfortable around. A normal life was lost on you, there was no going back, only forward in the only mundane routine you knew. 

You hop inside your car, the cold, leather seats making your muscles tense. You stuff the key in the ignition and hear it rumble to life. Your brother’s weren’t there to celebrate your birthday, but as much as it hurt, you didn’t want to spend most of it alone. So you went to the only place that kept a small part of you alive that you had stifled in the back of your mind. Back to your parents. 

----

You trudged through the tall grass, yellowing from lack of sun and rain, seeing the gray sky above you. The trees were bare, preparing for the colder season coming. A crow sitting atop of a headstone cawing into the air. You made it to the row and knelt down before the two stones. 

“Hey guys...it’s my birthday,” You close your eyes shaking at the thought. Of course they knew that you idiot. “...and I wanted to stop by and celebrate with you.” You sighed at how stupid you felt. They were gone and here you are trying to pretend they aren’t. The sad feeling sitting low in your gut, but the loud beat of your heart drowning out the feeling. 

You pulled at the grass around you, thinking of what to say if they were really sitting there. “The boys are gone. I think they forgot, but that’s Ok. It’s been hard without you. I try to help when I can, but I’m tired. I’m so tired.” You drop your head feeling the familiar weight in your chest. You didn’t cry, though, you were so empty that you didn’t have the capacity to cry. 

If they could just be there, just for a moment, you could imagine them both. Your mother’s soft glow in the sunlight. Her golden hair in wisps as the summer breeze ran it’s formless fingers through it. She would cup your face in her delicate hands, peppering kisses onto your scrunched face. Your father, his warming smile overcoming you. Reminding you what it meant to feel protected and the solidarity of their love for you. 

You felt the cold air slither onto your skin again, seeing your fantasy wisp away with the wind. What you wouldn’t give to have one more moment with them. You let out an exasperated laugh. After all this time and you still doted on the memory of everyone being together, happy. Fantasizing the idea that if you could just go back to when everything was Ok. But you knew with the harsh grip of reality, that would never happen. You were here, alone, your brother’s were god know’s where. Your parent’s were gone. And there you sat, the empty space of forgotten lives and decaying memories that must have once filled a room with love and laughter. You thought to yourself, you fit in so well among the crumbling headstones. A fixed memory in the eyes of those who have yet to break the veil of reality in order to see what had laid behind it all along. A broken and battered girl, dreaming of a time when unruly feelings did not overwhelm her. 

You imagine your younger self, gently sitting next to you. A little hand wrapped around your arm and looking up at you. Her smiles reminds you everything was Ok, but her sad eye’s tell you that there is more to this. You almost believe her. Watching her disappear you say your goodbyes and make your way to the car. You look back to see the rows and rows of people. One day, it would be you laid in a row, and forgotten. 

----

You perk your ears at the sound of the door slamming. You hear them dropping their bags as they shuffle to where you sat in the library. They don’t pay any attention to you sitting in front of the fire. You hear Dean make his way to the liquor cabinet and the clinking of glasses as he pulls one to pour a drink. Sam slumps into a chair at the table, letting out an exhausted sigh. You’ve yet to make a sound, making them aware of your presence. But they didn’t even notice you anyway, you were invisible. You hated how you were wallowing in self pity, the acidic taste sitting on your tongue. You weren’t one for feeling sorry for yourself, but today was especially hard. This sadness, emptiness growing in each passing day, it was all bottled up and you had no means to vent it. 

You shake your head to rid it of the thoughts. Standing up from your chair you walk over to where Dean stood. You reached up into the cabinet to pull another glass down and set it on the table, a quiet request for a drink. 

He pulled the glass to his lips and took another swig of his drink, shaking his head at you. He stretched his mouth, showing his bottom teeth at the burn the liquids gave him. “Too young, kiddo.” He said, pouring more into his glass as he did. 

You glared at him. Like you hadn’t had any before. He still treated you like a child. Which in part you understood because you were his little sister, but that’s where you always stood with him. Young and incapable of decision making. You could take out demons twice your size in several moves, yet he felt the need to scold you for getting yourself into such situations. 

“I’m not a kid, Dean. Stop treating me like I am.” You scoff at him. You reach for the bottle in his hand and he simultaneously pulled back. You forcefully bring your hands to your side, pursing your lips in anger. He just gave you a questioning look. You didn’t have it in you to fight him. Not with how your day was going already. You spin on your heal and storm your way out of the house. Even if he had forgotten what today was, he couldn’t even look at you like an adult, or so much as treat you like one. 

“What’s her problem?” He scoffed at your tantrum. Sam let out a sigh, rubbing his his face into his hands. 

“We forgot Dean. It’s her birthday.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. The subtle guilt tugging at his stomach. How had they forgotten? But when he reflected on it. They’ve done this before. Since Mom and Dad were gone, they had forgotten every time, and every year just the same, you were in a horrible mood with them. 

Dean dropped his head, relieving a lamented sigh. “Shit.” He whispered to himself. 

They forgot again. They had been so busy hunting, they always left you at home so you couldn’t get hurt, but little did they know how much you missed them. The little family you had left to even indulge you in the faint memory you still clutched onto. 

----

The bar wasn’t as busy as it usually was on a Friday night. There was the usual entertainment on stage, receiving chants of praise from the few people in the crowd. You fiddled with the drink in your hand, watching the brown liquid swirl around the glass. To your left was a couple, their faces close and whispering sweet nothings to each other. Their affection almost sickening to you. You huffed out a disgruntled sigh and the bartender sent a reassuring smile your way. You really had no reason to be upset at anything or anyone except yourself. The ache in your chest kept consuming you. An unrelenting sadness that kept shaking you back and forth. You imagine yourself at sea. A heavy storm swaying your ship in chaotic ways. The thick air causing you to claw at your throat, gasping for fresh air, but only drowning in the smog and water that continued to fill your lungs. It was a ceaseless battle, and every day, you had sunk further into the void, the light of day just barely peaking out. Your only source to remind you, you were in fact still alive. 

Dean and Sam both walk in, scanning the small establishment to find you alone at the bar. They slowly walk up behind you, neither of them sure how to approach you. You feel their gaze behind you and wanted to turn around and storm out of there, but they would’ve stopped you. 

“What do you want.” The bitterness lacing your words. 

“Can we talk, Y/N? Please?” Sam spoke. He was more gentle and understanding of your feelings, as he typically felt the same. He slid into the seat next to you, and elbow propped onto the counter. The other hand resting on your arm. 

“Not really.” You tugged your arm out of his grip and went back to your drink. 

“Y/N, please. We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to forget and leave you alone. We just-”

“You just what Dean? Hmm?” The anger bubbled into your throat, you wanted to kick and scream. They didn’t know the first thing about how you felt, yet here they were. Your sudden outburst surprised him. His mouth hung open, wanting to same something, but the words failing. You threw your head back, drinking the last bit of the liquid and slammed your glass on the counter. You squinted your eyes at Dean and pushed past him, back into the darkness. 

Sam gave him a knowing look and stood to follow you. He rounded the corner of the building, finding you leaning against the building, one leg bent up and on the wall and your arms crossed. 

“Y/N, please let us talk to you.” His guilt filtered into his words and pricked at your heart. Sam was always more sincere, but you couldn’t give in this time. 

“There’s nothing more to say Sam. I don’t care that you forgot, but you left me alone again.” You spoke more softly to him. Eyes cast down, staring at your shoes. 

He walked closer to you, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry we forgot your birthday and left you alone. I know it hasn’t been easy with Mom and Dad, and us never home but-” 

“Don’t.” You raised a hand to stop him. The tears pooling in your eyes already. “Don’t talk about them. Ever. They’re gone and that’s that.”

“You don’t have to shut us out Y/N. Talk to me please!” He was more desperate. You wanted to cry, to have him protect you from everything you felt, but you were afraid that in this vulnerability, he would be taken too. 

“Sammy, please.” You choked out. He relaxed at the sound of your broken words, hearing the quiet sobs you were holding back. He came closer and wrapped his arms around you. You obliged and you linked your arms around his back and pulled him closer. Your quiet cries soaking his shirt, as he kissed the top of your head. 

“Talk to me, please. You don’t have to be alone. We’ll always be here.” He rubbed his hands up and down your back reassuringly as more sobs shook out of you. 

“You won’t always be here. Every time you and Dean leave I-Im so scared you’ll never come back! I miss you. I miss Mom and Dad. I- I miss...” The cries stuttering out of you again. You didn’t bother hiding from him. It hurt too much to hold back. The pain saturating you. 

He never realized that this was a possibility. And every time you had to just sit and watch as they leave and might never come back. You were his baby sister, the only family besides Dean he had left. You were the one good thing they had in this life. They did everything to protect you from it because for Sam, he wouldn’t know what to do if he lost you. He was closer to you than he was with Dean. You allowed him to be vulnerable and not pass judgment. You brought a smile to his face even when he thought it wasn’t possible. Yet here you stand, the one good thing they had and you had all this pain bottled inside you and he wasn’t there to protect you from it. That’s what big brother’s do right? Where was he when you needed protecting?

“I didn’t...I didn’t think about it like that.” His heart sunk at the retching of your cries. He felt you tense in his arms and held onto you tighter. 

“Y/N, can we please-”

Dean came storming around the corner to see you crying and Sam trying everything to console you. Sam looked at him with sad eyes, telling him it was bad. Dean came closer and placed a hand on your back to let you be aware of his presence. You pulled your face away from Sam’s chest, your tear stained face looking at him. There were few things that shocked Dean, and seeing his strong baby sister utterly broken and sobbing before him was one of the few. His heart ached at the sight. 

You see his anger shatter before you and replaced with guilt. You release Sam and throw yourself into Dean, squeezing him, and trying to find comfort again. He held his arms out unsure of what to do, but slowly wrapping his strong arms around you. Holding a hand to the back of your head and tucking his face into your shoulder. 

“I hate it when you leave,” The cries growing softer, as you spoke into his chest. “I never know if you’re coming back. I couldn’t take it if I lost you both too.” It was a punch to the gut. This is what it was like for you. You had already lost your parents, the thought of also losing your brother’s and only family would crush you. He held you tighter, trying to fight off the bad thoughts and to just protect you like he should have done all along. 

“Y/N? I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think...” He pursed his lips, searching for the right words. “We should’ve been there. You were just a kid. And we left you time and time again. What kind of big brother was I being, hmm?” You were able to stop the sobs and even your breathing. You used the back of your hand to wipe the tears to look up at him. 

“I’m scared. I can’t lose you too.” His brows sat low over his sorrowful gaze. His heart aching at the sight of you. His baby sister, a strong young woman, who wasn’t scared of any monster, but the ones in your head making you fall apart. 

“I can’t promise you anything, kiddo, but I can promise to protect you and to watch over you. I’m sorry I’ve been absentee lately. I just-” He couldn’t lie to you. Not his baby sister. He was scared too, but he couldn’t be scared if he promised to protect you. “I don’t want anything to happen to you like it did Mom and Dad. You’re all we got left kid, I don’t know what I’d do with out you.” 

Your eyes grew at his confession. He was scared too. Of course he was with all the horrible things that were out there, but to hear him say it. The great and unmatched Dean Winchester telling you he was scared, you didn’t feel so alone. 

“We just want to make sure you’re safe. We didn’t realize how much it would hurt you in the process.” Sam stood behind you. You turn to give him a weak smile and held out your arm to have him hug you. Embracing them both, you never felt more safe. The pain still lingered, but maybe now you wouldn’t have to carry it alone. 

“I’m not a little kid anymore. I know what’s out there. But that doesn’t scare me. It scares me that the bad things can take you away from me. And as much as I want to slap some sense into you both. I couldn’t live without you. You’re my big brother’s and anyone worth a damn will stay away.” The both let out a soft laugh at your sudden ferocity, it brought a smile to both their faces. No, you certainly were not a little kid, but to them, you were their sweet baby sister who they would bring down empires to protect you.

“Ok, kiddo. Maybe it’s time we teach you some hunting skills.” Dean pressed a kiss to the side of your head. You leaned in, savoring how nice he was being. For once. 

They both pulled you in, smashing you between their large bodies for a hug. You squirm for them to release you and they both laugh at your weak attempt. Sam draws back first and throws an arm around your shoulders. 

“Y/N, we are sorry. For what you are feeling, but for leaving you to deal with it alone. Those,” He taps your head. “...are the worst kinds of demons. We can’t protect you from them, but we can be there to show you how and make sure you aren’t alone.”

You lean your head to him, squeezing his side in an unspoken thanks. Dean wraps his arm around you too and smiles in agreement. He reaches around him to pull a silver flask out of his back pocket. He screws the lid off and offers it to you. You turn your head to him and scrunch your brows at him.

“I guess you’re not a kid, being eighteen and all. I’ll let this one slide.” You smile at him and take the first sip. The liquid causing a tingling sensation down your throat, warming your stomach. “Happy birthday kiddo.” They shake you, squeezing you again into a warming embrace. This wasn’t the same memory you held onto for so long, but having them, watching your back in every direction, was this new light in your life. You and your brother’s against the world. The demons in your head wouldn’t stop, but it wouldn’t be so scary since they were their to help you, to protect you and never let you feel unsafe. With all the uncertainties in the world, they were the ground work for safety and trust. You gaze at them laughing and smiling, the rare moments that they did. The memory stained into your head, there for when you needed it. Of all the uncertainties in the world...they were the ones that kept you safe. 

Taglist: @beautyinthewild31 @drakesfiance

[allaboutannabeth]

making dish babies - @JackDanielsTB and @DrPhilipByrne

The day had finally come. Annabeth was nervous, and vaguely nauseous, when heading to the pre-op room. She'd prepared her doctor about the two men that would be with her, and donating, but it still garnered a few looks from the staff. Jack and Philip had done their part and now she was about to go into a twilight for the egg retrieval. She gripped each of their hands when they went into the room, the door shutting behind them. She needed to change into a gown, but when she tried to get her blouse unbuttoned, her hands shook too badly to get more than one open. Glancing over at Philip and Jack, she gestured to her chest. "I feel like I might throw up. Can you help...?"

Jack was waiting in the clinic’s lobby when they arrived, legs fidgeting restlessly. When Annabeth and Philip came through the doors, he jumped to his feet, offering AB a smile and a tight hug and the doctor a cool nod. They went in together, where AB was handed a stack of paperwork and the men each received a little plastic cup for their contribution. Jack refused to meet Philip’s eyes as they awkwardly shambled off to the collection rooms to do their duty. When they returned, it was AB’s turn. Jack anxiously followed her to the exam room with Philip. 

 Philip was a bundle of nerves as he rushed forward to help Anna, colliding with Jack in the other man’s haste to do the same. The men blinked at each other a moment then the doctor reluctantly backed off, letting Jack do the honors. It was still odd seeing another man undress his girlfriend, but this was neither the time nor place to argue about it. He had never seen her look so pale. “It’s going to be okay,” he heard Jack murmur to her as her blouse came undone. Philip turned to grab the gown. “It’ll all be over in 20 minutes. Then you can go home and relax,” Pip added as he helped Anna slip it on and fastened the back.

They looked like they might be as nervous as she was, which didn't help her nerves. This was major. A step towards getting what she wanted, finally. It was cold in the room, or maybe that was her nerves. She laughed, the sound jarring in the exam room, when they both rushed to help her. "Watch out..." she muttered, letting Jack get her blouse open and off. "I know it will..." she replied, leaning her head on Jack's shoulder briefly. She sighed and folded her blouse, laying it in the bag they provided for her. It was awkward being together, more awkward getting undressed by Jack while Philip stood by and watched. 

 The worst of the awkward had been the two of them going off to give their samples. She'd never felt more conspicuous as she had waiting on them to return. 

 Annabeth shimmied from her pants and out of the last of her clothes, adding them to the bag before getting into the gown with Philip's help. Leaning into him briefly, she let him comfort her and help her to sit on the table and wait on the doctor to come in. She reached for both Jack and Philip's hands, watching the door until her doctor and the nurse came in to get her started. She was ready for the anti-anxiety medications so she might stop feeling like she wanted to throw up.

Jack moved quickly to Annabeth’s side as she slid up onto the table, taking her hand as Philip took her other one. He pressed a kiss to her hand and waited. The silence was deafening. After what felt like an age, though it was only a few minutes, a doctor and nurse entered the room. Jack listened intently as the doctor explained the procedure and the nurse checked AB’s vitals, relieved when she was given a large dose of Ativan. That didn’t stop him from wincing when he had to move away to let the nurse set up AB’s IV. She hated needles, and this was the mother of needles.

Though a doctor himself, Pip wasn’t familiar with the today’s procedure. He looked on as Anna was prepared for the OR, stroking her hand and kissing her shoulder while the IV was placed. He would have sworn the nurse gave him the side eye and he raised a brow, wondering exactly what she thought the situation was here. Once the anxiety medication was given time to kick in, Anna was off to the OR with a last kiss from her men. Left alone in the corridor with Jack, he looked up, muttering, “Coffee?”

And so they found themselves in the waiting room, weak cups of coffee in hand as they waited for news of Annabeth. Jack didn’t speak, not really knowing what to say to the man who would be a partner in the weird parenthood journey they were embarking on. It was… a lot. Instead he sipped his coffee and watched the clock and the muted television in the corner. A pair of women entered the clinic, spoke briefly with the receptionist then took seats on the other side of the waiting room, holding hands. The cute blonde with a boyish haircut caught his eye and beamed, “You guys too?” Jack started as she spoke, looking wide eyed to Philip then back at her as he realized what she meant. “Us? No, you… We aren’t-“

Pip rolled his eyes as Jack stammered through explanations, the women’s faces falling. “The gay panic is real,” he muttered under breath, crumpling his empty coffee cup. The nurse from earlier had come around the corner and he patted Jack’s knee as the man continued to assure the lesbian couple that he was, in fact, heterosexual. “Come on, boyfriend. That’s us.” Throwing away their cups, they entered the recovery room, where Anna was beginning to stir.

The Ativan was welcome. It worked quick enough and AB found herself not caring much about the IV when the time came. Not until they were placing it at any rate. Then tears filled her eyes and she winced, squeezing Philip's hand hard enough that her own ached when she let go.

A kiss to each of her guys, one last hand squeeze, and Annabeth was off to get her procedure done and over with.

It felt like she'd blinked and her eyes opened in the recovery room. Surely it wasn't over? Confusion set in as she tried to sit up but was urged to hold still a while longer by a nurse. She was talking, but AB wasn't comprehending yet, coming up out of the twilight. Then Jack and Philip were there and nothing else mattered. Again tears welled in her eyes as she reached for them, wanting the comfort of their touch while the anesthesia wore off and she slowly came out of the fog. "Is it over? Did they get them?"

They crowded around her bed from both sides, each taking one of her hands. The scene in the waiting room forgotten, Jack ran his fingers through AB's hair, smiling down at her, glad that she was okay. "It's over. They got them." He hoped so anyway. He didn't want to put her through all of this again if it didn't work. It would crush her, and frankly, him as well. He glanced up quickly at the nurse for confirmation. She nodded, "The doctor retrieved twelve mature eggs."

"We're here, love. How are you feeling?" Philip stroked Anna's arm as the sedation wore off, hoping she wouldn't feel sick. "Twelve!" crowed Jack from the other side of the bed. "That's good, right?" Jack looked from the nurse to him for confirmation, smiling hopefully. Philip really thought the man should smile more. Infected by his good mood, he grinned, "Yeah. Yeah, that's good."

Annabeth breathed out a sigh of relief, holding their hands. She still felt like she was half under water, everything felt far away and their voices sounded strange. She woke up more as they held her hand and both of them petted on her. Blinking up at Jack, she smiled groggily. "Twelve! That's so good..." She tried to sit up again but fell back, her belly cramping badly enough she cried out and gripped Philip's hand harder.

"A little sick. Sore." Groaning, she looked to the nurse. "Can I have some Sprite?" The nurse nodded and went to go get it, coming back after a few minutes with a small can of Sprite with a straw. AB drank greedily, glad to have something to kill her dry mouth. Eyes closing briefly, she sighed softly. "Oh, I needed that..." she muttered, looking back up to her guys, smiling. She pulled their hands close and kissed them both. "Twelve though... That's really good..." She was overwhelmed, that was a good number. "I love you both... I love you so much..."

Jack sucked in a breath at her sound of pain. "Just relax for a bit. There's no rush." He looked away to call, "Can we get her some pain meds?" Philip also looked concerned at her discomfort. He reached over and slowly tilted the bed up into a more seated position. The guy obviously knew his way around a hospital bed. "It's so good. We're going to take you home so soon. I love you..."

 Pip was glad she was drinking on her own. It was a good sign. Anna hadn't been able to eat or drink anything since last night. They'd have to feed her as soon as she was able to keep food down. He smiled at Anna, leaning in to brush his lips over hers. "I love you. One step closer to a houseful, huh...?" The nurse broke up their lovefest as she returned with a snack and painkillers for Anna. All of her vitals looked good, it was just a matter of time.

"But I wanna go home," she said, eyes heavy still. "I want bed and a movie. A really, really sappy one. With a happy ending..." Annabeth sighed in relief, getting the bed to sit up more. She felt better for not being laid down. It made her feel less nauseous, so did the Sprite. The pain meds came along with a snack, and she was glad for it. The cramps weren't that bad, but had startled her. 

Anna kissed Philip softly, smiled a little. "A step closer. I'm excited... I can't wait to get to hold my baby..." She closed her eyes again, relaxing. When she opened them, she nibbled her crackers. Nothing had ever tasted better than those bland crackers. Nothing in her whole life. Anna groaned and reached for another cracker. "These are soo good... When can I go? When will they call about the embryos...?" she asked, looking from her guys to the nurse. "I just want to go home..."

"My bed's got your name all over it, AB. All the pillows." Jack had picked up her favorite snacks and changed the sheets that morning, wanting her to be comfortable when she got home. He kept petting her hair, incredibly relieved the procedure had all gone according to plan. This was going to happen. They were going to have a baby. He knew it. 

 Philip laughed softly at Anna's appetite. The nurse had gone to fill in the doctor and had returned with her. Anna was cleared to go, if she kept it easy. The nurse went around disconnecting the monitors and removing the IV while the doctor updated them. "We'll give you a call every day to let you know their progress. Not all of the eggs will develop, but I think you have a very good chance. Once we freeze them, they'll be ready whenever you are."

"The nest," she laughed softly. "The really fluffy nest..." God, she wanted to get into bed, in something comfy, with all the snacks. Maybe Chinese. "Oh god, I want Chinese..." she mumbled to herself. Food was at the front of her brain at the moment. Anna leaned her head into Jack's touch, humming a little. She was content, excited. Somewhere in this building, someone was making their babies. In a dish. 

 Anna got another cracker and stuffed her face. Then the IV was coming out and she was going to get dressed to go home. Her nerves had faded. She wasn't in much pain, just a little sore, and crampy. She knew to expect those things. Sitting up more, she swung her legs off the bed and nodded to the doctor. "Thank you, Doctor. We're excited." Okay. She was excited. Jack probably was too. Doc maybe was. She was sure he was mostly nervous. Reaching for Philip, she wanted to try and stand up and maybe get changed again. "I'm ready now... But it can wait..."

The doctor smiled and left to give them some privacy. Jack was incredibly excited. He hadn't stopped smiling since the news of the successful retrieval. Pulling down the bag of AB's things, he got out her clothes, eager to take her home. Even if it meant taking Philip with them. "The nest is waiting. We can get Chinese on the way home..." 

 Philip moved into Anna's reach, helping to support her as she stood, not wanting her to lose her balance. "Easy does it. Not dizzy?" He was more concerned with her at the moment than what was going on in a dish somewhere behind the scenes. That was something he'd worry about later. They didn't even know how many would make it.

Annabeth couldn't help smiling at Jack. It had been too long since she'd seen him look so happy, and it warmed her heart to see him like that. "Jack..." she murmured, reaching for him to squeeze his hand. He wanted this just as much as she did and Anna couldn't wait to see their baby's face. One day. Soon. "Love you, Jack. Are you happy...?" she asked. 

 Standing slowly, Anna held onto Philip and closed her eyes, trying not to sway on her feet. "A little," she admitted. But holding onto him, she felt it ebbing away, and opened her eyes. "Better..." she sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold him. "Love you." She felt achy, an old woman, as she shifted away to get dressed. Anna leaned on them both heavily, needing help to get dressed again. Once dressed, the nurse came in with more paperwork, discharging her so she could go home.

Jack glanced up as AB reached for him and smiled, taking his hand in hers and kissing it. "Of course I'm happy. I'm so happy..." He really was. He hadn't felt so hopeful in a long, long time. "I love you. Thank you for going through this for us..." She had sacrificed - been pricked and prodded to no end. He'd only had to jerk off in a tiny room with outdated magazines. 

 Pip held Anna close until she was ready to move, nuzzling her neck. "I love you." With the help of Jack, they slowly helped her dress. With her papers signed and a prescription for painkillers in hand, they slowly led her out through the waiting room, one man under each arm. There was no way they'd let her overdo it.

AB gripped Jack's hand tight. "I like you happy... You have the prettiest smile I've ever seen..." she mumbled, kissing his hand. The meds they'd given her had her feeling loose and open. "You really look like an angel when you're smiling..." Blinking, she smiled at Jack, pulled him over for a kiss. "It's all worth it when we have a baby. A houseful of babies." All the babies. She would go through this all a thousand times to be able to hold a baby at the end. 

 Humming into Philip's chest, Anna held onto the both of them on their way out to the waiting room. She settled in the wheelchair for the ride down to the entrance while Jack went for the car. When Philip rolled her outside, she let both of them help her into the car, her laying back in the passenger seat with her eyes closed. "Egg roll. I want one when we get Chinese."

AB's silly talk about angels made Jack laugh. "AB.... You are so high I'm jealous." When she pulled him over he didn't resist, kissing her over and over. "A houseful sounds perfect..." Leaving her in the care of the doctor, he ran out to get the car and pulled it right up to the entrance. Safely depositing AB inside the car, the doctor buckled her in as Jack slid behind the wheel. "I'll get you a dozen egg rolls." 

 Anna may have been high, but she had a point about Jack's smile. It was a stunner. Seeing how happy Anna was made it all worth it. But surprisingly, Jack's happiness gave him a bit of the warm fuzzies too. And he didn't even like the guy. Philip settled in the backseat, sitting in the middle so he could monitor Anna. "And I'll help you eat them." They headed home.

"I am so lightweight..." She was. The drugs were so nice too. The crampiness had faded some, though her limbs all felt heavy and her body was achy. It was fading, the aches. "I really like your smile though. Angel." Annabeth looked over to him and smiled. "A houseful. We can have that..." Twelve. Twelve eggs. That was a lot of potential. 

 "That is a lot of egg rolls..." she mumbled, getting comfortable and smiling at the little bit of fussing they were doing. Eyes closing, she dozed a little for the ride, her hand reaching back to touch Doc's, wanting that contact with him.

[hayleysstark]

Sorry if this is late... #11 Did you read any good books this past year?

oh hey no worries love (: i try and answer every ask i get regardless of the timing. thanks for asking btw i actually had way more fun answering these than i thought i would lolll. anyways tho

11: did you read any good books this past year?

i did actually!! i read like juuuusttt under a hundred books last year ((i wanted to read the full one hundred but ran out of time come the last week of december so boo)) and there were some serious gems liiikeee wings of fire???

all right listen here bitches the wings of fire children’s fantasy series ((author Tui T. Sutherland)) is one of the absolute best things i’ve ever laid eyes on ever i mean um

everybody is relatable??? and no i am not shitting you. as somebody who prizes likable characters over pretty much everything else in literature, this series is an absolute gift to me. ((i will admit here that i did find it...difficult...to connect with clay in book 1, more so than anybody else, but as each volume is narrated by a different character, it wasn’t as big a deal as perhaps it could’ve been.))

they are dragons. yes. they are literal dragons. some of them hate all humans and want to eat them. some of them just ignore humans entirely and think them no smarter than monkeys. some of them even keep humans as pets. but they are all dragons. some are your typical terrifying beast from folklore, with smoke pouring from their nostrils and membranous wings spread wide while others seem closer to scorpions, and still others act a bit more like wolves. its great

also its fantasy. so there are prophecies and battles and kingdoms and a huge war that these five young dragons are destined to stop, and also they were all stolen as eggs from their parents and raised v far from their natural homes. 

the worldbuilding is to fucking die for. there are six ((and maybe more but i’m really tired rn and my brain’s not working right)) unique dragon species, all with their own strengths and weaknesses and abilities  and social structure and allies and way of raising their young and way of fighting the war anD I COULD GO ON ABOUT THIS ALL FUCKIN DAY CAN YOU TELL

anD I WANT TO GIVE EVERYONE IN THIS SERIES A BIG FUCKING HUG CAUSE THEY ARE ALL MY CHILDREN ((ok but winter?? winter is my child. dONT FUCK WITH ME. WINTER IS MY SMOL BABY SON CHILD DRAGON. DONT FUCK. WITH ME. WINTER IS MY SON AND HE NEEDS ME AND I LOVE HIM AND I WILL GIVE HIM EVERYTHING I HAVE.))

basically read them. read them all. book 1 is the dragonet prophecy. and book 6 is moon rising, which is technically a spin-off series set in the same universe, but we see a lot of familiar characters and honestly the second series is def worth the read ((B/C WINTER IS MY CHILD DONT FUCK WITH ME WINTER IS MY CHILD HIS BOOK IS BOOK 7 IT IS CALLED WINTER TURNING GO READ IT HE IS MY SMOL BABY CHILD SON.))

something else i’d def recommend is the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke ((i won’t go as crazy as i did about wof, but thats mostly b/c as far as i can gather Funk receives a bit more attention for her work. not to say she doesn’t deserve it!!)) yeahhhh. honestly Inkheart is a fave. dustfinger is a++++ and farid is my son and resa is so precious and needs to be protected from everything. 10/10

another good solid read is Chronicles of Narnia. cant go wrong with C.S. Lewis. but again, very well-known, most of you are familiar w/ the plot so i wont go into detail like i did with the first one. but it’s really amazing so definitely check it out if you’re interested

also i am perfectly aware this next book is pretty huge in its own right but im just gonna scream this from the rooftops avi’s crispin: the cross of lead 110% deserves your attention and also your praise and worship and all your love b/c cRISPIN IS MY CHILD. CRISPIN IS MY SON. ALONG W/ WINTER. AND FARID. MY SONS ARE ALL PRETTY FUCKED UP. 

and Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. definitely definitely definitely would recommend. Inej and Nina and Jesper are my bros. i would bro it up w/ them in bro town anD WE MUST PROTECT WYLAN AT ALL COSTS and kaz is a gift from God above. a ruthless murderous morally deficient gift. 

and one more thing!! one more thing ok are you ready no i dont think you are no one is the world isnt ready for thiS FUCKIN GEM ((also is this cheating cause i technically read this book for the first time like four years ago but i reread it in 2016 soooo i’m gonna count it anyway deal with it)) okay are you ready for this no one is ready for this i myself am not ready for this i cry every time i read it okay it is Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Seanz and iT IS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE FUCKING BOOK IN THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD OK. OK?? ((really the title makes it out to be a lot worse than it is. it sounds like some sort of psychological thriller or gaudy horror but really it’s a contemporary YA and i cry at it every time i read it and i relate so well to both zach and rafael. seriously just read it. i’m going to cry if i so much as talk about it any further but it is amazing and it feels like no one but me appreciates it, or even knows it exists.)) go. read it.

whoooo so THAT got way longer than i planned and i am SORRY. thank you for asking tho!! i hope at least ONE of the books on this list catches someone’s eye

ask me about 2016

[auburnfamilynews]

Home crowd, Gus’ reputation on the line, this one’s a lock.

Did you know that Auburn football has been beating Georgia literally — literally — its entire existence?

The first time that Auburn ever set foot on a football field in intercollegiate competition ended up in a win over Georgia, and the birth of the War Eagle legend. Football season was a little backward back then, with this game being played on February 20th, 1892, but either way, the Tigers won 10-0, thus starting the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Tomorrow feels... big. It feels large. There’s more to this game than some games in recent memory. To be honest, there’s not much at stake for Auburn right now, since it would be an extreme long shot for the Tigers to make the playoff, but that’s what we said two years ago as well. Auburn likely won’t make the SEC Championship barring a perfect end to the season and a complete collapse from LSU. This is the perfect time, however, for Auburn to ruin Georgia’s season now that the Bulldogs have pulled inside the College Football Playoff top four. Pickins are ripe.

STAFF PICKS - #12 AUBURN vs #4 GEORGIA (-3) (O/U 40.5)

This fanbase is the worst group of people on the planet. They trash their otherwise gorgeous campus regularly, they bark at human beings, they relish the idea of being obnoxiously drunk, and they have the nerve to think they can storm our field and tear up our grass before hoses are turned on their sorry asses and yet decry when other teams do a little remodeling of their plants. Their coach is one of the most arrogant men in this sport, and it shows in his sometimes dumbfounding coaching decisions. He’s the most negative recruiter in the SEC, and when that doesn’t work he’s always sure to deliver the cash late to a problem-child (and talented) wide receiver out of Hoover in an attempt to cause maximum harm to Auburn. This, after faking a field goal up 17 in last year’s game with 3 minutes left. I love having a rivalry with certain programs. I used to enjoy the family aspect and crossover between us and them. Now? Now all I wish is the lack of their existence. Giant waste of space to the east of us that can’t win a big game to save their sorry asses. To hell with them. F*CK GEORGIA.

Whew. That felt…right. Now keys to victory:

Gonna have to run the ball somehow against this bunch. Don’t see our OL being up to the task of moving the line of scrimmage for 4 quarters straight up. So, despite the backup situation, give Bo Nix 5-7 called runs in this one to keep them honest.

Anthony Schwartz needs to touch the football 8 times at minimum in this game.

Boobee Whitlow needs to spell DJ Williams when he needs a breather and Auburn needs to feature #3, it’s most capable running back

Honestly let’s see a lot of the same route progressions we saw against Ole Miss. Crossing patterns work against this bunch and then once you’ve got them cheating find Seth Williams in 1 on 1 coverage.

I fully expect to surrender some painful yardage against their passing attack, but it is critical to make tackles. The team that tackles better Saturday probably wins this game.

No long field goals, Gus…please. That being said, when inside the 30 and a drive stalls, don’t be afraid to use Anders. He’s capable and can win this game for Auburn when used correctly. He ain’t his brother. Doesn’t make him a bad kicker.

Let the big men up front eat. Marlon and Derrick are gonna catch some double teams all day. We need to see maximum effort out of Big Kat, TD, Tyrone, AND YEAH YOU NICK COE so that Georgia’s OL isn’t given such an easy option.

That being said, hit Fromm. Within the confines of legality, knock his ass into the dirt. Remind him of why he should hate playing in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Keep the crowd in this game. November games in Jordan-Hare Stadium are all about keeping the momentum going so that the crowd is engaged. It will force Georgia into mistakes. Be loud. This team still has at minimum a LOT to play for. At maximum they have an outside shot to still play for EVERYTHING. Decibels matter.

Win or lose this game, Georgia gonna Georgia and come up short on expectations. We should start taking more responsibility for that. Auburn 23 Georgia 21

-Josh Black

This is it. The game of the season. This game will ultimately define Malzahn’s legacy. “Silly Josh, Auburn has played a ton of big games under Malzahn, why is this one so special?” This year especially, the Georgia game will define the narrative this offseason. We will spend months talking about this game in particular. Beat Georgia, good season. Lose to Georgia, bad season. Simple as that. Auburn can beat this team, I know they can. I KNOW it. Auburn’s defensive line is so much better than the unit they’ll be lining up against. Derrick Brown or Marlon Davidson will earn SEC weekly honors for their performance. Auburn needs sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers, even some luck. The defense will need to go above and beyond tomorrow afternoon.

The offense will be what wins or loses the game, though. But here’s the thing: they don’t have to get a lot better overnight. Marginal improvements will be enough to win. That’s just how good our defense is. If Auburn can put together one long, sustained drive in each half that results in a touchdown, Auburn will win. Georgia has been good against the run. Our freshman running back will have his work cut out for him. To hell with georgia.

Auburn 21 Georgia 20 (Auburn covers, over)

-Josh Dub

I hate this game. I hate everything about it. I hate that we have to go over there to play them and I hate that we have to let their fans in to our stadium to watch a game. I hate that it always happens on my birthday (yes, tomorrow is my birthday). I hate that picture of that flea bitten mongrel trying to give rabies to Robert Baker. I hate Soulja Boy. I hate black jerseys. I hate the image of Uncle Vern and village idiot Gary dancing to it. I hate that they have the Battle Hymn of the Republic as their ‘Fight Song’ but not really cause they have another song that they play as their, ‘After Extra Point Attempt’ Song...ChOoSe OnE YoU CoWaRdS!!! I hate that Georgia isn’t still the Goats. Because that’s what they remind me of, barn yard animals. It’s funny that they changed the mascot to a dog so that Georgia fans wouldn’t eat the mascot after each loss (they ate the goat after we beat them 10-0 in our first game). Well, jokes on you 1890s Georgia Administration, your mountain reject, country bumpkin fan base will eat a dog for Thanksgiving cause ‘Times is tough and that dog has been eatin good! WOOO”.

Ugh. As for the game, I am gonna go with my hope that Bo keeps the Nix unbeaten streak in tact (daddy was 1-0-1 as a starter) and pulls it out with a late field goal drive to pull out the W.

Tigers 20-17

-Drew Mac

This is going to be a rock fight. Both teams struggle to throw the ball downfield. Both teams defend the run very well. That doesn’t leave much room for success on the offensive side of the ball. I think this comes down to which team can make 2 or more big plays on offense or special teams. 17 points might win it. 21 absolutely should. In a close game you take the home team, so it’s not just a bet with my heart.

Auburn 20, Georgia 16 (Auburn wins outright; UNDER)

-James Jones

F*** Georgia. I hope Derrick Brown gets blocked into Jake Fromm. 21-20 Tigers.

-Ryan Sterritt

Auburn’s defensive line is great. Georgia is struggling on the offensive line and is having to look to the bench for a center. Pressure up the middle is something Jake Fromm struggles with and I think Auburn will come after him on every third down they can. If Georgia wants to win, it has to avoid third downs.

Georgia’s defensive line is great. Auburn is struggling on the offensive line and is having to look to the bench for a center. Pressure up the middle is something Bo Nix struggles with and I think Georgia will come after him on every third down they can. If Auburn wants to win, it has to avoid third downs.

Seriously, this one is going to be an ugly gross game with a high likelihood of setting offensive football back ten years. Auburn has shown the ability to win ugly, and Georgia hasn’t had to do it as much. I like our chances at home.

Auburn 18 Georgia 15

-Son of Crow

Swing game #3 is here. At beginning of season I noted that there were 3 games that would differentiate Auburn’s season: @ A&M, @ UF & vs UGA. AU heads into tomorrow’s game 1-1 in those matchups making this an even MORE important result for how fans feel about this season. Win and at worst Auburn is 9-3 with a chance at a 10th win in bowl game but also get to laugh at UGA all offseason. Lose and AU is stuck in 8-4 world again with the heat turning scorching on Malzahn’s seat. The Iron Bowl always looms large but I would argue the result of this game will have the biggest bearing on whether folks view 2019 in a positive or negative light.

As for the matchup itself, you have the two best defenses in the SEC, possibly the country, facing two offenses that have been sporadic at best this season. Unfortunately for Auburn, their offense has had much deeper downs than UGA’s. But AU will be inside the comfy confines of Jordan-Hare which should allow Nix to play with more confidence. Kirby Smart has laid 3 straight eggs in road SEC West matchups. Those things give me confidence. But UGA not allowing any rushing TDs, AU’s inability to muster any sort of consistent offensive success against a good defense & Anders recent struggles give me great concern.

Impartially, I would probably lean UGA. This game will come down to how Bo Nix & Jake Fromm handle playing elite defenses and Anders Carlson vs Rodrigo Blankenship’s abilities to make any opportunity count for points. Both of those matchups probably tilt UGA’s favor.

But I believe in the power of Jordan-Hare. After the controversy two weeks ago, I expect that place to be rocking uncontrollably. My guess is we are about to see this Auburn defenses’s best performance of the season which is saying something. It’s gonna be low scoring, painful to watch at times but in the end, Auburn’s front 4 proves to be the best unit on the field and that’s the difference.

Auburn 20 UGA 17

-AU Nerd

Someone in the group chat mentioned it, and I think it’s about as accurate as it can get... this edition of the DSOR could end up like a classic Tuberville type of game. Auburn and Georgia both have shown a propensity to struggle on offense this season, and both have defenses that have been more than good. One side’s got an experienced quarterback, but one’s got the quarterback with a higher upside for something spectacular. When are we going to see the explosion of immense talent turn into a calculated offensive attack from Bo Nix? It’s gotta be soon.

Although, I don’t think it’ll be this game. We’re going to have to grind this out and hit one or two more big plays than they do. I don’t feel super confident if we get into a field goal kicking matchup with Anders Carlson against their rec specs pre-teen beardy kicker, so that’s why we won’t have to worry about it.

With a week off, Gus will have cooked something up for this game, and he will have learned from the mistakes of the Florida game and LSU game. We can’t win this game on Bo’s arm alone, and we need to involve all of the playmakers on the team. Minimize mistakes, and let Georgia make the miscues. They’ll make more than a couple with a potential third-string center starting against Derrick Brown. Auburn might have the two best linemen in the conference in Brown and Marlon Davidson, and I think the linebackers will be up to the task of containing the Bulldog running game.

For all of the talent on the outside, Georgia’s passing game has been slow and stodgy this season, almost like nothing changed from Richt to Kirby. Jake Fromm hasn’t exactly burned the conference this year so far, even with Lawrence Cager (who might be out), Georgia Pickens (who deserves to get planted), and Demetris Robertson. None of those guys have more than 470 yards receiving so far this year, which is not what they expected out of this offense, I’m sure.

In the end, the Auburn defense is going to grab two turnovers, and they’ll take Fromm down 5 times, while pressuring him a bunch more and limiting the run. Bo Nix’s stats are pretty pedestrian, but we get a couple of long runs from D.J. Williams, and a big pass play each to Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz. Somebody unexpected will make the play, so I’m looking at Jay Jay Wilson for the game-winning touchdown catch before the defense stops the last gasp Georgia drive. Tigers play spoiler and chaos reigns again.

Auburn 24, Georgia 20.

-Jack Condon

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/11/15/20965924/staff-picks-12-auburn-vs-13-georgia

[drtanstravels]

I just realised I hadn’t published anything for the entire month of March, mainly due to the fact that we haven’t traveled anywhere in the last couple of weeks. Today has been a slow news day, thus I’ve finished all of my work, and I’m waiting to pick the dog up from the vet from being spayed so I thought I’d have a look through the photos in my phone and try to piece together the final days of a journey that took place almost nine months ago. It will be pretty brief because I’m just relying solely on photos and the results of looking for something similar on Google. I’ll get Anna to have a look through this piece too before I publish it to see if she can shed any additional light, but I am really just tying up the loose ends of our South American adventure.

Thursday, June 30 We got up on time to catch our flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in order to return to Lima, Peru, did the stinky drive past the favelas to the airport, but when we went to check in they had no record of us being on that flight. The woman at the counter apologised profusely, said it must’ve been a booking error, however, there were some business class seats available on the flight we were trying to board that morning, so she gave us a free upgrade as compensation for the hassle. Man, I wish that would happen on long-haul flights. We made the most of our luxurious five-hour flight and touched down in Lima. It was definitely nice to be back. We loved it in São Paulo, enjoyed Rio, but we definitely felt a lot safer in Peru.

Anna really loved the tiles at our new hotel

We caught a cab from the airport to our new hotel in Lima. Rio is three hours ahead of Lima so it wasn’t time to check into our room yet, but we thought we would try our luck anyway. We approached the desk and asked, but when the man looked up our reservation it turned out they weren’t expecting us until the next day. What a strange coincidence! To make up for their little boo-boo the hotel upgraded our room, but we would have to wait an hour or so for it to be ready. That wouldn’t be a problem, we left our luggage at the hotel and went to get a bite to eat. On our way I started thinking about what had happened with both the plane ticket and the hotel room and how both occurrences had been way too much of a coincidence to be possible. “Anna, you don’t think we accidentally left Rio a day early, do you?” She checked all of the bookings and confirmation emails and it tuned out we were still supposed to be in Brazil for another night and weren’t really deserving of those upgrades and improvements. I guess anything is possible if you believe strongly enough in what you are saying. That definitely explains Trump’s election, anyway.

The weather wasn’t particularly great, but it was still nice to walk around, checking out the neighbourhood, so that’s how we spent most of our first day back in town:

An abandoned house near where we were staying

Anna wants a gramophone now

Peruvian Food is so good

These birds were everywhere and getting up close wasn’t a problem

Anna HATED the crow statues

Nothing much, just walking the pig….

Not sure where that parachutist is going to land…

Dinner

…with a traditional, Peruvian band

Friday, July 1 We were staying in the Miraflores region of Peru, an area known for having cool shops along with great bars and restaurants, but it is also close to Pueblo Libre, home to the Larco Museum, described by Wikipedia thusly:

The Larco Museum (Spanish: Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera) is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, located in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima, Peru. The museum is housed in an 18th-century vice-royal building built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid. It showcases chronological galleries that provide a thorough overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It is well known for its gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery.

There are several permanent exhibitions at the Larco Museum, such as The Gold and Silver Gallery, a collection of crowns, earrings, nose ornaments, garments, masks and vases, wrought in gold and decorated with semi-precious stones. But that’s not what we were there for —  Spending a Friday afternoon in Peru looking at erotic pottery could be both interesting and amusing so we went to see what all the fuss was about. They weren’t kidding either, the pre-Columbian civilisations of Peru were pretty damn explicit when it comes to their crockery.

Sorry the side is cut off, but you get the general gist

Don’t worry, this is not of what “erotic pottery” consists

Just sitting here, thinking of dick things…

Next on the agenda was Iglesia de San Pedro (Church of St. Peter) one of the more famous of Lima’s landmarks. We hadn’t actually planned to go there initially, but we were nearby and recognised it when we saw it. We attempted to enter past all of the heavily-armed guards, but it was too much of a hassle, so we decided to take a look at another cathedral across the road. Neither of us can recall the name of the place, but it was pretty cool, lot’s of carved wooden sculptures and a bunch of tiny caskets inside. These things were really small! From there we took a walk around the area until it was time to grab a drink and something to eat so we pulled up a seat in a bar where you sit in wheelbarrows.

Sights like this almost bring a tear to my eye, I always wanted a beetle!

Anna inside the church

One of the carvings inside

These caskets look a lot bigger from a distance

Barely as long as my arm

Looking at Iglesia de San Pedro

In the town square

Iglesia de San Pedro

Town square again

Beers in a barrow

Anna drinking something green

After a couple of wheelbarrow-bound drinks it was time for dinner, which meant going to ámaZ for Amazonian food. Ranked as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World, ámaZ is described on theworlds50best.com like this:

Amaz head chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino may have learned his craft abroad but this menu is pure Peruvian pizzazz. With extensive knowledge of the Amazonian region and a tireless approach to fresh, traditional forest ingredients, the US-Italian chef adds wild jungle touches to classic Latin American dishes such as ceviche, tacacho (fried mashed green bananas) and cecina (dried pork).

This second 120-cover restaurant pitches such hearty gems as chorizo oil-drizzled snails, lime and raw fish, and garlic Amazon peppers. Drinks are not forgotten either, with the cocktail menu also featuring rare and unfamiliar fruits from the Amazonian larder. At once colourful, intriguing and democratic , Amaz wholeheartedly celebrates its food’s rainforest roots.

That sounded pretty damn good, especially those snails, so they were among several dishes we order and the snails, which were of the river variety, were huge! The ones we received came with some sort of roe and the egg we ordered was of some specific Amazonian bird served on a particular bark, but unfortunately I can’t remember what species either was. The menu changes all the time so I am unable to find out what they were. Anyway, it all tasted pretty spectacular:

River snails

Mmmmm…..

Maybe it was snails in those caskets earlier. I’m just glad there was no dress code

Egg

After dinner we walked around to find another bar for some Friday night drinks. All we really came across was a dodgy looking reggae-themed bar that was relatively empty. Still we made the most of it, but we couldn’t have a big night; we were flying out tomorrow.

Bob Marley statue with a real joint in its mouth

Don’t worry, they gave us the pen to do it

Saturday, July 2 It was our last day in Lima, it’s not a particularly big city and we had seen most of it, both over the last couple of days and when we were first here two weeks previous, so we decided just to spend the day wandering around, trying to find new areas we hadn’t stumbled across already. We also wanted to return to some of the places we liked the first time around. First stop — lunch.

I can’t recall the name of the restaurant, but the place where we went to eat did meat in an exceptionally big way, as well as bunch of local fare and we decided to make our final non-airplane-food meal count so we grabbed a bite to eat. Most of the dishes they served, especially the meat dishes, were obviously intended for sharing. We got some sandwiches, as well as some mixed pig intestines and vegetables. Always goes down well.

I wasn’t kidding about the meat

Part of our lunch

Anna and her meditating monkey coaster

For the rest of the day we just walked around, unsuccessfully trying to find new areas to splurge in and also for Anna to find a ring, just like she buys in every country we go to. She managed to find one, however, unfortunately for her it broke not long after. We also saw some cool street art and even cooler cars.

I had never seen a kombi-ute before

A beetle in slightly better condition than the yellow one

Smokey and the Bandit have fallen upon hard times

You know you’re getting old when this looks appealing

Before long it was time to return to Jorge Chávez International Airport and make our way back to New York City. We had had a great trip and some interesting experiences over our two weeks in South America, such as eating guinea pigs and shitting in shopping bags. I also managed to grow an excruciatingly painful pimple on the side of my nose that even hurt when my t-shirt brushed against it as I got dressed each morning and was still there with a head toward the end of September, regardless of how often or how hard I squeezed it! It may not have been necessary to stay overnight in the Andes in order to arrive at Machu Picchu, but it was worth any hassle to get there and take in that view. We already knew that trek through the Andes would be painful at the time but would turn out to be something we would appreciate in hindsight and that is most definitely the case. We loved São Paulo and didn’t mind Rio de Janeiro either, but I would definitely suggest that everyone go to Lima at some stage if they’re ever in South America, even if it’s just for the ceviche. Seriously, it doesn’t matter if you’re allergic to seafood, that would be the way I’d like to go. Still, we have so much more of Central and South America that we haven’t explored yet, so we’ll definitely be back.

Now all we had to do was to make our way through all of these wheelchairs to get on our flight back to the United States and hopefully scam some more free upgrades…

South America, Pt. 5: The Scam I just realised I hadn't published anything for the entire month of March, mainly due to the fact that we haven't traveled anywhere in the last couple of weeks.

[spaz8550]

Love Me Harder Chapter 26

MASTERLIST

Ch 26 

A few days later Kerry walked into the clubhouse dropping off brownies and cookies she helped bake with Abel and Thomas. 

“Lass, how are yeah?” Chibs asked as he and Bobby stopped talking. 

“I’m ok. I wanted to drop these off and go see Tara. Jax said she’s doing better.”  

“Kerry, I have to say you are the glue holding all this shit together. It’s bad and just seeing you around keeping everyone fed and helping with the boys is great.” Bobby said giving her shoulder a squeeze. 

“Did Koz’s brother get his cut?” Kerry said looking at her feet.  

“Yes, we had Dan bring it. Since he and Koz got close we figured he or Hap would be the best. Hap didn’t want to leave you with everything going on.”  Bobby said as Kerry nodded. “Dan’s doing good in Tacoma. I know you were worried about him but he’s a good fit. The Tacoma chapter say he’s a good prospect.”  Bobby continued. 

“Good, he needed something-  a family.”  

“You’ve been a breath of fresh air around here, lass.” Chibs said frowning a bit as Tig stumbled out of his room looking worse for wear. 

“Tig, sit down and I’ll get a coffee and something greasy.”  Kerry said noticing the dark circles around his eyes. 

“Your too good.” Tig said flopping on the couch as he put an arm over his eyes. 

After making some eggs and bacon for Tig and BLT sandwiches for Bobby and Chibs Kerry made her way to the hospital. Tara still seemed to be in a funk but she listened to Kerry talk about the boys and looked at some cards that Abel had created. 

“Kerry, has Wendy Case been around?” Tara asked. 

“No, not that I have seen. I’ve been in and out to check in at the club house and a meet the teacher event.”  

“If you see her tell Jax. We don’t want her around. The doctors say I should be going home in a day or two.”  Kerry nodded and after saying goodbye made her way to the school to pick up some more paperwork before going home. 

The days following were spent the same way. Kerry and Gemma spent most of time with Abel and Thomas at Jax and Tara’s house. Kerry brought Kasey who kept Abel busy while she helped with cooking for the club and caring for Thomas. Kerry was spending time with Abel reading books and drawing both of which were something he requested when she walked through the door. The following day Tara would be returning home. Kerry was going to spend the day putting together meals as Gemma and a few of the crow eaters cleaned. Kerry saw the bruises on Gemma’s face and how skittish she had been at the mention of Clay. Abel was at the table making a large poster for Tara. 

“You are quite the artist.” Kerry said giving his hair a ruffle as she took a break from making pasta sauce. 

“I miss mommy, Auntie Kerry.”  

“Me too but she will be home today. She is going to love the poster.”  

“Auntie Kerry, when can I go to your school? I want to go to school like Ellie and Kenny.”  

Kerry smiled. 

“Soon, little man.I love to hear you want to go to school.”  

“I want to read books like you and mommy.”   

Kerry stayed around till Tara returned home and then stopped by the local Chinese restaurant on the way home to pick up dinner for her and Hap. Happy arrived home looking exhausted. 

“I hate those Irish sons of bitches.” He mumbled grabbing a beer. 

“What happened?”  

“They have a house of babies. Just like in Ireland.”  Kerry frowned as Happy continued, “We had to go there with Galen. Jax lost it after what happened with Abel. I wanted to go off too.”  

Kerry wrapped her arms around Happy, these moments that they had alone were the only time that things felt right in the world. Later that night there was a shooting at the clubhouse and Clay ended up in the hospital. Kerry and Happy arrived after a call from Chibs. 

“Where is Bobby?”  Tig asks as Chibs pointed out that Juice was missing as well. Kerry sat with Gemma who has been receiving updates from the doctors. 

“So they were black? Niners?” Tig asked Unser who had been talking to sheriff. 

“Had to be.” Chibs said. 

“I can’t be sure. I didn’t see colors.” Unser walked off to check on Gemma. 

“This is on me. Clay wanted me to stay. He has a feeling something was going on.” 

“We don’t know nothing yet, Tiggy.” Chibs said as he and Happy tried to talk to Tig.  

“He asked for help and I turned my back.” Tig said shaking his head as he stalked off. Gemma went to get an update as Kerry stood at Happy’s side. 

“I’m worried about Tig.” 

After a few hours Jax arrived and he briefly spoke to Chibs and Happy before leaving. 

“Kerry, you should go home. You’ve spent the day taking care of the boys and you should rest.” Gemma said. 

“I’m going to stay.”  

Gemma nodded. 

“I’m going home. I’ll be back tomorrow.”  

Kerry stayed with Happy and Chibs for several hours until V. Lin and Rat arrived. 

“Go get some sleep.” Happy said in the early hours of the morning. 

“I can stay-“  

“You need to rest. Rat, drive Kerry home and stay around until I come back.” 

Rat nodded as Kerry sighed. 

“Ok, if you’re not back by 10 I’m coming by with coffee and breakfast for you all.” She said. 

When she got back to the house she gave Rat a blanket as he settled in on the couch and Kerry brought Kasey upstairs. She tossed and turned before falling into a light sleep for a few hours. At 10 she walked through the doors of the hospital with coffee and muffins for the club members who were gathered around. 

“I’m going to go check in on Gemma.”  Kerry said as Happy nodded. “I don’t need an escort. Mary is going to stop by the house for lunch.”  

“Lass if you stop by the clubhouse can you check in on Tiggy? He’s not answering his phone.” Chibs said as Kerry nodded. 

“Bobby, Juice, and Opie?”  The two men shrugged. “I’ll check with Lyla about Opie and let you know.”  Kerry stopped by Gemma and Clay’s house to see Gemma finishing a coffee. “Do you need anything?”  

Gemma shook her head. 

“The hospital called and Clay is going in for another surgery. I’’m going over to spend some time with Tara and the boys. No sense in me being at the hospital when there is nothing I can do.”  

Kerry nodded and sat at the table. 

“If you need to talk or vent I’m here.”  Gemma nodded and sighed. “It’s dark times here and you have been one of the people holding it together. Have you seen Tig, Bobby, Juice, or Opie?”  

Gemma frowned. 

“Bobby would never take off. The other three like to run or in Tig’s case drown himself in crow eaters.”  

“I’m going to check with Lyla. I doubt Opie would go to her but you never know.”  

“Kerry, be careful. Op is not in a good place. What I am going to say can’t leave this room. Piney is dead- I can’t say any more then that.” Kerry’s eyes widened as Gemma frowned. “Op has been through a lot. Loosing Donna and all that shit with Lyla. She was never cut out to be an old lady. She’s not strong and meant for this life. It’s just you and me.” Gemma said giving Kerry’s hand a squeeze before she stood. “Just check the clubhouse for Tiggy. I’ll call him too and make sure he’s ok.”  

“Ok, I’m going to go by the clubhouse and then I’m going to the diner to meet Mary for lunch. If you and Tara would like to join us.”  

“I’ll think about it and let you know.”  

Kerry headed for the clubhouse as Gemma went to Jax and Tara’s house. Much to Kerry’s annoyance the clubhouse was empty and the two crow eaters she found hadn’t seen or heard from Tig. Kerry sat at the picnic table to call Lyla. 

“Hello?”  

“Lyla, it’s me. Have you seen or heard from Opie?”  

“I picked him up last night and he’s crashing on my couch while I’m at work.”  

“Thank god. Clay was shot last night and everyone was worried about the guys who were missing. Did he mention seeing Tig, Bobby, or Juice?”  

“No, he said that he had talked to Jax and he knew where he was.”  

“Ok, well… that’s good. How have you been?”  

“I’m ok. I know I’ve been a real shitty friend but I can’t really be around the club with how things are with Op and I.”  

“I understand. I miss you and Piper though. Sometime soon we will have to plan either lunch or shopping.”  

“Sure, I know with school starting you’ll be busy but we can work something out.”  Kerry and Lyla ended the call and she called Happy. 

“Hello?”  

“Hap, I checked the clubhouse and no sign of Tig, Juice, and Bobby. Opie is with Lyla. Gemma is going to try to call Tig.” 

“Jax is going to check in Stockton to see if Bobby made it together yesterday. Be safe.”  

“You too. I love you.”  

“You too.” 

Kerry arrived at the diner a few minutes before Mary and she assumed that Gemma and Tara would not be joining them. Kerry enjoyed the lunch with Mary who spent the time chatting about her classroom designs and upcoming trip to Vegas.