#posting a lot tonight i guess. hello. it's bedtime soon.

[wildwood-faun]

today I learned that the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday used to be called köttsöndag (lit. meat Sunday but imo it sounds so much more grotesque in Swedish), and that the traditional activities were eating meat and driving around on kicksleds

[crystalwillow]

Baby Carriages & Wedding Bells - Oliver x F!MC  (Never Let You Go, Part Two)

So uh surprise! I thought I would have to finish this in the morning and it would be posted tomorrow but I’ve worked on it all day and have it ready for you all to read now. I hope you all enjoy it!

hugs, love and kisses 

tyrilsnightbloom xoxo

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The night was winding down as Oliver drove the two of you home after the premiere ended, as you looked over at Oliver your face dropped upon seeing that his brow was knitted together with worry. “Olly? What’s wrong?” you said with concern, worrying as silence followed your question but a little bubble of relief flowed through you when he spoke after a couple of minutes, “Hm? Oh, yeah. Everything’s fine. It’s just... are you sure you don’t want to go to the after party? You usually love going to them.” He questioned as he focused on the road. You smiled and took his hand in yours, “I’m sure. I’ll be doing something tonight that will... be more worth it. I’ve been to dozens of parties and after parties. Tonight... tonight I just want to be at home. With you.” You spoke softly as you smiled at him, when he turned to steal a quick glance at you he smiled too. “I just want to relax with my soon-to-be husband and do face masks with him. Maybe drink this new all-natural ingredient hot cocoa I got to try and received in the mail this morning.” You beamed at him, leaning over the gearstick and pecking his cheek as you pulled into the drive way of your home. “I’d love to do that with you” Oliver beamed back as he killed the engine and took off his seatbelt. You looked at your front door and chuckled to yourself. “what?” Oliver asked as he opened the car door to get out. “Nothing. Just... remembering the first time you saw a car” you chuckled, also getting out of the car. Together you walked inside, and you tossed your bag onto the dresser by the front door as you kicked off your heels, returning to your natural height of 5ft 6”. 

Oliver shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack before turn to you and gathering you in his arms in a tight hug. “Oof Oliver. Not too tight.” You chuckled aa he released his grip a little, smoothing your face in tender loving kisses. After his brief attack you took his hand and led him to your bedroom, he took a seat on the bed as you walked through to your en suite bathroom and picked out 2 face masks. “Can I put yours on you, honey?” you asked as you walked back into the bedroom, Oliver now pulling his suit pants off and standing in his boxer shorts “sure. Just let me put these away” he grinned holding up his dirty clothes. You smiled with a nod and got to work on undressing yourself, though it looked simple, the dress you wore tonight was quite tricky to work with. The part that annoyed you the most was the cape like element to it that was non-detachable. “Argh! Stupid dress! Would you jus-“ you started ranting to yourself but stopped when you finally saw the bedroom light again and a very smiley Oliver standing over you, your dress balled up in his hands. “Thank you.” You grinned and headed to your closet, picking out one of your long night shirts to wear in bed, grabbing Oliver a set of his pyjamas as well. Once you were both ready for bed you straddled Oliver as he laid on his back whilst you applied his face mask, engaging in small conversation, giggling and laughing. You then switched positions as he applied your face mask, deep concentration on his face. Once yours was applied you laid together looking at the ceiling, talking some more as your fingers intertwined between you. Soon you let out a small yawn, despite trying your best to suppress it and hide your true tiredness.

“Do you want to just go to bed after this? We can try the cocoa tomorrow”

“No. No, it’s okay. Besides, I have something that I want to tell you”

“You could tell me tomorrow.”

“No Oliver. I can’t hold off telling you any longer.”

“You have my intrigue.”

Oliver sat up on his side resting his head on his hand as he looked to you expectantly. “Well.... what’s got you so happy you can’t wait a moment longer to tell me?” he asked. You sat up to, suddenly the moment was very real, you were about to tell him something you kept from him for 3 months as you didn’t want him to be disappointed if you miscarried and you had no idea how he would react. “How about... we go make that cocoa and I’ll tell you in the kitchen.” You said getting up and stretching with yet another a yawn.

“Peyton. You’re tired maybe we should just sleep”

“No, please honey. Come with me.”

You pleaded with him as you slowly padded out of the room and down the stairs into the kitchen. Oliver took a seat at the island as you warmed some milk on the stove. You paced around anxiously, an uncertain silence hanging in the air, waiting for someone to break it. “Oliver? How would you feel if we were to start a family? Would you be ready to be a father?” you asked with your back to him stirring the milk, so it doesn’t catch and burn. “Whew. P, that’s a big question... I... I suppose I could see us with a child. They’d have my sense of humor for sure. Your eyes, the beautiful most emerald green. Like the jewel itself....” Oliver says as he trails off quietly mumbling to himself about having a child with you. “What would you teach them?” you asked as you started stirring the cocoa powder in the milk. “How to defend themselves of course! Oh, and how to play the perfect prank on you.” Oliver replied with a grin. You shook your head good naturedly with a small chuckle as you got 2 mugs from the cupboard and filled them with the delicious chocolate smelling liquid. “We need more soy milk now. I just used the last of it” you said looking around for the pad you write your shopping list on. “you mean there’s no milk for my cereal in the morning?” Oliver asked with an exaggerated pout on his lips which you kissed, immediately cheering him up. “There’s enough almond milk left for you to have your cereal. Quit the pouting.” You chuckled, taking a sip of the drink you had just made. “So what did you want to tell me?” Oliver asked. “Um. There’s a reason... to me asking you about how you would feel if we were to start a family.... I.. You um... I- I’m pr- .... Oliver... I’m pregnant.” You said, letting out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding as you finished your sentence. Oliver sat looking at you in shock, clearly not knowing what to say or how to react. His hot cocoa, now clearly forgotten. “Oliver....” you said with question and hesitation as you looked at him. “I... Um. Excuse me. Peyton.” He said, getting up and leaving the room, you turning your head to follow him to the direction of the door but decide it best, not to follow him. Rubbing your stomach you drank your hot cocoa and headed up to bed, willing yourself to sleep by convincing yourself that Oliver would be next to you when you woke up.

It had been 2 days since you had told Oliver that you’re pregnant and he hadn’t uttered one word to you since unless it was to ask where something was and the looks he gave you were small, barely there smiles as he left for work. You sat at home by yourself all day waiting for him to return in hopes that he would say something to you other than a question or a simple “Hello. I’m home.” As he hung his jacket by the door before he shut himself in his home office for the evening. You’d spent your time playing the piano gracefully and writing new songs. Your hopes were to get enough to make an album that you could put out as something for your fans to listen to. Just a project you could share with them. That’s what you were doing that evening when Oliver came home. You sat at the piano in the room just off of the living room as your fingers glided over the keys playing a simple but soft melody as you gently sang along to it with placeholder lyrics trying to figure out how it would go. Oliver called out your name, but you didn’t reply, just maintained your focus on your current state.

“Peyton? .... P? ....... Peyton, where are you? Pey-“ his tone became more panicked as he came nearer to you before stopping in the entrance of the room you were in, you felt his eyes on you as you finally sang a few lyrics that had come to your mind.

“... and it’s been two day since I last heard you laugh. But I guess that was the price I paid...” you sang delicately but scrunched your face up and shook your head. “No that’s not right either.” You muttered, going back to play the simple tune without singing. Oliver crossed the room and sat in the chair in the corner and listened to you play. Getting frustrated that you couldn’t find the words, you rose from the piano and headed to the kitchen to grab a drink of water and sit in the garden so you could refresh your mind. Even though you wanted Oliver to follow you, you hoped he didn’t. You were mad at him for not talking to you for so long, of course you understood it was a lot to take in but for him to not talk to you for two, now three days in a row was horrible. You felt like you lost him a couple nights ago when you told him. You feared the worst and that he was trying to search for a way back to the past so he could run from this. You sat staring into your fish pond, shaking your head and let out a small scoff before taking a sip of water, looking up as you heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you.

“What do you want?”

“Hostility and snappiness. Expected.”

“hostility and snappiness. expected. ... well good! I hate you right now.”

“Peyton honey, you don’t mean that.”

“Don’t you tell me that I do and don’t know what I mean. I know perfectly well.”

“Don’t you think this is all a bit...”

“A bit what? Oliver. huh? A bit of an overreaction? A bit too much? No. No I do not. 3 days. 3 days now since you so much as uttered more than a goodbye at the door in the morning, 3 nights since I’ve been able to sleep next to you at bedtime and every morning I fear I’ll wake up and find myself here alone. Knowing that the last thing I said to you made you stop talking to me. I never thought of you as starting to show signs of behaviour like your father. But your hostile energy the past 3 days has drained me! I told you I’m pregnant with your kid and you’ve given me nothing but radio silence. So no! I don’t think this is an overreaction, I think this is perfectly justified.”

“.........”

“What? Cat got your tongue?”

“Peyton... Peyton I’m sorry.”

“Save it. I don’t want an apology. I’m not trying to guilt trip you. I want you to come and speak with me when you’re ready to discuss our child. Until then.. keep with the radio silence. I’m used to it by now.” You snapped as you got up and stomped passed him, going back into the house. “Baby please!” he pleaded following close behind you. But you ignored him, entering the cinema room and closing the door in his face, locking it in one swift action. “Peyton!” he shouted with defeat in his voice and he slapped his palm against the door. “Peyton, I’m not going anywhere until we’ve talked.” You ignored his pleas, turning on a movie and putting the volume as loud as you could for the hour of day it was. Eventually you needed to pee and as you couldn’t hear Oliver anymore, you assumed he had gone back downstairs to the couch. You unlocked the door, opening it and walked out, rolling your eyes when you heard your name being mumbled. “Peyton?” Oliver asked sleepily, as he sat up rubbing the crust from his eyes. You ignored him still, shutting the bathroom door and went to the toilet, rolling your eyes when you opened the door and saw him standing there, leaning across the wall. “It’s dinner time. You best order yourself something like you have been.” You said coldly as you passed him to head to the kitchen and cook yourself some food, but he stopped you, grabbing your wrist. “Peyton will you just LISTEN?” he said with a raised voice, making you jump a little at his tone. “fine.” You sulked. “Thank you.” He sighed

“I’m not saying I’m innocent. Far from it. My behaviour is inexcusable to be quite frank but you have to understand. What you said to me was a shock. I wasn’t expecting it. Yes 3 days without talking to you was irrational and uncalled for but I needed the time to reflect on things. It’s not easy being an 18th century man in the modern world. I’m still adjusting and thanking god for every day he gives me here with you. It’s been 10 years, yes. But I spent 25 of my years growing up and getting used to life in the 1700’s. I... it’s-“

“Oliver....”

Your hand came up  and rested on his cheek and he lent into your embrace as your eyes locked on one another’s, both filled with tears. Emotion thick in the air as you stared at each other. “Look. I’m sorry for being hostile. It’s just. Your long silence was hurting me, and I reached my boiling point. It’s no excuse but...” you whispered as he softly pulled you closer to him as he lent back on the door frame of the bathroom. “You had a reason to be mad. And it was a valid one.” He mumbled with a small smile playing on his lips. “Can we just... move past this whole thing and get back to normal?” he asked. You wanted to continue being harsh and pull away from him, but your heart was telling you to forgive him. After all you love this man with all you have. You weren’t going to just throw that away over one rough patch. You gave him a soft chaste kiss before leaning your forehead on his and closing your eyes, enjoying the closeness between you that you had missed so much the past 3 days. “I’m sorry.” You whispered moving to rest your head on his chest, “I’m sorry too. How about I order food for the both of us tonight?” He whispered back as he hugged you close, and you nodded against his chest. In one swift motion he lifted you up with your wrapping your legs round his waist as he carried you to your bedroom and put you down softly on the bed and laid next to you, taking his phone from his pocket.

“What do you feel like having?”

“Anything.”

“Hmm.. Wait! What can pregnant women eat? Can they even have takeout?”

“Olly. Relax. Just get us some Chinese or burgers yeah?

“Okay.”

He smiled and kissed the crown of your head as you snuggled closer to him, enjoying his warmth. Whilst you waited for your food to arrive, you spoke about your pregnancy.

“So.. how long have you known?”

“Three months. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miscarry before telling you. I know you’d be devastated if that happened.”

“Oh.. wow. Now it makes full sense why you were so mad.”

“Yeah. Well. Let’s move on from that hey?”

“Yeah..”

“I love you, Oliver.”

“I love you too, P”

That night you ate together in your bedroom, watching TV and laughing at some funny animal and meme compilation videos. The thick tension that hung between you earlier, now gone with the wind and only love between you as you each stole adoring glances at each other with smiles, before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

---------- 5 months later ----------

You sat at home in the living area on a gym ball as you waited for Oliver to bring you some water from the kitchen, the both of you waiting for your midwife to arrive as you had gone into labor about 45 minutes ago and had chosen to have a home birth. “Water.” Oliver announced, grabbing your attention and you snapped your head in his direction. You graciously took it from him and sipped some through the straw before he took it from you, placing it on the coffee table. “How’s the pain? Still manageable for now?” he asked as he took your hand rubbing soothing circles on it. You smiled at him and nodded. Soon your contractions started getting worse and you dug your nails into Oliver’s arms, you were in the middle of gripping onto him to make it through a contraction when the doorbell rang. “WHO WOULD KNOCK AT SUCH AN INAPPROPRIATE MOMENT?!” you yelled, Oliver chuckled “Relax. It’s the midwife.” You let go of him so he could get the door. Screaming in pain again as he welcomed her into the home. “OLIVERRRRRRRRRRR!” he ran through into the room with his eyes widened and held onto you again, letting you grip onto him and stare into his eyes. “It’s okay, love. This will be over soon.” he soothed. “It better. It’s been two hours already! And it’s your fault!” you complained, howling out in pain as yet another contraction came, more intense than the last. Three more hours past and you were now on the floor, laying on towels with a pillow under your head about to give your final push and deliver your baby into the world. “You’ve done amazing beautiful. One final push. Are you ready?” Oliver asked, briefly looking at the midwife who nodded. “And push Peyton. Push! push! push!” he told you and you gripped his hand draining the colour from both of your knuckles as you gave one final push feeling your baby pop out and you let your body relax as you panted, Oliver wiped the sweat from your forehead with a cool washcloth before giving you small tender cheek kisses and hugging you whilst the medical personnel took care of your child before bringing them over to you, the midwife smiling brightly. “Congratulations mom and dad. You have a beautiful and healthy baby boy!” she exclaimed quietly as she handed you your child. You looked at Oliver with a new found fondness as he gently stroked the little amount of hair on your son’s head cooing quietly, “Welcome to the world little man.” He sniffled, the emotion of the moment finally getting to him as he shed a few tears and rested his head on the opposite side of your chest looking at your son, placing his finger into his tiny fist. “I already love you so much. I’m going to be the best father to you. Spoil you with so many gifts as you grow up you’ll be sick of me giving you stuff.” He mumbles as he lets out a chuckle through his tears. You look down on your soon-to-be husband and newborn son, smiling at them as a feeling of completeness washed over you. In all of your years on this earth you would never had guessed this is where you would now be. In a house with the love of your life who you had to travel back in time to find, only to have to leave him again and have him follow you to the future then willingly choose to settle down with you, in the future and essentially throw away everything in his life so far.. Everything felt surreal but it was perfect.

A few moments later everything had been taken care of and Oliver saw the medics and midwife out of your home as you got comfortable on the sofa cradling your newborn, looking down at his perfect face you smiled softly. “You definitely have your daddy’s charm little man. You’re going to drive the women mad when you’re a teenager.” you whispered to him as Oliver re-entered the room. “Well hopefully he’ll find a woman who is as beautiful as you and not settle for less than he’s meant for.” Oliver spoke quietly as he sat down next to you. You turned to him with a sleepy smile and tilted your head up for a kiss, which Oliver happily gave you.

“Why don’t you go and have a lay down upstairs? I’ll take care of our little one.”

“But we haven’t named him yet. Are you sure?”

“P. We can come up with a name for him after you’ve had a rest and got some food into yourself when you wake up okay?”

“Okay. Thank you sweetheart, I love you so much”

“I love you too my little cinnamon bun”

You giggled as Oliver gave you another kiss before you carefully handed over your son and headed upstairs to bed with a yawn escaping your lips. Sometime later you awoke to the sound of crying and Oliver desperately trying his best to cheer your little boy up as he neared the room. You sat up as they entered the room, suddenly noticing the wet patches on your top you realized your baby was most likely hungry. “Hey. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Oliver said with an apologetic smile as he stepped into the room. “It’s okay. He’s probably hungry. Pass him here” You said as you propped yourself up comfortably with pillows and lifting your top. “So. That’s going to be a thing now huh?” Oliver asked as he sat next to you, your child’s crying quietening as he latched onto you and started feeding. “what? Me getting my boobs out? You should be used to it by now.” You joked with a smirk. “Oh I am, just not for this purpose.” He chuckled as he looked back to you with something deep in his eyes.

“What’s that look for?”

“What look?”

“The look in your eyes. I’ve never seen it before.”

“Peyton. You know that I love you right?”

“Yes.”

“Well... I think you should know that I don’t only love you. I fucking adore you. So freaking much. I... I never thought I would find anything like what I have with you. I don’t want to go too deeply because it will ruin my wedding speech in a few week’s time. But please, Peyton. Know that I don’t only love you. But I adore you. So much more than you’ll ever know.”

You smiled at Oliver fondly as he took your free hand in both of his, lacing his warm fingers through your slightly cold ones. You looked down at your baby as he finished feeding and you popped your breast away, “Could you remove your shirt and burp him for me? I really need to stretch out” you asked Oliver who happily removed his shirt before taking his son back from you and burping him whilst you stretched out next to the bed. “Oop. Oh dear, sickies. We’ve got sickies mommy, can we get a cloth please?” Oliver asked in the cutest voice you’d ever heard come from him, you rushed next door to the nursery and grabbed a sick cloth bringing it back to Oliver. “Here you go babe.” You said handing it to him. “Thank you. Say thank you mommy.” He said again in the same tone as he looked at your son cleaning up the sick. “I’m going to go grab a shower, will you be okay putting him down to sleep?” you asked, “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” Oliver said as he looked up at you with a smile which you returned as you gave him a quick kiss before disappearing into the bathroom. You were in the middle of enjoying the warm water when the bathroom door opened, and Oliver appeared naked. “Mind if I join you?” he asked. “No. come in. I welcome you.” you smile as you open the shower door for him. He steps in and immediately hugs you. But this isn’t like many of the shower hugs you’ve shared before, where you could tell he wanted something kinky. This hug was warm and caring, it was close and way more intimate than any hug before. “Did he go down okay?” you asked as you returned the hug, “Out like a light.” Oliver replied softly, as he kept you in his embrace and let out a happy and content sigh. You felt it too, the feeling that comes from the type of sigh he just let out. The two of you hugged in the shower until the water turned cold then washed yourselves before getting out and dressed in some fresh clothes, heading downstairs to cook dinner, Oliver grabbing the baby monitor on the way out of the room. After looking through the ingredients you have, you settle on making a tomato and basil soup, chatting with Oliver as you chop ingredients together. Once the soup is done, Oliver dishes some up into bowls whilst you cut the bread and put some butter on a small plate, placing them on the kitchen island. That night you both cuddle up in bed, ready to take it in turns on getting up through the night, more excited for your upcoming wedding than ever before.

------ 4 months later -------

Today is the day. The biggest day of your life. One you feel sadness from at the fact you can’t share this with the crew you got to know all those years ago but nonetheless you feel happiness as you’re finally moments away from marrying Oliver. Sticking to the tradition of not seeing you before the wedding, Oliver is currently at a hotel close to the church where you’re set to get married. You’re standing on a platform as the final finishing touches are being put to your wedding dress when there’s a knock at the door. “Oh. That’s probably hair and make-up! I’ll let them in.” one of the dress staff beamed as they raced in the direction of the front door.

“uhh. We’re lost.. we were -”

“We were walking through the market when we suddenly found ourselves getting up here. Wherever here is of course.”

“Oh well um.. I’m only here to fit a woman with her wedding dress but if you want to know what state you’re in currently. It’s New York.”

“New... York?”

“Yes, in America. New York, you know. ... Are you guys okay? You all look rather dazed perhaps you should- ... wait here please.”

The member of staff comes jogging back into the room looking rather perplexed. “What is it?” you asked politely making sure to only move your head in her direction, “There’s a group of people outside. They’re dressed rather oddly and look as if they’ve bumped their heads or something. They seem lost.” She says. You think for while and nod to yourself. “let them in and take them to the kitchen? Maybe offer them a glass of water each too. I’ll be through soon to see what they want.” You said and the staff member nodded. You heard the sound of heavy boots come into your house and thought it must be some building contractors as you stood having the final touches put to your dress. It felt like hours but really it was only a few minutes before you were being helped down from the platform to look at yourself in the mirror at your wedding dress. It was lucky you hadn’t had your make-up done yet other wise it would be ruined with the fact you just burst into happy tears. Today was by far going to be the most emotional day you’ve experienced. “I look beautiful. Just like Oliver said I would. Thank you so much Julie, you’re a saint.” You smiled as you turned and gave her a warm hug. She returned the hug before pulling away and handing you a tissue. “Just doing my job sweetheart. Now. You best go and see what those dazed people were doing outside your house.” You nodded as you suddenly remembered there were people in your kitchen and glided through stopping in shock at the kitchen doorway at the faces that stared at you. There was no way it was them. In an attempt to confirm your mind was playing tricks on you, you walked up to Jonas and tried to swipe your hand through him, wincing in pain when your hand connected to his hard bicep creating a slapping sound. “Oooowwww.” You winced as you shook your hand before going around the kitchen and poking everyone else. No. They aren’t here are they? This is just some sick joke. Some lookalikes, playing a joke on you. In what you perceive to be natural thinking, you grab a plastic ladle from the utensils draw and hold it in one of the women’s faces.

“State your real name and where you’re from.”

“uhhhh. Okay. My name is Charlotte Smith and I’m from Port Monarque...”

“LIES!”

“I’m not lying.”

“Prove it.”

“Your name is Peyton Bellamy. You sailed on the Poseidon’s Revenge with this crew for a while a few years back. Fell in love with a navy officer called Oliver, he followed you through the portal when you had to leave. Though we have no way of knowing if he made it to you or somewhere else.. the portal. I, along with Edward, sealed the portal for good. Everyone is, or well... should be, stuck in the times they are in. Which begs the question of why and how we’re here.”

There’s a silence following Charlie’s statement as you take time to absorb everything before a familiar voice sounds above the noise. “Not to interrupt the silence but your dress is very beautiful Peyton. Are you getting married?” a cheerful looking young girl asks, although you remember her looking a lot younger when you last saw her. “G-Ginny?” you asked in shock as if only now registering that it’s her. She waves with a smile and you move to hug her, your maternal instincts kicking in. “Oh, how are you? Have you eaten? The lady who let you in gave you water right?” you asked as you moved to a cupboard, pulling out your snack box and opening it. “Here. Help yourself to a snack.” You beamed holding the box out to her, “OOOO. Thank you Peyton.” She grinned as she took a snack from the box before you snapped the lid on and slid it back into the cupboard. “Peyton, hair and make up is here, darling.” Julie said as she walked into the room, stopping short upon seeing all the people in the room. “Okay. Thanks Julie, do you think you could fit in 3 last minute dress fittings at your shop? It doesn’t matter the style of the dress, just so long as they look gorgeous.” You beam as you shoo Maggie, Charlie and Ginny towards the door. “But what if I don’t want a dress? What’s even going on?” Maggie protests. “I’m getting married and I want you 3 to be bridesmaids and if you don’t want a dress, find a really nice blush pink suit or a jumpsuit. I don’t mind I just want you there.” You beamed and returned to the kitchen with your house phone in hand as you called your driver. “... yep. Perfect. Thank you Jack.” You hung up and smiled at the boys. “Oh no.” Jonas grumbled. “Jonas.” Edward warned earning an eyeroll. “You’ll be going to the hotel and meeting up with my groom. He’ll sort you guys with suits and stuff. But you’ll have to wait out front for my driver. I need to go and get my hair and make-up done.” You smiled and pushed them outside closing the door before rushing into the living room. The note you got through your door 2 months prior to this moment suddenly making sense. You were getting your old crew to make good memories with for 24 hours from the time they knocked on your door. You had no idea how the magic worked that sent you to the past or how it brought them to you today, but you were happy that they were here and that’s all that matters.

You’d been up since the crack of dawn and it was now late afternoon and time for the ceremony. You paced back and forth in your room nervous as you waited for someone to come and retrieve you and walk you down the aisle. To help calm your nerves you sang yourself a little tune, lost in nerves and song you didn’t notice two of your friends slip into the room. “Um. Peyton?” a soft female voice sounded, making you jump to attention. “Avery. Raleigh. Hey.” You smiled and hugged them before taking a seat, nervously fiddling with your hands. “How are you feeling?” Avery asked, her sweet smile you’ve always loved on her face, “Nervous.” You smiled back. “I’m excited for the reception.” Raleigh commented, “Yeah. Only because you’ll finally be able to drink some beer.” You teased with a chuckle and he held his hands up in mock surrender as another figure appeared at the door, knocking loudly. “It’s time.” They said. Avery and Raleigh smiled at you before giving you a quick hug and heading back into the main room. “Are you ready my dear?” your Aunt Penelope asked you. “I’ve been ready since I met him Aunt P” you beamed, taking her arm and walking beside her to the doors. As you listened to the music playing on the other side of the doors, your aunt turned to you. “You know. Your mother would be proud of you Peyton, and she’d make sure every soul on earth here today knew it. I know as you’re up there today she’ll be looking down on you, smiling her beautiful smile and cheering you on. ... Oh, come here lovely.” She said as she pulled you into a warm embrace. “Aunt p. you’re going to ruin my make-up before I’ve even set one foot down the aisle.” You joked as you dabbed some tears away carefully. Soon the big doors opened, and you set off down the aisle towards Oliver. As you moved closer to him, you took a look around at all the faces surrounding you, there to share and witness one of the happiest days in your life. As you looked at Charlie, Maggie and Ginny you had to stop yourself from crying at how beautiful they all looked as they gave you a small wave, which you returned. You had to hand it to Julie, she was the best at her job and the 3 women who had arrived only hours before were living proof of how fast she could work her magic. Soon you found yourself face to face with Oliver, who looked at you with tears in his eyes and he lent towards you. “You look stunning.” He whispered in your ear, warmth laced in his voice. As the priest stood in front of you and Oliver the music died down and everyone rises from there seats to hear the words of welcome and introduction

“We welcome you here today for the ceremony that will join Oliver Cochrane and Peyton Bellamy together in Holy Matrimony. They will spend their lives together wed in love and companionship, creating memories to carry them through this life and into the next. Now, would anyone like to say a few words before we move onto the exchanging of vows?”

“I do!” Ginny’s voice popped up as she raised her hand, she stepped forward as the priest took a step back from the podium.

“Uh. Hi everyone! My name is Ginny and I’ve known Peyton and Oliver since I was about 9 years old and I’m now almost 21. I just want to say that there couldn’t be two people who are more deserving of each other than these two. They’ve been through a lot together, especially when they first started seeing each other. I know there were a lot of fights in those first few months, but it led to them being one of the strongest pairs of people I know. I just want to wish them the happiest of luck in there years together going forward from today. I know their time together so far has been full of joy and some... in hind sight very... stupid fights. But their love has and will outlast it all.”

She steps away from the podium and back to her spot within the bridesmaids and the ceremony carries on without a hitch, just the occasional grumble from your baby boy. That night at the reception things are going smoothly and Oliver has just tapped his glass to give a speech and all eyes are turned in your direction. You smile up at Oliver as you cradle your sleeping son in your arms as he starts speaking.

“I just want to start by thanking everyone for getting here today to share this joyous occasion with myself as well as my beautiful wife, Peyton here. ... I have never really been one to be fond on speaking of my feelings and affairs of the heart. That was until this beautiful young woman came into my life 11 and a half years ago that is. I started getting sentimental a few months ago when she gave birth to our son, Colton Oliver Bellamy-Cochrane. As she was giving him his first proper feed, I was telling her... I was telling her about how I don’t only just love her but, I adore her. I wouldn’t go into too much detail because I didn’t want to ruin my speech today but now that today is here... Peyton Bellamy-Cochrane... I adore you more than the stars adore the galaxy, the way you smile even when you’re having a rough day when I make goofy faces or pinch your cheeks. Your giggle to your full-on belly laughs where you end up rolling on the floor from laughter. It lights up my whole world brighter than any past relationship of mine has. You’ve pushed me to become a great man, to achieve more than I would have, had I not met you. You.. you’ve given me a family, a beautiful home, a heart full of love and a brain full of beautiful moments that I’ll cherish forever even after I leave this world. I was never one for opening my heart to others and baring my soul, but you took on that task and I’m glad you did. Because it made I, Oliver Bellamy-Cochrane.... the luckiest man in the whole galaxy as I stand here today with you as my wife. Thank you for being so persistent and ..... just, thank you. A toast. TO PEYTON!” he smiles with adoration in his eyes as he looks down at you, happy tears spilling out of your eyes at his beautiful speech and he passes you a napkin. “Thank you.” You sniffle and dab the tears away as you gently rock a grumbling Colton in your arms. Oliver sat down and lent over giving you a tender kiss on the lips before whispering in your ear.

“Technically we’ve been together for 228 years, but I’ll digress and keep that a thing between those of us who know hey?”

You giggled at the playfulness in his voice before carefully leaning forward and locking your lips together, but it was short lived as you heard heels approaching you, so you pulled away from each other and looked up to be met with a smiling Ginny. “Hey. How’s the happy family?” she asked, crouching down so she’s eye level with the two of you. “We’re..” you said looking at Oliver, “We’re doing amazing. Thank you Ginny.” Oliver smiled. “I’m glad you have a happy ending here Oliver. I know you had a rough time with your father but it’s clear you wanted him here today. Just know, despite whatever his morals were, he’d be proud of his son for making such an important step in his life with someone he loves. Because he will always love you Oliver no matter how twisted his version of the truth was.” Ginny says sympathetically. “Yes. Well.. Thank You Ginny. You’re a great kid.” Oliver smiled softly ruffling her hair. “Hey!” she laughed as Oliver laughed with her. There was a short but comfortable silence. “Could I hold him?” she asked you pointing to Colton, “Sure, grab a seat!” you exclaimed calmly, remembering not to wake him. Oliver got out of his seat. “Here take mine.” He smiled and Ginny thanked him before sitting down. You carefully handed him over and smiled as Ginny cooed quietly over how cute he is as she looked at him. “Why don’t you guys take a break and go share a dance or something? I can hold him for a while” she smiled at the two of you. You exchanged looks with her as if to ask if she was sure and she nodded eagerly. You thanked her and then headed to the bar to get another orange juice with Oliver, snuggling into his warm embrace as you waited for the bartender to be finished with other patrons at your wedding.

“You know... today turned out to be pretty great. We got our old friends at our special day after all.”

“Yeah, I’ll never understand how the magic works but.. I’m grateful it gave me you. The best husband a woman could ever ask for. My own prince charming.”

“then I guess that makes you some kind of Cinderella huh?”

“Oliver!” you giggled as you playfully shoved his chest.

It was extremely late when you got home that night with Oliver, Colton and your friends. You let them borrow some clothes to sleep in knowing you had until almost noon the next day with them so you could all at least enjoy a nice hearty breakfast together. Sleep came easy for your guests and yourself. Oliver had insisted you just sleep and let him take care of Colton when he needed something as he had moved to being bottle fed, due to not being able to latch onto you properly for mealtimes.

The next morning when you woke up, you were met with the sight of Oliver on his back and your son fast asleep on his chest. Not daring to disturb the peaceful scene you carefully got up and made your way to the kitchen starting to cook up the biggest fry up of your life for your guests. You were halfway done when some sleepy people walked into the kitchen clearly following the smell of food. “Morning Kendrick, Jonas.” You chimed with a grin but just got waves back, you gave them each a cup of coffee. They sleepily accepted it, drinking the warm liquid. Soon everyone except Oliver was in the kitchen enjoying your cooking, excitedly chatting over how amazing the flavors were and how they wish they weren’t on limited time so they could enjoy more food of the modern world. Whilst they chatted excitedly you slipped off to your bedroom, smiling seeing the scene was still the same. You gently lifted Colton off of Oliver’s chest, causing him to stir and look at you.

“Hey.”

“Hey honey. You go back to sleep, everyone’s having breakfast, but I’ll save you some and leave it in the microwave for later. Thank you for staying up with him last night. It means the world.”

“Anything for my beautiful wife.”

You smiled at him as he spoke in his deep sleepy tone, bending down to give him a small kiss before taking Colton and settling him in his crib in the next room, then coming back and chuckling to yourself as Oliver was still pretty much in his full suit. You could tell he was too tired to get undressed himself so you carefully removed his trousers and unbuttoned his shirt so he wouldn’t strangle himself, covering him with the duvet as you pressed another soft kiss to his temple, he smiled sweetly in his sleep and mumbled something that sounded like “mmm love you” so you whispered an “I love you” back before heading out of the room with the baby monitor in hand and went back to the kitchen. “Will Oliver be joining us this morning Peyton?” Ginny asked with some hopefulness in her eyes. “I don’t think so. He was up all night with Colton so I could get some sleep myself. Now it’s my turn to take over and let him rest. It was a long night too, so he won’t be up much before 4 this afternoon.” You explained as you plated and wrapped up food for him. “Oh.” She said with disappointment. “Why? What’s up?” you asked her. “It’s nothing. Not really. I just wanted to give him this.” she said as she presented a small-ish box on the table. Looking confused you slid the box closer to yourself and opened it. “Ginny are these?” you asked looking at her. “His father’s medals? Yeah. I don’t know how they ended up staying in our time, but I saved my spoils for months knowing they were in a certain shop. I just got lucky that nobody else wanted them and they stayed in there for so long. Could you give them to him for me?” she asked hopefulness in her eyes. You smiled at her, “Of course sweetie. I’m sure he’ll be eternally grateful. It’s a thoughtful thing to do.” You said softly, leaning across the counter to give her a hug. Next to you, Charlie cleared her throat, “We’ll be leaving soon guys, I can feel it so if you want to say goodbye...” She said sternly to hide her emotion as she tilted her head towards you. Kendrick was the first to reach you. “It’s been a long time since we saw each other lass but being able to spend the last 24 hours with you and Oliver was a gift. Congratulations on everything.”

One by one your friends all said goodbye to you, until the only person left in the kitchen was Charlie. “Charlie?” you asked, she took a moment before turning to you. “I’m glad he made it to you love. It’s great you two got your happiness like you truly deserve and to see that he’s such a care-free man compared to his father. It makes me feel foolish for judging him in the first place just because of the type of person his father was. And... congratulations. To both of you on everything. I’m proud of you.” She said with a bitter sweetness to her tone. “hug for the road?” you asked. She hesitated momentarily before embracing you tightly briefly before walking to the kitchen door. “Goodbye love” she smiled before disappearing round the corner, you followed them to wave goodbye, but they were already gone. Now feeling bittersweet yourself you went back into the kitchen, clearing the dishes away before grabbing the baby monitor and walking to the living area to watch TV not daring to wake Oliver.

Later that night you were preparing a bottle for Colt when Oliver sleepily walked into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes and yawning. “mmm. hey gorgeous.” He mumbled snaking his arms round your waist, kissing your cheek before resting his chin on your shoulder. “Nice sleep?” you asked him and got a nod in reply. Oliver cuddled you as you fed Colton and he woke up properly. Once Colton was settled, you stood in the kitchen with Oliver making 2 mugs of tea. “I guess the other’s have gone?” he asked softly, you just nodded before remembering the box Ginny gave you. “Ginny left these for you. Felt like you were meant to have them.” You said giving him the box along with his tea. He picked the box up frowning but his jaw dropped when he opened the box and saw it’s contents. “These are-“ he said, and you just nodded as he looked at you. He suddenly teared up. “She’s such a thoughtful and great kid. I hope she finds a love that pays her properly. If anything bad happens to her and she’s not protected..” he said tensely. “Hey.. babe relax. She has Jonas AND Kendrick to watch her. Not to mention Edward.. he wouldn’t let anyone harm a single hair on any of there heads.” You reassured him. He nodded putting the lid back on the box and drinking his tea. After an eventful evening you settled in bed with Oliver after putting Colton to bed and watched the night sky out of the window as you drifted slowly to sleep, knowing that no matter what, you had Oliver with you for the rest of your life. He was going to be by your side with you in everything, the good, bad and gosh darn ugly. He was going to be there for you through it all, just as much as you were him. That and the fact you had a son to raise together which you were ready for, you would protect him with your life, the only part you were dreading was Oliver teaching him to pull pranks on you when you were least expecting it.

[writersplanetarium]

Facade: Rude Awakening

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Aelin wasn’t usually awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call, not unless it was an emergency, so the sound of her phone buzzing had her up in an instant, answering before she even looked at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Is this Aelin?” An excited girl’s voice asked from the other end of the phone.

“Who is this?” Aelin asked.

“I am such a big fan of yours! Watching you on the show is so good and the romance between you and Rowan just feels so real-”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about. Don’t call this number again.” Aelin hung up, quickly blocking the number. She knew this had to be Rowan’s idea of revenge. Giving her number to a fan. How petty.

Aelin was about to go back to sleep when her phone rang again. Another unknown number. Aelin hesitantly answered it.

“Hello?”

“Aelin I am absolutely in love with you and I know that while you don’t know me I’m confident that with a little time you could come to love me too-” Aelin hung up. So he gave her number to two people. Then Aelin’s phone rang again. And again. And again. Aelin didn’t know what to do as her phone buzzed over and over, again and again. Her texts started to blow up as well.

Something was up.

Aelin grabbed her computer, unable to open a single app on her phone with the immeasurable amount of calls and texts coming in, blowing it up. She went right to Rowan’s twitter feed and found a new post. A text conversation that was supposedly between them. And her actual number was right at the top.

Aelin swore thoroughly, raking her fingers through her hair. He’d really and truly decided to screw her over this time. She chucked her phone across the room, knowing it was well and truly screwed. It hit the corner of the wall, the screen shattering, and the phone physically breaking apart. Everything she needed was on her computer anyway. She dropped back down onto her bed. Of course, he had to go there. 

“God I hate him,” Aelin said to herself, rubbing at her eyes. She could deal with that all in the morning. New phone, new number, new everything.

 “Don’t say a thing, I know exactly why you’re here,” Lysandra said when Aelin showed up at her door the next morning.

“He’s going to actually be the death of me Lys,” Aelin said, raking her fingers through her hair.

“You need a day to just forget about Rowan. So we’ll get you a new phone, a new number, and then we’re going to go get pampered.”

“That sounds perfect,” Aelin said.

 Aelin bought a brand new phone with a high-quality camera and more storage space. She’d needed a new one anyway, she supposed, but she’d grown rather used to her old one and the way she’d had her apps set up. Now she had to download them all again and rearrange them and set her accounts back up. 

She was just exhausted.

“Hi ladies,” Phillipa said with a smile as Aelin and Lysandra walked into the spa, “What can I do for you today?”

“Full package, Phillipa. Aelin is having a day,” Lysandra said.

“I hear that,” Phillipa said with a sympathetic nod, “I can get you ladies right now.” The spa was beautiful. Lysandra and Aelin often frequented it for massages after busy weeks. The stunts on the show could take a real toll on their bodies. It was a lot of action and when they weren’t fighting they were standing or walking or moving. They spent hour after hour on their feet, working their bodies to the limit, so they often came here to relax and unwind. Phillipa’s massages never failed to relax Aelin. 

They started out in the jacuzzi, relaxing into the warm water. Aelin sat back, letting the jets ease away some of the tension in her body.

“Do you want to talk about what’s been going on with you lately?” Lysandra asked.

“What do you mean?” Aelin asked.

“You and Rowan have been at each other’s throats relentlessly lately,” she replied, “Normally you two get at each other and then you let off for a while, but it’s been constant. Talk to me.”

“I haven’t been able to relax lately,” Aelin said, “It’s getting close to… the day Sam… And with everything Rowan’s been doing… I don’t know. It’s just been a lot lately. This break from work is supposed to be my time to relax, but it seems like I just can’t get into it.”

“I know it’s hard for you,” Lysandra said, “But maybe you just need to take a break from your feud with Rowan. If he’s stressing you out, be the one to take the high road and stop this.”

“He crossed a line, Lys.”

“And you didn’t?” Aelin sighed, tipping her head back. “I’m just saying, you both react to each other. You’ll keep reacting to each other if you don’t stop.”

“I’ll think about it,” Aelin said.

“Will you also think about taking Evangeline tonight?” Lysandra asked, “Aedion got tickets to a concert and she’s got school tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Aelin said, “She is exactly what I need right now.” Lysandra grinned.

“She does have an uplifting spark to her, doesn’t she?”

“Life is never boring with her around,” Aelin chuckled, “She doesn’t give you a chance to be lonely.”

“Don’t I know it,” Lysandra chuckled, “But she’s one of the best things to happen to me.”

“How’s she doing in school?” Aelin asked, “Still keeping her grades up?”

“Great. She’s smart as a whip. She’s already doing great things and I can’t wait to see her when she gets older.” Aelin and Lysandra continued to converse, teasing and joking, slowly relaxing more and more. They went back to the massage room a little while later.

Aelin let her eyes fall closed, groaning contentedly as Phillipa massaged the knots out of her muscles. She slowly felt the tension ease out of her, starting from her shoulders and working its way down to her feet before she flipped and Phillipa worked her way back up.

Next Aelin and Lysandra got their nails done, Aelin choosing to have hers painted a dark green, while Lysandra picked a vibrant red. When they got done, Aelin felt refreshed and more at ease than she had been before. They picked up Evangeline from class as they left and gave her the news.

“Hey Ev, how do you feel about spending the night with me?” Aelin asked from the passenger seat, turning to look at the girl. Evangeline’s face lit up with joy.

“Really?!” She asked excitedly, “We can have a sleepover on a school night?”

“So long as you’re in bed at a reasonable time,” Lysandra answered.

“I’ve got face masks, and Oreos with peanut butter we can eat while we watch ‘The Parent Trap’. But only after you’ve done your homework.”

“Consider it done already.” Aelin grinned at the girl and turned back to the front.

Lysandra dropped Aelin and Evangeline off at Aelin’s house and they headed inside.

“You hungry, Ev?”

“Starving,” she replied, setting her bag on the couch, “But please don’t make me eat your cooking.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Aelin said dryly with a slight tease to her tone, making Evangeline giggle. “We can order pizza, no worries. I won’t make you suffer. What are you thinking about for toppings?”

“Extra cheese and pepperoni and bacon,” she said definitively.

“You got it,” Aelin said, ruffling her hair. Aelin ordered a pizza and had Evangeline work on her homework while they waited. Aelin worked on setting her phone upright again. Soon enough the pizza was at the door and they were eating happily.

“Hey look! Rowan’s outside!” Evangeline said, looking out the dining room window. Aelin turned and saw Rowan in his backyard, shirtless as he mowed his lawn. Aelin hated that she took a few moments to stare. His tanned skin glistening with sweat, his tattoo visible and winding up his left side. “Ooo, you’re staring,” Evangeline said.

“What? No,” Aelin said, a slight flush creeping on her cheeks. She did not think of Rowan like that. “No. No way.”

“Why not?” Evangeline asked, “Lysandra says he’s Hot with a capital H.” Aelin gave a small snort before defending her decision.

“He gave my number out online, Ev. I had to get a new phone and a new phone number. Someone could track me down and break into my house and kill me.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Evangeline said, “Rowan would never let someone kill you.”

“Maybe not let, but it could still happen,” Aelin stated.

“But now you’ve got a new phone, so it’ll be fine,” Evangeline said.

“Fingers crossed,” Aelin said, giving the girl a reassuring smile. They finished up eating and Evangeline finished up her homework. 

They easily coasted through the rest of the night, joyfully participating in a mini spa of their own. Aelin let Evangeline turn on the jacuzzi jets in her tub when she took her bath and once she was out, they both got into their pajamas. Once they got dressed, Aelin put in ‘The Parent Trap’, letting it play in the background as they got started. 

Aelin combed through her hair, pulling it back with a headband, then, she busted out the face masks.

“Pick a face mask, any face mask,” Aelin said, showing Evangeline the variety. 

“This one!” She exclaimed, pointing to the glittering, peel off mask and closed her eyes, eagerly awaiting the application. Aelin painted it on the girl’s face, both of them grinning widely. Once Evangeline’s was on, she put a grey, foaming mask on Aelin, giggling at the way it puffed up.

“Now a color.” Aelin showed the girl the wide array of colors she had and Evangeline picked out a cobalt blue. Aelin carefully painted her little fingernails and toenails while Evangeline snacked on the Oreos and peanut butter Aelin had set out. They sat together once Aelin finished, waiting for the polish to dry. 

They ended up having time after ‘The Parent Trap’, so Aelin agreed to watch a few episodes of their show with her until bedtime.

Evangeline was yawning by the time they made it through the third episode, cuddling right up beside Aelin.

“You ready for bed?” Aelin asked. She nodded, her eyes heavy with the need for sleep.

“Can I sleep in your room with you?” Aelin looked around and leaned with a conspirator's grin.

“I guess one night won’t hurt.” Aelin decided to leave the mess to the next day, heading upstairs with Evangeline. They both hopped into the bed, Evangeline wrapping herself around Aelin, making her smile. “Goodnight, Ev.”

“Goodnight, Aelin.”

For the first time in a long time, Aelin was content and relaxed. Happy. She drifted off, confident she’d be having sweet dreams.

But she just couldn’t seem to catch a break lately.

Aelin was startled awake by a crash downstairs that wrestled even Evangeline out of sleep. 

“Aelin, what was that?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” Aelin said, panic crawling in her veins.

“Is someone breaking in?” Evangeline asked, “Did they find you?” The stark possibility that the words could be true made Aelin’s protective instincts kick into gear.

“Under the bed. Now,” Aelin said. The girl did as she was told and Aelin grabbed her phone, going to call Aedion before remembering that he and Lysandra were out. It was early enough that they’d no doubt still be at the concert. Aelin hated it, but she needed to put Evangeline’s safety first. So she called Rowan.

“Hello?” He asked.

“I think someone’s breaking into my house,” Aelin said, grabbing her throwing knives from her bedside drawer.

“Aelin?”

“Yes, it’s me, Buzzard. Evangeline is here in the house with me and we heard crashing downstairs. Aedion and Lys are gone, so you have to get your ass over here right now.”

“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone and don’t go down there until I’m at the door.” Another crash sounded.

“Hurry up.” Aelin locked her bedroom door, pulling it closed behind her as she crept out into the hall to keep Evangeline safe. She went down the stairs as quietly as she could, staying on the line with Rowan.

“I’m at the front door. It’s locked. Where’s the spare?”

“Mailbox. I’m heading down now.” Aelin tried to keep her voice as quiet as she could, not wanting the intruder to hear.

“Aelin, don’t be stupid,” Rowan said, “Just wait until I can get inside.” Aelin closed her eyes, clenching her jaw. She heard Rowan rustling on the other side of the phone as she made it to the last few steps. It was too dark for her to see anything as she scanned the living room. Then, just barely, she saw something move by the coffee table. “Okay, I’m coming in. Can you reach the lights?”

“Yes,” Aelin said, her voice not even loud enough to be considered a whisper. 

“Three… two… one.” Rowan came in through the door as Aelin hit the lights, rounding up with a throwing knife at the intruder as Rowan shouted. “Freeze!” He looked around for the intruder and found where Aelin’s eyes fell. On Fleetfoot, who was eating the jar of peanut butter she’d left out, the nail polish and face masks all knocked over.

“Gods, Fleetfoot,” Aelin said, putting her hand over her chest with a rush of relief.

“It’s the dog?” Rowan said, lowering the gun in his hands, clicking on the safety, “You called me over here because of your own damn dog?” He was still dressed in his pajamas, no shirt, long hair ruffled, clearly having jumped right out of bed.

“She wasn’t here when I went to sleep!” Aelin shot back, “Dorian must’ve dropped her off. He probably texted me, not knowing I needed a new number because somebody gave out my previous one to millions of people online!”

“I come over here in the deadass middle of the night to help you and you’re going to yell at me?” Rowan asked.

“Yes because I wouldn’t have even had to call you over in the first place if you hadn’t created this mess!” Aelin retorted, “And now Evangeline is upstairs hiding because she thinks someone could be in the house to kill us because you gave out my number online. People can find me based on that! Which means they could just as easily find you too. And Aedion and Lys and Evangeline. It’s common knowledge we’re all neighbors. Do you not think before you act?”

“That’s rich coming from you, Princess,” he retorted. Aelin heard the soft patter of feet behind her and saw Evangeline come downstairs.

“Is everything okay now?”

“Yeah, Ev, it was just Fleetfoot. Dorian must’ve dropped her off.”

“Fleetfoot!” Evangeline ran down to the dog, taking the jar of peanut butter and setting it aside as she cuddled up to the dog. “I missed you!” Aelin ran her hand through her hair, her adrenaline still pumping as she let out a long breath. 

“I’m going back to bed,” Rowan huffed.

“No!” Evangeline said, “You have to stay. What if someone really does come for her?”

“No one’s coming for her,” Rowan said.

“You gave out her number and I’ve been on enough cop shows to know people can find you that way,” Evangeline said, “Please, Rowan?” Evangeline gave him puppy dog eyes that Aelin knew even he couldn’t resist.

“Fine,” he said reluctantly, “Just one night.” Evangeline pulled him upstair by the wrist, Fleetfoot following not far behind. Aelin shook her head, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes.

Rowan Whitethorn was staying the night in her bed. Perfect. Just perfect.

Aelin cleaned up a bit before shutting off the lights and heading upstairs with them. When she went into the room she found Rowan on the far end, Evangeline beside him, curled up with Fleetfoot who was closer to Aelin’s side.

“I put my gun in the lockbox in your nightstand,” Rowan said.

“Fine,” Aelin replied, setting her knives beside the box.

“Were you seriously going to take on an intruder with knives?” Rowan asked.

“Better than nothing,” Aelin retorted, “And I’m a good shot.”

“Shhh, it’s time to sleep,” Evangeline said.

“Okay, okay,” Aelin said, climbing into the bed. She pulled up the blanket around her and felt the covers tug as Rowan pulled them over towards his side, Aelin rolled her eyes, shifting to get comfortable.

“Goodnight everyone,” Evangeline said.

“Goodnight Ev,” Aelin said as Rowan also gave a curt “Goodnight”.

Aelin took in deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. She was just exhausted. Utterly exhausted. She wasn’t relaxed anymore, yet, whether she wanted to admit it or not, she felt safe with Rowan in the room. So she drifted off into sleep not too soon after she laid down and slept all the way through the night.

Tagged:

@captain-timetraveldreamer @tangledraysofsunshine @dayanna-hatter @faerie-queen-fireheart @rowaelinforeverworld @alifletcher2012 @shyvioletcat @runawayrowan @myfeyrelady @howler07 @your-high-lady @secret-lil-rendez-vous @running-with-thieves @orangeannie @rapunzel1523 @tswaney17 @queenblueoffire @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius

LMK if you want to be tagged!

[falling-stars-and-open-scars]

An Introduction &Mental Clusterf*ck

06/21/20

Hiya Tumblr, how’s it goin? I’ve been meaning to write sooner, but never seem to really get the time/chance to. If you’ve recently started following me, welcome! I’m sorry we had to find each other like this, but it is also nice to know that we’re not alone. 

I suppose I should do a bit of an introduction: (Going to go ahead and put Trigger Warning here out of respect because you never know what might be triggering to someone so best to cover all bases) 

Name: I’ll go by Star, I guess

Age: 31 (I feel a bit like a creep being on this platform as it’s not really aimed at my demographic, but at the same time, I feel like I can relate more to the posts/memes/people here than I can on other platforms)

Location: USA, Central US to be more specific without giving too much away

Conditions/Ailments: Well, this is a bit tricky as I’ve never been truly professionally diagnosed with anything. I have some type of depression (bi-polar II disorder or something similar to that). I have engaged in self injurious behavior from the time I was 13 years old with my most serious occurrence at age 28/29 being ruled as an attempt. Up until October of 2019, I had been clean from SI/SH for a full year -- even with my parents getting an ugly divorce after 30 years of marriage and being placed in the middle of that ugliness. I relapsed because of an argument with my best friend over a guy she was dating at the time, which lead her to say “You don’t care about me!”...when, in therapy, I had to list the reasons why I would/should stay clean.....guess who was my number 1 reason? Yeah, her. So for her to say that I don’t care when my whole reason for not going deeper into the dark rabbit hole that is depression and SI/SH.....yeah, it hurt a lot. But, thankfully, we’ve made up and she’s no longer dating that idiot and I have been clean. Another “condition” I have would be an eating disorder. It’s kinda hard to really put a label on it, but if I had to I would say I have BED and am developing ANA-like behaviors. In the past, like when I was 12-13 years old, I looked into Ana and Mia. I even purged a few times as I got older (16-18 years old), but stopped because I had just gotten braces/gotten braces off/had a surgical procedure done where they break and reset my jaw to fix my overbite [called a Class II Skeletal Malocclusion] and didn’t want the stomach acid to ruin my teeth that I had just spent all this time getting fixed. I have always been about 20 pounds heavier than girls in my age group. If they were 100 pounds, I was 120; if they were 130, I was 150. This went on for some time until my “father” (let’s be real, he’s a sperm donor and nothing more) went to prison for some stupid sh*t that he knew better than to do (he is not mentally well and has a lot of delusions about reality and perspective). Anyway, while he was away, I ballooned up and also got a little bit of PTSD because of police being involved -- for a few years, anytime I heard sirens or saw police lights, I would break down and cry. Since then, I’ve just continued to gain and gain and gain. 

Weight: My hw was 290 around December 27th 2019. I weighed myself yesterday and I am down to 271. My goal is to be at least 200 by the end of the year. I have been restricting (going from originally 1,500 to 1,200 to 1,000 per day), I have fasted (started doing it around January/February but stopped; my fasts were usually only 16-18 hours and I would only have liquids during that time -- water, tea, or zero calorie drinks like Powerade if I was feeling really bad). I know that’s not really enough to claim that I’m Ana, however, I do get anxiety when I eat something and do not know how many calories something has. For example, my friend wanted to get ice cream a few weeks ago and I legitimately wanted to cry in frustration because I couldn’t get an accurate calorie count for the item I wanted and wanted to cancel because I didn’t want to splurge or “ruin any progress” I had made. I count calories a lot with LoseIt and based my day off of “well, were you good and stayed at or below limit or did you go over”/”did you have a good day or were you being bad?”. It gets to a point to where my boyfriend will offer me a sip of regular Coke and I say “No, it has calories”. A literal sip....tiniest bit of ingestion...and I avoid it like the plague. 

Stats: Height = 5 foot 6, Weight = 271 (currently), Body Type = ?I dunno, I used to be kind of an hourglass as a teen so....maybe hourglass?

Struggles: Weight, obviously. I would love to be under 200, I would love to be 160 like my friend and get the compliments that she gets all the f*cking time. The girl can post a picture of her and her dog and everyone is commenting about how beautiful she is....like, guys, it’s not about her, she’s literally trying to show you her dog but all you thirsty b*tches see is her and think that if you compliment her enough times she just might say hello to you. That’s not to say that my friend is not pretty; she is pretty. It’s just the fact that she’s had people falling over themselves trying to compliment her and shower her with attention and for what? Because she simply exists in the size that she is. The same people/friends that we have will comment on how drop dead beautiful she is but will then share a meme fat shaming someone else and I’m like “gee guys, you DO realize that I’m bigger than the girl in the meme that you’re fat shaming so.....you can understand why I feel like you think I’m disgusting, right???” I’ve always been the fat funny friend. I’ve never been attractive to anyone my age, except my boyfriend, and he had even stated early on that I’m “cute” at best...has said that I’m not considered sexy and that if I lost over 100 pounds then I would be able to be a model. My friend has told me if I ever got to her weight, 160 or less, that I would “look sick”. I don’t care if I “look” sick, I DO care about not having to go to a special store JUST to buy clothes. I DO care about not having to worry about what other people think if I have a piece of cake at a birthday celebration or if I have an extra spoonful of potatoes at a family BBQ. I DO care about hearing people talk about my weight behind my back. I DO care about not being able to fit into a bathtub, or movie theater seats, or most chairs without it being a tight fit. I DO care about getting into/out of a car and it not shake from my movement. I DO care about how people judge me by my size. I DO care that I don’t get any compliments. I DO care that I’m not attractive to people my own age, but older men (50s and 60s) dig me. I DO care that I’m only attractive to certain groups of people with a “fat white girl” fetish. I DO care that I am NOT normal. I DO care that, despite being healthy overall, I’m constantly worried that a doctor or nurse will say something about my weight. I care....it may not seem like it....because I’m big....but I do care. 

Goals: Get to 200 by the end of this year. That is my biggest goal. If, for some reason, I do not meet that goal, my secondary goal will be get to 240. As long as I don’t go back up to 290........as long as I keep losing.....I’ll have to take the small victories where I can. I also want to stay clean from SI/SH. It’s been difficult with my parents divorce. It’s been difficult with school/work/trying to balance that out. It’s been difficult because I think I’ve been slipping into a depressive episode recently. I’m tired all the time, don’t sleep well, work like a dog all the time; every instance of self-care (brushing my teeth, taking a shower, shaving, etc.) seems like a chore that I’d rather just ignore. I don’t really want to do anything other than stay in bed and shut out the world. I crave those depression naps/sleeps I used to take when I was younger (wake up, maybe eat something, immediately go to bed, sleep for 3 hours, eat again, sleep for another 3 hours, stay up until it’s time to sleep again; getting almost 10-12 hours of sleep per day). I think I’m starting to slip again, but as long as I resist it, things should be okay. Maybe I’ll bounce back soon.....

Family dinner tonight, BBQ. I’m not counting or restricting today; even though I probably should. I’m not sure how I’ll burn it off. I work tomorrow and, can on average, burn 1,500. But that won’t help me today, will it? It’ll be around 2 or 3pm and probably last until 6pm....which gives me 3 hours to burn it off before a 9pm bedtime (I’m old and need my sleep). Problem is, boyfriend is going to be with me the whole time, so it’s not like I can say “Honey, let’s do Ring Fit for 3 hours!” without throwing red flags up, especially since I can only do Ring Fit for about 20 minutes at a time. I could just take it as a L today and try to work extra hard during the week.....maybe? We’ll see. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this long a$$ mental clusterf*ck of an introduction! Be good. <3 You are valued and cared for. Please drink some water. <3 Headpats to you! <3 

Until Next Time.....

[tlcrescuepa]

New Post has been published on To Love a Canine Rescue

New Post has been published on https://tlcrescuepa.com/week-end-update-rainy-day-blahs/

Week-End Update: Rainy Day Blahs

Today was a great day to cuddle up with a pup and take a nap, binge watch TV/movies/the Eagles or a little of both. We wrapped up the week-end with a few adoptions before heading home to snuggle with our own pups & remaining fosters.

It was a good week for some of the bigger dogs as Freckles & Hugh weren’t just adopted, they were adopted together! Bozo was extra happy to get adopted because it gave him the opportunity to choose a new name (he’s now going by Carson). TLC alum Bree decided it was time to get a little brother so her parents obliged by adopting our sweet & adorable dwarf Rottie mix pup, Harley. Also celebrating gotcha days this week were: Daisy, Lynardm Reece, Santana, Steve & Abby’s pup, Victory.

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Bozo now Carson

Daisy

Harley

Lynard

Reece

Santana

Steve

Victory

Hugh and Freckles

  we also have some pupdates to share too:

  RockO FKA Indris (Ivey’s pup)

RockO FKA Indris

“Hello , TLC Rescue about 4 years ago we adopted a pup Indris, I believe you called him and he became RockO. Just a little update on what we call his birthday 10/20. He is Great loving life at our home. Last night Eagles game he gets so excited lol

Wishing all your pup’s happy life.”

    Franklin FKA Ralph

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“everything has been going great with Ralph since we adopted him last week.  We decided on a new name for him, Franklin.  He has been great to take on walks and play outside, he loves chasing the leaves and playing with other dogs.  We are going to take him to the Vet tonight to make sure everything is in order with his health and bring his paperwork.  Thanks for the resources for training, we will be sure to reach out if we need anything.  Here are a few pictures attached of Franklin since we have adopted him”.

  Bruno FKA Dior (Guess’s pup)

Bruno FKA Dior

” He’s not too spoiled – but he does watch TV in bed with us before bedtime!

 Bruno is great and we love him lots.”

      Zeuss

“We did decide to keep his name and he is doing good!  He is still trying to figure out Spencer, our cat, however I think they will start to calm down soon.”

  Tilly FKA Italy

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“We renamed her Tilly!! She is doing so well! Thank you and we will definitely recommend you to others!”

  Prue

Prue

“Prue is doing wonderfully. She is much more social and loves playing with other dogs.   She is a cherished member of our family.  We love her so much!”

      Rooney FKA Leo & Mia FKA Jenny

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“Mike and I adore our TLC pups and couldn’t imagine life without them. Rooney fka Leo (adopted in December) and Mia fka Jenny (adopted in April) are extremely loving and well mannered. Now that they know neither one of them is going anywhere, they play together nicely and enjoy snuggling together at night. 

Mia has definitely come out of her shell and smiles more and more each day and greets us excitedly when we walk in the door. She no longer sleeps alone downstairs at night and follows us up to the bedroom. Mia also loves her walks and is truly happy when she’s outside and lunging after squirrels or bunnies. 

Rooney is no longer the tiny pup we first adopted and is still adapting to his bigger body and longer legs. He’s very much a puppy in all but size and is a lovable goofball, full of energy and always trying to give kisses. 

Below are some updated pictures of our pups. Rooney is the white hound mix and Mia is the black lab mix.”

  Willa FKA Sweatpea

“My daughter and I came up with another name for her “Willa”  Love her!  She is still; so much a pup but so happy and trusting it’s amazing.  She plays and gets alone with the other dogs and is picking up on their cues .  I have an appointment for my vet next Monday to look her over and get her setup in my system lol with 4 other doggies.  I will ask them to check her chip reader and will bring all the docs with me to the appointment.  I definitely will give Deb Murray or Jeri call to get some advice on them as a pack as well.

Many thanks for all you do and would love to donate yearly to your organization.”

  Maverick FKA Legend

“Maverick is now almost 9 months old. He is an extremely loveable and hyper puppy. He loves to play tug of war and to be chased. He enjoys playing with his puppy friends and going to daycare on occasion is his favorite treat. Maverick also loves long off leash hikes. We are lucky enough to live in an area where this is possible. 

Maverick is our baby and best friend. Thank you TLC for bringing us together!”

  Dakota

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“Dakota is doing great! He has grown quite a bit since his “gotcha” day. He now weighs in at 70 pounds and definitely thinks of himself as a lap dog. Dakota enjoys sunbathing, treats, destroying “indestructible” toys, treats, going for walks, cuddling, and more treats.  What he loves most though is his big brother Brody. Jerry and I can’t believe how well the two of them get along! “

  Hazel Grace FKA Daisy (aka Yogi)

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“I can hardly believe that Hazel Grace was adopted a year ago! She fit in from her very first day. Hazel brought a new spark to our senior pup, Sofie. Now that Sofie’s cancer is progressing, Hazel sticks close to her side. Hazel wants to meet any critter or person she sees on our daily walks whether in our neighborhood or any of the local parks we go to each week. At her first vet visit we were told she might get to 35 pounds. As you can see from a couple of the pics I am sending you, she is actually taller than Sofie (who is about 60 lbs), but is a trim 40 lbs. She learned all her basic commands within her first few months and we now work on more complicated tricks like “dance” and “crawl.” She loves to play fetch, especially with a frisbee! 

The entire experience of adding a puppy back in to our home was a great decision. Our teens, especially Bailey (since Kiran is in college) have been able to really see the kind of commitment it takes to raise a healthy, happy and well mannered pup.”

Kirby

“Kirby is doing well and getting very comfortable with us. 

His vet check was good except for testing positive for Lyme disease for which he will be on antibiotics for 28 days.

He is sweet ,smart and very responsive. His only problem is with the leash. He lunges at other dogs etc but we are working on that.

My grandchildren love him and Kirby loves to ride in the car at every opportunity but most enjoys picking the kids up at school. “

[alllyshae]

Something Raw.

as I'm sitting here nearing my bedtime I'm playing in my head how my day went. I'm thinking about the Bulls being eliminated and how trash they are, I'm thinking about the Bears future with our new drafts. I rolled over on my bed and accidentally opened my Notes app. That's when I read a short essay I wrote a month after losing my dad. Im not crying or anything but as I read it I could honestly feel the pain and frustration with every word, I guess things like this remind me of how strong I have become over this past year. I tend to write positively on this blog because it's a source of therapy for me and not meant for anyone else to really read since nobody knows about my tumblr haha. But things like this really open my eyes, I remember exactly where I was when I wrote it; I could not stop crying it was like a fucking faucet that couldn't be turned off at the time. Now I read it and I do feel the emotions but I'm not crying, and to me that says a lot. Only 3 people have read it, my sis, marquise, and addison. Other than that it's been tucked away for over a year. But tonight I just want to post it here to keep it alive and continue to see my progress. I love you daddy. "Daddy I weep, you weren't supposed to leave. As I hold tight to the memories I can no longer see. Your time with me was too short, 22 and left alone. You spent your life saving others while abandoning your own. You saw me take my first breath and I saw you take your last, it wasn't supposed to be like that. I have your Captain firefighter helmet displayed in my home, where I walk past it everyday and hope it's just a sick joke. I want to wake up and call you again, do you feel my pain daddy? You were the strongest man I knew, my rock, my best friend, my mentor, my hero. I lost all of that in one. So how do I keep going? You were supposed to be here when I graduated, you were supposed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, you were supposed to play football with my kids, now I'm just left wondering why did God take it all away. It gets hard to breath, but nobody can see. I'm in mental and emotional pain, just waiting for it to end. I stopped telling people when I'm sad, they think I'm strong. But they don't know that everyday I pray the days away and wish I was gone. I was left alone with no one to guide me anymore, what direction do I make my next turn? I'm trying to be normal daddy, I know you see my trying. It's been exactly one month of nonstop crying, that evening when the doctors said "he's leaving", I couldn't believe the end was nearing. I see you in my dreams, I hold that dear to me. I hope it's your way of saying hello to me. Everything I am is you, everything I have is because of you. I was destined to lose you, God knew it all along. Everything I achieved in so little time was because you were soon to be gone. I hope I see you soon, maybe when I look at the moon, I'll shine bright for you. All that you taught me will live on in my children. I'll grow my heart and be compassionate, I'll teach love and selflessness, don't worry dad, your work will continue to be taught. I love you forever, your chinchillas heart is broken forever."