#so atticus can expect another sibling soon

[ladypepperofdavenshire]

Felt like drawing Judd and Ariadne with their kiddo

[doc-pickles]

all's well that ends well to end up with you

After a weekend conference Jo finds herself in an unfamiliar and unexpected situation with an all too familiar face from her past.

“How was the conference?”

As Link approaches Jo she can’t help but jump in surprise, he’d snuck up on her as she stood outside of one of her patients' rooms editing their chart. She had been gone for the weekend at a medical conference in New York and hadn’t seen Link since coming home.

“It was good,” Jo doesn’t look away from the computer in front of her, typing as she speaks to Link. “Robbins is pretty amazing, I’m kinda bummed I never got to work under her as an OB. But I learned a lot and I had fun.”

Her phone dings next to her and before she can grab it Link is reading the screen with interest, “Who’s Michael and why does he want to know how your morning is going?”

Jo snatches her phone up, putting it into her pocket as she closes out of the computer. She turns and begins to walk away from Link, “I met him at the conference.”

“Does he live nearby?”

“No.”

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Atticus Lincoln!”

Whipping her head around Jo isn’t shocked to see the smug grin on Link’s face. He shrugs, walking past her towards the elevators as he continues his thoughts, “I’m just saying, you’re a single mom of a three-year-old who had a whole entire weekend to herself. I assume you went to a bar, got wasted, and slept with the first eligible doctor you laid eyes on.” “Wow you really do not know me at all,” Jo follows Link into the elevator, pressing the level one button. “He’s a doctor that I happened to connect with in New York. We’ve been texting, not that it’s any of your business.”

“I’m your best friend and you’re not gonna tell me about the first man you’ve slept with since…”

“Don’t try to calculate, it’ll hurt your brain.”

While she’s always more than happy that she has her college friend back in her life Jo often finds herself annoyed at his antics, the same way she assumes siblings get tired of each other. She assumes that Link does these things to get a rise out of her but she always has the suspicion that his love for life and childlike excitement has something to do with it as well.

“Well I’m glad you had a good weekend,” the doors of the elevator slide open, and Jo and Link step out. “Still on for dinner tomorrow?”

Jo nods as she begins to walk down the hallway away from Link, “Yes and I promise I won’t burn it this week.” Link’s laugh echoes down the hallway as Jo turns the corner towards the hospital daycare. She’d flown in early in the morning and gone straight to work meaning she hadn’t seen Luna for three days. She was more than ready to scoop her daughter up and go home to watch movies on the couch.

“Mama!”

The excited voice of her daughter snaps Jo out of her thoughts, a grin overtaking her face as she runs towards her. She opens her arms just quick enough to catch Luna as she barrels forward into her chest. Even though she was just gone for the weekend Jo couldn’t help but savor the feeling of her daughter's arms wrapped around her.

“Oh my little star, I missed you so much,” Jo pulls back and presses a kiss to Luna’s forehead. “Did you have fun with Auntie Mer?”

“Yes she did, she was a perfect angel,” Jo turns her attention to Meredith who’s standing in front of her with Ellis hoisted on her hip. “I came to check on this one, she’s got a bit of a cough so sorry if Luna catches it.”

Jo shakes her head, squeezing her daughter tighter, “It’s okay, Luna is a warrior. Thank you so much again for watching her.”

“Jo you’ve watched my kids more times than I can count, don’t worry about it,” Meredith brushes off Jo’s thanks with a grin. “So did you have fun? Adult fun?”

“What is with you and Link? I go to an MFM conference and you guys think my whole weekend was a sexscapade,” Jo rolls her eyes, grabbing Luna’s backpack and hoisting the three-year-old onto her hip. “Not that it matters but I did have fun.”

Meredith shouts her goodbyes as Jo and Luna walk out of the daycare. While she’d be hesitant to admit it out loud Jo did enjoy having a weekend to herself. She’d caught up with Arizona and Callie and even had a chance to sleep in for once. The handsome man that she’d connected with was a nice bonus as well.

As if on queue Jo’s phone dings as she climbs into the driver’s seat of her Audi, a smile lighting up her face as she reads the text.

Hope you girls are having a good night, can’t stop thinking about you.

A blush spreads across her cheeks and Jo can’t help the swarm of butterflies that well up in her stomach. While one weekend wasn’t enough to judge a whole future she was excited to see where things took her.

+

True to Meredith’s word both Luna and Jo caught the cough and cold that Ellis had. While Luna had recovered quickly Jo couldn’t seem to shake the brain fog and fatigue plaguing her. She trudged through her work weeks, adopting the same bedtime as Luna and pushing off everyone’s questioning and concerned gazes until she couldn’t anymore. After three days straight of waking up exhausted, fatigued, and throwing up Jo surrendered and called Meredith to come and get Luna. If she could barely manage to get herself out of bed how was she supposed to take care of a rambunctious toddler as well? While she waited for Meredith to arrive Jo laid in bed, phone pressed to her ear.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. What’s up?”

“I don’t think Luna and I will be able to make it this weekend.”

“Are you guys okay? You sound terrible.”

“Gee how romantic of you, you really know how to woo a girl.”

“Jo…”

“I’m fine just… pregnant.”

There’s a long pause, an unavoidable silence encompassing both ends of the phone. Jo knows this is the last thing he was expecting, it was the last thing she was expecting, but it’s where they found themselves.

“What’d you say?” “I’m pregnant. I took a test yesterday. Well, I took seven but still.”

Jo can hear him suck in a breath on the other side and she can’t help but wish she was telling him in person, standing across from him as he launches forward and wraps his arms around her in that pleasant rush of shock and excitement.

“From New York? It’s…” “Definitely yours. There’s not really any other contenders.”

“Holy sh-”

“I know, not exactly the kind of news you were expecting,” Jo pauses, toying with a loose thread on her comforter. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, we’ll work it out. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“I want to stay on and talk but I have surgery. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Of course. Talk to you soon.”

Jo hangs the phone up, falling back onto her pillows with a sigh. She had never pictured herself in this situation but here she was; a single mom to a toddler pregnant by a guy she had seen over one weekend who lived states away. The thought alone hurt her, but she knew that she could get through it.

“Was that mystery man from the conference?”

Jo nearly jumps at the sight of Meredith standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She looks down to Luna who’s sleeping soundly beside her before answering, “Yeah that was him.”

“You didn’t seem very happy to talk to him,” Meredith seats herself at the end of Jo’s bed, raising her eyebrows with a questioning look. “Trouble in paradise?”

“More like trouble in everyday life,” Jo rolls her eyes, looking up at Meredith. “Thanks for taking Luna, I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Meredith pauses, eyeing Jo warily for a moment. “Are you sure you’re not contagious?”

“I told you I have food poisoning,” Jo groans as she slips further under the covers. She wasn’t in the mood for Meredith‘s questioning today. “I’ll call if I’m not okay.”

The answer placates Meredith for now and Jo wakes Luna and sends her with her friend. She stays in bed for a few more minutes before the urge to throw up overwhelms her. After she spends half an hour hunched over the toilet she finally feels good enough to crawl back into bed, falling asleep before thoughts about her unexpected pregnancy overwhelm her brain.

Despite falling asleep quickly Jo finds that she’s restless. When her stomach finally feels settled she drags herself to the kitchen, eating plain toast before jumping in the shower. By midday, Jo feels better, save for her lingering exhaustion. Meredith texts to inform her that Ellis and Luna have suckered her into a sleepover and that she’ll bring Luna home the next afternoon. With not much else to do Jo settles on the couch with a movie.

She doesn’t realize she’s fallen asleep until there’s a banging on her front door. The bright light shining through the windows alerts Jo to the fact that she slept through the night and Meredith is bringing Luna home. She jogs to the door, her apology to Meredith failing on her lips as she realizes it’s not her friend in front of her.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Well you called and sounded terrible and we were supposed to meet up this weekend anyway so…”

“So you hopped on the first plane to Seattle?”

“I hope that’s okay.”

”Of course! You know I missed you, I'm just shocked.”

The rest of Jo's statement is cut short as Luna barrels down the hallway and crashes into her legs. It only takes a few seconds for Jo to realize just how screwed she is before Meredith‘s voice echoes down the hallway.

“Alex?”

The blonde doesn’t wait for a response, instead wrapping her arms around the man standing in Jo's doorway. As she pulls away from Alex Meredith looks between him and Jo before letting out a gasp.

“Oh my go-“

Jo doesn’t hear the rest of Meredith's sentence as she shakes Luna off of her leg and bolts down the hall. She barely makes it to the bathroom, the little bit of popcorn and toast she managed to eat yesterday reappearing in the toilet bowl before her. She can hear Luna calling down the hall for her, Meredith distracting her quickly. As her body heaves forward again, Jo feels a warm hand on her back and another pulling her hair back.

“I’ve only been in town for an hour and I’m having a blast,” Alex chuckles as Jo swats at him blindly. “Sorry about the throwing up.”

“I blame you for this.”

“And I blame Arizona.”

When she’s done throwing up, Jo sits back and takes a long look at Alex. Although she had seen him only a few weeks earlier she can’t help but take him in all over again. The crooked smile she’s become so accustomed to still graces his face and his presence calms her nerves more than she thought it would.

“I can’t believe you flew all the way out here.”

“You were going to fly out to Kansas with Luna, I figured the least I could do right now was help you out for the weekend,” Alex brushes the hair back from Jo’s forehead and she can’t help but lean into him. “How are you doing? I mean throwing up aside obviously?”

“Tired. And I can’t remember anything,” Jo doesn’t have a better answer for Alex, her train of thought being interrupted by Luna babbling outside the door anyways. “I should get her.”

“I can get her if you want,” Alex stands quickly, extending his hand to Jo. “I mean if it's okay with you that is. I’m just trying to help out, I can take her for a bit and you can nap.”

Jo nods in thanks, bypassing Meredith in the hallway and immediately curling up in bed. She can hear Alex and Meredith whispering but can’t quite make out their words. Luna is babbling and she can tell that Alex is responding to whatever the toddler is saying to him. As Jo drifts off to sleep once again she can’t help but feel like the future might not be as dim as she had first thought.

When she wakes up a few hours later Jo is greeted by the sight of Alex coming into her room. She pats the spot next to her on the bed and curls into Alex’s side as he settles in, his arms wrapping around her shoulder. The warmth that spreads through her as he presses a kiss to her forehead is warm and comforting, something she’d craved for far too long.

“Thank you for helping with Luna, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem,” there’s a momentary pause before Alex speaks again and despite not being able to see his face Jo knows he’s grinning. “We’re having a baby. Can you believe that?”

“I would say no but the constant nausea and throwing up make it hard to forget,” Jo threads her fingers through Alex’s as she rests his hand on her still flat abdomen. “We’re having a baby.”

The moment is bittersweet, the excitement of the tiny new life overshadowing the reminder that they could have already had this had Alex not left. Jo chooses to overlook that as she lets herself finally feel the excitement that’s been bubbling under the surface since she had seen the positive test two days before, “The first time I sleep with you in three years and you knock me up. I think you just missed me.”

“I did. I have every day since we said goodbye outside the airport.”

Alex’s candor makes Jo’s breath hitch. As she turns to meet his eyes she knows he’s telling the truth, but she still finds herself craving the reminder that this is real and not a dream.

“I want us to be a family, that’s what I’ve always wanted with you, Jo. I know we didn’t count on Eli and Alexis or Luna. And we definitely didn’t count on this little one,” a smile spreads across Alex’s face as he squeezes their intertwined hands still resting on her stomach. Jo can’t help the tears that well in her eyes at the small gesture. “But I can’t picture a future without all of them. Or you, I definitely don’t want a future without you, Jo. I told you in New York that leaving was my biggest mistake and I meant that. I don’t want to be a dad without you by my side, I don’t want anything if you’re not by my side. I can do it, I can live my life, but I don’t want to unless you’re there too. I love you, Jo.”

Jo can’t stop the tears that are tracking down her face. She knows she’s worrying Alex with her emotional display but her raging hormones make the task of stopping the tears near impossible. Instead, she reaches up and kisses him squarely, letting her lips linger a bit longer than she normally would. When she pulls away Alex’s eyes are still closed and he’s wearing a blissed-out expression.

“I love you too,” Jo savors the words as they fall off of her lips, not having said them in this context since the last voicemail she had left for Alex before she had read his letter. “I love you and our family so much.”

There’s nothing else for them to say, the couple enjoying the silence that surrounds them as Jo leans up to kiss Alex again and they get lost in each other. It’s an easy feat, their emotions and feelings towards each other guiding their actions as they once again fall into bed with each other. Jo knows that they have more to discuss but for now she’s content to get lost in Alex all over again.

[oboevallis]

reconcile

back in season 16 when amelia was only a couple of months pregnant

“Who was that?” Link asked as his girlfriend stepped into the kitchen, she’d left the room to take a call when her phone unexpectedly rung.

“My mother.” Amelia sighed flopping into a chair at their kitchen table. “She wants me to come visit .”

“Are you going?”

“No!” Amelia chuckled on amusement even though they were a new couple despite a baby on the way, she’d expect him to know the fact she wasn’t on the best terms with her mother.

“It seems like she wants to fix things.” The man pointed out as he plated their dinner.

“Seems like a trap.”

“Seems like she’s trying to fix her wrong. I’m not gonna force you to do anything, you know that but maybe you’ll feel better if you two figured things out.”

“I’m perfectly content with where things are, we had a pleasant conversation on a park bench.”

“Was it enough though?” Amelia sighed at her boyfriend as she not doing subtly rolled her eyes.

“No.” The neurosurgeon mumbled as she twirled her fork into the noodles. “Fine.”

“I’ll come if that’ll make you feel better.”

“No this is something I’ve got to do on my own.”

_______________________________________

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest as she anxiously waited for her bag. She hated the JFK airport it reminded her of when she was going off to college, she’d just gotten out of rehab and her mother could barely look at her but assured her that she loved her before sending her off, her brother was a different story he’d agreed to come but he was absolutely livid with his sister, she had went out and gotten herself a drug addiction while crashing his mustang in the process.

“Amy!” The neurosurgeons mother called out.

“Ma, I told you I’d get a cab.”

“There’s no need, I saved you some money.” The older woman engulfed her daughter in a hug.

“Don’t mean to rush this, but we should get going.”

“Alright let’s get moving then.” The younger woman moved to put her luggage in the trunk of her mother’s car, noticing another suitcase.

“Why is there another suitcase in the back?” Amelia asked as she settled in the passenger seat.

“We’re gonna go upstate.”

“To the cabin?” Amelia asked in shock, it’d been years since she had been there. The last time she had run away she went to the cabin where she was snorting oxy, there Kathleen walked in with her fiancé. As Kathleen was yelling at her, she could’ve sworn their mother had possessed her, and when she made the comment it only intensified her sisters anger toward her.

“Where else would be going in upstate New York?” Carolyn asked, focusing on the road before quickly looking to the side to see her daughters reaction. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, yeah yeah it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it that’s all.” The remainder of the drive was filled with a heavy silence, periodic awkward conversation filling the minutes here and there.

When they got to the cabin they went their separate ways and unpacked. Amelia was in the room she’d share with her Lizzie when they were younger, smirking at the bunk beds as she remember all the pranks they’d pull on one another. After getting settled she walked to the closet finding it was still a cluttered mess just as it was 20 years ago. She didn’t realize she was looking for anything before she found it. Her old unicorn stuffed animal, she quickly held it to her chest.

“Amy! What do you want for dinner?” Carolyn called out from the kitchen, the neurosurgeon composed herself before meeting up with her mother.

“Anything you’d like.”

“Come on, there must be something.”

“Your tomato soup and grilled cheese.” Amelia concluded, cracking a smile. Her mother would always make this whenever someone was sick or feeling down, it was the perfect comfort food.

“Will do.” Carolyn smiled at her daughter, she was trying to resolve things between the two of them. Since the death of her son she’d been thinking about her kid’s mortality and upon hearing about her youngest’s brain tumor she’d been terrified especially since they weren’t on good terms. She wanted this weekend to pull them closer together and forgive one another.

“I’ve missed your soup.” Amelia smiled as she carefully blew on it to cool it.

“God, I can’t remember the last time I made this for you.”

“Me either.” That was a lie, it had been the first time she was withdrawing and her mother sat with her the whole time while tears were welling in her eyes. At the time she was mad her mother was crying, she wasn’t the one coming down quickly from an amazing high. She never understood why her mother cried until she met Betty and fought to help her get sober.

“I hate that Amelia. That we can’t remember, it shouldn’t be like that. I want us to fix things, I want to be a part of your life.” Carolyn concluded letting her spoon drop against the side of the bowl, the clanking causing her daughter to jump.

“Okay.” Amelia slowly nodded. “Let’s fix things.”

After the pair had dinner they went to their rooms. Amelia went back into the closet and picked up the unicorn, she had forgotten all about it. She couldn’t remember for the life of her why it was so important to her as a child, baby brain she blamed. Carefully, she lowered herself onto the bottom bunk still tightly holding the toy. For as tired as she was from the long flight and then the long drive she couldn’t seem to settle. She had thought about calling Link but he was in surgery, and then she thought about scrolling through social media but then the blue light would really prevent her from sleeping. After a while of boring her eyes into the top on the bunk, she got up and made her way into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Noticing the kettle on the stove, she turned around to see the back door opened slightly. She made her cup of tea and made her way to the porch. As kids whenever they’d go to the cabin if they needed their mother she was more than likely on the back porch watching the birds.

“You seeing any birds?” Amelia sarcastically asked it was pitch black out, other than the candle her mother had lit to keep mosquitoes away.

“Don’t be smart.” Carolyn smiled, happy that her daughter had made a sarcastic remark to her, it’d been years since she had done so. When Amy was a kid she’d always get annoyed when she make a smart remark, but now she found them lighthearted and entertaining. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope.” Amelia ran her finger along the rim of her mug, this mug specifically reminded her of her childhood. It was her fathers favorite, just the right size, just the right handle, just the right curvature to fit in your hands comfortably, he had bought multiple of them and made sure he always had one with him where every he went.

“I see you found your childhood friend.” Carolyn pointed to the the unicorn plushie she had under her arm.

“Oh, yeah.”

“I remember the day you got that. It was a week before your birthday and you had gotten the chicken pox, we had to send all of your siblings to Nana’s because they had never had it. The whole week you stayed in our bed and we had to put two pair of mittens on your hands to prevent you from scratching. You were always a pretty independent child, didn’t want help or comfort from a soul, but that week all you want to do was cuddle with your dad and I. So the day of your birthday, after your dad went to check on the others and made sure they were behaving. He came back with cards they had written for you, and he brought that unicorn home. The four of them all put their allowances together and got you that unicorn, since they were your absolute favorite thing in the world at the time. ”

“I didn’t know that.” Amelia was surprised to hear her voice break, she hadn’t even realized she was crying. Carolyns smile was illuminated by the candle before she looked up at the night sky to try and find a consolation. “I’m pregnant.” It was barely a whisper.

“I was waiting for you to tell me.”

“You knew? Of course you knew.” She had had five babies and an army of grandchildren. She probably always knew when one of her daughters were pregnant before they even did.

“Is it Atticus’?”

“Yeah.” Amelia couldn’t contain her smile. After a comfortable silence the girls mother spoke up again.

“This isn’t like last time.”

“It isn’t.” Amelia agreed, suddenly feeling at ease from her mother’s words.

“Does he know about Christopher?”

“Yeah, he does. He’s been really understanding about my feelings.”

“I’m glad, you deserve someone who can love and support you without making you feel guilty for your feelings.”

“Yeah.” Amelia grinned, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Do you think Daddy would’ve liked him?”

“I think he would’ve, but never would’ve showed it. Out of all of our kids spouses he would’ve been the hardest on Link.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Carolyn smiled, thinking about her late husband. It saddened her how he never got to witness any of his kids weddings. He always talked about how excited her was to walk his daughters down the isle and give them away to the right man, and how he’d give Derek his watch on his wedding day.

“Do you like him?”

“I do. I’d like to get to know him better.”

“He’d like that, he’s always saying he feels bad for the impression he made.” She hated how vulnerable she was being with her mother, but was oddly at ease. Never realizing how much her mother’s validation comforted her.

“While I don’t condone the lying, it wasn’t a bad impression. It showed how much he loves you, he was willing to lie for you without question and he stood up for you without a doubt in his mind.”

“He doesn’t love me, it’s way too soon.” The neurosurgeon dismissed nervously, he had only said it once and he was obviously pretty scared. Though she knew he meant it, it was all going very fast, and didn’t want this to end up like the last time she quickly fell in love with someone.

“Amelia, we both know that isn’t true.”

“I just don’t want to screw anything up. He’s so perfect and even the things I can’t stand about him I love. I mean I loved Owen, I still do in a sense, but the things I hated about him I couldn’t stand. With Link it’s different.”

“Seems like your in love.”

“It does doesn’t it?”

[hurricanery]

What’s a Soulmate?

Hi! This is my first Amelink Fic. Completely AU//Little snippets of ‘What if Link and Amelia had met at a different time in their lives?’ Also OOPS THIS IS REALLY LONG. TW: implied drug use.

_______ Atticus Lincoln is 9 years old when he discovers what a soulmate is. Not by definition exactly, but the feeling is there.

It’s a sunny afternoon in mid-august, one of the last few days of freedom before school starts up again. Few of the last chances Link will get to spend all day outside, practicing his baseball pitch with his dad.

Earlier that day, Link and his father had noticed moving trucks line up across the street. Right in front of the house where Mrs. Edelstein lived before she was put in that nursing home.

“Looks like someone’s finally moving in,” Link’s dad had said.

‘Good,’ Link had thought. No more Mrs. Edelstein and no more apples on halloween.

_______

The two are just finishing up their batting practice when a minivan pulls into the driveway of Mrs. Edelstein’s old house. A woman steps out of the driver’s side first, before chaos ensues. Both sliding doors of the minivan fly open at the same time, before a handful of young voices are heard. Link watches from afar and counts one by one as they pile out of the car.

A taller, teenaged girl and a dark-haired boy around the same age immediately sprint toward the house, the girl yelling something about ‘dibs on the biggest bedroom!’

“Nancy! Derek! Slow down!” the children’s mother yells after them. The woman sighs as two more young girls jump out of the car and start running toward the house. “Come on, Amy,” the mother speaks again. Slowly, another girl appears from the car. Immediately, Link notices the age difference between this girl and the other kids that had just disappeared into the house. She seems much closer to his age. Link is amused by her more reluctant pace, compared to her siblings. He watches as the girl’s mother begins to practically drag her toward the house.

“Why don’t you go say hi, Link? Introduce yourself?” His dad’s voice officially halts him from observing the family across the street.

Link shakes his head. “Maybe later,” he says, his gaze drifting back to the house, where he can see the children running around through the front windows.

_______

It’s a little bit after 7pm now, and Link and his dad have just finished dinner. It’s still light outside, a nice summer night, and Link wanders back outside to hopefully curve his boredom.

There’s not much to do in his backyard, at least not by himself. He feels a tug in his chest when he thinks back to earlier. The way he was completely enticed by the big, rowdy family across the street.

He wanders to the front lawn in search of his baseball mitt when he sees her. The youngest girl from earlier. She’s sitting cross-legged by herself on the sidewalk in front of her new home, focusing deeply on the pavement beneath her, sidewalk chalk in hand. Her long dark hair is pulled back into a braid, but despite that, she seems to be pushing her bangs out of her face every few seconds.

Link is a pretty shy kid and he knows that. Even a little timid. But there’s something about this girl that’s piqued his interest. He really wants to know her, and to be her friend, he thinks.

So he gains up enough courage to cross the street, not before checking both ways for cars first. He approaches the house slowly, but the girl doesn’t seem to notice his presence. Her head remains turned down, focusing on what she’s doing.

“Um hi my name is Atticus Lincoln and I live across the street,” the sentence comes out in a rush, words stringing together completely. And maybe he should have made his entrance more known, he thinks, as he watches the girl almost fall back from where she was sitting with her knees tucked underneath her.

“Shit, you scared me,” the girl gasps, blue eyes wide.

And Link is stunned. Because that is not what he expected to hear. His eyes are now just as wide as hers “Y-you’re allowed to say that?"

The girl just stares at him for a second, before something seems to click in her brain, and then she’s laughing with her head thrown back. Real, genuine laughter. The kind that Link has only seen on sitcoms, or when his aunts and uncles drink too many adult beverages at family barbecues.

He loves the sound of it. It’s making him laugh, too. "You have a funny laugh,” he tells her.

“You have a funny name,” she retorts.

“Hey,” he frowns, but it doesn’t last as he can’t help but laugh. “Well what’s your name, then?”

“Amelia.”

“Amelia?” He repeats, dumbfounded. Partly because he’s never really heard the name before. It sounds sharp. And he thinks it matches perfectly. Especially with the quick and witty words falling from her laughing mouth.

“Yeah, ya dummy. Have you never heard that name before?”

And Link, for the first time in his life, is at a loss for words. Because she is something else.

“Anyway, Atticus, do you wanna play a game?”

_______

Link is 16 years old when he discovers that high school is the bane of his existence.

Link is a decently popular kid. Apparently. A favorite student in the eyes of most teachers. A friendly face for most of his classmates. A star baseball player and a name well known in the small community. But he doesn’t always see himself the way that others do, most of the time.

He has to wear this thing called deodorant all of a sudden, sometimes his face breaks out, he is nervous almost all of the time, and on top of all that, yesterday he found out he’s the only one in his friend group who’s never kissed a girl.

He feels pressured, mostly by the fact that girls in his grade are so intimidating.

It’s friday morning and he’s running kind of late for school. But he knows that doesn’t really matter. Because as late as he is, he knows Amelia will be running even later. And he’s supposed to meet her in 2 minutes to walk to school. Like they do every day.

He wanders outside and paces the sidewalk in front of her house, waiting for her front door to swing open and for her to come barreling outside as if getting ready for school is the most hectic experience.

And like clockwork, there she is. Flying down the front steps of her porch while simultaneously shrugging on her backpack and flinging her hair up into a messy ponytail. Her face lights up as soon as she sees him, but she falters just as quick, as she almost falls facedown on the sidewalk.

“You didn’t have time to tie your shoes this morning, Ames?”

"I don’t have time for a lot of things, Link.” She rolls her eyes.

“Well maybe if you woke up on time-”

“That’s impossible.”

“Go to bed at a decent time?”

“How do you know I don’t go to bed at a decent time?” She smirks at him, a common occurrence. Link’s pulse quickens every time she pulls the mischievous grin.

He blushes before he responds. “Your bedroom is literally right across from mine. Your light is on until at least 3am.”

Amelia just giggles. That fantastic, contagious giggle that Link has heard everyday for the last 6 years.

He nods to himself, knowing fully well that Amelia’s homework routine typically takes place between midnight and 3am. He doesn’t understand how she does it. She saves everything for the last minute and yet remains to have the highest grades out of everybody. It’s like the opposite way he goes about his own academics, yet it yields the same results. Even though Amelia is far smarter than him, she has almost the opposite reputation with the teachers.

Amelia bumps her hip into his side as they walk, shaking Link from his thoughts. “You going to the party tonight?” She raises her brows at him in question.

“Probably not,” Link answers. She just laughs at him.

“We’ll see.”

_______

They both end up at the party that night. A stupid high school party. Separately, that is. Because despite how close Amelia and Link are, they have very different friend groups. Link’s friend group is mostly made up of the baseball team, while Amelia tends to flock towards a tougher crowd.

So they arrive separately, but as soon as they lock eyes in the crowded basement, they’re practically running toward each other.

“Link!!!” Amelia yells, a little too loudly, unlike her. “I’m soooo glad you’re here.” She smiles at him, but her eyes are unfocused.

“Amelia are you drunk already?” Link laughs. Amelia’s usually a pretty happy drunk. At least the times that Link has seen her this way.

She nods her head around enthusiastically. “That I am,” she giggles. “Lemme find you a drink okay?”

_______

A couple hours later and Link’s ready to leave. He’s not drunk, just a little tipsy. And he’s not really feeling like being here anymore. He looks around the room to see if Amelia is still here. But he can’t seem to find her. He shrugs it off and says his goodbyes before making his way outside to walk home.

When he reaches the front porch he halts. Because there’s Amelia. Sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest on the front steps, gazing forward as if she’s thinking really hard about something.

Link clears his throat. “Whatcha doing there?”

As soon as she realizes Link’s presence, she shakes from her daze, smiling up at him. “Waiting for you. I felt like going home a while ago but I thought I’d wait for you.”

“That was cool of you.”

“No biggie.”

Link towers over her, even after she stands up. The height difference can be almost comical sometimes. She scrunches her nose a bit at him, like she’s taking in the height difference, too. And with that, they start their walk.

Link’s pretty quiet. More so than usual, Amelia notices.

“Something bothering you?” She asks.

“Uh, no. I’m fine.” And Link is the worst liar ever.

“Link…”

He’s silent for a moment.

“Amelia have you ever kissed anyone?”

Amelia laughs, cause she was not expecting this. “Yeah, silly. Why do you ask?”

And oh, Link thinks. That is not what he wanted to hear.

“Who?”

“Well. Umm. Jake. And Tyler. And-”

She notices him go quiet, eyes glued to his feet as they walk.

“You okay, Link?”

He shakes his head.

“Well what’s up?” She continues.

Link sighs deeply before responding. “Amelia, I’ve never kissed anyone..” he quickly mumbles out.

“I’m sorry I didn't really hear you. Did you say-”

“I said I’ve never kissed anyone,” and you could definitely say his voice is raised.

Amelia doesn’t really know how to respond. “Link, that’s okay. That’s fine.”

“No. It’s not. Everyone else has. Literally everybody.”

“That’s not true.”

“You have though.”

“Yeah, but-”

“But, what?” He interrupts her, and Amelia catches on that he’s pretty upset right now.

“It didn’t mean anything. I kissed those guys on a dare. At a stupid party. I didn’t even enjoy it.”

“Still,” Link sighs. “I feel like a freak. Kind of.”

“Well you are a freak,” she smirks at him. “But not because you haven’t kissed anyone.”

Link visibly relaxes, smiling back despite the dig. They're quiet again for a few minutes before Link speaks up again.

“Amelia, can I ask you something really dumb?”

“Sure, dummy.”

He sighs again, as if he’s working up some sort of courage, because he is. “Can I kiss you right now?” He looks to her face for a reaction before he continues. Of course she looks startled and confused. Just as he’d expected. “Not like serious. Like just so I can get it over with?” He explains quickly.

“Are you for real?” She giggles, still a little drunk.

“I am.”

“No, you idiot. I love you too much."

And now it’s Link’s turn to look startled.

"You’re my best friend,” She continues.

Oh. Right.

“And I’m not letting you waste your first kiss because you 'want to get it over with.’”

_______

2 weeks later and final exams are cramming their way into Link’s life. As he wraps up studying for a chem exam, he checks the clock. 1am. He yawns, standing up and stretching, before deciding to call it a night. Link finds himself glancing across the street, knowing it’s prime time for Amelia to be studying, too. His gaze lands on her bedroom window, but he frowns as he notices her light is turned off.

Link doesn’t think too much of it. He’s actually a little relieved that Amelia has seemingly gone to bed at a decent time. He quickly brushes his teeth and sets his alarm before collapsing into bed.

On the verge of sleep, Link is interrupted by a noise against his window. He tries to brush it off, but it becomes more persistent. Every 10 or so seconds, a sharp tap against glass. He gets up, crossing the floor, peering out his window. He rubs his eyes as they adjust, looking down at the front lawn.

And there’s Amelia Shepherd. Dressed in skinny jeans and a leather jacket, looking right back at him. Link thinks he’s dreaming. Amelia grows impatient at his slow reaction, taking it upon herself to throw another small rock against the glass. Link jumps back, startled. He opens the window.

“Amelia, what-” He groans. “What are you doing? What time is it? What-”

“Can you let me in? I need to stay over.” She interrupts him.

Something about her tone of voice seems off, Link thinks. But, he’s moving down the stairs and toward the front door quicker than expected for being half-asleep.

They settle on the sofa in Link’s living room. Amelia immediately begins kicking off her ankle boots. Link watches her, noticing her glassy, blood-shot eyes. He sighs.

“Don’t be mad at me.” Amelia picks up on his disappointment right away. She leans back against the cushions, resting her eyes shut. Link is glad for it. Her eyes are absolutely stunning. He has no problem admitting it. But, he hates the way they look when they are glazed over and hinting red like that. Her eyes remain closed as she mumbles at him “Can I have a glass of water?”

Link silently obeys her request. Moving about the kitchen slowly, as to not wake his father. When he re-enters the living room, Amelia is sitting up again, playing with her fingers anxiously. Link sets the glass of water on the table before he sits back down next to her.

“Thanks,” she mumbles. “I’m sorry.”

Link shakes his head. “You okay?” He asks her.

She pauses, gathering her thoughts. “I did something stupid.”

Link is not phased by this. She “does something stupid” quite a lot these days. And, quite a lot, she ends up on his couch when she doesn’t want to face her problems right away. And Link lets her do this. He lets her hide out across the street when she can’t go home yet.

“I took Derek’s car this time,” she almost whispers. And Link’s head snaps up, glancing through the front window and to her driveway across the street. He notices Derek’s car to be missing still.

“Amelia!” It’s a combination of a whisper and a shout. “You can’t be driving around like this-”

“Oh please!” She interrupts him, matching his tone. “I just smoked a little weed!”

Link glares at her. Locking eyes with her hazy blue orbs.

“And besides...I didn’t drive his car home. I walked.” She continues.

“You walked?!”

“Hey! I left his car didn’t I? I was being safe!”

Link takes a minute to steady his voice. He can hear some shuffling around upstairs but decides to ignore it.

“I would have come pick you up.” He sighs. Amelia leans back against the cushions again. Link notices truly how anxious she looks. She looks up at him, worry and regret dancing all across her features. He sighs again, and this time he sounds more understanding. “We’ll go get his car first thing in the morning.”

She smiles a bit, grateful. She looks so tired.

“Did you leave it Jake’s?” Link asks, flinching at the thought of her even going over to his house. Link can’t stand the guy. He’s a bad influence on her, the school’s go-to dealer. Not to mention the guy is repeating his senior year. Ugh.

Amelia nods. “Yeah-”

They’re interrupted by the sound of footsteps descending the staircase. Link’s dad turns the corner a moment later. Link meets his dad’s eyes apologetically. When he sees Amelia and Link on the couch, he nods to himself knowingly.

“Hi, Mr. Lincoln,” Amelia speaks up. “Sorry to wake you.”

Link’s dad looks at Amelia, nodding with understandment. “That’s quite alright, Amelia. Just came down for a glass of water, actually.” Link knows his dad is making that last bit up. He’s just checking in. “Are you okay?”

Amelia nods gratefully at the man still standing in the doorway. “I’m okay….thanks Mr. Lincoln.”

“Yeah thanks Dad. I’ll be back up in a bit.” Link watches as his dad disappears, eyes shifting back to Amelia. Her eyes close again as she relaxes back against the couch. Link squeezes her thigh gratefully. Grateful to his dad for being practically a second parent to Amelia. Amelia smiles sleepily.

“Your dad is the best.”

“I know.”

Amelia’s smile fades and Link’s heart clenches a bit at the sight of it. He knows that his dad has acted as sort of a father figure to Amelia, especially because Amelia’s dad had died when she was so young. Link and Amelia had even bonded over being raised by single parents growing up. He feels sick with guilt. His parent’s divorce can’t even compare to what Amelia has been through.

“Alright we can talk tomorrow, ok?” Link whispers, squeezing her thigh once more before standing up. He grabs a blanket from the basket in the corner and tosses it to Amelia. She wraps it around herself before moving to lay down across the couch. Link heads toward the stairs.

“Link?”

He pauses. “Yeah?”

“Just, please-” Amelia’s voice is laced with sadness. “I, just. I don’t want you to be mad at me.”

Link sighs from the doorway. “I’m not, Amelia. It’s...just. You scare me sometimes.”

Link hears some shuffling around before he sees Amelia’s head pop up over the back of the sofa. She glances back at him.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Link just stares at her, not knowing what to say. He’d rather they have this conversation tomorrow. But, Amelia speaks up again.

“I don’t know why I do this stuff sometimes….” her voice is barely a whisper, it sounds like she’s talking more to herself. “It’s just nice to not feel...sometimes...to be not feeling everything. If that makes sense…”

Link nods quickly. “Amelia we’ll talk tomorrow, ok?”

Amelia nods in response, still looking unsure of herself.

“We’ll get donuts on the way to pick up the car, how’s that sound?” Link speaks up again, smiling at her.

Amelia beams at him. She finally drops down against the pillows. Link takes a second before he turns back toward the stairs. As he makes his way up, he hears a quiet “thank you” from behind him.

_______

Link is 18 years old when he discovers what it feels like to miss someone so much it hurts.

He’s been away for his first semester of college for 2 months now and not even weekly Skype sessions with Amelia can distract him from his shitty experience so far.

His roommate is the definition of douche-bag. Constantly trashing their room, eating all of Link’s food, staying up all night, locking him out of the room for hours at a time when he has a girl over.

Link hates it here. And he misses having his best friend. And the comfort of being so close with someone and having them near at all times.

Amelia is having a different experience. She got into college on a scholarship and immediately found her place.

Link doesn’t like to admit that he often catches himself counting down the days until Christmas, aka when he’ll see her again. Hear her laugh again, and not just through a webcam.

_______

Link learns to find new distractions. He joins the college baseball team. He meets new people. People he actually enjoys, way more than he’ll ever enjoy his roommate or the people that live on his floor.

He meets Emma. She’s on the college dance team. She’s beautiful. And tall. And genuinely funny. And a distraction.

He thinks he loves Emma, by the end of his first year of college. He feels something every time he looks at her. With her beautiful dark hair and her tan skin. Her wide smile and the way she laughs with her entire body. She feels familiar. And makes him feel nostalgic.  

And he crushes any thought he has of Emma equaling his Amelia. His best friend.

He loses his virginity to Emma. It was a stupidly quick and drunken thing. By the time he returns home that summer, he can barely remember what it felt like. Or why he thought he knew what love was when he looked at Emma.

_______

Link is 22 years old when he discovers what it feels like to finally open up.

He hasn’t seen Amelia in almost a full year, although they still consider each other one another’s best friends.

It’s finally thanksgiving and they’re both returning home from their separate colleges for the weekend. He’s completely shocked when he first sees her. She looks the same but so, so different. More mature. More….something. Her hair is cut a bit shorter, framing her face. Her eyes are more intense than he remembers. Her face lights up at the sight of him and it makes his chest pull tight. He takes in what she’s wearing, the blue in her dress doing all the right things for her features.

Amelia clears her throat, drawing his attention back up to her face. “Long time no see, Link. Eyes up here.”

He shakes his head amusedly as he pulls her into a tight hug, because she’s already making him laugh within the first few seconds of being reunited.

_______

They end up at a local restaurant. The night before thanksgiving, which happens to be the busiest bar night all year. It’s also the night that everyone from high school decides to go to the same place. It basically feels like a premature high school reunion.

Amelia and Link attempt to stay together for the entirety of the night, but it’s a little hard when you’re constantly interrupted by vaguely familiar faces and pointless conversations.

After Link catches up with an old buddy for what seems like hours, he moves across the crowded room to find Amelia. It’s well past 1am and Link kind of wants to go home. He has to get up early tomorrow anyway to set up for thanksgiving festivities.

He catches her eye from where she’s sitting at a table, and motions toward the door, attempting to let her know that he’s leaving.

She frowns at him before abruptly ending whatever conversation she was part of.

Link watches her as she pushes through people to meet him by the door.

“You’re leaving without me? What kind of date are you?” She smirks at him as she shrugs on her jacket.

“I wasn’t aware this was a date, Ames.” Link responds, playing along. “But yes, I am leaving. Early morning and all that.”

“Well let me walk you home.” She continues, voice laced with irony.

_______

They end up back at Link’s house, sitting at the kitchen table. And it all feels very nostalgic. Especially with Link’s dad upstairs sleeping. Link feels like a kid again. Amelia makes him feel like a kid again.

Mostly there’s a lot of catching up, and reminiscing. And conversation about the future. It’s good. And Link is happy. And Amelia is laughing, so inherently, Link is too.  

“Remember that time junior year when you were so sleep deprived because 'college prep, duh’ that you slept-walked all the way across the street, to my house, and started throwing random shit at my window?”

Amelia bursts out laughing. “My sleep schedule was always a mess. But how about that time we got so drunk senior year? And we fell asleep on your front lawn? And my mom found us the next morning?”

_______

They talk about everything. All the things they used to love. All the things they missed about each other while they were both away. Everything that’s new to them.

Amelia learns everything about Link’s college experiences. All of the drunken mishaps. All of the ex-girlfriends. Even some weird sex things that she can’t ever un-hear. She learns that Link wants to pursue med school, possibly move out to the city.

Link learns that Amelia wants to follow in her older siblings’ footsteps. He learns that she loves science and wants to become a surgeon, and Link swears to her that he had always known that about her.

Amelia tells him about the relationships she’s been through. And the one she’s currently in.

“You’ll get to meet him this weekend, Link. He’s driving in tomorrow. For dinner.”

Link swallows, hard. Because suddenly things don’t feel so much like nostalgia and a happy, familiar place. Things feel uncertain.

“How long have you two been together?” He asks, feeling a tad out of place.

“We met my freshman year. We’ve been dating on and off since then.”

“On and off?” Link questions.

Amelia clears her throat. “Well, yeah.” She sighs. “We’ve broken up more than once. And gotten back together a couple of times…It’s um…” She pauses, collecting her thoughts. “It’s been, um, I mean I wouldn’t say a roller coaster, but…”

Link watches Amelia’s face fall with her half-attempt at an explanation. For the second time tonight, Link realizes that Amelia looks different. And it’s not just the confidence or the mature face. It’s in her eyes. And Link thinks she looks sad. Despite the fact that she’s been laughing freely, the same way she always has. It doesn’t reach her eyes.

Link doesn’t want to pry. But he almost feels obligated to ask. Because this is his best friend. His favorite person of practically 13 years.

“Amelia, are you happy?”

She doesn’t look up from where her eyes are glued to the kitchen table. It feels like minutes have passed before Amelia stands up on wobbly feet and walks around to Link’s side of the table. She still doesn’t say anything, but all of a sudden she’s forcing her way into Link’s lap, legs dangling off the side of the chair and arms wrapping around his neck.

She looks exhausted, he notices, when he looks into her eyes. And then she finally opens her mouth.

“I had the biggest crush on you in high school. Probably since I was 9, if I’m being honest.” And she laughs a little bit under her breath.

She lays her head on his chest so he can no longer see her face. Link wraps his arms around her waist and places a comforting kiss to the top of her head.

“And I of course was head over heels for you, but you already knew that. Everyone did.” He whispers, tightening his grip on her just slightly, giving her a gentle squeeze.

She laughs into him, and Link can feel it on his neck. It’s a tired, breathless laugh.

“Let’s crash on the couch, yeah?” He offers. “Like old times?”

_______

It’s weird for Link the next night at dinner. To see Amelia snuggled into the embrace of another man. Not even 24 hours after she’d fallen asleep in his own arms.

Link cringes when he recites it in his head. The way he’d whispered ’I’ve always loved you, Ames. Always will’ before they drifted off.

And the way that she’d responded. ’I love you too, Link. You’re my best friend.’

Link is angry, he thinks.

_______

Link is 25 years old when he discovers that he’s destined to be a father.

When his fiancé of two years, Rachel, tells him she's pregnant, he almost falls to his knees. So overwhelmed with a feeling he can’t place. He hopes it’s that he’s overjoyed, not overwhelmed, or the least bit uncertain.

He would love nothing more than to be a father.

_______

Link feels numb, three months later, when Rachel loses the baby. Waking up in the middle of the night and discovering such a thing, rushing to the hospital, only to find out it’s too late. It was draining for the both of them.

And it takes a toll on their relationship.

Rachel is defeated. And grows more and more depressed.

She takes her anger out on Link, and he does the same with her.

They decide to take a break, and Rachel moves back in with her parents. She needs some time for herself. And Link doesn’t know if he feels relieved. But he feels something. Cause he knows he was supposed to be a father.

_______

Link is 28 years old when he discovers that Seattle is his true home.

He’s graduated medical school and landed an internship at a top hospital in the city. He’s been in Seattle for almost 2 months now, and he feels like he’s in the right place for the first time in a long time.

It’s a monday morning and he’s taking his regular train ride downtown when an all too familiar brunette steps into the subway car.

The car is kind of crowded, and she automatically makes her way to a less dense standing spot. She doesn’t see him, cause she’s not really looking around.

Link is frozen in his seat, unsure of what to do. He hasn’t seen her in almost 3 years. Since they met at a restaurant in their hometown on New Years Eve. He was with Rachel at the time and things were very different.

Link realizes the next stop is his and he almost debates staying on to take his chance with Amelia.

The doors open and Amelia is getting off. And this is his stop, too. He leaps out of his seat just in time for the doors to not close in on him as he exits the train.

And he's definitely moving a little too fast and with too much force, because as soon as he’s on the platform, he’s running right into his childhood best friend.

She looks more startled than ever. And he takes a second to catch his breath. “Long time no see, Shepherd.” He smiles.

And her face lights up like never before. Brighter than before the average walk to school. Brighter than the time she first visited him at college. Brighter than a Thanksgiving reunion. She’s pulling him into the tightest of hugs, laughing breathlessly into his ear.

“What the hell, Link? What the hell are you doing here?” She lets go of him and they’re making eye contact, smiles wide across both their faces. They both seem to need to catch their breath.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He jokes.

Amelia shakes from her daze. “I..I live here now. I start a new job today. Like now, actually.”

Link just shakes his head knowingly, trying to contain the smile that just won’t quit. He doesn’t have much to say.

He’s overjoyed.

_______

Link is 29 years old when he discovers that his 9 year old self was correct. He knows what a soulmate is, by definition.

He knows what a soulmate is when he takes Amelia out on their real first date and he doesn’t even kiss her goodbye, because the timing isn’t quite right.

He knows what a soulmate is when he watches Amelia become a brilliant neuro fellow. When he watches her work. And save lives. When he realizes that he’s loved her determination since the moment they first met.

He knows what a soulmate is when they have sex for the first time. And it's way better for the both of them than it ever was with anyone else. When they take it kind of slow, reveling in each moment. Because it doesn’t feel real. She doesn’t feel real. It’s understated and overwhelming and it drives Link insane.

Amelia had asked him to stay over after they’d gone out with some of their other co-workers after a successful surgery, and when the making out and cuddling pressed into something further, Link couldn’t deny her.

Link knows what a soulmate is that night. When she looks him in the eye and goes to remove her sweater. It’s all vulnerability and it leaves him awestruck. But this is his best friend, and his soulmate. So when he asks her if she’s sure, and she sighs with words of encouragement, he takes the opportunity to learn every inch of her skin.

Link knows what a soulmate is the next morning. When he wakes up with the sun shining harshly through the window. And he turns to Amelia, who’s still sleeping, and traces the lines and shadows on her back from the bright sun.

Link knows what a soulmate is that same morning when she finally wakes from her slumber, rolling over to face him and whispering ’let’s make pancakes.’

Link knows what a soulmate is when they move in together. In a tiny apartment in Seattle. And they paint the walls a different color in every room.

And despite their first fight, Link knows what a soulmate is. He meets Amelia’s nieces and nephews. And he makes a nonchalant comment about kids one day. And she panics. And doesn’t talk to him for three days.

Link knows what a soulmate is when he learns to compromise. Because she doesn’t always have the best track record with long term relationships. She’s nontraditional, and he understands that.

And she’s still his soulmate when they turn 30. They get a bigger house in the suburbs. Link calls it 'room to grow’ and Amelia rolls her eyes and calls it 'extra work space.’

When they’re 32, and they’re attending their co-worker’s amazingly beautiful wedding, and Amelia distractedly states that ’maybe I’ll marry you someday,’ Link knows what a soulmate is.

_______

Link is 34 years old when everything falls into place for the rest of his life.

He comes home and Amelia has cooked dinner, something she never does. (Unless this is secretly takeout food, that she’s organized neatly onto their own dinner plates).

The atmosphere is different and Amelia definitely has a nervous energy about her.

Later that night when they're practically asleep, and Amelia mumbles “by the way, I’m pregnant,” Link knows what a soulmate is.

At first he thinks she’s kidding, but when she assures him she’s not, Link is up and turning on the lights. Dancing around the room like an idiot. And Amelia is laughing. Head thrown back and everything, his favorite sight to see.

And he’s never felt so happy.

_______

They settle on a name the same day they find out it’s a boy.

“Aiden?”

“No.”

“Charlie?”

“No.”

“Sam?”

“No.”

“Link, come on. Why do you hate every single name that I like?”

“It has to feel right, Amelia. We’ll know when it’s the right one.”

“Ugh. Okay. How about you come up with one?”

Link purses his lips. “How about Scout?”

“Scout…” Amelia repeats. “That’s a funny name.”

“It is,” Link smiles.

“You have a funny name,” Amelia continues, smirking.

“Scout,” Link repeats. “It’s perfect.”

Feedback please/let me know if you want me to write more amelink/send prompts!!

[thewayshedreamed]

This Time— Epilogue

A/N: Finally— the epilogue for This Time is here! I think I struggled to finish/ post this because it meant this little au was truly over, and I enjoyed writing it so much. Thank y’all again for every reblog, kind comment, and like y’all have left as you followed the story. I’ve loved every second of it!

Also, feel free to send me prompts set in this au if the inspiration hits! I’ll always love revisiting these two dummies 💕

Fic masterlist is linked below in case you need to catch up before reading the epilogue!

This Time masterlist

acotar masterlist

——————————————————————————

Nesta awoke to the feeling of calloused hands running down her back and a heavy weight draped across her hips. She raised her head to locate the offender, her eyes trailing over a long, tan thigh, some unmentionables, a firm stomach, broad chest, and landing on a pair of bright hazel eyes.

“Would you get off of me? You’re massive,” she ground out.

He was seated across her backside, running his hands down her back in broad strokes. He paused at her lower back and repeated the motion in reverse. Once his hands made their way back to her neck, he sprawled them across her shoulders and onto the bed, as he leaned over onto his elbows to hold his weight.

“Apologies, milady,” he joked, nipping the top of her ear playfully. “I guess I’ll go.”

He started to roll away from her, but her hand reached back to grasp his cheek to stop him. She pulled his face toward her own, raising her head to graze her lips over his as she spoke.

“No. I miss you,” she breathed against his mouth.

He smiled through their kiss as his hand shifted back down her body, lifting her hips slightly. Her breath hitched as he slid into her, his mouth claiming hers as he moved. Her fingers found their way into his hair, and he grunted into her mouth as she tugged the strands. His pace increased, the only sounds in the room being the crumpling of the sheets, their bodies moving together, and the small cries Nesta emitted with each thrust. He broke the kiss to rest his forehead on the back of her own head as they finished together, whispering each others’ names as they rode out their pleasure.

He rolled onto his side next to her, and she turned to tuck her face into the center of his chest. She took a deep breath, basking in the comfort of his scent and his arms around her.

“I think I could stay right here forever,” she mused.

——————————————————————————

12 years later

——————————————————————————

Unsure of what provoked such specific thoughts of her and Cassian’s fervid affair, Nesta shook her head to snap back into the present. Her daughter’s loud squeal caught her attention, and she let out a long chuckle as she watched her run through a small flock of birds that had landed in their yard. She had her arms thrust out to her sides, trying to blend in as a member, and she flapped them in earnest as she approached.

Nesta found herself envious of her 4-year-old’s free spirit sometimes, knowing she didn’t have it in her on a molecular level. Ironically, the young girl was Nesta’s carbon copy in appearance. Her heart caught anytime Annie looked at her with eyes identical to her own, yet with an entirely different soul beneath.

“She’s such a busy body,” her son remarked, the fondness in his eyes for his sister negating his tone. He was seated in the wooden chair next to Nesta, book rested in his lap, as he watched his younger sibling run through the flock. He wore an expression far beyond his meager 10 years.

Nesta huffed a laugh at his comment, noting the amount of herself she heard in his voice. While her daughter was everything Nesta was not, her son was so much like her that it could be scary at times.

“That’s just how she’s made, love. Let her live,” she replied, with an air of mock defensiveness for her daughter.

“I am!” he insisted. “It just seems like she would be... I dunno. Tired, sometimes.”

Nesta laughed openly at that, understanding his perspective more than she could explain to him.

“I get it. She’s just different from you and me, you know? Your Uncle Azriel once told me that people like me and you need people like your sister. She keeps life interesting,” she mused, a soft smile of adoration plastered across her face for her daughter.

“Aunt Elain says Uncle Az is a know-it-all,” he snarked.

She snorted another laugh, but before she could respond, the subject of their conversation rounded the corner of the porch.

“Sounds like I need to have a talk with your Aunt Elain,” he joked, messing up his hair playfully.

“Unc,” he scowled, “stop it.” Despite his frustrations, he stood and hugged Azriel, still young enough to idolize everything about his uncle.

“Can I help with anything, Nes?” Azriel asked from over his nephew’s head.

Elain walked up behind him, both of their daughters in tow.

“ABIDUS,” their youngest, Cosette, squealed from Elain’s arms. The two-year-old was still working on “Atticus”, and Nesta had to admit it was a mouthful.

Nesta beamed proudly as her son released his uncle, turning his affections to the toddler immediately. A smile made its way to his face, and he extended his hands in invitation. She leaned forward enthusiastically, no doubt in her young mind that her older cousin would catch her every single time. She squeezed tightly around his neck as he started to walk down the steps to meet Annie in the yard.

“Coming, Cath?” he called over his shoulder to the older of his cousins.

Catherine had her arm around Elain’s lower back, her face tucked into her mother’s waist. She was tall for her tender age of 8, taking after her father. At the mention of her name, her hazel eyes peeked around Elain and brightened at the sight of her sister and cousins all greeting each other.

“Yep,” she replied shyly, as she walked down the porch steps.

“She just woke up from a nap in the backseat,” Elain explained. “She’s still waking up, I think.”

“No need to explain,” Nesta insisted as she wrapped her sister in a tight hug. “Especially to me.”

She felt comforted by her sister’s tight squeeze and held her just a few seconds longer than usual. It had been a while since they could all get together, and she’d missed her sisters greatly.

She turned her attentions to Azriel, wrapping him in a tight hug around his middle just as Atticus had done moments ago. He returned the gesture, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“You never answered me, you know. Can I do anything?”

“No,” she responded as she pulled away from him, “enjoy our kids, I guess. Everything is almost done inside, so we’re just waiting on everyone else to join us.”

“Oh,” Elain interjected, “I just talked to Feyre as we were pulling up. Her and Rhys are wrangling their small circus and heading this way shortly.”

The sisters shared a low, fond chuckle at the thought of the chaos their youngest sister was mediating at the moment. There was a time where Nesta and Elain had gaped at Feyre when she mentioned she and Rhys wanting four kids, but now, it was hard to imagine their family any other way.

“Seriously, go have fun with the kids,” she ordered. “I’m going to check on the food, and I’ll bring out a bottle of wine to share until the rest of the crew shows up.”

“Where is your husband, anyway?” Azriel inquired.

“He’ll be here soon— got tied up,” she assured him, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what was keeping him.

She turned toward the door to slip back inside. Truth be told, Nesta needed a minute with her thoughts. Her memories from only minutes ago were clanging through her brain, and she needed a few minutes to get her head on straight. She could hardly host a family dinner with thoughts of her and Cassian’s early days swimming around in her head; specifically, between the sheets.

Their relationship had been everything they’d expected and more. That’s not to say there weren’t struggles here and there, but they managed to work through things as a team as they had in their years as best friends. They had dated for for a little over a year until Cassian had decided he wasn’t “satisfied” by the state of their relationship anymore, the statement still causing an ache in her chest all these years later.

Her thoughts were promptly replaced by checking on the meal she was preparing for her family. Everything was looking as it should, so she turned her attention to the glassware collection to grab wine glasses for the adults. She selected a white and a red, grabbed a corkscrew, and balanced her haul in two arms as she made her way outside.

There was an intense game of “Red Rover” occurring among the group, poor Azriel getting left out every time. None of them dared to call him over, knowing he would be able to run through their grip effortlessly. He looked totally unbothered, content to watch their family play together no matter what that meant for him.

Unwilling to disrupt them so soon, Nesta rested the wine bottles on the porch railing with the glasses next to them. She sat down in the wooden chair she occupied earlier, watching them play as an SUV pulled into the driveway. Her husband climbed out, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up just below the elbows and tie abandoned entirely in favor of an open neckline.

“DADDY,” Annie yelled, breaking into a full run toward the man getting out of the vehicle. She showed no regard for his slacks or polished shoes as she barreled into him, near-climbing up his legs in an attempt to reach his upper body for a hug. He lifted her easily, pulling her into his chest and kissing her hair.

“Hey, Spitfire,” he said. “Looks like you’re having a good time out here.”

“We are!” Annie yelled. “Come play with us! Unc’s not gettin’ to play a whole lot.”

He laughed, setting her down to rejoin the others. “I’d love to. Let me check in with momma and change clothes, yeah?”

“K!” She ran off, no harm done by the delay in his joining them.

He made his way over to Nesta, taking the porch steps two at a time. She rose to meet him, and he placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Hey, love,” he murmured.

“Hi,” she breathed. “Dinner’s done. And there’s wine if you want some.”

“Thanks. I’m sorry I’m late. I should have called, but I got caught in mediation longer than I expected. The good thing is, we’ve settled out of court, so that lightens my load for a little while.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” she assured him.

“Something wrong? You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, Nes.” He reached out to run his hands over her shoulders.

“Just thinking is all.” His brows scrunched at her words. “No big deal; just some nostalgia really. Go get changed. Annie is counting down the seconds,” she laughed.

“As long as you promise you’re okay.”

“I am. I swear.”

It wasn’t a total lie. In the purest sense, she was fine. She had half of her family with her, the other half joining them any minute now. The only problems were the incessant day dreaming and the intense emotions accompanying them.

“Come on,” he urged her, lacing his fingers with hers. “I’ll change, and you talk.”

He didn’t believe her. She supposed years of marriage counted for something, but she fought the bristling of her defenses all the same. She wanted to be alone to work through her emotions, but it appeared she wouldn’t be blessed with that today.

They walked in silence, him guiding her hand in hand to their bedroom. He prompted her to sit at the foot of their bed while he started to undress, his body angled sideways to allow him to look toward her and place what he needed to on their dresser simultaneously. He pulled his keys and wallet from his pockets, placed them in the small dish, and patted around his pockets for his phone. He placed that face down on the corner and turned his attention to the remaining buttons of his shirt.

He kept his gaze forward as he spoke, and she knew he was trying not to seem as though he was interrogating her.

“What’s on your mind?” His voice was a near whisper.

“I mean.. I don’t know exactly. I’m just especially emotional today. I’ve been replaying memories from my past all day, and I can’t shake it. But it’s nothing you should worry about.” Her voice was quiet but sure.

“Of course I’m worried about it— worried about you. I can almost hear you thinking. I hope you know I’m here if you need anything is all.”

She could tell he was restraining himself, his annoyance peeking through in small ways like how he oriented his body fully toward the dresser now. The room was tense around them, but she knew there was nothing she could say that would relieve his worries without giving him a snapshot into her headspace. He would never demand it of her if she felt adamantly against it, but she had learned in their time together that he worried a little less when she shared a glimpse with him.

“One thing I’ve played and replayed in my head was the day you proposed,” she shared quietly.

His shoulders tensed but relaxed immediately, almost as if he had expected something terrible and been spared.

“Yeah?”

She bit her lip, weirdly shy about sharing the moment entirely from her perspective.

—

He is picking her up from her apartment for date night, telling her it’s a surprise. He helps her into his truck and drives for what seems like forever. They finally pull off the road into what looks like nothing but dense forest with a small, dirt road leading to nowhere. He keeps driving, suddenly making his way into a clearing. Nesta blinks against the dark several times and realizes it’s not only a clearing; it’s a small cliff overlooking the city. From here, they can marvel at the beauty of their city and the stars alike, and Nesta thinks it may be the most beautiful place she’s ever visited.

He gets out of his truck and urges her to stay until he has everything settled. She hears the tailgate open, followed by rummaging sounds in the bed of his truck. His feet hit the earth roughly, and she hears his footsteps kicking up gravel and foliage as he makes his way to her. Her door flies open, and he extends his hand to her.

“We’re having a picnic,” he announces proudly.

“A picnic? It’s dark!”

“I did think of that. I brought candles. Ye of little faith,” he teases.

She turns at the end of the bed of the truck, looking at what he has set up. The bed has blankets laid all over, extras thrown around for them to snuggle into if they want to. There are pillows haphazardly stacked toward the cab of the truck and a small ice chest in the center. He grips her waist, lifting her to sit on the tailgate, and turns to lift himself to sit next to her.

“All these pillows and blankets, and you want to sit here?” she jokes.

He is leaning on his palms, shoulders high and tense as she talks. He clears his throat.

“Um. Yeah. I guess I didn’t think that through. I probably should have talked to you first now that I think about it.”

—

“You realize I was there, right? Are you really going to put me through this cringe-worthy proposal all over again?” There was humor in his voice, and she felt like she could breathe again.

“You asked! If I have to think about it, you’re coming down with me!”

—

“What does that mean?” Her heart is racing now, and she feels the blood leaving her hands and feet.

He clears his throat a second time, a clear indication of his nerves. “I guess I should just come out with it. As you know, we’ve been together a while now, and it’s been great.”

“Still waiting on you to come out with it,” she mutters.

“Sorry— I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think I’m satisfied with where we are anymore.”

All of the blood is draining from Nesta’s face, and she thinks she may vomit. Was this really happening to her? This is why she doesn’t trust people, why she doesn’t let people in, why she doesn’t let people see her—

“It’s not enough for me,” he continues. She can’t bear to hear anymore, and she’s opening her mouth before she can think better of it.

“What the fuck? Did you really bring me all the way out here, to only the gods know where, to break up with me? What is wrong with you? Who does that?” she fumes. “Take me home.”

“What?” he scrambles, “Nes, I’m not breaking up with you.” He hops down from where he’s sitting to stand in front of her, his hands coming up to cup her face. “Gods, I’m fucking this up.”

“You are on borrowed time. Whatever it is you’re doing, you need to do it,” she orders, head still spinning.

“Marry me,” he states simply, as if it’s the most reasonable request in the world.

She blinks up at him, unsure of what she’s heard.

“I’ve never known love like I’ve known it with you. You have been the greatest joy of my life, and all I want is to continue trying to make you happy. To wake up next to you everyday. To have a family together. To be partners in this life. Nesta Archeron, will you marry me?” Tears are brimming on his lower eyelids, and she remembers she has to speak.

She nods vigorously, unable to say it out loud initially. “Yes,” she finally whispers, tears streaming down her face. This isn’t the way she thought this was going, but she’s so happy this is where it ended up.

“Yeah?” he asks excitedly. His smile is breathtaking.

“Yeah,” she assures him and pulls his face to hers.

—

He slid out of his button down and pulled his undershirt off, busying himself to try to hide the blush across his cheeks.

“All things considered, it wasn’t so bad. It all worked out,” she teased. Her heart was already lighter by talking to him, and all she had done was share her thoughts aloud.

“I fucked that up royally, and you know it. I don’t know why we can’t just let it go,” he said through a laugh.

“Never,” she insisted, reveling in his discomfort. “Actually, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll never mention this proposal story again if, and only if, you retire it. You know exactly what I mean, too, so don’t play dumb.”

He whirled around, eyes huge as he assessed her. She took in his bare torso, as devastating as ever, and found herself growing warmer under his attention.

“I’m up here, wife. And no. No deal,” he said adamantly.

“Come ON,” she lamented, “Archeron isn’t even my last name anymore! It’s way past time to let it go.”

“Sorry, Archie. You know I’ll take it to the grave with me. I don’t make the rules,” he said, as he pulled a grey tee over his head, the color accentuating the very small strip of greys against an onyx backdrop.

The only time his grey hair was visible was when he had his strands pulled back, and in the unfair way of the universe, the only grey he’d started to show was that one strip at his temple. Every other strand had remained as black as ever, almost as if he’d placed it there artificially. He was aging like fine wine, indeed.

“What do you mean, you don’t make the rules? You quite literally do,” she demanded, doing her best to ignore her disrobing husband.

He pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and lowered himself to the carpet in front of her. He situated himself between her legs and wrapped his long arms tightly around her middle, resting his head on her chest.

“I missed you today,” he deflected.

She hummed her agreement as she loosed his hair and ran her fingers through. They sat in silence for a couple of seconds before he spoke again, his voice muffled.

“You are especially nostalgic today, sweetheart. The last time you got this sappy on me was when...” his voice trailed off as his entire body went rigid. He looked up at her, eyes full of questions.

“When I was pregnant with Atticus. And again with Annie,” she finished casually, fingers never stopping their ministrations.

“Are you serious?” His voice was equal parts excited and terrified, a feeling Nesta had been experiencing since taking the test that morning.

All she managed was a nod as tears started to roll down her face.

His hands were instantly on her face, similar to all those years ago on the tailgate of his truck, where he stood between her legs and cradled her face as he asked her to be his wife.

“We’re having another baby,” he stated fondly, then, “We were supposed to be done.”

She laughed through her tears, wiping away the few running freely down his face now.

“We were, but it looks like we’re not,” she replied. “Are you happy?”

He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply and with something near reverence. “Couldn’t be happier. Can we tell our family now?”

“Of course, Cass. But I’m the one who announced it last time.”

She pressed another kiss to his lips as they stood together.

“This time, it’s on you.”

——————————————————————————

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[meg91596]

Love and Family Chapter 1

It was an early morning Amelia was woken up by Bailey which is typical living in Meredith, and Derek’s house. He loved coming in to get Auntie up but she wasn’t a fan. Christopher was always with Bailey as well. But this particular morning Amelia had her boyfriend in her bed with her. Atticus was still asleep but the boys were jumping on the bed. Amelia tried to keep the boys off of him but it was difficult. She had a hard time imagining what Chris was going to be like when his baby sibling is born. Honestly she had thought about getting a new home for Chris, Atticus, the baby, and herself so that she was not living with Derek, Meredith, Zola, Bailey, Ellis, and Maggie who had come to live with them as well.

“Amelia I have a double shift do you think you can take the kids tonight?” Asked Derek. “Um well I can’t because I am house hunting for myself it’s time how long do you expect Bailey and Chris to stay friendly with each other.” Amelia responded. “I got it Amelia, Derek why are you asking your sister she’s got her own child, and a baby on the way and Chris is a energetic 7 year old boy.” Meredith said. “Sorry but I just thought that she would like to spend time with the kids after all they love her.” Derek said. “Derek it’s fine I still live here but I need to move so that the baby has room and Link can move in with me. It’s not easy to be a single parent, and yet I’m doing it with Chris I just don’t know how I can handle it with another baby.” Amelia said.

Amelia then got Chris in his carseat to drive him to school. She knew that he was excited about the baby and his possible dad as Chris called Link. Chris wasn’t a big fan of his step father Owen because he wasn’t cool or even fun. He couldn’t understand how Leo, and Allison even became his family considering he was in the process of adopting Leo when Amelia left him, and Teddy was expecting Allison. Amelia never knew that her one night stand with Link would lead to a lifetime of commitment. He loves Chris, and he loves Amelia he also can’t wait to be a father to Amelia’s baby. She knows that it is possible that he’s not the father but she also knows that Owen isn’t ever going to be the father because she was in love with Link that’s why she never told him.

“Good Morning Ms. Shepherd can I speak with you alone without Christopher for a moment.” The teacher asked. “Sure what has he done to get into trouble?” Amelia asked. “Well as you know we have career day soon and Chris has been talking about his Amazing mom, and his amazing dad and wants them to come for career day.” The teacher said. “Oh that’s good but I don’t know who he’s talking about for his father because his father died before he was born.” Amelia said. “He says it’s his baby’s dad Mr. Lincoln.” The teacher continued. “Oh yes my good friend who lives with us, when is career day anyways.” Amelia responded. “April 5th is career day.” The teacher said. “Oh I don’t know if I’ll be able to attend or if Chris will be in school then because that’s when the baby is supposed to come.” Amelia said “Well it’s a week away so that gives you time to think about it.” The teacher said.

Amelia knew that she had wanted to do Career day but didn’t know if the baby would be here at that time because she has been having awful Braxton Hicks contractions lately. But she just knew that she wasn’t ready for the child. Although she was devastated when she found out that Christopher had a defect because of the drugs that she took but nothing like what she had thought or what Addison, or Jake though. He was diagnosed with what they thought was a child with a brain that was not formed/ when he was born Amelia was surprised that the baby boy who she thought was going to die was going to live but have some neurological deficits. When she got to work she told Link how Chris wanted him to come to Career day with her just as that happened she went into labor with the baby.

“Link please I don’t know what to do we don’t have a name for the baby either.” Amelia said. “There you are sis I have been paging you for awhile trying to get you to assist me on a cool case.” Derek said. “Well um Derek, that’s not happening because your nephew is coming.” Amelia said. “Oh okay so you won’t be home tonight then at all do you want Meredith or Maggie to pick up Chris to taken him here or take him home?” Derek asked. “I can go get him don’t worry.” Link said. “But aren’t you going to be with me?” Amelia asked. “Yes but I’m going to get him I know you just brought him to school but he should be here with us with the start of our family.” Link said. “That sounds like a plan because that is better than what I though.” Amelia said.

Shortly after Chris came with Link Amelia welcomed a little boy that Link and Amelia named Scout Eric Shepherd Lincoln. Shortly after his birth Link put the tiny infant in a onesie the same onesie that Chris helped pick out. The shirt said will you marry my daddy? Chris picked it out because he has been calling Link Dad for months not knowing if he would ever be his dad. Amelia looked down at the infant’s onesie and said yes she would marry him because Chris was right that Link was going to be his father. They were happy together and they couldn’t imagine what their live would be like without Chris or Scout. Later that night Derek, and Meredith came to see the infant and they fell in love with him so much that Meredith and Derek wanted to have another baby. Ellis is 3 ½ so it would be the right timing. They were all a big happy family and Scout is loved by everyone especially his big brother Christopher.

A/N: Here is an AU Derek, and Christopher are still alive. Normally don’t write AU’s but I wanted to write something new for all of you to enjoy. Also Lexie, and Mark are also going to be in this story as well

[chaos-weekly]

code breaker

Indy wasn’t planning on answering Zion’s call, but it was too strange that he was calling at 12:30am the night Dante died. Unless he knew Dante (which was unlikely), something was up and she was going to find out what it was. 

When she answered, there were no pleasantries, just: “Indy, thank God you’re up. Grab your laptop and get to Jimmy’s now.” She didn’t bother questioning it or asking for more information, she just said she’d be there soon and went inside to grab her things. 

She arrived at the bar minutes later, backpack slung over her shoulder and eyes only slightly red. The open sign was off, but she could see Zion and some tall biker guy behind the bar, each pouring themselves another drink. Indigo took a deep breath before entering to compose herself. It was okay to be sad, but if this was about the weird circumstances surrounding Dante’s death, and she hoped it was, then she needed to pull herself together to fully function. 

“Hey,” she said as she entered the bar, using a voice that was more confident than she felt. 

“That was fast,” Zion said, surprised. “I was expecting you to be a little longer.”

“Yeah, well, the streets are empty.”

“Right.”

There was a bit of awkward silence. Zion didn’t seem to want to broach the actual topic of why he’d called her, but his companion didn’t seem to be in any hurry to talk. But she needed someone to talk and fast. Otherwise, she’d start to think about how Dante spent a lot of time here and how he’d never walk through the doors again. 

Again, she was pathetic.

“Look, this is going to sound crazy, but Dante left this note and we think you’re the one who’s supposed to decode it,” Zion said. He handed her a little sheet of paper, a note addressed to someone named Thorn, and she unfolded it. There was a reference about To Kill A Mockingbird at the top of the note followed by a sequence of binary. Indy swallowed. It was written in Dante’s almost illegible handwriting. It was definitely a note, and when she took a second to read the part in English, a frown spread deep across her lips.

“It’s an insurance policy,” she muttered, slipping off her backpack and putting it on top of the bar. She looked up at the two men in front of her, eyes scanning their faces and focusing in on the unfamiliar one. “You’re Thorn?” He nodded in response. It was the dumbest name she’d ever heard. 

“Figures.” Thorn looked as if this comment was new to him. “I can decode this, but so can anyone else. It’s literally just binary. Ones and zeroes. There are translators online.”

“But you’ll do it?” Thorn asked, surprising Indigo. His voice was just as gruff as she imagined it would be. 

“Yeah, but I’ve got to make a phone call first. I hope y’all have room for one more.”

“Who?” Thorn asked, immediately on edge.

“Dante’s sister,” Indy fired back. 

“We have room,” Zion said, eager to ease tensions. “And Indy… I’m really sorry about Dante.”

She gave a nod, swallowed, and stepped outside. 

Micah didn’t deserve to be roped into this disaster. No, she should have been sitting on the sidelines, allowed to just experience her grief and pain in solitude without the knowledge that her brother was planning on being murdered. But Dante was pulling her in from beyond the grave. He wanted her to know whatever was in this insurance policy. Indy felt like she owed it to him to at least give him that.

She called Micah five times before she picked up, and when her friend answered, the line was silent.

“Mikey?” Indy asked quietly, waiting for some indication of life.

“Indy,” Micah said, her voice shaky and quiet. “You heard?”

“I was at the festival.” There was a moment of silence, and Indigo fought back tears. “I’m so sorry, Micah. I’m so sorry.” She could hear Micah crying on the other end. It broke her heart into two. She couldn’t imagine losing a sibling, much less two. Micah was stronger than she’d ever be.

“Mikey, he left a note. It’s some kind of insurance policy. And he called you Atticus. He wants you to avenge him.” There was silence on the other end.

“What?” Micah asked. “An insurance policy? Why would Dante need insurance?” Indigo sighed.

“He told me a few months ago that he was involved in shady stuff and that he wanted to skip town. And he called me Thursday saying he was finally going to do it and that he wanted to see me one more time before he disappeared.”

“What?”

“It’s a lot, Micah. But look, I’m at Jimmy’s with some biker guy named Thorn and another friend. The rest of the note is in binary, and they want me to decode it. I’m going to hang out here until you come. You should be there when I get it.”

“Yeah,” Micah said, a rustling sound from the other line indicating movement. “Yeah, I’m on my way now. See you soon.”

The call ended and Indy headed back inside. She took a seat at the bar, and someone had made her a glass of water with a little lemon perched perfectly on the edge. 

“This is very pretty, Zion,” Indy said, opening her laptop up and pulling out a binary translator. 

“It was Thorn, actually,” he replied, nodding at the other man. Thorn was leaning against the back of the bar, arms crossed. His eyes were focused intently on her, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re freaking me out, dude,” Indy told him. He simply grunted and looked away. He was like a caveman. 

Indy typed the binary from Dante’s note into a translator and clicked translate. It took a second to load, but when it did, the translation made no sense. She frowned, and Zion moved from behind the bar to look at her screen. 

“I thought you said it was a simple binary code,” he said, flustered. “Did he mess up?”

“No, Dante’s too smart to mess up,” Indigo muttered, staring at the note intently. “There’s some kind of code in the letters that came from the binary.”

“So you can’t get it,” Zion groaned. Indy looked up at him with a confident smirk.

“I never said that.”

“How long is it going to take?” Thorn asked. He’d moved from his position of being as far away from her as possible to leaning against the bar in front of her. And he was staring again.

“Considering I’ve never done this before, I’d put on some coffee,” she replied dryly. “You have beautiful eyes, by the way.” Thorn scowled, she raised her eyebrows as if daring him to reply, and he headed back towards the kitchen. 

The sound of the door opening made the two remaining in the room jump, but it was just Micah. She looked about as put together as Indy felt-- trying her hardest not to cry and having to settle for a perpetually quivering lip. Indy slipped off her barstool and made her way over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her as she sobbed into her sweatshirt. Thorn was already back with a pot of coffee by the time Micah pulled away, wiping her nose and eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie.

“Come sit next to me,” Indigo said softly. “I could use a friend who knows how to utilize the English language properly. Zion is freaked out and talking too quickly, and Thorn only responds with grunts.” This made Micah giggle, and she took the seat next to Indy’s at the bar. “Here’s the note. I thought you might want to read it.” Micah nodded and slipped from her chair to read the note in a booth on her own. Indy tried not to pay attention to the sobs and stared at her computer screen, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zion bringing her a cup of coffee. 

This was a challenging code. The most obvious key shifts hadn’t worked, and now she was having to think a little more creatively, which was hard to do with Thorn continually staring at her.

“Do you want to watch?” Indy finally asked. “If not, you’ve got to stop staring at me. Just because I can type fast doesn’t mean I’m some kind of superhuman.” He gave a shrug, as if he thought she might be an alien regardless, but moved around the bar and took a seat next to her. It was apparent that he had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t expect him to. It felt like a small child was watching her work and it was somewhat endearing. 

“I don’t get computer stuff,” Thorn muttered, shaking his head.

“You don’t have to,” Indigo replied. “It’s not for everyone.” But she talked to him while she kept working, making small comments about why she was doing what she was doing or how she got to be such a fast typer. There wasn’t as much pressure to decode this message while explaining things to him. It just reminded her that if Dante could write this code with his limited knowledge, she could crack it with her wealth of knowledge.

Limited knowledge.

“I’m thinking too complex,” she said softly, her fingers hovering over the keys as she paused her typing. “Dante doesn’t know a thing about this crap.”

“Yeah. I’ve never heard him talk about letter code before.”

“Maybe the shift is actually in the binary,” Indy mused. “You’re not supposed to shift binary, but Dante wouldn’t know that. Or maybe he would and knew no one else would think about it.” She plugged in her binary to a program and applied a shift. 

The paragraph that appeared in front of her was in coherent English. Dante was a genius, just like she always knew he was.

“Micah, Zion,” she said, scanning the message. “You’re going to want to see this.” Micah practically ran over and Zion followed close behind. The four of them crowded around her screen to read the note:

Micah, Indy, and Thorn: The Salemsville Police are corrupt, and they’re the ones who killed me. They want to wipe out the biker gang entirely. I have the dirt on them you’ll need to take them down. It’s hidden all over town. The info is on a flashdrive in my apartment. Find it.

There was a long silence. Indigo wasn’t sure how to process this. She was a full-time college student with two hard majors and a million other things to do, and he wanted her to go on a treasure hunt that would lead to them dismantling the entire police force? It seemed insane. But she trusted Dante, and judging by the look of mild panic on Micah’s face and the one of stoney determination on Thorn’s, they did too.

“My name isn’t on the note, but you can count me in anyway,” Zion said, ending the silence. “I didn’t know Dante, but I’ll do it for Jimmy and Eden.”

So Jimmy, the president of the biker club, and Eden, Zion’s older sister and Sheriff Magnus’s wife, were having an affair after all. It made sense. 

The three others just nodded, and it was decided then and there: they were going to find that information and make sure the Salemsville Police Department paid for what they did to Dante.

[orderfromchaos-roleplay]

PLOT DROP : RIDDLE’S CURSE

May 26th, 1980. It’s a monumental year. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is celebrating it’s 990th anniversary, and all the stops have been pulled out for this special occasion. All of Hogsmeade is decked out, bringing in extra business as the village fills with Hogwarts alumni and excited families of the new graduates. Some of the shops put up little tallies of the houses of their employees, trying to see who holds the record for most Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins. Honeyduke’s is selling sweets shaped like the Hogwarts crest, the Three Broomsticks has drinks based on each of the Hogwarts houses, scarves, hats, and badges are all on sale to celebrate.

Up at the school, graduation is a spectacle like none they’ve ever seen before. Hogwarts has been opened to the public, for graduates and nostalgic alumni to come and wander through the halls once again. It’s not just families, but any and everyone. Curious graduates of other wizarding schools come as well, checking out what Hogwarts looked like and how it sized up to the other international schools. The Great Hall is filled with people, food, and drinks, the ceiling bright with sunshine. It’s a picture perfect day.

It’s not just family of the soon-to-be graduates that are there— even the siblings and families of professors are there. Alumni looking to reconnect with old mentors get the surprise of seeing the life behind the curtain, and who their professors are outside the walls of Hogwarts. It’s a humanizing and incredible experience, one that only brings everyone closer together.

Even the Minister is in attendance. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see him, but his presence stirs up a lot of whispers and talk. He’s been absent in the public eye for weeks, and no one was expecting to see him. But he and his wife are both there to attend the celebrations, and to witness the graduation of Anna Minchum, their daughter.

Graduation itself is a fairly mundane affair, but it comes with an exciting announcement for everyone. Jane Hallbridge, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for this past school year, has agreed to remain on for another year. The curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seems to have finally broken, and the announcement is met with great excitement. Things are finally turning up, and everyone is eager for this new and encouraging development at the place so many of them called home for seven years.

When the celebrations are done, new graduates and alumni return once again to the school for celebration. Hogwarts is open for a full day, and this is the last chance for many to step foot in Hogwarts again. Nostalgia and happiness are running high, and the Great Hall is filled with the sound of laughter. Children of old graduates and younger siblings run through the halls, eager and squealing with laughter. It’s the brightest day people have had in a long time. It’s easier to go back to a time when things were simpler, even if it’s only for a moment, even if it’s only for a day.

The clouds in the sky start to darken, and the rumblings are initially mistaken for thunder. The first few drops of rain have many running inside. The entry hall and the Great Hall are flooded with people, but no one is worried, no one is bothered. They’re just happy to be out of the rain, and happy to be here. The whole castle seems to rumble with thunder again. But no one is worried. Why would they be worried? It’s just rain, it will pass.

A crack rings through the air, and pandemonium breaks out. The high ceilings of the Great Hall open wide, and the stone that’s held for nine-hundred and ninety years crumbles. People scream, running to avoid the falling debris and pushing each other to get out of the way. The whole castle seems to shake, and out in the entryway, the chandeliers hanging crash to the ground. It’s complete chaos, and desperate and scared people flee out into the rain. No one knows what’s happening, no one knows where their loved ones are. All they can see is the rain and the dust, hundreds of strangers jostling around them, screaming for their loved ones. For some, that’s the last time they see their friends. For others, the falling ceilings of the Great Hall are the last thing they see.

It’s not over when it’s all over. The rumbling and the chaos stops, but there’s work to be done, and lots of it. Aurors force people to get back as they begin digging through the debris for survivors. The horrors they witness are some of the worse they’ve ever seen. People jostling outside of the castle don’t even notice the rain, don’t even care. All that matters is that they find their loved ones again, know that they’re safe and alive. Mediwizards, healers, and DMLE employees all rush to get those who need serious medical care to St. Mungo’s.

It takes hours to clear the debris, and it’s well into May 27th when the official death toll is finally set at one hundred and seventy-nine. All things considered, the number is small for the amount of chaos the incident has brought. The number of injured far outweighs the number dead, and St. Mungo’s doesn’t have the room to take care of so many people. Wards not usually meant for injuries of the type are filled with victims of the incident, and even then, there are hallways lined with people waiting for medical attention. Volunteers, trainees, and healers are all on twenty-four hour work loads, trying to tend to everyone they can as quickly as they can.

But at Hogwarts, the damage has been done. One hundred seventy-nine dead. Students, alumni, graduates, and family members fill the numbers. Among them are Anna Minchum, Professor Jane Hallbridge, Hyperia Kelstock, the Divination professor, Robert McGonagall and his two sons, Joshua and Martin, and Basil Aldertree. The silence that falls on the wizarding world is deafening. There is no one to blame, there is no cause or side that takes responsibility for what happened. There’s nothing that can fix this. And there’s nothing to say. The school that was home to so many closes its doors. And no one is sure if they’ll ever open them again.

Under the cut you will find descriptions of where each character is and what they are doing before and during the incident. While no new threads may take place during the incident, you may write drabbles that do, and all starters take place after the incident. If you have any questions about this, feel free to message us, and we will be more than happy to help you out and clear things up for you!

Please include “riddle’s curse” in the title of all starters related to the event, and tag things related to this plot drop with the tag “ofc: riddle’s curse” so that others can find them.

VIOLA ROWLE, ATTICUS ROWLE, CLAUDIA OLLIVANDER, GARRICK OLLIVANDER, LAVINIA ROWLE, CASSANDRA BLACK, BARTY CROUCH JR., SEVERUS SNAPE

The celebrations are really more of a front for spending time together, but wandering around the halls is a surprisingly nostalgic experience. CLAUDIA, GARRICK, and LAVINIA all head up to see the Ravenclaw Tower. ATTICUS and VIOLA look around before going to the dungeon to see the Slytherin dormitory again. CASSANDRA and SEVERUS sneak down to the Slytherin common room on a bit of a tribute trip to remember Regulus, while BARTY heads up to the Hogwarts library to explore. When the Great Hall begins to collapse, LAVINIA, CLAUDIA, and GARRICK are returning back downstairs. They get stuck on a moving staircase, and remain there for an hour before they can finally get back down again. They hurry to find their friends and family, and LAVINIA searches the crowds for her brother. VIOLA and ATTICUS are still in the dungeons when the Great Hall begins to collapse, and the falling debris shakes the ceiling of the Slytherin dormitory. Fearing that the ceiling is going to collapse, they run for the exit before they’re forced to stop by more rumbling. They hide until the rumbling stops, and hurry back upstairs to find LAVINIA. CASSANDRA and SEVERUS rush out of the Slytherin dormitory as soon as the collapse starts, and try to find BARTY. BARTY searches for his friends, and the three are reunited in the entryway. SEVERUS searches the crowds for any sign of Lily Potter, but he can’t find her, and leaves CASSANDRA and BARTY to go look for her.

GALVIN GUDGEON, GLADYS GUDGEON, ANDROMEDA TONKS, TED TONKS, BILIUS WEASLEY

It’s not the castle that holds the most appeal, it’s the grounds of Hogwarts. TED and ANDROMEDA head down to the Great Lake, to the spot where TED first proposed, and spend the afternoon there until the rain begins. They hurry up towards the school to escape the downpour, but the collapse makes them stop. When it’s over, they spend the next several hours amidst the rubble trying to find and help people. GALVIN, GLADYS, and BILIUS all head down to examine the Quidditch pitch. When the collapse begins, GLADYS insists that they hang back. Reluctantly, they remain by the Quidditch pitch until it’s over. They finally run back up to the castle, and remain there waiting for their friends.

CATRINA GOYLE, BELLATRIX LESTRANGE, RABASTAN LESTRANGE, LUCIUS MALFOY, MARY MACDONALD

Going back to Hogwarts isn’t something that holds that much interest for them. CATRINA and BELLATRIX both go together, mostly out of amusement, while RABASTAN and MARY both briefly enter the school for a look around. LUCIUS attends mainly in case he’s needed, and accompanies the Minister around for a little while before splitting off. MARY leaves soon after she arrives, and returns to St. Mungo’s. RABASTAN rejoins BELLATRIX and CATRINA, and the three of them are about to leave when the Great Hall begins to collapse. CATRINA rushes home, while RABASTAN and BELLATRIX both go to investigate what’s happened. BELLATRIX is knocked over by the fleeing crowds, and RABASTAN retrieves her before the two of them rush away from the chaos. LUCIUS is in the entryway talking to a few curious Durmstrang alumni when the collapse begins, and he is struck by one of the falling chandeliers as he tries to reach the door. LUCIUS is taken to St. Mungo’s to be treated for a concussion and a few broken bones.

REMUS LUPIN, SIRIUS BLACK, PETER PETTIGREW, JAMES POTTER, LILY POTTER

Being back at Hogwarts brings with it fond memories of the best years spent within these halls, playing pranks and having fun. JAMES, REMUS, SIRIUS, PETER, and LILY all go up to the Gryffindor common room and look around, spending some time there before reluctantly heading back downstairs. SIRIUS cuts off from the group to say hello to Professor McGonagall, while the others continue to look around the castle. SIRIUS is in the Transfiguration classroom meeting McGonagall’s family when the Great Hall begins to collapse, and he runs to try and find the others. JAMES, LILY, PETER, and REMUS were waiting by the doors into the Great Hall for SIRIUS when the collapse starts, and they run to the stairs, where they are reunited with SIRIUS. The five of them run back upstairs, and remain in Gryffindor Tower until it’s all over before going to look for their friends.

MARGOT ABBOTT, GWENOG JONES, HESTIA JONES, AMELIA BONES, MAFALDA HOPKIRK

It’s an exciting day for everyone. MARGOT, GWENOG, and MAFALDA are all at Hogwarts to celebrate with their siblings, and after graduation, all of them head to the Great Hall to celebrate. HESTIA and AMELIA both wander the halls, and AMELIA goes to say hello to Professor Flitwick while HESTIA heads up to the Ravenclaw Tower. When the Great Hall begins to collapse, GWENOG, MARGOT, and MAFALDA all try to grab their families and run. MARGOT is trapped in the rubble, and remains there for two hours before she is finally found and taken to St. Mungo’s for her injuries. GWENOG gets her family over to one of the walls, and they remain there until they are rescued and taken to St. Mungo’s. MAFALDA manages to get out of the Great Hall, where she finds AMELIA and the two of them search for their family members. HESTIA rushes back downstairs and spends the next few hours looking for her cousins until she is reunited with them.

JOHN DAWLISH, EDGAR BONES

JOHN and EDGAR are two of the unfortunate Aurors stuck on security detail for the Minister, and accompany him and his family throughout the celebrations. They are in the Great Hall when the ceiling starts to collapse, and they grab the Minister and his family and try and run for the exit. They don’t make it far before they are trapped by debris. JOHN’s leg gets trapped under a piece of rock, and EDGAR tries to pull him free without success. They remain there for six hours until they are found, and JOHN is rushed to St. Mungo’s for severe injuries while EDGAR remains with the Minister until other Aurors take over for him, after which he goes to St. Mungo’s to be treated for a concussion.

ALICE LONGBOTTOM, ALASTOR MOODY

No one is especially thrilled about ALICE being at the castle, but she attends as a civilian rather than an on-duty Auror. ALASTOR is patrolling when she joins him, and the two of them are together when the ceiling collapses inside. ALASTOR demands to know where the Minister is, and panics when he finds out the Minister was inside the Great Hall, and orders ALICE to get people out onto the lawn and away from the castle while he runs inside. ALICE helps with crowd control, while ALASTOR helps with the search for survivors. They both remain at the castle through the night into the 27th. ALASTOR orders ALICE to go check on the injured Aurors, while he remains with the cleanup team to do what he can.

TILDEN TOOTS, STUBBY BOARDMAN, DORCAS MEADOWES, BRONTE MACNAIR

Being back at Hogwarts brings a mixture of emotions. STUBBY and his band are hired to play some music during the celebrations, and TILDEN helps them out with equipment and setup. BRONTE wanders around the castle, exploring long forgotten places idly, while DORCAS goes and says hello to all of her old professors. DORCAS is with Professor Sprout when the Great Hall begins to collapse, and the two of them run out into the entryway. DORCAS gets shoved by the panicked flood of people trying to get out of the way of the chaos, and falls. STUBBY and TILDEN are also in the entryway, abandoning packing up the rest of the equipment after STUBBY’s set and hiding instead. They see DORCAS and hurry out to get her, pulling her out of the stampede and back to their hiding place, where they remain until things settle down. TILDEN and DORCAS both hurry to St. Mungo’s to try and find their friends, while STUBBY looks for his bandmates at the castle. BRONTE was about to go say hello to one of her professors when the ceiling begins to collapse, and rushes out onto the lawn, where she waits to try and find her friends.

[pulchra-anguis]

P R O M P T   0 0 7   C R E S C E N D O 

tw: death, death of a sibling, childbirth, sex, alcohol

i. daughter

she has two and a half minutes of being an only child, and she spends them screaming. her father wanted sons, heirs, boys he could raise to be mirror images of him. he wants anything but her. she’s the worst possible scenario, and she announces her arrival to the world and into his life by screaming until her little lungs burn. she’s an infant, freshly born. what does she care? she doesn’t know what caring is, doesn’t know she’s not what her father wanted, doesn’t know that she’s unwanted purely because she’s a girl. none of that matters to her. and that’s a beautiful fact that never changes, even when she understands what it means to be a girl in a world where everyone just wants boys. 

ii. sister

rayna is born right after her, and they’re two halves of a whole after that. she’s with her constantly, by her side through each scraped knee and lesson from their mother, each lecture and fight and celebration. they share a room, they share a face, they share every secret and thought with each other, because they’re the same. they’re one. their father hates having two daughters, but the girls are one together. there is no distinction between the two of them, and they love it that way. 

iii. shadow

rayna’s too loud. she’s the one people remember, the one they want to talk to. they’re both fifteen and rayna vanishes in a gala. she wanders around to try and find her. she’s scared. she isn’t sure what to do without rayna to mimic. how did rayna end up being the stronger of the two? why is she treated like the eldest, even by their parents? she finds her hiding in a stairwell with a boy, skirt riding up as his hands trace along her legs and hips and back. she stares. 

it’s like watching another life, really. she and rayna look the same, but no one’s ever touched her like that. no one’s ever kissed her like that. people don’t really look at her; they’re identical, and yet she somehow ended up the ugly one. she doesn’t know how that’s possible. she’s never felt properly jealous of it until she sees rayna and the boy. she hurries back into the ballroom and steals a champagne off one of the tables. she hates it; it burns and stings at her nose as she drinks it, but she empties the glass. it doesn’t make her feel better. 

rayna sneaks back in, and she fixes her hair, checks to make sure that her lipstick isn’t too smudged and that her dress isn’t too disorderly. she watches her sister get herself back and order and feels nothing but bitter. rayna’s always going to be the one that gets the attention, gets the love. and what does she get? she gets to make sure no one notices what her sister is really like. 

iv. lover

he looks at her and just looks. there’s no judgment in his gaze, there’s no harshness or disinterest. he’s not looking for rayna in her reflection, he’s not looking for anyone there but her. he holds her when she wants to be held, he kisses her when she wants to be kissed, and she does the same. he’s quiet, but she doesn’t mind it. she likes his silence. it speaks more to her than his words. she leans her head against his chest and feels safe there. feels wanted. her eyes wander up to his face. she thinks maybe he’s sleeping. she kisses his neck and settles back against his chest. 

i think i love you. 

v. puppet 

you can’t be on two sides, vi. he’s probably a death eater, you know. 

she wants to scream at her. she doesn’t want to choose. she doesn’t need to choose. she can have both. she wants both. 

you have to pick. me or him. you can’t have both. you know what i’m going to do once we graduate. you can come with me and do something actually good for the world, or you can stay and be exactly what mother and father want you to be. but i need you. 

what he wants or what she needs. that’s what it boils down to in the end. but rayna is her sister. if that means nothing, then what does? she goes to his house. she wants to do it in person. she wants it to break her, she wants it to stop her, to see his face. maybe it’ll crack her resolve, and she can just stay here with him. 

but it doesn’t work. she doesn’t tell him why and she manages to hold back her tears until she’s running back down the steps, away from him and his room. she runs out the door and down the winding road to the gate of the manor. rayna is waiting for her. she holds onto her as tightly as she can. they’re sisters. they’re part of a whole. she belongs right here, fitting into rayna’s life like a puzzle piece. she lets herself be pulled away, down the street, away from the manor. 

she can’t figure out why it’s always her that has to give up the things she wants. 

vi. ghost

she’s not her sister. people keep reminding her that she’s not her sister, and she knows. rayna was brave. rayna was confident and she was foolish and quick-thinking and reckless. and now she was dead. it had killed her, to be everything she was. 

and yet all she wanted to be was rayna. 

she’s not good at anything rayna was good at. she’s not a good fighter, not yet, and she’s not a blood traitor and she’s not an auror and she’s not someone that anyone would ever describe as ‘promising’ or ‘gone too soon.’ she’s just viola. she’s not good at anything but being a sneak. 

she makes reckless decisions. she’s not good at those either, but she tries to make herself do what rayna would. she starts getting into fights, and loses. she starts trying to be more outspoken, and fails. she’s not rayna. but she doesn’t know who else to be. 

so she keeps fighting. her knuckles feel like they’re constantly bruised. eventually she starts winning. she starts kissing boys. she feels like a freak and tries to convince herself that’s a good thing. and eventually, she convinces herself that it is. that this makes her feel free. that taking herself into her own hands is the way to liberate herself from rayna’s shadow. but she’s not, not really. she’s just imitating her and calling it freedom. there’s no one else like rayna now except for her. 

vii. fiancee

he’s the last person she expects to see. he hates her. she’s certain of it. she hates herself too, for what she did to him. but there he is, and he’s just how she remembered. except he’s not. he’s better. he’s more cautious of her, which she understands. he’s not going to love her again, she convinces herself. she kisses other boys. he’s never going to be hers again, so why should she be his? she knows that rayna wouldn’t settle. 

but she’s not rayna. rayna didn’t understand love, and she doesn’t either. but she thinks she could figure it out again with him. she stops kissing other boys. she kisses him, and he holds her, and he kisses her back. it feels right. 

maybe he needed her after all. 

viii. choice

marry me. 

it’s not asked because it has to be asked. it’s asked because he wants to. and this time, she’s allowed to say yes. he puts the ring on her finger, and she kisses him more fiercely than she’s ever kissed anyone before. she loves him. it’s frightening how much she does, but she’s never going to stop. 

she wants to be happy with him. she wants to be peaceful with him, she wants to be united, she wants to be everything that there is to be with him. she wants to be careful and reckless and impulsive and she doesn’t need anything else here and now but him. she doesn’t think about rayna or what she would do once. she pulls back and she meets his gaze. 

run away with me. 

they walk out the doors of rowle manor together, and they don’t look back. 

ix. wife

she doesn’t actually know where they are, only that it’s by the sea. the innkeeper had assured them that this room had a beautiful view. neither of them had looked out of the window once. her wedding dress is on the floor, his suit along with it, and their legs are tangled together. his skin is warm, and his breath tickles her temple as she presses a kiss to his neck. 

do you think lavinia will be upset she missed the wedding?

there’s a bit of a smile on his lips that she’s not sure if it’s guilty or not. his fingers brush through her hair. 

probably. 

he pauses, and she looks up to meet his gaze.

do you wish rayna had been there?

she thinks about it. she kisses him before she answers. she isn’t sure if it’s because she wants to or if it’s because she’s buying herself more time. she shakes her head. 

no. 

x. mother

she expects thorfinn to scream when he enters the world, but he’s silent. her voice had cracked through the room, her mother had told her, had announced that she had been born and calling attention to the fact that she was the absolute last thing that her father wanted attention drawn to. she was unapologetic when she’d entered the world. but thorfinn is quiet, and she’s scared for him. 

but his little breath rattles, and she takes him into her arms the second they let her hold him. she nestles him between herself and atticus, and closes her eyes when atticus presses a kiss to her temple. 

she’s got a family. this is her family now, this is where she belongs. she’s not one of two anymore, she’s not missing her other half, she’s not incomplete. she’s part of a new set. she’s one of three, and she knows looking between atticus and thorfinn that they won’t leave her.