#so that this Single Mom Of Three can take a night shift and make enough money for her kid's fieldtrips or whatever

[crowned-aeris]

Part 3 of the au my brain worms gave me 😔

Part 1 and 2

=====

"I keep forgetting about you being a literal trash rat," Jason scoffs, poking at the single pitiful skillet at sat innocently in the giant pantry. He sighs, taking it out, rinsing it, before setting it on the stove.

"Shut up," Tim sighed, pressing his face into the countertop, "You're such an asshole."

"Language, birdy," Jason scoffed, grimacing as he looked through the fridge, "Is there nothing organic in here? You're supposed to be rich, Tim!"

"It's too much work!" his brother complained, "I can't bother with cooking when there are Batmen and Robins to stalk!"

Jason deadpanned, turning over to pin Tim with an unimpressed stare, "Really, kid?"

He shrugs, "You called me a stalker, Jay, I'm just leaning into it! Also, do you want to deal with Dick or Damian next?"

Jason scoffed, "You're the genius, figure it out."

"You lie to Batman once!"

"Oh shut up," Jason rolled his eyes before deciding to make scrambled eggs, because those were the only thing in the entire fridge that were even slightly healthy. Everything else was either frozen meals, exotic fruit juice, and even more frozen meals. God the amount of salt here is atrocious, "We both know you've lied to all of us at least three times."

It was very telling when Tim didn't respond.

"Alright, you make the plans, I make the eggs, and I'll veto anything that sounds utterly batshit insane."

"Do you want to call your mom first?" Tim offered, "She's probably worried sick."

Jason turned, his expression pinching as guilt churned in his chest... He... He doesn't know if he should. He knows she'll die, that someday she'll overdose and leave behind a shaking, trembling, wide-eyed and fearful son, but- but he doesn't think he could deal with it again. Sure, she's his mom, but he- he doesn't know her, this version of her, at least.

"It's okay if you don't-"

"Shut up," he hissed, shocking himself at how strangled and strained his voice sounded, "I- I don't know if I can."

And Tim, with an infuriatingly patient expression, nods.

Jason sucks in a breath through his teeth. He came to peace with her death all those years ago, the faint memory of his previous life overlapping with this reality's.

But... he still owes it to her...

"...Do you want to come with me?" Jason asks after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah," Tim responds, "Let me go grab some money, and we can buy something instead."

Jason nods shortly before shoving the skillet back into the pantry before going to wait by the door.

A few moments later, the pair of boys sat side by side on the back of the bus. They made have been at each other's throat all those years ago, but now- god help those who ever try to sever them.

As the bus slowed to a stop, the pair wordlessly stood in tandem and strode off the bus. Years of carefully ingrained memory allowing the pair to work together like a well-oiled machine.

"What are you kids doing out here?" a strange man drawls, striding forward to stand in front of the two.

Jason tensed, shifting forward to place himself between Tim and the strange man, "It's none of your business."

"Don't be like that," the man continues, stepping forward with hungry eyes trawling down Jason's face, "are you two brothers?"

Tim's hand pressed against his shoulder, and Jason relaxed to allow Tim to work his stalker magic.

"Yes, we are!" Tim chirped brightly, his currently tone at complete odds with Tim half an hour ago, "I'm so sorry about my brother's attitude. He didn't get enough sleep last night, you see, so he's just a little grumpy."

"I can speak for myself, Al," Jason huffed, feeling acutely aware of the eyes pinning against his skin.

The man looked interested. It was all Jason could do to keep himself from lashing out at the man for his predatory gaze, "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Alvin John," Tim says brightly, nudging Jason's side with a careful look, "What's your name?"

"How about your brother first?"

"...Thomas," Jason huffed.

"Why are you two out here all alone? Where are your parents?"

"We were out on a walk," Tim nods, "Don't worry, we're safe! Our mom is expecting us, so we should really be on our way."

"You still haven't told us your name," he interrupts.

"Bright kid! You'd be great if you smiled more," and Tim's hand tightening around his arm was the only thing keeping him from brandishing his pocket knife and pulling a Damian, "my name is Derick Gleisner."

"It was nice meeting you, Mister Gleisner," Tim smiles, "I hope you have a good day!"

"You too, kid."

Jason allows Tim to lead them into the crowd. The pair losing the eyes against their back before heading toward Jason's child hood home.

"Robert Shawn," Tim hisses, barely loud enough for Jason to hear, "arrested on account of human and drug trafficking. Batman will find him six days from now and turn him in to the GCPD."

"You want to use him?" Jason replied tightly.

Tim, to Jason's chagrin, nods, "It's the fastest way, short of breaking into the manor, which would just raise their suspicions. If you want to do this another way, I don't mind."

"You already have plans in place, don't you?" Jason groaned, swatting at Tim's arm with a tired sigh. Tim gives him a side-long look, and Jason's question was promptly answered.

They reached the house a minute later, and Jason pushes open the door with his spare key.

"Mom, I'm home!" he calls, freezing as he received no response, "...Mom?"

Tim freezes suspiciously beside him before cursing under his breath, "Jason!"

"What?" he snaps.

"You were here last time, right?" Tim says softly, "You were home."

Jason nods jerkily, dread pooling in his chest as he sees Tim's expression pinch in worry.

He tears away, the carpet bunching under his feet as he scrambles toward the kitchen.

"MOM?" he calls. She wasn't in the kitchen. Maybe her room? "MOM! MOM, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Jason shoves open the door, scrambling at the doorknob in his haste. He bursts in only to see Catherine slumped over on the floor.

This- this wasn't supposed to fucking happen yet! What the FUCK.

He screamed. His knees aching as he lunged forward to grapple with his mom's body. Her skin cold and limbs stiff- his mom- his mom.

Shit- what- this wasn't supposed to happen yet! It- it was august, she wasn't supposed to die until february. God DAMNIT.

"I've called the ambulance," Tim says from the doorway, "Jay..."

"Shut UP. SHUT. UP," Jason screams, shoving his forehead against chilled cold skin as hot tears burned against his eyes, "Mom...This- this wasn't supposed to happen yet! Tim- what- why?"

"It's... it's most likely because of the disparities between timelines," his brother says, somehow making his technical blabber sound fucking sympathetic, "i think in this timeline, since you weren’t here to stop whatever from happening…”

“…Fuck,” he hisses, flinching slightly as he hears sirens wail in the distance.

“Do you need some time alone?” Tim asks hesitantly.

Jason grits his teeth. He- he doesn’t want to leave her alone- but, but damnit, Tim. Knowing the stupid little fucker would skitter off and do something so utterlyfucking effective yet idiotic. He sucks in a breath, “Just- just give me a sec, kid. I- i need to say goodbye…”

“Okay. Take your time…”

[firelord-frowny]

i wonder how much ~energy~ would be saved in the united states if we did away with the norm of having so many stores/restaurants that are open 24/7 or even just open for like 16 hours a day. people can't drive around using up fuel if there's nowhere to go!

[hollandroos]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this so I apologize in advance 💗 I was hoping you could please write a Hotch fluff piece where him and the reader are navigating the first few weeks with their newborn? The reader's first baby and Aaron's second.

I hope you and the baby are doing well 💗

ahhh i saw this ask & i was so excited to write this that I wrote it at 2am so I hope its good! although i can hardly remember the newborn phase now but i vividly remember crawling into my boyfriends room every single night in tears asking for help because i was so tired & i swear my baby never ever slept 😂🫠

i hope you like this!

If there was anything that you had learnt since becoming a mom, it was that everyone who’d told you ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ was a liar. The baby hardly ever slept and when she did - it was in yours or Aaron’s arms.

Daisy squirms lightly, letting out small coos to show that she was still awake. Still.

You felt so guilty as you slipped into Aaron’s bedroom- even though he’d told you countless times to wake him if you ever needed to, and begged you not to feel guilty you couldn’t help it.

You knew how important it was that he got enough sleep and remained vigilant considering his line of work so you had a tendency to push yourself to your breaking point before crawling through his doors.

He was absolutely amazing with Daisy. After taking a whole month off to be with you guys and Jack he’d finally gone back to work last week and yes, it was hitting you a little harder then you’d expected.

During that first month you’d taken it in shifts - Aaron would look after your sweet Daisy from around 8pm-2am and you’d take her from 2am until he woke up for the day. And it worked really well - however now that he was back at work you pretty much did the night shift alone and yeah, it was lonely and only getting around 2 hours of sleep a night wasn’t the best.

It didn't help that the two of you slept in seperate bedrooms now too to allow him to get his sleep.

Having a daughter that refused to sleep unless she was being held by either one of you was rough, but both of you adored her dearly. However that didn’t make the long nights easier.

“Aaron?” You say softly, trying to stop yet another round of tears from spilling over. God, you needed to sleep. You’d probably had 4 hours sleep in the last two days? Maybe three days now? wait - what day was it? when was the last time you changed clothes?

“Aaron, please.” You beg.

Aaron jolts a little before realising it’s just you. The man let’s out a tired groan and blinks rapidly, trying to make out the time on the alarm clock.

“Honey? are you okay? what time is it?”

It didn’t take a profiler to see how upset you were. Even then - he heard it in your voice before he saw it. Your throat was dry and hoarse, and the second Aaron turned the lamp on he noticed your swollen eyes and tear stained cheeks. His heart broke ever so slightly at the sight.

“It’s 4am. I know you have to go to work in a couple hours but please, please can you watch her for just two hours so I can get some rest. I-I haven’t slept at all and everytime I put her down she just cries and I feel like I’m going insane.”

Aaron doesn’t even hesitate to slide out of the bed. He’d had 6 hours of sleep - that was more than enough for him. And probably 6 hours more then you'd had.

“Of course I can.” He takes the newborn from your arms and you relax a little. “You’re not doing anything wrong, honey, she’s a newborn. This is just what she does. It’s not you. Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling this much? You need to let me help you, sweetheart,”

“Why- why can’t I handle it? I’m her mum Aaron i’m supposed - im supposed to be able to handle this. I feel like i’m failing.”

“You’re her mum, but you’re also human. No one can handle this much sleep deprivation. You’re a fantastic mum to both Daisy and Jack and you’re doing your best.”

He places Daisy down on the bed softly and pulls your shaking frame into his arms. Just like that you immediately break out into tears again, having missed his warm embrace. All the guilt you were feeling for waking him melts away with each gentle kiss to your forehead.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” He repeats softly until you stop shaking in his arms and for a second he wonders if you’ve fallen asleep standing up. “You lay down for a couple hours, I’ve got Daisy.”

He picks up the newborn again and she coos softly in his arms, snuggling into daddies embrace. You lay down without wasting another second and you swear the moment you close your eyes you're fast asleep.

And Aaron didn’t know how he did it, but somehow, nearly a whole two hours later he managed to get sweet little Daisy to sleep. Light snores fell from delicate newborn lips. Ever so carefully he places the baby down in her bassinet right next to you and places her pacifier in with a gentle pop.

He knew things were tough now, but he also knew that they were bound to get better and that this season the two of you were in was only temporary.

With a small kiss on each of your foreheads he slips out of the door, excited to get the day over with so he can return to his girls later,

[thatbanditqueen]

No One Walks Out Ch 4

No One Walks Out On Big Daddy

Chapter 4: Kaleidoscope

Summary: Elvis convinces Becky that this is actually a romantic gesture, and he brings her to Graceland to meet his family and spend some time together as he prepares to have his daughter come to Memphis. A fluffy, smutty nuzzlefest with some foreboding and Jerry shenanigans.

Warnings: NSFW, Minors DNI, cunnilingus, vaginal sexual penetrative intercourse, cursing, drug use and alcohol, and, because it's Elvis, weird mind games and jealousy. Some historical inaccuracies.

Words: 18.6K EVERYTIME. Every. Goddamn. Time. With every fic. I tell myself, this time, 10 K is enough. And then I write more than i did last time. I think I loose readers every time it gets longer... but .. fuck.. I don't know. It's hard to kill your darlings.

I made a playlist just for this chapter in order of the songs that get sung or played.

I'm so bad at attention to detail, sorry for the typos.

This chapter is part of my on going fic about 1975-era Elvis and a single mom he meets after a concert in Jackson, MS. If you haven’t read it, you can here:

Catch up on Chapter One here

Catch up on Chapter Two here

Catch up on Chapter Three here

Thanks to everyone who has commented, sent asks, and supported this story. If you enjoy it, please, for the love of big daddy, reblog, comment, share. I always like hearing what works and what doesn't, because it gets into my fingers and shapes the way they write. Pretty sure the smut is ridiculous here....

Sunday, June 14th

1 PM, Pop’s Gas Station

Somewhere in Mississippi 

The coffee was hot as it rolled down Jerry’s throat, and he shifted against the raw wooden grain of the bench outside Pop’s Gas Station, somewhere off Highway 61. It was bright in the muggy, midday heat of Mississippi, and Jerry adjusted his sunglasses, intentionally turning his head away from the yellow Cadillac parked askew twenty or so feet to his right. Lush green trees lined the two-lane highway, and Jerry stared at the overgrowth, trying not to focus on Elvis’ laugh bubbling up as it was interrupted by yelps as Becky hit him again and again on his upper arm. Jerry made no visible acknowledgement that he could hear or see everything being said in the car twenty feet away.

"Elvis THIS IS NOT FUNNY! Turn around and take me home… I don’t appreciate being taken against my will…”

“Thought you liked being taken by me, ouch…. last night you said you wished you could co—”

“No, I never said—”

“Yes ya did, ya said,” Elvis’ eyes laughed and his lips pouted while he spoke in a high falsetto, “Oh Elvis you big strong manly stud, I wish I could stay like this forever, naked in your arms…c—”

“No, no, no, now.” Becky flipped her long, dark auburn curls over her shoulder and looked out the window at Jerry, still aloof, disinterested, his eyes focused on an indeterminate point in the distance. “I didn’t say it like that, I was caught up in the moment and I said ‘this is nice, just being here like this, together.. wish it could last forever,’ the kind of stupid thing weak-willed women like me say after making love….I never said I wanted you to go——”

“Well, I saw it in your eyes… and again this morning, when you were trying to play it cool while ya wa warshin’ my clothes for me, ironing ma pants…” His fingers rubbed the side of her arm, stroking up to the top of her shoulder then back down to her elbow, trailing lightly along her thigh. Becky settled a little as Elvis’ voice rumbled into her ears. She stopped punching him and crossed her arms with an exasperated sigh.  Elvis leaned in closer, still a few inches from her ear, murmuring while his hand circled the top of her left knee. “C’mon woman, ya really don’t wanna spend a few more days with me?”

Becky crossing her arms even tighter, and a guttural growl emerged from her throat with a “Humpf… Elvis…. I can't disappear on a whim just to be your fuck buddy for a week…”

“Whoa now, first a all, this ain’t just about screwing around-”

Becky arched an eye brow.

“Maybe for you, ya wanton woman…”

“Ha!”

“No, now a man can only do so much a that… now just come here a second….”

Elvis's hands pulled Becky across the front seat of the car and into his arms.

“Now honey, I like you, we have fun in each other’s company, hmmm?” He kissed the top of her dark curlscand her skin smoldered under the heat of his large hand massaging her shoulder. The bottom of his glasses bumped along the top of her head and she took another deep, protracted breath, uncrossing her arms.

“Mhmmmm… I… it’s not ok to go behind my back just because you want something to happen a certain way…it doesn’t feel good to be tricked into something…”

“Ok, ok… ya right…. See, I … I knew you was too shy to ask your folks… ” Becky jabbed him softly, playfully, moving her elbow up and down along the soft cushion of Elvis’ belly. “Ok, ok, simmer down, I’m sayin’ you are right, honey, I'll never trick you again or do something without asking….promise…I’ll never not consult you again when I’m planning a grand romantic gesture that sweeps you off ya feet…” 

“HA … that what this is? Awfully optimistic of you, thinking anything like this will ever happen again .. I have a mind to make you drive me back to Jackson on principle…”

“OK, well, now, look, we’re only ‘bout on hour from Graceland,  let's head in and if ya still set on leavin’ in the morning,” Elvis winked as he said this.  “I’ll have Jerry drive you back…”

Becky softened and leaned into him, her hand worked its way around Elvis’ waist. “Oh no, no Jerry, no Joe, you’re not gettin’ your friends to do your dirty work for you - you did this to your self, and you need to be the one sufferin’ the six hours driving me to Jackson and back…”

“So what I’m hearing is that you want the maximum time ta cuddle with me … I gotcha, I gotcha… so come an’ get it now, silly woman!”

Elvis’ right hand tightened around the edge of Becky’s shoulder, his thumb gently swiping up her shoulder blade as she scooted into him, releasing all of her resentment about this surprise trip to Memphis. Becky made a mental note to save any indignation that remained for Ida as she snuggled into Elvis chest, giving into it’s warm comfort and burrowing her nose into his breast. Becky smiled as Elvis let out a deep hiss as the tip of her nose traced over his nipple. Her hand moved down to tease him along the crease of his pants where his belly met his thigh. Slowly, her fingers crept further along the ridge of his tummy and onto the top of his legs, just to the point above his crotch, then giggling softly as Elvis gasped and exhaled with a low exclamation.

 “Gawdddddammit… lil gal… gonna loose my foot tryin’ to get us back to Graceland…show you that sound proof….roommmmmm,” his voice purred as Becky’s fingers needled the round flesh at the top of Elvis inner thigh. 

The friction created a heat between them, and Elvis fingers started to rub Becky’s shoulder with a blistering need. He kissed the top of her head, and Becky watched him push against her in the rearview mirror. Her chest filled with warm exhilaration at the sight of Elvis’ lower lip hanging down, his eyes blown wide with earnest, needy lust. She watched his lips smoosh sideways as he kissed her forehead, maintaining a charged eye contact with her through his glasses. The intensity of his stare was overwhelming, it made her heart beat so quick that she heard it in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of Elvis’ left hand rolling down the window to yell out for Jerry to get back in the car, never breaking the bond between his chin and her forehead. 

Elvis blue eyes simmered as they stared her down through the mirror, and Becky couldn’t stop herself from biting her lip. His fierce stare was juxtaposed by the softness of his voice as he whispered into her hair while they drove along the highway.

“He’s sawry if he upset ya baby …” Elvis voice went into a low, intimate babyish tenor, the movements of his thumb became more protracted, and Becky shushed him through his shirt. “Such a sweet baby ta me… baby baaaaby ba da di dooo, ohh… yeuahhhhh…..” His voice lulled into a gospel tune momentarily. “I cain’t wait ta show ya all ‘round ma house… all ‘round ma property… fourteen acres… ever stayed somewhere so big? Think ya… can handle that size?”

Becky chuckled, and Elvis’ face beamed at the soft rose color of her blushing cheeks. 

“Mhmmm… well, I’m not sure… guess I’ll just have ta see what happens….” Becky kissed Elvis chest, softly, murmuring into it. Her right hand snaked around his back, her left feathering over the round swell of his belly. “You know, I was just starting to like you this morning before you played this dirty trick on me …  you’re so funny and sweet …. But I just need to say… one last time, then we’ll put it behind us… I… don’t like plans being made for me…” Becky looked up at Elvis face from where she leaned on his chest. The side of his face loomed large above her, his lips pursed in thought above the bulge of his chin. “I can see how you meant this as a romantic gesture… but I … I don’t like being tricked…”

Elvis’ chin rippled above Becky as he nodded, and he drew her in closer. “Awright honey… from now, s’all ‘bove board… no more tricks… no more surprises, kay? I promise. Won’t ever lie or mislead you or keep something from you.” The softness of his chin pressed into Becky’s forehead as Elvis’ kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder.

Calmed into a tender embrace, Becky and Elvis retreated into their own little enclave in the front seat, where Jerry’s presence was ignored and almost forgotten about amid the sweet nothings Elvis and Becky exchanged along the highway up to Tennessee. 

“Ya know you got the cutest yittle eye lashes I ever seen,” Elvis whispered, and he kissed her forehead again, catching her mouth as Becky tilted up to him to kiss his cheek.

She murmured over his nipple. “You have the kind of chest a girl could get used to leaning on…” she rubbed her hand under the plush groove of his belly.

It was only when they got to the state line that Becky began to feel a slight unease creep up from the bottom of her tummy and take residence at the top of her bosom. An icy chill followed up her spine, she felt anxious as she realized they were entering Tennessee. She was about to experience another layer of Elvis’ home life that she hadn’t had any time to prepare for or even think about. She squirmed out of his tight embrace and sat up straight, looking out the window at the big sign announcing they had entered Tennessee.

Elvis’ left hand remained straight, steady at the wheel while his right palm chased after Becky’s, grasping at her fingers and intertwining his between them at the top of her knee. He turned his head from the road, momentarily, looking at the back of her head as it stared out the window. Elvis’ hand engulfed her’s, squeezing it tight, lifting her palm to his mouth and kissing the top of her hand.

“Hey - ya nervous?” 

Becky’s big brown eyes met his tentatively. Her lips pursed together, then wiggled back and forth as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Mhmm… what is your family gonna think of me… this random girl… coming back to your house with you? What if they… don’t like me…. What about these six girlfriends you told me ‘bout? I…. Anyone gonna be chasing me out the house with a rolling pin?” Becky’s voice stopped abruptly, and her words hung in the air. 

Elvis released Becky’s hand and looked over at her, then turned to look at Jerry briefly for the first time since they had left the gas station. “You watch too many soap opera… Graceland ain’t The Guiding Light… I lay down the law, and there ain’t no drama… no other chicks living there right now, and everyone’s gonna be just as crazy about you as I am, lil girl… but I’ll tell ya right now, my opinion’s the only one that matter’s at Graceland… so’s you jus’ let me know if anyone… anyone… disrespects ya, hmmm? Trust daddy, now, everything is gonna be fine….”

Elvis turned up the radio and rubbed Becky’s knee, and the sound of The Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin Man” filled the car.

**********************************************************

The white mesh gates opened back and Elvis flicked his cigarillo out of the car window and steered the yellow Cadillac up the curved driveway. A wistful smile spreading over his face. Exhaling, he seemed to relax as he paused the car at the little brick guard house behind the gate. Elvis motioned at Becky to roll down the window and yelled at the older man standing watch.

“Why hellloooo der Vestor, stayin’ awake I see?”

The guard nodded, and Elvis chuckled, ignoring Becky’s questioning eyes as he drove the car around to the front of the house. Jerry was out of the car first, waiting as Elvis popped the trunk and squeezed Becky’s knee, turning to give her a soft kiss followed by a second, more vigorous smack. His fingers tousled her curly locks as he comforted her.

“S’gonna be great…” his voice lilted up into a refrain. “Welcome ta my world… Becky Butt” he grinned, giving her a wink as he slapped her thigh and opened his door.

Elvis pulled himself out of the car and strode around to grab Becky’s door just as she was about to pop it open. Taking her hand, he adjusted his sunglasses and smiled wide, tugging her up the portico behind Jerry. Opening the front door, Jerry glanced briefly at Becky, then told Elvis’ he’d run the bag Ida packed upstairs. Elvis stopped them in the front foyer, his arms hugging Becky from behind as he clasped his large hands around her waist and notched his chin into her neck. He nuzzled into her right ear as Becky looked from one side of the entry way to the other. Her eyes took in the scarlet red carpeting that trailed down the grand staircase in front of her and lined all the floors that she could see, punctuated by the occasional white fur rug.

“Welcome to Graceland….” Elvis whispered. Becky’s cheeks began to match the carpet as Elvis hummed “Amazing Grace,” into her neck with a mischievous grin that told Becky he was also thinking about the same intimate moment they had shared two nights ago. The image of Elvis mouth singing this song as he licked her pussy was now indelibly linked to in her mind. 

“So… whatcha think?” Those same lips asked.

Red. That was Becky’s first impression of Graceland’s interior. The color was so overwhelming, it was the only thing she could think of as she looked around. Deep, scarlet velvet drapes lined with golden fringe hung down to meet the carpet at the entrance to every room. The dining room table on her left was enclosed by high-backed candy apple colored chairs covered with rhinestones. To the right was a parlor with a long Victorian settee that was, you guessed it, a deep Burgundy color held up by a white wooden trim. Becky momentarily mused that this might be what Belle Watlings' vagina looked like: an ornate opening lined by red velvet drapery welcoming customers into its cavernous warmth. It was the sort of place a girl would feel comfortable getting an unexpected visit from Aunt Flo. Or the perfect setting for a villain to hold a clandestine meeting with James Bond. Becky kept all of these thoughts to herself, inhaling deeply as she took it all in.

“Wow… it's … so… fancy… like no where I’ve ever been, that’s fa sure…”

Elvis seemed pleased by this response, and kissed Becky’s neck. She murmured at the warmth of his breath on her skin as she continued.

“Gosh… s’not what I expected… S’much bigger than I thought driving up…”

“Mhmmm…. That’s what all the girls say— ouch!”

Becky reached her hand above her to playfully slap Elvis’ face, and he bite his lip and waggled his eyebrows down at her. Elvis’ thumb nestled inside inside Becky’s palm, swiping up and down slowly over her soft skin as he led her excitedly around through the dining room and into the kitchen where they came upon a short, stout Black woman filling the refrigerator with Pepsi bottles.

 Elvis dropped Becky’s hand to make a loud “CLAP,” chuckling as the woman jumped back and shrieked. 

“Oh lawd, Elvis, ya scared me outta of my skin!”

Elvis hugged the woman, speaking through his chuckles. “Jus keepin’ ya on yo toes Miss Mary, I reckon it’s been too quiet round here since I been gone…”

“Hmmm, well your daddy been callin’ over to ask if you back yet, want me to —”

“Nah, let the old bugger stew… he’s pestering me ‘bout that plane, an I don’t care ta hear it.” Elvis rubbed Mary’s shoulder, then turned to look back at Becky. “Mary, I got a lil girl I’m awfully fond of that I want ya ta meet, this here’s — ”

“Why it’s Becky!” 

There was Charlie, a big beaming smile radiating happiness through the kitchen as he walked in from the other side.

“Hmmpf… if it ain’t ol Waterhead ‘im self….” Elvis walked back over to Becky and drew her into him tight, kissing her forehead as his eyes narrowed and Elvis’ left hand grazed the top of his belt. 

Charlie’s expression toward Becky shifted immediately from joyful greeting to a more solemn “Glad to see ya ma’am.”

Mary asked Elvis what time he wanted dinner, exclaiming, “Well, an early dinner, huh,” in response to his 8 pm request.

“Woke up early ta day, Miss Mary… Becky Butt here’s harsh mistress, had me up all hours a the night,” he winked and then smiled deeper as Becky’s face grew red. “Then she had us up at 8 ta drive her baby to summer camp… who knows when her demands will end?”

“Ha, you have some nerve, Elvis Presley…” Becky whispered into Elvis armpit, pinching him under his jacket and causing him to chuckle and kiss her forehead again.

Elvis twirled her out from his side, looking at her as he swung her around. “Ain’t she just got the perfect hourglass figure Mary? Just need to get her some nice clothes, add a lil’ make up, and she shines like the Hope diamond...” 

Becky swung herself back into his armpit with another pinch and reddening cheeks, whispering “Considering everything you put me though today, I look like a movie star…”

“Yeah…ya sure do look like a movie star, honey…like Bette Davis in Baby Jane….” Then Becky’s face fell and Elvis stopped snickering and rubbed her back, his lips on her head. “Oh sweetheart, I didn’t mean it now…” he laughed as she hit him and burrowed into his armpit further.

Jerry’s footsteps announced his entrance into the kitchen behind them and Becky turned to see him nod at Charlie before briefing Elvis on some scheduling and business matters. Becky stole a glance at Charlie and smiled at his shrug and eye roll, half of which Elvis caught and responded to with a sharp look in Charlie’s direction, tightening his grip on Becky’s waist. 

“Huh, well, keep me posted when Dave lands at the airport tomarra with Lisa… alright, enough pleasantries, c’mon lil’ gal, Imma give ya the VIP tour….”  

Becky smiled and called out behind her, “Nice to meet you Mary, good to see you Charlie!” before she felt the clack of the swinging door her backside.

Elvis lugged her into the back hallway to a room with bright green carpeting and wood panelling. The coffee table looked as through it had been sliced out of a tree, and the soft trickle of falling water drew Becky’s attention to the north wall as Elvis sank into a brown fur-lined couch. He pulled her onto his lap, twin sea serpents roaring out of the carved wooden armrests to meet Becky’s hand as she steadied herself to keep from falling off Elvis. To balance, Becky settling her bottom into Elvis’ groin, and he pulled Becky closer, leaning back as his fingers worked their way under Becky’s tee-shirt to caress the softness of her belly, his voice rumbling into her neck.

“This is the den…whaddya think?” 

Becky turned to look at him, his hands shifted her around so she was now straddling him where he sat at the sofa’s edge.

“It’s magical… this is my favorite room so far… right here…” 

Elvis lit up behind his lavender glasses at the wonder in Becky’s upturned eyes; he relished her gasp at the green carpet covering the ceiling above. His right hand massaged the tender hip flesh spilling out of her jeans, while his left hand moved under her shirt to where her shapely bosom jiggled ever so slightly with the delicate thrusts Elvis’  begin to send upward into her, and he leaned in to kiss her clavicle.

“Elvis… you.. havta… I wanna… you’re in the middle of giving me a tour…” Becky whispered, the burn of desire beginning to brush at her base. She grasped his left wrist to stop the jaunty beat his index finger was flicking into her nipple. 

He ignored her, his eyes singularly focused on her bust. “Honey, I don’t know if you are aware of this, but you are not wearing a brassiere….” 

“Mhmm yeah, that was a clothing choice made in a hurry this morning, out of comfort and necessity… it is NOT an invitation…”

Elvis smirked to himself as his fingers relented, only to be replaced by his warm mouth pressing into Becky’s pebbled nip through her tee shirt, mumbling into her breast.

“Well sho seems like an invitation …*suckle* …to this humble wanderer …*suckle* …feel like I been stuck in the desert …*suckle* …seeking sustenance…*suckle*… an now ya’d deny me…” his mouth pressed his teeth through the now damp fabric onto her nipple, “this ripe fruit I’ve found…that I so desperately need ta nourish …*suckle* …ma soul…” 

Becky couldn’t stop the moan escaping from her chest despite her exasperated fatigue and self-conscious awareness. Elvis’ hands moved to fondle her bottom and pull her further onto him, and he squeezed her cheeks as she giggled. Suddenly she wasn't that tired and instinctively surged into Elvis’ lap, before pushing off of his chest and wriggled backwards. She felt his growing erection as she stumbled off him and balanced her self on the ground. Shakng her head, Becky smoothed down her tee shirt and tried to keep a straight face striding backwards along the couch, stopping at the dual staircases at the back of the room.

“Hey now… mister… there are people in the next room over… why don’t we continue the tour …”

Elvis stood, lips parted below a predatory look as if he might leap over the sofa and devour her right there and then. Becky shrieked as he stalked toward her.

“Hmmmm… s’my house honey, and I do what I want.. where I want… so no reason to be worried… this is all part of my hands-on, personal tour…” He caught up with her and pulled her into him.

“Well…” Becky leaned up, her lips faintly hovered below his. “Those hands are… gonna havta catch me… don’t know what kind of girl you think I am but I don’t go ‘round making love in public places… or before this tour is finished!”

She giggled again as she rushed down the staircase to the basement, Elvis' loud belly laugh followed her as the sound of his heavy foot steps filled the passage way. Turning back briefly, Becky saw that Elvis’ body  blocked out all the sunshine from the corridor. His ravenous expression sent a thrill up her spine as she tripped down into the darkness of the basement and ran smack! into a doorframe. Elvis caught up to her as she massaged her fingers into the side of her forehead, that's probably gonna cause bump... how sexy.

“Mmhmmmm … look what I caught … think this tour is over… for now���” Elvis kissed her shoulder from behind, his breath trembling out a chuckle between his words. “Oh no, ya not hurt?”

She smiled. “No, I’m fine… just stupid.. runnin’ round a basement in the dark…”

Elvis pulled her in, replacing her fingers with his lips. “Aww, baby, let him kiss it and make it better…” He peppered soft, sweet kisses on her temple and Becky felt the cool sheen of perspiration on his chin from the jaunt down the stairs. The soft, damp sensation of his skin against her was electrifying, and she absorbed him eagerly, her hands went under his jacket till he shouldered it off,  his hands trailing down to her waist. She groaned out as the heft of his body insistently impelled her into the doorframe. 

Becky bit her lip as her hands meandered over Elvis’ back, cherishing the soft, pliable ridges and rolls, then daintily moving up to clasp his neck. He muttered out an “OH baaaaby…” and she responded with a whimper. Elvis grinned wide, stroking Becky’s cheek with his knuckles, down to her mouth, his kisses moving lower along her neck, more  passionate and insistent with each smoosh. 

Elvis grunted and heaved as hee lifted Becky up, carrying her moaning body through the doorframe an onto a dark, velvet, sectional, her head bump all but forgotten. Her eyes sort of noticed her surroundings, yellow and black walls lit by a dim solitary table lamp at a bar. Becky’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and watched Elvis kneel down in front of her and place his glasses back on the coffee table behind him. Looking up, she realized the ceiling in here was made entirely of mirrors.

“So… is this another den?”

“Mhmmmm ….  tvs, movie screen, record player, bar…” He leaned into her, hands on Becky’s thighs. “Got all the entertainment i need right here though...jus wanna look atcha ....  still a second… no moar running …” 

Becky exhaled and sat up, stroking the hair off Elvis’s face as he caught his breath, captivated by the pull of his deep, blue eyes. They were like the middle of the ocean and called her to jump off her life raft and dive right in.

“You are… you are …” she mumbled, running her left fingers through his sideburns, trying to think of the right words to tell him how attractive she found him, how his smile and that impish way his mouth quirked and his eyes danced with desire commanded her to body forward toward him. But all the phrases that came to Becky’s mind seemed inadequate and cliche. Also, she was reluctant to let him know how she felt, insecure and afraid it made her boring, easy, a push over. She had the impression Elvis needed validation, but also enjoyed the pursuit. 

Becky looked down at his thumbs trailing over the ridge of her jeans, his eyes intent on her.

“Hmmm… yeah baby, whatcha trying ta say?”

“You are… not so bad… for an… Elvis Presley…” Becky closed her eyes and held him to her cheek, as he chuckled softly, and started unbuttoning her pants.

“Well I like you too, darlin’… mmhmm…” His eyes were earnest and she inhaled as they narrowed, his hands were needy as her pulled off her jeans and threw them behind him. Becky guffawed watching them fall over a white, porcelain monkey that gleamed in the dark. 

Then he suckled at her nape, and Elvis’ cheeks scrunched up in a smile at Becky’s moans, inhaling as he moved to draw off her panties. She could feel the excitement scorching up her center as he looked into her eyes, tugging her panties off. Becky sucked in her tummy, maybe he won't notice the soft stretch marks at her hips. Stretch marks were the last thing on his mind, and her full, round hips beckoned him to grab on and smother himself within her. Elvis’ eyes looked into Becky's with a fiendish gleam, and he arched his left eyebrow as his hands continued to pull at her underwear without looking down. Becky giggled while he pursed his lips, removing her pink cotton skivvies one leg at a time. Elvis’ baritone voice dipped low as he lifted her legs over his shoulders, his thumbs teasing over her soft, curly fur, then slowly parting her lower lips.

“Hello darlin’ nice ta see ya….….It’s been a long time…” he sang, kissing the hair at the top of her entrance,  once, twice, three times. “…Ya just as lovely as you used to be…”

Becky started chuckling, “I think Conrad Twitty would be horrifi——” her commentary on Elvis’ serenade to her pussy was interrupted by the flick of his tongue on her clit.  She arched her head involuntarily as his chuckles hummed in to her. Opening her eyes, Becky saw Elvis’ body in-between her legs above her in the mirrors. His head bobbed forward and back as his fingers sought out the silkiness within her, prodding her pleasure point. Elvis tongue seared a path along her center, and a warm throbbing began to ache causing Becky to shift her hips forward to meet his mouth, twitching in sync with the glide of his fingers. Moving his index and forefinger up and down into her, Elvis let up from his efforts momentarily to look at her face, beaming at the way her lip hung down and her face convulsed in time with his fingers' movements. His head turned up into the mirrors reveling at the view of himself pleasuring Becky, widening her legs a bit so he could get a better view of his hand inside her. Becky cried out as his index finger made contact with that special spot once more, and he looked her dead in the eyes.

“Enjoy watching you squirm, darlin….”

Becky had trouble forming a sentence, stuttering out “Uhh.. well.. that… you know…” 

Elvis laughed and returned to her cunt like a man who'd been fasting a month, consuming her with firm, generous strokes. Becky felt the tension build, and her eyes went back up at the mirrors when she arched herself into him, watching as Elvis’ devoured her and his strangled breath filled the room. He was knuckles deep inside her, flexing back and forth in tandem as his tongue cleaned her, each round bringing her a step closer to absolution. Her fingers threaded through  Elvis’ dark hair, and in the dim light of the mirrors, Becky would swear she had a wild boar between her legs. A grunting,  dark, wild beast snorting and rooting for treasure in her depths. Her hips thrust up into Elvis’ face with a powerful whack and he grabbed her buttocks, his lips sucking her nub through the waves of heat that broadcast out through her entire body. Thrashing, twitching and cursing like a sailor, she tried to free herself from the overstimulation of Elvis’ soft mouth and hard tongue.

“Fuck fffffff fucking FUCKKKKK ing FFucccKKKKKK cocksucking motherfucking FUCK I can’t believe that……”

She panted hard, shaking her head at the smug, devilish look on Elvis face as he lowered her feet in front of her and wiped himself on her thigh. His fingers did a squeeze inside and a chuckle came out watching Becky twitch and jerk on his hand. She grabbed his shoulder, tightly, a sign to stop. “S’too much … to intense.” He did it one last time chuckling, then relented and glided his fingers out from her, licking them with filthy glee.

“Ha! I've never met anyone… who did that… who cared.. or liked the way women taste … like you do….” Becky exhaled, catching her breath.

“Mhmmm… not all women… but you … you taste amazing… I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner…. And still be hongry fa moar…..” 

Becky laughed, sliding forward on the sofa and pulling his head to hers to crush their mouths together. It was like being inside herself. The hands cupping her cheeks, his entire face, it all smelled like her. And him. Sweat and spit and cologne and lavender oil and dirty hair. All melded together. It was intoxicating, and they stayed like this for several minutes, locked in a lover’s embrace, the smacks of their sloppy kisses replacing the sound of  Elvis face slapping against Becky’s thighs. Becky wound her legs around his bottom, and he grabbed her, lifting her up off the couch then thumping her back down as he ambled  over to the bar.

“Pffft… need.. some…water…”

She followed, and Elvis grinned at the sound of Becky’s wet nakedness squelching over the yellow bar stool.

“Thanks for polishin’ the furniture, baby…..” Elvis winked, as she inadvertently squeaked again against the leather.

Becky blushed, and Elvis’ jaw widened with a deep breath. 

“Damn, honey, I’ll never get sick a watchin’ that blush creep up ya widdle cheeks…” He leaned over the bar and squished her cheeks with his right hand, kissing her forehead.  

She stood and backed away as he came around the bar.

“S’not nice to tease a girl… first you offer to give me tour, but then corner me in this here tv room, and now ya making fun of the way all your cavorting makes me squeak and blush——”

He grabbed her to him, pulling her lips back onto his. She giggled and squirmed away.

“Oh no you don’t—”

Elvis stepped toward her again, but Becky squealed and turned, running back into the basement corridor. She didn’t have a plan, and when she remembered she wasn't wearing pants she scurried into the dark room across. Elvis’ body clambered loudly behind her as he growled. “Though we agreed no more runnin.’” 

She stumbled back onto a large table as Elvis caught up and lifted her onto the thick barrier of a pool table. Becky’s hands half-heartedly pushed back against his chest as she whined.

“Now Elvis… pretty sure I was promised sound proof walls ….”

Elvis mumbled into her ear, “Hmmm.. that why you got me chasin’ you round, tryin not to excite me???? I’d rather be in the comfort an privacy of that a room too ...  but it is much too far away… two floors too far ta be exact… don't worry, though, this basement is sound proof too … I've tested it ma self…" He winked. "Ain’t no one gonna know …” 

Becky stopped nuzzling back into him, her tone became earnest. “Have you done it lot… down here…? Made love, I mean?” 

Elvis stood up straight and grunted, his hands steadying her precarious position on the edge of the pool table.

“That was probably the wrong thing ta say, hmmmm?”

Becky’s eyes trailed to the dark hall way she had just run through, and told her self to be cool… you knew he has more experience than you… a lot more… what did you expect? Would it matter if you were in his bed? Probably fucked even more women there….

“Nooooooo…I guess I’m a idiot for asking…” she shifted up to look into his dark eyes. 

Elvis wiped his forehead while he pushed himself between Becky’s legs. His hands were rubbing her thighs softly up and down, and he glanced down at her chest before returning his gaze to those big brown eyes. The look there made him regret even conjuring up past sexual escapades. The wholly unfiltered, self-conscious insecurity in her eyes made her all the more alluring. Becky was unvarnished, unaffected, and the way she didn't try to cover up her nervousness in order to impress made him throb with yearning. Acting like a damn teenager, running after women in hallways or corridors, he thought, your gonna feel this in the morning. Who are you kidding. In an hour. Elvis really would have preferred to take Becky the comfort of his bed, but at this precise moment comfort was from from a priority, all he knew was that needed to feel Becky’s skin against his, feel himself inside her, possessing her completely and defusing all her misgivings about him with the warm deluge of his adoration. 

“Nah, not an idiot at all… look, we’re both grown ups… we have histories…” he kissed her neck slowly, tenderly. Her eyes closed with a quiver as his voice dissolved in her inhibitions. “Make you feel better if I tell ya it’s been years since I fooled round down here? Aw honey…. I can't even remember their faces ... don’t want anyone else but you…” 

Will you remember mine in a year? She wondered, but her body didn't care, and it's instincts propelled her back into him. She pulled his neck to her and his lips hit her forehead. He felt his manhood stiffen even more and it made his fingers needier as they trailed up her sides. Elvis’ lower lip hung down with longing and his eye lids drooped with lust. Becky hastily began to unbutton his white dress shirt.

“Ahh, sweet baby, you’re so goddamn beautiful….” Elvis voice made Becky stop mid-button  and she looked up at him, her hands moving up to his cheeks.

“Please don’t lay that charm on too thick… I’m already here… I’m naked…an… I know you like me an…  I can feel you’re attracted—” 

Elvis pulled her hand down to feel the pulsating steel rod bursting along his slacks “ — Ya can, huh? Feel my attraction?” Then he saw the hesitancy in her eyes. “Wuss tha matter sweetheart?”

Becky sighed. “I just….I know I’m not beautiful, not like the super models I’ve seen you with in newspapers and magazines…. I just… if you exaggerate, go too over-the-top… well,  it ruins it for me… I hate false compliments…”

Elvis’ eyes narrowed. “Honey, over-the-top is my middle name… ”

Becky let out an involuntary guffaw. “Say that again… I mean, this whole house... But what I mean is, I wish you would stop givin’ me your pretty movie star lines —”

Elvis shook his head and grabbed Becky by the chin, the look in his eyes an intense warning. “Sometimes you make me think no one has ever told ya you were beautiful…” The way she pushed his hand aside and looked down, uncomfortably told Elvis he had accidentally stumbled on the truth. “Nooo….. never? I don believe it….. no, cuz ya really are… here, I gotta turn the light on jus so’s I can see ya better….” 

He flipped a switch on the wall, and suddenly the pool room was bathed in a warm glow. Becky gasped as the light revealed a cacophony of textured colors along cloth-covered walls. Her eyes followed the fabric up to the ceiling, feeling as though she had slipped under the skirt of a Victorian lady. Colorful pleats lined the walls and gathered into the middle of the room above two hanging Tiffany lamps. Elvis lips on her shoulder as his hands took off her shirt brought Becky back into her body. A breathy giggle worked it’s way out when Elvis’ knuckles stroked Becky’s face. She quit resisting and just held up her hands, watching as he lifted her shirt over her head and gulped, his eyes languidly roving up and down her body. 

“Mhmmm… yessiree… fit right in here with all the other beautiful things I fill this ole house with…ya know… I have an eye for beautiful things —”

“Elvis, please… quit teasin,’”  Becky wiped a lone tear drop from the side of her right eye.

Elvis brought her hands up to his lips, kissing each top as he held her gaze. “Woman, you better stop that… might think you’re questioning my aes -thee- ET-ic taste.” He drawled, clearly amusing himself with his pronunciation of aesthetic. 

Inhaling, Elvis pulled Becky’s face back towards his with a kiss that lingered on her soft lips. Elvis coughed as Becky pulled off his shirt and his tummy jiggled with a wave of laughter. Looking down, she saw him flinch at his own belly and Becky dragged the back of her hand across it slowly, sensuously.

“You are… the most handsome man…” Then she blushed and hid her face in his chest hair, her hands curving up around his neck as she tried to crush herself into him, kissing his sternum and muttering how she was glad she’d met him.

“Why honey… there she is… there’s that sweet girl I like, been hidin’ underneath all that sass…”  Elvis breathed into her ear, his hands moving over her head, tousling her hair, then using his right hand to bring her chin up to his. “Becky, ya like a goddamn Greek goddess … if I say your beaut - TEE - full, then ya are, end of story …. Don’t ever wanna hear you tellin’ me what I can or can na say… ’specially when I’m in the throes of love making,” he chuckled. “Derails my manEUvers …”

Elvis hot breath clucked into Becky’s ear, he kissed her cheek and waggled his eyes. Becky pulled herself to him, and began unlatching his pants. Elvis stopped her, drawing out his pistol and pushing it across the pool table. Becky watched the metal of the gun glisten, the carved handle was elaborately engraved and she caught his grin watching her eyes follow it.

“That thing s’not loaded, is it?”

Elvis laughed. “Course it is, baby, how else arm I s’posed to use it? I’m always ready for action…”

“Hmmm. Speaking of which….” Becky’s hand returned to Elvis’ pants. “Are you aware, Mr. Presley… that you are not wearing any underwear?” She asked, in a high, breathy refrain pulling down his pants and and gripping his cock gently. “Someone might say s’its … almost an invitation…?” Elvis bent his head back as a loud belly laugh escaped his throat. 

“There ya go, using ma own words against——uhhh fuck, baby girl!” Elvis looked down to watch as Becky lowered herself in front of him and kissed the tip of his cock, her eyes all innocence.

“What? Just bein’ friendly… responding to that open invitatioOOM…..” She grinned as she plunged her mouth around him half way through the last word, humming the syllable onto him while her eyes widened and she grasped the rolling handles at his side to hand on to.

Elvis tried to pull her arm back up. “Honey, I don’t wantcha to do that… s’not something I like from women I respect…”

Becky pulled his hand off, her puzzling eyes searching his face. “I did this the first night we met…”

“Well… didn’t think I was ever gonna see ya again… didn’t realize how much I liked ya til I woke up and you were gone…”

“Well, s’too late… I got a taste for this lil fella, and it’s hardly hospitable —” Becky kissed his tip and Elvis shuddered. “To invite me to dinner then not feed me…” she grinned, as he shook his head and put his hands up in defeat, giving in to the irresistible movements of her mouth over, under and on his johnson.

Becky tried to exude a sexy playful confidence, but then gasped and choked as she forced his girthy length to the back of her throat, giggling at Elvis’ bemused expression. His heart swelled with reverence as his cock thrust into the glorious traction of Becky’s mouth. His fingers gently dragged through her hair, and he sucked in his breath while expelling a succession of needy “fucks.” Elvis lifted his head to the heavens in prayer when his tip banged into the softness of her throat, moaning while Becky stubbornly sucked in further, her cheeks hallowed and her mouth coughing down the gag reflex as best she could. Making eye contact, Elvis couldn’t help the way his hips surged back and forth almost of their own volition at a increased pace, spurred on by the determined look in Becky’s watery eyes. 

“Fuck honey… whooo…hey…. ok…I am gonna compromise and say…ya can do this anytime ya want…” 

Becky giggled at that into his cock as she glided forward.

Elvis could feel his orgasm bubbling up, and seized the side of Becky’s head to stop her, “Darlin, I wanna be inside you…. Come up here…” Elvis held out his hand and gently turned her against the pool table with a questioning eyebrow. She nodded and leaned into the wooden ledge of the pool table, sighing out as she felt Elvis kiss her shoulder and tilt her hips to him. She watched his dazzled expression over her shoulder as he pushed in and out of her slowly. He looked into her eyes while lunging in farther and groaning out a “FUck honeeeyyy.” Becky gasped sharply, savoring the tight pinch this position created.

“Damn, baby… you wuddna hardly think I been breaking you in all week..”

Becky giggled, “Elvis, how can you talk about me like that? Ughhh …. I’m not a horse…. Ughhhh….”

“I know, honey, I know… and I wantcha ohhh god damn…. Unnnnhhhhh…. meant no disrespect… but ….I am just always surprised how I wished I had a damn shoe horn with me... every time.” He laughed at her pout, and then moaned. “Now Becky Butt" he hit her bottom as he pulled out with a slight pat, "Don't look at me that -a way, s'its a compliment… should thank me… god DAMN woman….”

Elvis shifted positions to steady himself and smiled when he noticed that Becky sighed out with a crescendoing “oohHHHHhhhhhhhahh” every time he speared her at this new angle. Elvis let out a low chuckle, muttering, “Can ya hear ya self Becks? Like a goddamn accordion, suga… think... I found… ma new favorite instrument… Becky’s squeezebox…”

Becky shook her head, giggling and then moaning out again as she leaned into the hard surface of the pool table. Elvis’ heaved and breathed a little harder as he moved his right hand around Becky’s waist and began to rub her clit, grunting into the pale alabaster skin of her shoulder. 

“Oh my fucking Gawd Elvis… what are you doing to me? I don’t know if I can take any more” She moaned out, looking back at him through messy hair.

He kissed her neck. “Shhhhh…. now... let daddy take… care…UNGHHH… a ya…” then grunted again, burrowing back into her.

Eyes squeezed shut, Becky shuddered with each thrust backwards, her body clapping onto his in a rhythmic tug-a-war chasing the heat churning in her core. It broke loose, galloping over her like a runaway horse, and Becky screamed a long, loud guttural cry that echoed through the basement, up the stairway and through the entire north wing of Graceland. Mary sat at the kitchen counter drinking her coffee and smiling into her newspaper, shaking her head. It had been a long while since the sounds of lovemaking had ricocheted through the halls of Graceland like that.

“Uhhhh, there she goes… good girl…. ” Elvis slowed down, his lips planting a succession of soft pecks along the back of Becky’s shoulder, pushing her hair gently aside, and then moving his hands to tap out a pitter patter along the top ridge of her bottom where he continued to dip in and out of her.

“Oh goodness… ughhh… do you t think they heard me up stairs?”

“Nah, honey…don’t trouble ya self… I promise you, no one knows what we’re up to down here… could be playing billiards... mmHHMMm…unghhhhh… or watchin’ TV… or making a porno for all they know..”

“HA! Unghhhhh” Becky bite her lip, forgetting to be affronted enveloped by the comfort of Elvis' sweaty, warm body.

He leaned further and further into her, the thunder of each thrust reverberate up through Elvis’ tummy onto her, his hips crushing her even harder onto the pool table. Becky rocked back and forth with Elvis’ body in a post-orgasmic high, looking up at the colorful walls through blurry vision. She was inside a kaleidoscope, and she smiled watching the technicolor spectacle dance in front of her eyes. Elvis increased the tempo of his efforts. 

“Honey, I’m bout ta explode…”

His fingernails dug into her sides as he moaned out deeper, his head throttled backwards, hips prodding into her slowly and deliberately, evincing a moan with each thrust until he came with a loud grunt, singing breathlessly as he sputtered into her.

“Aaaaamen….. aaaaamen…. AAAAMEN… amen … ammmmmennnnnn.” 

Then Elvis collapsed head forward into the space between her shoulder blades, wiping sweat and hair onto her back as he whispered, “Thank ya Gawwwd… for bringing this lil gal ta me …. Lord… I feel your spirit.” 

Becky shook her head with a breathy chuckle. “Well, now I feel your spirit all over me…”

Elvis kissed her with a laugh, fondling her hips and pressing back into her deeper as he softened.

“Hmmmm… good… s’holy sacrement…” Elvis said, eyes closed, as he kissed her cheek, rubbing her sides slowly up and down as lil Elvis savored the warm, wet cloister of her cunt.

He almost collapsed over her, muttering goddamns until their breath synchronized. Elvis’ hands stilled on Becky’s hips and he coughed out, grunting, then laughing. She rolled over, gazing at him with amusement as he staggered back for effect and pulled up his pants. Her eyes danced over his wide, glistening body, the chest hair matted down, the belly that heaved forward and distended over his waist, his goofy boyish smile beaming from ear to ear. It was almost regal how he held his hands pushed into his hips, below a belly that jutted out. He took his shirt and bent to gently wipe between, gathered the cloth into his face with a loud, effected sniff before putting it back on. Their eyes met, giddy laughter echoed through the room.

Elvis  zipped up his pants and retrieved his gun, giving Becky a naughty wink as he pushed it back into his waist. His shirt hung open as he turned to move across the passage way walked back to the TV room and collapsed on the sectional. His chest heaved and his breath was ragged.

“Goddammit woman… tha most exercise since ma last concert.” Elvis combed his hand through his damp sweaty locks, looking over as Becky followed him, barefoot in just her her shirt and bending to finding her panties near the couch. Elvis pulled her on to him at the couch, kissing her belly.

“Got me runnin’ round like a 20 year old horn dawg…." Then he slapped her bottom. Again. "Well, don’t just sit here women, do something… help me...go get me a Pepsi, huh baby?”

Glancing into the mirrors above her, Becky’s eyes met Elvis’ smirking reflection.

“Nex time we’ll have ta try it in here… ”

Becky guffawed loudly, and pushed his shoulder with her head, then getting up to grab some drinks from the bar.

“You truly are a lecherous old goat…”

“Aww Becky, love it when ya talk dirty ta me… you have no idea what a dirty old goat I can be…. Jus you wait…” Elvis chortled.

She dropped next to him with the sodas, and watched as he drained half of his in one fell swoop. She leaned her head into the curve of his arm, bouyed up by his chest, she listened to the sound of his heavy exhales as he fiddled with a strange contraption pointed at the TV.

“What’s that?” Becky asked, soothing her hands over his belly.

“This… this is really high tech stuff… s’ a remote control…welcome to the future, Twitch…got all the latest gear ….let me show you how it works.” Elvis sipped his drink and excitedly explained the science behind his gadget , showing Becky how it turned the TVs on and off using blah blah blah radar gizmo whatevers. She vaguely ohed and ahed, happily trying it out as his hand guided over her over the switches and buttons on the device. Just enjoying the feeling of his chest under her head. Becky scootched closer as Elvis’ left hand trailed down her side. She let her head sank down more and more into the top of his tummy, rubbing his belly hair as she watched the three TVs in the wall flicker on. Before she passed out, she wondered how anyone could possibly follow three different news programs at once.

*************************************************************

Becky awoke to the sound of voices behind her, alone on the sofa and uncertain where she was for a moment. She closed her eyes again instinctively. Someone else, an older man perhaps, was speaking in a whispered hush with Elvis in the hallway.

“—— well I wish you had made your damn mind up ‘bout which airplane ya wanted before I gave the other one a down payment. Now I have this new contract with Delta … just don’t know what was wrong with chartering —”

“Aw hell, daddy, s’just money… you think I’m gonna stand by while Killer gets his own plane, an I’m still waitin’ on the runway with my dick in my hand for a charter? No sireee… ya got another thing comin’” 

There was a long silent pause.

“Well… ya tied my hands now anyway… and I’m left cleaning up the mess… Speaking of people who clean up ya mess, where’s Linda?”

“How should I know? In the condo I bought her in LA, or the house I got her round the corner… actin’ like a hurt puppy dog sulking back and forth and hardly sayin a word to me in the last few weeks… refused to come on tour…”

“Well, she isn’t refusing that credit card you gave her, just got the latest American Express bill and let me tell ya, it’s a doozy…”

“Now, I promised that girl I’d take care a her, long as she wants, so don’t bring all that up again… don’t care if she charges $30 or $30,000… still my gal….”

“IS she? Maybe she’d be ‘round more if you didn’t bring floozies like that un home —”

“Now daddy, that lil gal right there is a good, sweet kid, won’t have you disrespectin’ Becky—”

“Uh huh, and what pills is Becky on, hmmm?”

“Nothing… she’s just tired.” Becky could almost hear the smirk in Elvis’s voice as it went lower. “Poor thing ain’t had a lick a sleep in the last three days… but she’s a good girl. Comes from a good family back in Jackson.”

“Mhmmm… well, I never know who I’m gonna find here, some stranger you picked up at the gate? A baseball announcer? The local PE teacher? Or a random super model you’ve decided to buy an apartment for and put on the payroll without telling me… probably just be cheaper to give the local brothel a full retainer…”

“Ok, now, daddy… that’s enough… I don’t wanna think bout all this right now…”

“Son, all I’m saying is, I don’t blame Linda for being sore atcha…”

Elvis voice raised by several decibels. “Well, you get your woman under control and then you can come lecture me… last I heard you’d been kicked out of yourn. And got a new house. Let’s not forget who’s payin’ for it all….”

About thirty seconds of silence passed.

“Well, I ——“

“I’m ‘bout to wake that lil gal up, so we can go dress for supper - SO leave it. Nuff. I don’t wanna squabble no more….you should join us to eat, I know’d the gals be happy to see ya…”

“Hmmmm… any other mouths knockin’ ‘bout?”

“Hardly no one tonight… Jus Charlie, Jerry, Billy and his family… ”

“Yeah. No one, just ten people he says… that’s no one… hmmm….I’ll think about it…” 

Becky waited until she heard the footsteps go up the stairs before opening her eyes to see Elvis hovering over her, his shirt was still unbuttoned and he held her jeans over his left arm.

“You’re a bad faker, Becky….”

“Hmmmm?” Becky said, unable to stop the blush returning to her cheeks. “How’d… how’d ya know I was awake?”

Elvis grinned. “Ya snore… s’cutest itty bitty breathy heavin’…. But I noticed a few minutes ago that ya’d stopped, when daddy quit yapping.” He handed her jeans to her. “Here, don’t want no one seein’ ya half naked… Let’s get you covered up….”

Becky flashed a feeble smile as she pulled her pants on, and crooked into Elvis arm, he kissed the top of her head and slapped her bottom to signal she was to trudge up the stairs in front of him.

*************************************************************

Going through her bag, Becky held up another pink halter top and sighed. Before her shower, she had chewed Ida out on the phone for aiding and abetting Elvis with her the surprise trip to Memphis. And for packing an assort of really tight halter tops, mini skirts and a few dresses, all of which she suspected came from her 22 year-old cousin Harriet’s wardrobe. 

“Ida, these clothes barely cover me….” 

“Oy vey, Rebecca, that’s the point….. Ruth’s at camp, I put Saul back at the store, everything is fine, you go have fun… with Elvis Presley….” she screeched his name.

“Ida, don’t get your hopes up…. this is just a short term affair… I don’t want you to be disappointed when this plays itself out…”

“Becky,” Ida’s voice grew stern. “That is exactly the point, my meshugganah kindela… of all the people who get to have an affair with a rock star, why not you? What I would have given for one night with Rudy Vallee….”

Becky sighed. “Ok, ok…. maybe I’ll thank you one day…. give Saul a kiss for me.”

Now she stood in the master bathroom, hair up in a towel, Becky looked back in her traveling bag. No bras, five pairs of underwear, sandals and a pair of nice pumps. Other than this, she had the jeans, tee and converse sneakers she's worn to drive Ruth to camp. There was also little case with her toothbrush, and a bag with some of Ida’s Avon make up, perfume and matching talcum powder in Avon’s original Sweet Honesty scent. Becky grimaced at the sickly intense floral smell, but did a half spray on her wrist anyway. She coughed as the talc powder wafted into her nose when she spread it under her arms and between her thighs to dry and smooth her skin. She straightened the towel wrapped around her wet hair and looked at her face in Elvis’ bathroom. A line of small red bumps had started to form around her chin. Ughhh, this always happens when you start having sex again… you break out. She inspected them closely to make sure they weren’t white heads, and then rummaged through the Avon bag for foundation and concealer. Keeping her make up simple, Becky applied a light layer of mauve eye shadow to match the flowers on the white floral dress she had picked out, and the pair of light mauve shoes Ida had packed. She shimmied into the dress, smoothing it down, looking at the way the thin white floral pattern stretched over her breasts and then clung to her body's ample curves. The top only had one tied, petal sleeve, her other shoulder was bare and she sighed. This had been the most modest clothing nice option for dinner she had found in the bag.

When she finally emerged into the bedroom, glanced over Elvis’ large, black bed frame and the dark Burgundy bedspread covering it. Shivering in the cool air, she walked over and checked out the assortment of pistols, rifles and hand guns on top of his big dresser.  Elvis footsteps brought her eyes up from the arsenal, and she smiled at the white tailored suit and blue silk shirt ruffled he wore. Her breath hitched in her throat as he straightened his sunglasses, and ran his hand through his long shag hairdo. Then he moved closer and Becky felt the elastic give of her dress ripple when Elvis' fingers snapped the tie holding her lone sleeve up.

(Just imagine this dress but one asymmetical sleeve ^)

“Hmmm, couldn’t you find anything revealing to show off how pretty ya are for my folks, hmmm?” 

Becky’s bottom lip dropped down with her eyes, and she lifted her hands to nervously fix some of the hair pinned on top of her hair in a messy bun, a worried expression on her face. “I thought this was too revealing—”

Elvis smirked, chuckling, “No, I know honey ...  seems like they forget a whole sleeve… not that this sleeve has much to it neither… that little knot is holding on for dear life…” His hand moved under her breasts to jostle them up with a soft swat and eyes watched with delight as her bosom bounced up and down. “Hope you didn’t pay full price for this half a dress…” his eyes lit up when Becky elbowed him. “… Aw, no, I like it…  sexy as hell…”  He whispered in her ear and the warmth of his breath sent a tingle up her spin and through her core. 

Becky’s nether regions shivered, still sensitive from earlier activities, moreso as the soreness settled in from the vigorous pounding Elvis had given her. She had felt a slight burn when she peed, and she made a mental note to drink a lot of water. You don’t want to get a UTI on the first fucking day here. Maybe do some kegels during dinner too.

Elvis’ kissed Becky’s cheek, breaking her train of thought as he led her downstairs. Feeling her shiver, he covered as much of her bare skin as he could by hugging her into his jacket. “Maybe wouldn’t be so cold if ya invested in some long underwear…”

Becky nuzzled into his armpit. “Maybe if you didn’t live in a meat locker people could dress comfortably…” 

The sound of Elvis’ hand walloping Becky’s bottom (AGAIN) rang through the stairway with the rumble of his “Quit ya fussin’, woman, ain’t gonna change the temperature a this house jus' cuz you can’t be bothered to own a bra.”

Dinner was laid out in the kitchen, and Becky retreated further into Elvis’ embrace as he introduced her properly to his younger cousin Billy, who she’d seen from afar at the Jackson concerts, Billy’s wife Jo, their sons Danny and Joey, his father, grandmother Minnie Mae, and Aunt Delta, who was curt, quiet and smelled of a heavy rose perfume with an undertone of vodka. She felt naked when Elvis parted from her to make up a plate of food, spooning out black eyed peas with bacon, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and more from the large serving dishes on the counter. She felt even more awkward as he followed Jerry into the dining room while she looked for options not smothered in some sort of pork, smiling nervously at Mary who filled up the pitcher of sweet tea and then stacked more bacon on top of the salad.

When she entered the dining room, Elvis clapped his hand on the red cushion next to him at the head of the table, then stopped mid-sentence in his conversation with Billy to do a double take at Becky’s plate.

“Just cornbread and potatoes?” he asked in an accusatory tone, looking from the plate to Becky’s eyes. The whole table went silent. “There’s salad in there.”

Becky straightened and looked at Elvis. “I’m good. There’s bacon all up in that salad-”

“Well, use ya head, now Becky Butt, you can jus pick it out  - there  I solved ya damn probl—”

“I like this fine,  Presley, mind ya own business.”

Jo gasped, and Billy put his hand over his wife’s under the table. Billy then coughed uncomfortably and tried to change he subject. “You don’t eat bacon? On account of being a Hebr—” 

Elvis put his hand up to stop Billy “On account of being a doggone vegetarian.” Then he looked Becky squarely in the eye, and spoke with a benevolent humor. “No reason to be a bitch ‘bout it.”

Aunt Delta whispered loudly to Jo, “What Billy say?”

“He asked Becky if she didn’t eat pork cuz she’s a Jew.”

Vernon called down to Becky. “That true?”

But Becky was staring back at Elvis. “Look, I was eating my dinner just fine, you’re the one trying to tell me what ta do… I like mashed potatoes an cornbread… mind ya own business…”

“Everythin’ that happens in this house is my business, oughta box ya jaw, talking’ to a man like that in his own damn house …”

“YOU the one that kidnapped me Presley on account of how fond ya are of me, why, I bet you’d sooner hit ya granny there ‘fore you’d hit me.” She arched her eyebrow with a smirk.

“Oh you better shut that big ole mouth, get ya into trouble.” Elvis pulled Becky on his lap, arms around her waist.

She made a tepid attempt to get out of them, squealing loudly. “I don’t havta, you ain’t my boss.”

Before Elvis could answer, Minnie Mae announced, loudly. “Hesh up, canna eat ma supper.” Becky was shocked to hear such a powerful timbre from the frail, thin woman. 

Elvis squeezed her sides, and kissed her neck, whispering. “You heard Dodger, hesh that big mouth up .”

“You better shut up, you love my big ole mouth….” Becky murmured back into his ears, arms around his neck. Elvis leaned his head back, laughing, and Dodger shot Becky a stern look, as if her grand son’s unseemly behavior was somehow her fault.

The others went back to eating and low polite conversation, but Becky finished her meal in another dimension on Elvis lap. She took a large forkful of mashed potatoes, enthusiastically humming “MMMMhmmm MM!” as she swallowed. Elvis shook his head and let out a belly laugh, chewing his meatloaf in her ear and then giving her a big kiss, during which she feigned disgust. 

“Get that meat off my lips, Presley,” she muttered. 

“Huh, ya love my meat, honey.” He growled under his breath, pushing another big bite in his mouth and pressing his mush against her ear. 

Becky writhed silently in her seat, wiping off the greasy ground beef granules sticking on her lobe. “Didn’t no one ever teach ya any manners?” she hissed back at him.

“Gonna teach you some manners…you and that big mouth…” Elvis grinned like a goofy clown, and Becky couldn’t stop his contagious smile and playful energy from taking over her body. 

She beamed back, still trying to seem irritated, murmuring into his fluffy shagged out hair, “Like to see you try…” 

The thin soft knit fabric of Becky’s dress grazed her skin as Elvis massaged the top of her thigh, his strong fingers pinched the side and rubbed the rolls of her hip together, whispering in her ear. “Jus you wait… …”

They spent the meal thusly, in their own dimension at the head of the table, flirting, whispering, pinching, rubbing and feeding each other food. 

Elvis took some black eyed peas, biting the piece of ham hock off his fork, before feeding them into Becky’s open mouth with a “mhmmm... he thinks she needs some veGEeeables…”

Then Becky broke the edge of her corn bread off, “Better shut you up with something sweet in that mouth... know you like sugar on your tongue... Get any a this? Mhmmm… sweetest corn bread I ever ate…” 

He chuckled, talking with her fingers in his mouth. “Honey, I live on sweet stuff... like this cornbread... s'my house…. course it’s the best….”

They were only roused when Vernon stood to leave, followed by Aunt Delta’s movement helping Minnie Mae to her room. Becky started to help Mary clear the table, but Elvis grabbed her hand, telling her to let the woman do her job, and pulled her to follow the rest of the party into the den.  Mary caught Elvis in the back hall to pass him a note, and he motioned to Jerry after he read it, slapping Becky on her butt, which she realized was code for "hi," "get to it," "bye," "good idea," "uh nuh," and many other expressions as he begged off to make a business call in his office. Becky sat making small talk with Billy, Jo and Charlie for a time, then excused herself to fix her face upstairs, a happy excuse to go settle her nerves for a short spell alone and try to salve the self-conscious anxiety gnawing at her diaphragm. As she rounded the top of the stairs, she saw Jerry come out of the office, and he left paused to make sure he left the door ajar as he saw her.

“Everything ok?” Becky straightened her dress strap.

Jerry looked Becky up and down with an uncertain stare, then nodded. “Mhmmm…he’s just talking to his girlfriend in LA, Mindi.” 

Jerry’s heart dropped when he saw Becky’s ashen response, her lip trembled, just for a split second, before she forced a smile. “Oh, ha, well that’s good, was just about to call my sugar daddy in New York….” She changed the topic after shivering from the second floor’s cold air. “Cold, isn’t it… why is it so cold up here?”

Jerry frowned, and decided to go all in. “It’s the downers... the painkillers… makes you feel like you’re in a warm hug, like you are wrapped in a snug wool blanket… “

“How do you know that?”

“Cuz I’ve taken them, Becky… makes me drink gallons of lemonade, only wanna eat ice cream… never have enough of that cold sensation in your mouth, on your skin….”

“Oh.” Becky looked down. “Why does Elvis take them…” She shifted her feet.

“Back pain, insomnia, night terrors… at first… but it's easy to grow a tolerance and he needs more and more… can make him seem out of it.” Jerry stepped closer, and grabbed her arm. “If you are gonna be here, sleep with him, you need to watch him…if he goes to the bathroom , you go to the bathroom, if he passes out, make sure he is breathing… got it?”

The blood drained from Becky’s face, and she thought of the pills he took after the concerts in Jackson.

“Didn’t seem so bad when he was at my house.”

“Cuz he only had the random pills in his pocket… that was an impulsive trip, we didn’t even pack a tooth brush.”

“Oohhhh, haa…”

Her voice trailed off as Jerry patted her shoulder with a sympathetic wink, banking that she wouldn’t tell Elvis about their conversation. Jerry half regretted his bluntness, but her wounded look reaffirmed his commitment to show Becky as much of Elvis’ selfish nature as he could, as quickly as possible. With any luck, he’d have her hightailing it back to Jackson within the next 48 hours. Content with the work he had done, he excused him self for the night, while Becky stayed in the second floor landing, waiting for the sound of Jerry’s footsteps to end so she could creep closer to Elvis’ office and indulge her morbid curiosity.

“—no, no course, no, don’t even talk bout Rome… cuz I said I would… why honey, of course — why all ya gotta do is ask — no, now who’s name is on the marquee… that’s right darlin - my daddy works for me, not t’other way round…. Of course , s’no problem, how much ya need? Well …. Now, Joe’s out there himself, Jerry’s gonna square the wire first thing tomarra —— well, now, that’s more like it… I miss you too… whatcha you wearin’? Ohhhhhh you little minx, I oughta—” 

Becky felt sick to her stomach. It had only been a few minutes since that warm voice had been murmuring honeyed words into her neck. Her hand shook as she slunk over to the bedroom, and shed a few tears in the bathroom, then slapped herself in the face. 

“Shut up you big baby. You’ve been giddy as a school girl since you got here. You are just here to have fun. If you’re blue, well, that’s what you get for eavesdropping. People just having fun and enjoying free love don’t sneak around eavesdropping. It’s like Ida said, just enjoy the fucking experience… don’t get too deep, don’t take anything on...” She forced a smile. “Shepard’s pie. That’s what Charlie said. You’re comfort food... he doesn’t like one night stands, he likes to fool around for a set period of time. Maybe he’s your shepard’s pie too. Who are you kidding? You might be his comfort food, but Elvis fucking Presley is filet mignon to you, Rebecca Grace Hoffman. No one knows that name. Because you’re a nobody. Are you gonna ruin this trip by nagging him about other women? Or sleeping pills? No. Just. be. fun. Becky.”

The cold marble of the bathroom sink transferred from her hand to her cheek as she slapped her self again. “OK. Fun Becky.”  She nodded at herself and felt a little better after she washed her face and fixed her make-up. Taking a deep breathe, Becky shivered in the chill of Elvis’ bathroom. “Shake it off, baby…” she repeated to herself, rolling her shoulders and wiggling out her arms. As she walked downstairs, she told her self that if she felt uncomfortable, she could get a cab to the Greyhound station tomorrow,  or, worst case scenario, call her sister. This calmed her down, and Becky looked at her reflection one last time in the foyer mirror and smiled, happy with how she looked. Content with her decision to make no decisions and ready to enjoy the rest of the night if it killed her.

She instantly felt better when she peeked into the den and saw Charlie’s friendly face waving her in. The the woodsy decor, low lighting and water fall created a soothing atmosphere. Charlie was strumming a guitar while Billy got up to grab beer from the bar downstairs, an offer which Becky responded to almost too eagerly as she slide into the sofa next to Charlie. She nodded at Jo sitting on the floor against Billy’s chair. The women spoke for a little, Becky asked about the kids playing cards at the back of the room while Charlie played the melody for the Gordon Lightfoot hit “Sundown” on the guitar. Billy came back up with cold bottles for everyone, and the cool sour bubbles refreshed Becky while she struck up a conversation with Charlie. 

“Hey Decatur.” She said, smoothing her lap and crossing her legs. 

Charlie was now strumming chords aimlessly on his  guitar, a shy grin curled at the corner of his mouth. “Hey yerself, Birmingham.”

*************************************************************

The chords from George Jones’ and Tammy Wynette’s hit duet “Something to Brag About” met Elvis’ ears as he thumped downstairs, and he stood at the entry of the den noting the five empty beers on the coffee table. He watched Becky take a sip from her beer bottle as Charlie played guitar and sang the duet’s male part.

But I've got something to brag about 

Something to brag about 

Something to brag about in you

Becky closed her eyes as she sang out Tammy’s verse vigorously to the green carpet above her head, the deep emotion in her voice warmed Elvis entire body and he watched her with the keen eye of a voyeur. He felt the prickle of desire buzz along the back of his neck as he gazed at her sing and bounce on the sofa. The curls on top of her head seemingly had a life of their own, animated by the intensity of her delivery.  He liked power he felt watching her from doorway, knowing she had no idea he was there, knowing she wasn’t responding or performing for him. Just existing in the world as the free spirit that she was.

When you're with the fellas, I know 

You start braggin' 'bout 

My hour glass figure and my big brown eyes

Becky giggled, moving her hands suggestively over her body as she sang.

Then a you tell your girlfriends 'bout my 

Sweet, sweet lov—‘

Just as Charlie started to sing the word lovin’ he looked at the door and gulped, his hands froze while the last chord still reverberated throughout the den’s acoustics. He knew the power of that stare all too well, and the horror on his face showed his recognition.

Becky turned her head upside down, leaning back over the wooden serpent armrest,  that second beer had made her back impervious to the wood carving’s hard ridges. A goofy smile spread across her upside down lips.

“Heyyyyy daddy!”

Elvis stepped forward, towering above her. The waddle under his chin hung down as he tousled Becky’s hair from above, then pulled her dress strap up from her shoulder where it threatened to slip off and release her heaving bust. 

“Mmhmmm … hey baby…don’t let me interrupt y’all…” The edge in his tenor went over Becky’s head as she giggled, a dreamy look on her face as she blew a kiss up at him.

Leaning back as she was, Becky missed Charlie’s nervous glance at Billy, and she pulled herself up, slapping Charlie’s knee. “C’mon Decatur, where were we.”

“Ummm, uh… I uh, forget how it goes on from here…” Charlie coughed out.

Elvis staggered around the sofa behind Charlie, leaning down on his hands at the back of the couch. “Hmmm….. maybe it’s time ta let a professional take over…?”

Becky guffawed, slamming down her beer on the coffee table and raised her hands out for the guitar. “Professional skunk, more like. Don’t let him bully ya that way, Charlie… I can play if you... if you forget how it goes from here….” Charlie shot Becky a weak grin, and leaned over to hand her the guitar as he shakily stood up.

“Thanks darlin, but uhhh, need to use the John anyhow… y’all go on with out me….” Charlie twisted to look over his shoulder as Elvis plopped down in one of the large arm chairs across from the sofa. 

Billy sat in the other large armchair, his face was blank and inscrutable to Becky as he nodded at his cousin, and squeezed Jo’s shoulder below him.

Becky looked down at her hands, finding the chords on the neck of the guitar, then smiling at the others as she strummed lightly. Her voice was solemn and sad as it lifted up into “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Old,” pausing at the chorus to yell out, “C’mon on y’all, sing it with me….” 

The night they drove old Dixie down 

And the bells were ringing 

The night they drove old Dixie down 

And the people were singing 

They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Jo joined in exuberantly, and elbowed Billy into singing. Elvis grinned, he did not sing during this song, but rather, leaned back and watched Becky intently. After a few minutes, he pulled out a cigarillo and looked expectantly at Billy, who paused his contribution to the next chorus’ “na na nas” in order to hastily jump up and light Elvis’ cigar.

Becky laid the guitar down on the couch next to her when she finished singing and stood slowly, throwing her hips back and forth as she paraded around the coffee table to sit on Elvis’ lap. He looked up at her, blowing his cigar smoke to the side.

“Dontcha know… that’s a man’s song?”

“Hmmm…” Becky purred as Elvis belly bounced into her and she leaned into his face, her fingers edging around Elvis’ cigar to pull it out of his grasp to her own lips. A sly smile emerged on her lips as spoke. “Oh ya know…. I like…” she sucked on the sweet, woodsy smoke from his cigar, exhaling as she finished her thought. “Men’s things….”

Elvis pulled his cigar back from her fingers, his lips hovered below her chin. “Already know that…” 

Becky leaned her forehead down against Elvis’, his left hand jiggled her closer and he chuckled up into her mouth, his eyes danced behind his sunglasses.

“You know, you have a sad melancholy in that voice a yourn….” He murmured just to her, pulling Becky in the warm enclosure of his arms, a world where only the two of them existed and they spoke to each other in hushed, intimate voices as if no one was around. Here there were no external problems, no girlfriends, no downers, no children, no 200 miles stretching out between their houses. The only barriers were the clothes they wore and the space between their bodies. Billy and Jo looked at each other and shrugged awkwardly.  

Becky didn’t notice. 

“You don’t like my voice?” she stammered, her lower lip trembling.

Elvis brushed his lips over her chin, closing his eyes as he tilted his forehead into her nose and growled into her breasts below. “Honey… I don’t like your voice……” he paused for effect, his left hand grabbing the back of her hair, loosening the bobby pins that held it up with the force of his fingers. His jowls vibrated as he intoned, deeply. “I loooove your voice…..”

Charlie coughed as he walked back in, and picked up the guitar to put it back with its stand against the wall. Elvis’ eyes shifted, momentarily brought out of his trance, but he left his head resting against Becky’s chin.

“Hand that over here, son…. nah, give it to Becky … yoar a better gee tar player than I am any how…”

“Liar…you just lazy and wanna smoke that cigar...”

“Shut your mouth and get to playin’,” he blew his cigar smoke in her face.

“You still ain’t the boss a me… ”

His left hand lowered down to slap her side. “Hesh woman… c’mon, what are we singing…”

Becky grinned, and played the opening bars twice as she asked, “You know this one?”

“Ohhhh baby, I had that stuck in my head since the first night I met ya….” Elvis confessed, stubbing out his cigar in the green glass ashtray stand next to his chair.

“Alright, I’ll count us off.. one, two three…”

Their voices roared together in unison as they sang the opening stanza of June and Johnny’s “Jackson…” Elvis’ face lifted up to Becky’s, her breasts bounced as she strummed and his left hand drummed out a fast rhythm on the bottom of the guitar from where it squeezed her waist. Her body rocked back and forth into his belly, relishing the way his low voice took the melody somewhere new for her, and she belted out a “HA!” as he sang this verse.

When I breeze into that city 

People gonna stoop and bow (hah) 

All them women gonna make me 

Teach 'em what they don't know how

Charlie looked at the others, his brows raised, and Billy shrugged again, his eyes conveyed a knowing weariness. Neither Becky nor Elvis noticed this exchange, their eyes were otherwise occupied, and Becky leaned her nose down to nuzzle Elvis’s as she breathed out the next verse into his face through simpering amusement. Her warm breath sent a lightening bolt across Elvis’ body, and the thump of her bottom against his tummy and worked to increase the humming of his skin, amplified further when he sang and his lungs expanded swelling up his belly into derriere even more.  Elvis kissed the top of Becky’s shoulder softly as she leaned into him, finishing her stanza.

Yeah, go to Jackson 

You big-talkin' man 

And I'll be waitin' in Jackson 

Behind my Jaypan Fan

Becky purred along as Elvis sang the last chorus, swaying back and forth over his lap, and his arms closed tight around her as they hummed the last few notes together. They stayed in the den for hours singing, long after Billy and Jo found their children and said goodnight, Charlie tottered after them with a farewell. Their voices joined in happy harmony, mingling in the air was they started, stopped, paused, laughed and crooned together the melodies for “I Saw The Light,” “Don’t Think Twice,” “The City of New Orleans,” “Louisiana Women, Mississippi Man,”  Elvis changed the words to Alabama woman in this last one, to which Becky responded with a chuckle, which made him laugh and they giggled into each other’s cuddles on the furry arm chair.

******************************************************

Becky lay back in Elvis’ bed, sniffing under the silk navy pajama top she had borrowed from him to sleep in. His monogrammed initials met her eyeline as she checked how her armpits smelled. After brushing her teeth, she had dusted herself with talc powder again, she was now covered in that old familiar Sweet Honesty scent by Avon. It was starting to grow on her.  The beside clock told her it was 3 a.m. Elvis had been in the bathroom for twenty minutes, what is taking him so long? She thought of what Jerry had told her, what’s so wrong with taking downers to sleep? If he has night terrors and insomnia? Yeah, so far she had watched them knock him out, but he had been fine otherwise. These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something sliding across the tile in the bathroom, and Becky jumped up to check on it, only to be met by a swinging door and revelation of Elvis’ broad, dark silhouette. He swaggered towards her, taking her hands and waltzing her around, then dipping her back into the exposed silk sheets of her side of the bed.

“You ok? Thought maybe you stubbed your toe…” she mumbled up to him, his piercing dark blue stare made her chest ache. Lost in the deference Becky’s brown eyes offered up to him, Elvis hummed, savoring the way she turned her cheek into his knuckles as they roved up her face.

“Mmmm… what Twitchy?” His eyes narrowed, processing her question. “Oh, nah, just me stumblin’ ‘round tryin ta give myself a shot of B 12 … s’apart of my vitamin regimen, ya not the only one tryin’ to be healthy round here, miss veg a ma tarnation ..” Becky’s questioning face followed him as he rolled over on the bed and she cuddled into his chest once he joined her under the covers, half-sitting up pushed into the pillows. He took a ring off his pinky, the design was a wide platinum metal band that tapered off as it bent towards the back, in the center was a flower made of six large, glittering diamonds. Picking up Becky’s right hand from atop his chest, Elvis pushed the ring onto her finger, bending her hand up to watch the jewels catch the light. A gleeful grin bobbed his round, full chin and his eyes gleamed.

“Wannn ya ta have this….” Elvis dropped Becky’s hand, and began rubbing her belly, pushing up the silk button down top warming her skin.  

“Elvis…” Becky shook her head, and started to pull the ring off, readying her diatribe on how she didn’t want gifts.

“Honey don’t… “ Elvis palm glided over her soft, bare belly, pressing into its plush expanse as he trailed from side to side, smiling when he noticed these movements made her bust jiggle. “Now…. Can’t believe ya aint evvvva had sum un tell YOU that ya beautiful….” His speech started to slow as he spoke, each syllable seemed to get caught on the roof of his mouth. “Cuz you arrrre… so beautiful…. And beautiful people deserve beautiful things…. Help ya sparkle…. Help others seeee how beautiful you are…”

Becky could feel tears pooling behind her eyes at this declaration, unsure if she should protest. As if he read her thoughts, Elvis began to preemptively console her.

“Shhhhh…now shhhhh…. Let me do this…. I wanna give you deems … uh..” His eyelids fluttered closed, and a growl worked up his throat as waves of demerol warmed his chest and slowed his heart. “…. uh…” he jerked open his eyes, fighting to stay awake, his lips open and pouting like a baby. “Huh, what was I sayin, now…. oh yeah… it means somethin’ for me to give you deese things on account that you never had ‘em before… means more ta me…. knowing…. that I found you … gonna show the world how beautiful you are…” 

Becky shoved her face into his, and pelting a series of soft kisses across his cheeks as his eye lids began to droop down again, his hand still slowly tracing over her tummy,

“Gaawd, your skin is sooooo soffftt, like a baby’s….. wantcha ta be my baaBY…. I can be your daddy, ….an you can be my mommIEEE ….. and we can beeee each udder’s babies…..” His voice lilted in a higher tone, like a little boy musing about what he wanted to be when he grew up. His eyes completely closed, then struggled open, looking into her face.

“You’re sayin’ you want this to last more than a few days...” Becky thought of the other girlfriends in his life. It was one thing to spend the last week screwing around with a rockstar whose girlfriends, plural, knew or even condoned his polyamorous proclivities. It was another thing to join their sorority. “I’ don’t know if that——”

His jowls rippled as he shushed her, index finger softly held to her lips. “Jus thin ‘bouuutt it…. I know you a stubborn independent woman…. like ta make up your own daaaMN mind…. ya don havta decide now…. In fact, I don want ya ta, mean more if I earrrrn sit…. Stay here for a month, see how much you like me…. I know ya will… be my baaby, my little baby…..”

“Elvis,” Becky whispered. “I cannot stay here for a month…” She looked up from her position snuggling into the silk shirt over his hairy chest, and realized his eyelids had completely dropped down. A low, staggered breath forced out of his mouth. Becky hoped maybe he was so out of it on his sleeping pills that he would forget everything he just proposed. But as she noticed his breath decrease, she pushed in closer to him, her fingers softly skimming the hair across his forehead and rolling down his nose, just as did to put Ruth to bed. 

“Oy gavolt, daddy… what’s in those vitamins, hmm?” she yawned, then frowned, leaned her head on his chest to make sure it was lifting up and down with life, her own fatigue put off by the cold air and lifelessness of Elvis' body. Nuzzling further on to his chest, she thought of what Jerry had told her, and tried to stay awake, monitoring his breathing. Eventually she dozed off listening to the hum of the air conditioner.

*************************************************************

Monday, June 15th

12 p.m. Graceland Master Bedroom

The creak of the door woke Becky up, and she lay on the mattress trying to remember where she was and what she was doing. It must have been five am when she finally fell asleep, but she couldn’t tell what tie it was now because the room was still so dark and cold. The large padded black leather door was ajar, but Becky didn’t see anyone, and as her eyes adjusted to being open, she realized Elvis’ head was on her breasts, and his right hand was cupped over her pubic hair, settled at the apex of her legs between her thighs. I guess he still has some life in there somewhere while he sleeps. She smiled, only to jump up at the sound of a little voice from the side of the bed.

“Who the hell care you?”

Becky shrieked “Fucking cock—mucker...” She threw Elvis’ hand off her and pulled the red, satin bedspread over her legs and panties. Elvis barely stirred, his snores only increasiing as Becky rolled him off her. 

She took in the patch of dirty blonde hair propped up at the edge of the bed, and then sat up further, pushing back against the headboard and smiling at the little girl who stood before her with hands on her hips and a look of disgust on her face.

“Why… hello there. Sorry for yelling… you uh… ya startled me… I’m Becky, who are you?”

The girl looked her up and down with those the same blue eyes and sneered curling her lip as the man sleeping next to hear. She ignored Becky’s question, emphasizing the edge in her voice.

“Where’s Linda? Does she know you’re here…?”

Becky sucked in her breath as she tried to think how she was going to navigate this scenario. This was not what she had in mind when Elvis had invited her to come to Graceland and meet his daughter. She had pictured a sweet, coordinated meeting in a living room or foyer. After having been briefed on Lisa’s likes and dislikes, Elvis would fondly introduce them to each other and handle any of the hard questions about his choice of companionship. As she sat there flummoxed, loud footsteps stopped at the entrance to Elvis’ room and Lisa scurried to hide behind the door just before Aunt Delta’s grimace poked around it. She squinted at Becky, and somehow her frown seemed to deepen into the wrinkles at the side of her mouth.

“You seen that little she-devil?” Delta huffed.

Becky looked over at Lisa Marie behind the door, who was vigorously shaking her head.

“Nope! Why?”

“Ughhh, that little gal needs to come unpack her suitcases… if we don’t do it now, I’s reckon she won’t do it all. That boy just let’s her run wild.”

Becky nodded, although Delta seemed to be talking more to herself, muttering as she turned and pulled the door closed behind her. Becky rolled off the other side of the bed, pulled her jeans off the chair they hung over and stepped into them as she made her way around the bed to Lisa Marie.

“C’mon, she-devil, I’ll help you unpack…”

Lisa Marie crossed her arms. “Chores’ for suckers… Nancy’ll just do it for me when she gets here… you can’t tell me what to do… you’re not my mom… you’re not even Linda…”

Becky chuckled and shook her head, then looked back at Lisa Marie as she opened the famous sound proof double doors that didn’t seem to do anything to keep the rest of Graceland out.

“Thank god I ain’t yer mama…already got one daughter who doesn’t listen to me. Though I find in general I can’t make anyone ‘round here do anything they don’t have a mind to do themselves…” Becky looked over at Elvis’ body on the bed as she said this, then lowered herself on her legs so that she was eye-level with the little toe-haired firecracker. “But I am your guest here at Graceland… so if I like unpacking clothes, you have to let me do it…wouldn’t want to wake up your papa and tell him you aren’t being a good hostess?” She watched Lisa Marie hesitate. “Well, are you the lady of the house or not?”

Lisa Marie uncrossed her arms and sighed up into her bangs. “Sho nuff I am...daddy told me this is my house...an.. I'm... I’m gonna inherit it, have my babies here… s’the Presley legacy… so.. um yeah, I am THE lady of the house…. Ok, well if you wanna be a sucker and unpack my clothes, it's your funeral…”

The slight girl led Becky down the hall towards her bedroom, stopping in front of a glass showcase filled with award trophies below a banner reading “Miss Tennessee 1972.” Lisa Marie paused in front of the shelving and looked at Becky, her eyes rolling up and down Becky’s body in judgement as she announced: 

“These are Linda’s awards, she’s my daddy’s girlfriend… they’re gonna get married one day… she’s a real beauty queen. She’s teaching me ‘bout fashion, how to get into a sorority, which ones are the best ones….”

Becky swallowed, groaning internally. This kid knows exactly what she is doing, she took one look at you and already twigged that you don’t belong here with her daddy. She’s just trying to get a rise out of you, it’s almost sweet. Can’t be easy to be Elvis’ daughter. Breathing deeply, Becky pushed any idea of competition with Linda aside.

“Mhmmm, Linda certainly deserves these doesn’t she, I mean, she’s gorgeous.” She walked beside Lisa. “People always told me I had a nice sense of humor in high school…. You know what means, don’t ya?”

Lisa Marie shook her head. 

“S’nice way of telling me I wasn’t beauty queen material….”

Lisa Marie let out a loud laugh, the tried to hastily suppress her smile as she continued to lead Becky to her bedroom. Becky tried distracted Lisa, asking her what the best sorority was, how to join one, what college she wanted to go, what music she liked. As they talked, Becky soaked in the sheer excess of Lisa Marie’s bed room. There was a round faux fur canopy bed larger than Becky’s bed at home, and it had a stereo and mirrors in the top. There was also a big television, a jewelry case filled “with real diamonds,” Lisa Marie explained, and several large sets of drawers and a big armoire Becky opened the suitcases and started unpacking, pausing to ask for help with every piece of clothing she took out, while asking Lisa Marie about herself. 

“Hey where does this dress go?” Becky asked casually.

Lisa Marie took it with a huff, walking it to the closet, “In here, obviously,” the little girl said as she hung it, and Becky nodded, muttering how silly of her, then folded some tee shirts and skirts into piles.

“So Lisa Marie, what are you into?” Becky asked, handing the little blonde a bunch of rolled socks.

“Lisa… you can just call me Lisa.” Becky nodded at this. “Fast cars, karate, guns and hawwwt music.” Lisa said with a deep affect and an impish smirk

Becky laughed. “Really? Hmmmmmm sounds like someone else in this house… you forgot beauty queens…”

“True… I’m fixing to be a beauty queen ma’self… gonna do karate as my talent at pageants…that or target practice…”

Becky grinned and shook her head, fingers locking the clasps and holding up the empty suitcases with an eye brow arch. “You know, I’ve never even held a gun - you good at shooting?”

 A devilish expression energized Lisa’s face as she turned. “Wanna learn?”

Becky stood, wondering if she should shower and get Charlie or Mary or Jo to take her out to buy a bra and some more modest blouses as she looked at the pajama top over her jeans, mumbling in response. “Learn what, sweet girl?”

“How to shoot a gun a course…” Lisa began walked through a swinging door outside her bedroom, next to a second narrow staircase.

Becky glanced down its dark depths as she ambled behind Lisa, realizing she was being led into Elvis’ dressing room on their way back to the master suite. Becky followed slowly, frowned at the bags under her eyes as they walked through the master bedroom. Dressed, get dressed. Becky struggled, and she took a purple halter top out of her travel bag and slinked it on as Lisa Marie gasped from her position tip toeing over the dresser showcasing Elvis’ arsenal.

“Did you just flash me?” Lisa made a disgusted sound.

“We’re all girls here... sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable honey… I guess maybe I feel a little too comfortable….”

Lisa looked Becky up and down again. “You really are different from his other girlfriends…. Here, any preference ta which one do you like… oh wait, never mind, you already said you don’t know nothing bout guns, better let me do it ... I’m an expert.”

Becky walked over, clipping her dark brown curls in up, her lips pursed and her eyebrows knitted in concern. “What does your daddy say about you using his guns?”

“Ta never ever touch ‘em.” Lisa said as she gatheredd two pistols in her hands, the same way that Ruth would glance over and select Barbie dolls to play with. Lisaa tilted her head to the door, and Becky followed with a disturbed expression as Lisa led them out of the room, downstairs and out back to the smokehouse. She wondered if she should be doing this, but then again, several kids in Ruth’s class already had marksmanship awards. What did she know, did she want her first interaction with Elvis's daughter to be a power struggle?

***********************************************************

Becky’s barefoot feet wriggled further into the sawdust, and she inhaled deeply shutting her eyes. The pressure of the exploding bullet from the shaft of the colt 45 revolver caused Becky to jump back with a little scream. She looked up, there were no holes on the target sheet hanging at the end of the room. 

Lisa laughed, and came over. “You havta keep your eyes OPEN for starters.” She took aim with her gun, as Becky stepped back and watched her squint and stay perfectly still shooting a perfect bullseye. Lisa then turned with an elated gleeful smile, blowing over the top of the gun as her eyes met Becky’s.

Becky chuckled. “Wow… impressive… do you have a favorite gunslinger?”

Lisa turned and shot two more rounds, each one hitting the red center of the bullseye. “Dirty Harry.” She answered without skipping a beat, then flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

“Wow…. Have you seen that movie?”

“Only about a thousand times…. it’s one of my favorite movies….”

“Wow, well, what about a girl shooter? Have you seen Annie Get Your Gun?”

“Of course.” Lisa huffed, refilling the cartridge of her gun. “I even used to have a pink cowgirl vest just like Annie Oakley, ‘cept it’s too small for me now.”

“Well, if we had a sewing machine I could make a new one for you.”

Lisa looked up at Becky with an excited expression, and took her hand, dragging her out of the smokehouse. “Dodger has ‘un…. Let’s go find Charlie, we’ll get him to take us shopping…”

Becky’s bare feet stumbled over the grass and pebbles as Lisa’s hand took them towards the long white building at the back of the mansion. “Um, let’s not bother Charlie… he might have other things to do.”

Lisa’s face turned back to Becky as she rapped on the door, announcing with all earnestness. “Are you kidding? Charlie always does everything I say….”

Three hours later, Becky was sitting at a very large, heavy cumbersome metal Singer sewing machine that Charlie had lugged out from Minnie Mae’s room into the adjourning living room. Becky had given him an apologetic grin as he stumbled and told her that it “Really weren’t no trouble.” Her fingers pushed pink suede through the stitcher and she bit her lip in concentration as she controlled the lever with her foot. Lisa hovered over Becky, perched on the sofa attaching rhinestone beads to the fringe on the smaller vest Becky had already cut and sewn together with Lisa’s proportions. 

“You think this is really gonna fit him?” She said with excitement and Becky nodded, grinning at the thought of Elvis wearing a matching pink suede vest. Not as gaudy as those jumpsuits but in the same family, she thought. Lisa turned to grab another bead from the bowl of glimmering silver rhinestone beads.

Lisa jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “It’s SO perfect! They match…”

Jerry walked by and stuck his head in, a middle aged white lady behind him. “Hey honey - I set up the film reels of The Pink Panther for you down in the TV room like ya asked this mornin…”

Lisa’s eyes stayed fixed where she tied another silver bead on her vest fringe, then waving Jerry off. “Thanks Jerry, maybe later…. We’re busy… oh hi Tish…”  Lisa added, seeing the older woman. Jerry looked at Becky, bewildered, but didn’t inquire what they were doing, turning to escort Tish upstairs.

“Whose that?”

“Oh that’s jus daddy’s nurse… he has some back pain and digestible issues… she’ll start coming by to give him his medicine every day now that he’s home… she takes real good —— ok, is it done ?” Her voice trailed off as she watched Becky pull the large pink vest out of the machine.

"Not yet, I gotta slice the fringe and get some of this shiny beads on here…” Becky smacked her lips and squinted at the stitching. 

Lisa nodded, nothing another bead, heat feet dangling over the edge of the couch. “Say, where did you learn to do all this? Ya mama?”

Becky turned to Lisa, grabbing a bead as she worked on Elvis’ vest. A “Ha!” escaped her mouth at Lisa’s question.

“No, my mama  was busy being a lawyer…. Our nanny, Helga, taught me everything I know… and I try to teach it to my little girl, Ruthie…”

“You’re mama was a lawyer?” Lisa’s eyes were wide, and she paused her work.

“Yeah, everyone in my family is a lawyer… ‘cept my sister, she’s actually a judge up here in Memphis… I think she was the third lady judge in this town.. Maybe I'll see her while I’m here…” Not if I can help it, Becky thought.

“And you? You didn’t wanna be a lawyer?

Becky chortled. “No…. Not alll…. “

“Are you a working mom?”

“Oh honey, all moms are working moms…. We’re like CEOs of small businesses. And those businesses are you,” she said, poking her finger into Lisa’s belly and conjuring a playful squeal.

“OK, but do you work work?”

“Sorta … still trying to figure out what I wanna do when I grow up…. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a park ranger in the Great Smokies…. Sounds silly, huh?”

“Noooo…. What happened? Couldn’t you still do that?”

“What happened…. Oh what happened…. Well, I got real lucky, and the universe put baby Ruth in my arms…. Hard to be a park ranger with a baby strapped to my back…”

 “What would you do now if you could do anything? As a working working mom, I mean.”

“Well, I’m already a working working mom, I’ve kinda always had to be... I help my folks with their hardware store…. If I could do anything…. I guess I’d like to own something, a little book store, maybe sell records too, have a juice bar and a kitchen serving up vegetarian food, maybe I run it with a husband, a nice divorced man I meet one day back in Jackson, living out a Brady Bunch fantasy….”

Lisa patted Becky’s shoulder. “You can do anything you put your mind to, Becky. S’what my daddy always says. If you want to find a divorced man to own a juice bar with, I believe in you…. What’s a vegetarian?”

Becky giggled, putting down the vest after tying the last bead on. “Someone who doesn’t eat any meat.”

“Wait, so you really don’t eat any meat?”

“Mhmmm….”

“That’s ridiculous… how can you even have a complete meal?”

“I have my ways…they involve tofu, peanut butter or beans….”

Becky and Lisa stayed in the living room talking, as Becky explained some of the reasons she didn’t eat meat, asking Lisa if she would eat a horse or pet dog, and then why a cow or chicken was different. She looked at the large, ornate golden clock over the fireplace and realized it was 3:30. 

“Speaking of food, I’m honnnngry, haven’t had anything to eat all day.. y’all have peanut butter and jelly?”

Lisa smiled and jumped off her perch on the sofa, laying her vest over the larger one and waving for Becky to follow her. “I’ll do you one better, I’ll make you one of my famous peanut butter banana sandwiches.”

Just as she jogged into the foyer, a pair of large hands reached out and grabbed Lisa and lifted her over the shoulder of an Elvis shaped frame, pinching her sides.

“Ya mean my famous peanut butter banana sandwiches….” Elvis voice tumbled out with a chuckle as his daughter squealed in delight. “See ya met my friend here…” he added as he put his daughter down, his face aglow as he looked at Becky. This shifted to a look of displeasure when his eyes saw the dirt on her feet. 

“Honey, what’s with ya feet?” He tisked.

Lisa bumped into Elvis waist, pushing his arm around her shoulder as she giggled. “She’s been running ‘round outside without any shoes on…. And she flashed her big boobies at me getting dressed this morning…. AND she’s teaching me how ta be a vegetarian…”

Elvis left eye brow arched up high, looking from Lisa to Becky. “Oh reeALLLY…. Hmmm…. Looks like y'all been getting to know each other good..." He stepped over to Becky, hand around her waist, and whispered in her ear. "Honey, why don’t ya go wash up and put something nice on, maybe a little make-up?”

Becky frowned. “Think you can snap your fingers and I’ll —” 

Elvis walked her to the staircase, his hand rubbed her bare shoulders, his eyes melting away all the retorts forming in her mind as she took in the track suit he was wearing. His voice was soft but firm, “C’mon, go get presentable... want my daughter to see how beautiful ya are when I introduce ya…. Go on now.” He slapped her butt playfully as Becky turned, unable to stop her body from complying with his directions as her mind spun in a tizzy from the feel of his hands and the way his big blue eyes looked into hers with a mix of lust, admiration and smug bravado. Introduce me to your daughter my ass, I’ve spent the last six hours unpacking clothes, shooting guns, shopping and sewing with her.

But she thrilled with elation as she bounced toward the kitchen twenty minutes later, proud of the way she had done her make up and fixed herself after taking a quick rinse in the shower. Sweet Honesty was now her favorite perfume and she smelled her wrists backing into the kitchen’s swinging door,  gasping with delight at the sight of Lisa and Elvis in matching pink fringed vests. Lisa sat on the counter next to the sink, eating a sandwich, and called out with a full mouth. Her white Mary Jane shoes hit the cabinets below. “Becky! Lewk ift figs!!!” She pointed to her dad, and Elvis turned from the stove, running his hands over his vest.

“Jus what I been needed… a pink shiny vest… ! Gonna hafta keep ya round, I have a list of mending been tryin to get Delta to do for the last year.”

Becky curled her lips. “I won’t be darnin’ your socks, Presley…”

Elvis grabbed her hand and kissed her cheek with “Hesh… now, let me look at ya.” He twirled her around in the middle of the kitchen. “There she is…. now that’s better honey…  look, Goobernickle, the most beautiful girl in the world jus wandered in ta our kitchen, ain’t we lucky.” Lisa kicked him. “Sorry, how silly a me, second most beautiful gal in the world after that lil gal right there.” 

Becky blushed and Elvis kissed her hand, taking her to sit on the orange kitchen stool near the TV. Back at the stove, he flipped what looked like a grilled cheese sandwich out of the pan and onto a plate, cutting it in half and blowing on it as he brought it over.

“Get ready to have the most delicious thing in that mouth of yours since you got to Graceland…. I mean second most delicious…” Elvis stood in front of Becky, taking up a sandwich to feed her, chuckling at her horrified expression. Good, she got my innuendo, he thought, then looked back at Lisa who was obliviously chewing on the second half of her sandwich. “I meant after the corn bread you ate last night, whatcha think I meant? Crazy woman.”

Becky sighed, closing her eyes, her exhale a mix of exasperation and excitement as she opened her mouth to taste the sandwich Elvis guided in as he held her chin. 

She couldn’t help the instinctive reaction her body had to his voice, touch, and the way his eyes danced with impish joy at her unease. But Becky also found herself sickened by how weak she was, how her pussy tingled when she swallowed the salty, sweet goodness of the sandwich. Elvis thumbed along her jawline, much the same way he had when she had sucked his cock the previous day, and her eyes widened as she felt the buzzing energy of his touch caressing her face. She swatted him away and stifled the deep sensuous moan threatening to increase. Lisa Marie seemed unperturbed, jumping off the counter to get some milk from the fridge. Elvis chortled loudly at Becky’s angry stare and pushed another bite in her mouth. She rolled her eyes, then whimpered involuntarily at how the fried, buttery carby goodness hit the back of her throat. Becky had never been with anyone who pushed and pulled and blurred the boundaries between all the different aspects of her personality together at once.

Elvis winked.

“Tastes good, don’t it?”

********************************************************************

Read Chapter 5 Here

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[cowgurrrl]

What Do We Do Now?

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Author’s note: just something small I’ve been thinking about 😇

Summary: “Eventually soulmates meet, for they have the same hiding place.” - Robert Brault [1k]

Warnings: talks of the girls (Jane, Sarah, Tess), brief mention of baby daddy, seeing each other for maybe the first time ever (spoiler alert: they’re oblivious)

After you tell Joel about Jane, everything else seems relatively easy to tell him. You spend many frigid nights surrounded by mountains and trade stories back and forth like it's second nature. Sometimes, Ellie has long since been asleep by the time you start talking, and other times she's up and listening. She giggles along or asks questions when you bring up what the world was like before you even knew what cordyceps were.

One night, after Ellie's fast asleep, he brings up Tess. He tells you a story of when she tried to cook dinner and almost burned the apartment down. He laughs as he talks about the look on her face and the argument they had after. You can't stop a smile from spreading across your face. You stopped talking about her when she died. It was too painful for both of you. But now, nothing feels too scary.

"Did you love Tess?" You finally ask after years of wondering and attempting to read their unspoken tension. You thought something might've been going on until he started with you. They might've gotten into a fight or broken up momentarily, but he didn't say as much. You two never really did a whole lot of talking when you were together. Still, you two kept sneaking around even after the first night he showed up at your front door. You don't know if Tess knew. You wish she was here.

"'S a different kinda love, but yeah," he says, staring into the fire to avoid your eyes. "We never said it out loud, but she knew. In another world, we would've been really good to each other."

"Not this one?" You ask, and he shakes his head.

"We did our best," he says. "What about you? 'D you love Adam?" You don't miss how he shifts the focus so he doesn't have to keep answering your questions. You make a mental note to circle back around.

"Yeah. I don't know how good I was at it, though. I was… mean and pushy, but he was so kind. Just annoyingly calm and patient."

"In another world, you guys are married?"

"No," you laugh. "No, in another world, Adam is married to… a kindergarten teacher. They meet at school, and she's sickly sweet and perfect for him. She lets him buy her dinner, and the only thing they argue about is how to load the dishwasher. And they've got three kids, and he's just the best dad." It's not a new or spontaneous thought. You've often wondered how Adam's life would've been different if you two had never met. Maybe he'd still be alive and teaching in the QZ school. He'd probably find someone who would let him take care of her. Someone who wouldn't sneak outside the walls or take hit jobs to pay the bills. Someone he knew would say yes if he asked her to marry him.

"And you? What are you doing in this other world?" He asks, and you shrug.

"I'm a single mom with too much debt and not enough money to pay it off. I work too much, and I'm always exhausted, and I still send the yearly emails to her dad trying to get him to respond, but I never get anything, and… my kid is alive."

"Sounds pretty good." Joel finally whispers, and you nod.

"The best," you agree. "What about you? What are you doing in another world?"

"In another world, I take over my dad's contracting company. Tommy and I work on houses all throughout Austin, and I hire somebody to keep the office afloat so I can be home for dinner. I'm tired, but Sarah convinces me to stay up for a movie, so we end up throwin' on some old slasher film. And I spend the rest of my life making things easier for her." He says. This is the most he's ever talked about his life from before with you. You wonder how many pieces of him you still don't know about.

"You think we'd meet in this different world?" You ask, and he meets your eyes. Something passes between you. If someone asked you to explain it, you wouldn't be able to find the words, but you know your heart lifts for just a moment as he stares at you.

"I think meetin' you is one of the only good things about this world," he says with more sincerity than you've ever heard grace his voice. It throws you off-kilter. You don't know what to say or how to respond, but he beats you to it by pulling the rifle over his lap. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up for second watch." You nod and shuffle into your sleeping bag with racing thoughts and no way to stop them.

When Ellie asks a few days later where Joel would go if he could go and do anything he wanted, he lies like any good parent does. He says something about a ranch and sheep. You're able to envision it for just a second when Ellie turns to you with the same question. You lie, too. "I'd own a dog shelter." You say, making Ellie giggle. She spins her own tale of living on the moon, and Joel meets your eyes with a gentle understanding. You'd never tell Ellie, but if you could go and do anything you wanted, you be raising your kid, and you'd want for nothing else.

Dog shelters and sheep ranches be damned.

[not-alien-girl-v]

Hello! Could I request a tate langdon x trans male reader? (Sorry for requesting tate I know you get him alot)

note: you know what you are right i do get tate a lot but the tumblr girlies have been eating him up lately so this one goes out to the transmascs and/or tate lovers. also writing this on my phone and my fat ass thumbs are not doing all that work of clicking shift so this will be all lowercase. anyway i’m writing this sleep deprived at midnight so i am going to wake up tomorrow morning and forget i wrote this most likely

warning: language probably idk i write my warnings before i write the fic and i just predict what the fuck im going to add in idk i should stop

the dead of winter makes things feel quiet. you barely hear your mom in the kitchen though you are just in the room over. it’s not snowing outside, it doesn’t do that in la, like, ever, but it would be nice maybe once.

you feel the vibration of your phone. you’re sitting on the couch and it’s in the back pocket of your jeans and you don’t want to stand up to fish it out so you flop yourself sideways and grab it. you have three notifications, and in your mind, you make a mental ranking of their importance.

3. bereal went off, though it happened hours ago and you don’t bother to take the picture because who cares

2. about 46 minutes ago, your friend texted your other friend in the group chat, talking about some concert tonight for people you’ve never even heard of before

1. your boyfriend, tate, texted about the same concert, but in this case, offering to take you with him to the show

not to play favorites, but a night out alone with your boyfriend sounds like more fun than a night with your freaky little friends. sure, they were a barrel of monkeys… in their own way, but you’d much prefer a long night in working at a puzzle with them than a raging concert.

‘?’ Tate texts again. You opened his text and he saw the read receipt but you’ve just been sitting there contemplating the meaning of life for minutes now.

‘maybe’ you reply and renter your deep thought once more. it would be fun, you’d have a good time and he’d be happy… but you have been wearing your binder for at the very least 10 hours now, and you had plans to take it off in a little bit (granted you were procrastinating) and that was something you didn’t want to deny yourself.

they say you’re not supposed to exercise in a binder, but that’s never stopped you. back in high school, you had PE 3rd period, and it’s not like you were just gonna go through the trouble of taking it off for a one hour block every single day and then put it back on once the class is over.

that’s the same now, though you don’t have a PE class, you are an avid mosher in the pit and you don’t want to be boobs flying everywhere. you don’t even want boobs at all, but top surgery is expensive, and your insurance only covers testosterone shots so you make do with what you can.

‘maybe?’ he texts back and he didn’t include it in the text, but you can feel a :( radiating from his end of the line.

‘tummy kinda hurts idk’ another thing, he doesn’t know you’re trans. it’s no big deal, truly, you know he’d be super supportive and respectful if you came out and nothing would change between the two of you but that doesn’t take away any of your fear of telling him. this relationship has been going on for 6 months now, and it seems like the longer you wait to say something, the more awkward it will be once you do.

‘:(‘ he texts and you frown a little as well in real life, and you put your phone on the table and walk into the kitchen. your mom is baking those little sugar cookies from target with the snowmen on them and you swear if you got close enough, you could eat an entire tray full of them.

but you’ve already spoiled your dinner enough with the potato chips you now realize you’ve abandoned in the living room and walk back to your room.

your bedroom is small yet well decorated, giving it a cozy aura, even more when you light a peppermint candle. you finally remove your binder and it feels like a breath of fresh air for the first time today. twisting your arms around, you stretch out and then put on a tank top and bundle up in your bed because it’s so damn cold out.

you put your headphones over your ears and play some random song off a playlist tate made for you and all is well in the world until you think you hear your mom screeching your name from the kitchen. of course, the second you pause the music and rip of the headphones, it’s dead silence once more, so you put them back on. there’s the noise again. if she’s really trying to contact you, she can just text you rather than test out her echolocation skills.

a moment later, she does text you.

‘someone at the door go get it’

as polite as ever, you have no choice but obey and slump to the front door, unhappy that your unwinding time has been interrupted by some rando at the door. when you open the door (albeit, grumpily), it’s not a rando, but it is in fact your boyfriend.

“tate! what are you doing here?” you don’t mean to sound so unhappy about his presence, it just comes out like that and of course you notice how quickly his eyes trail downwards on your body. you follow them too, until they land on your uncaged boobs. shit. “oh, um.”

“aren’t you going to invite me in?” he doesn’t say anything you thought he would and for that, you hold the door open for him and step aside to let him in.

“so, what are you doing here?” you ask again since he didn’t respond the first time.

“you said your stomach hurt, and mine kinda hurt too, so i thought i could come over and we could be in pain together. what do you think?” the whole time he’s been making his way to your bedroom, though he hadn’t been in your house very many times, he knew where he was going. he kicks off his shoes at the base and launches himself onto your duvet.

“you’re so thoughtful,” you crawl in next to him and hook one leg between his own, immediately experiencing the glory of his body heat.

“i tend to think so.” there’s that silence again. sometimes peaceful, sometimes deafening, because you know there’s something left unsaid. so you open your mouth again.

“um, so, about the boobs thing,” you start and pause to swallow, realizing you must look like a nervous character on tv right now.

“it’s okay.”

“it is?” you don’t dare lift your head to look him in the eye.

“of course. it doesn’t matter to me. you’re still hot,” he pokes you in the side and you chuckle at him.

“stop it, you silly goose,” you joke back and you can feel the physical cringe his body does.

“and i love you no matter what,” it’s quiet, but you hear it, muffled by your cringe minecraft bedspread. you love him too.

[t0kidal]

What if?

What if, as Iruma’s demonic adoptive mother, you raised human Iruma from a baby to a teenager (about to enter high school) as a single mother... but something was missing (besides a father figure). Having been raised in the netherworld after you found him squirreled away in a tree, he had to watch EVERYONE around him have something he didn’t, flight. Yes, it was possible for demons to be born without wings but those cases were split by nearly six generations. So it was hard on the two of you. This was only enhanced by the fact you two lived way out in the wilderness where you had taught him everything he needed to know to survive, but being “country bumkins” it further estranged him from kids his age and you worried so...

As it turns out, demons (beings naturally affinitive with magic and the like), when under a lot of stress (from worrying about their spawn), make a wish...

Sometimes, against better judgement, they might just come true.

(TW: Angst? Graphic descriptions for Pain)

---

The sun hadn’t risen. You were pulling an all nighter. A bad habit that never left you. You started thinking about a conversation you had with your son.

‘Mom... What’s it like to fly?’

You paused before answering with, ‘It’s like being set loose, you know how sometimes you’re so happy or so upset that you just... go on a run, feel the wind brushing past you? That’s what flying’s like except it’s like the wind brushes past ALL of you, and laws like gravity hold no meaning.’

After a beat you ask...

‘Why do you ask?’

‘Uh... I- I know what it’s like to be flown around but uh... uh... I was just wondering.’

Iruma had to get a little better at lying... though, maybe it was because you were his mom that you noticed a little easier than most.

He was not, in fact, “just wondering”. That expression on his face was one you saw pretty often in other children.

Disappointment. In this scenario it had a more crushing effect than usual.

And though you try to fly with him, as he enjoyed it, such activities weren’t as frequent as maybe either of you hoped. As you sigh, you gaze out the window, at the milky white moon, he night sky almost as bright as day from all the starlight, you feel something in your chest shift.

Chuckling at how bitter it was you say, 

“If he could fly, fly as far as he’d like, whenever he’d like...”

“To see new places, meet new people...”

“Find more meaning than just “survive” in this life...”

You don’t finish and opt to go to bed. You had work tomorrow...

~~~

Work was... fun, more or less.

On the plus side there was never a dull moment. On the downside....

There was never a dull moment...

Working at a sweets shop was a little out of sorts for you, but you were great at dealing with customers who were a little crankier than others.

Strangely enough, today three demons walk in and take a seat at one of your tables. One was obviously dragged here by the other two, so you opt to take a calmer approach.

“Good Afternoon, my name is Y/n and I’ll be serving you today. Here are some menus, I’ll be right over there if you need me. For now, can I help you with anything?”

The red haired cat demon spoke up then, “I’m actually here to pick up an order.”

And so, business continues as per usual, nothing too difficult. You learn that these demons worked closely with Sullivan, one of the three greats, at Babyls in the high school division and came here after hearing about the sweets.

They ended up staying there a long while. And as you were leaving you get a phone call from Iruma’s school.

“MS. Y/N! IT’S AN EMERGENCY THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH IRUMA!”

And you freeze, ice plunges your heart into your belly, a lump bunching up in your chest. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

But as you get ready to fly, rushing out the door, almost bumping into the trio from earlier as you briefly apologize, wings thrusting you off the ground.

You drop, scraping your limbs as your body hits pavement. And a blood curdling scream leaves your lips as you writhe in pain.

Sharp, ice cold, like a needle entering your back and then pulling through the flesh as if trying to engrave words on your back. You can’t think, you can’t see, you can’t breathe. You only vaguely register that someone was gently holding you, restraining you so you didn’t twist something the wrong way.

“P-pleAsE... help. my Son. I... ru... ma....”

He was still at school, there was still an emergency, there was no guarantee you’d make it, it felt like you were dying! 

There was no guarantee these three would help either though...

Low ranked... moderately high ranked... why should they...

And with a great fear in your heart, skin ice cold and clammy despite the gentle and warm hold on you, you black out.

~~~

‘Am I... dead?’ 

There was a light ringing in your ears, and through bleary eyes you peer up at something... no... someone long and lanky standing by your bedside. It almost looked like...

“Sul... livan...”

“Hmm~? You’re awake?”

Your eyes drift shut... before ‘snapping’ open, really it was more like you fought to keep them open. Because despite this strange situation, strange room, strange bed, and an ever so powerful figure at your side, you were worried about your son.

“I... ru... ma...”

“He’s safe. And so are you. Just, close your eyes and get a bit of rest. All will be said and dealt with later.”

And so you do.

~~~

The next time you wake up, there’s a gentle breeze kissing your nose. The room, a soft color with a nice dark wood floor, was sparsely furnished save for some bare necessities. 

From your place on the bed, propped up by what had to have been at least ten pillows, you catch sight of an open window and a door, both leading to outside.

But what was the most important was the mass of blue at your side.

“Iruma...” your voice was hoarse, dehydrated from sleeping so long... 

But still, he heard it. As his head snapped up to gaze at you in disbelief, a face that held memories of despair and desperation scrunched up into tears...

“Mom...” His voice was shaky, watery, and you couldn’t help but be a bit surprised before you smiled reassuringly, you were alive, you were fine, and so happy that he was ok, that he was here with you. 

You could only hold him as he cried. 

At 13 years old, your son experienced pain like no other. You’d go on to understand that, there had been an instability of mana in the netherworld that caused a rip in the border between the human realm and the netherworld, releasing large amounts of mana previously a part of maintaining that border. And that mass amount of mana, and a strong desire, was how you lost your wings.

~~~

(End, but should there be a part two? It feels like there should be a part two...)

[bitchyglitterfox]

Survive - HOTD ZOMBIE AU - HOTD X READER P. 2

Warnings: angsty angst, romance Aemond x reader, blood, close calls, zombies duh, major character death 💀

A/n: finally it is here! The highly requested pt 2! I think I’m going to make this a 4 part mini series

Tag list: @anaisbambia @valeskafics @wanderingcl0ud @dothrckis

*********

Our drive from the Apartment to the Targaryen mansion was a short one, only a forty minute drive, we pass by many bodies, we have Baela and Rhaena cover the younger boys eyes as we pass, when we make it to Alicent and Rhaenyra, the sun has already fallen past the horizon. When we exit our cars the hugs are bone crushing. We do once over again at their home to make sure everything is safe, gathering more supplies and weapons.

“We are safe here for the night, tomorrow we can head up to the cabin,” I say pulling away from the hug from Alicent, I look over at the others, “we should siphon the gas from your cars if that’s ok with you all, Jace and I have the biggest cars, they fit the most people, plus it’ll be safer. Aemond has the fastest car, it’ll be good on supply runs. Aunt Nyra do you still have the walkie-talkies? The ones for emergencies? As well as any guns you may have, I know how Uncle Viserys liked to hunt as well,”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to grab them before we leave in the morning, I don’t mind you taking the gas, not like we will need them anyway,” she says smiling sadly.

Aemond shakes his agreeing with me, “I do agree, I’ll grab the garden hose”

“Come, I’ll show you to your rooms for the night,” Alicents says while wrapping an arm around Daeron and walking in the house.

“I’ll take the first watch, uh we should also sleep in shifts, you never know what’s out there, survivors? Zombies? Could be any threat,” I say while smiling at my two surrogate moms. Alicent and Rhaenyra raised me while my parents were away on business. I would do anything and everything in my power to protect them and the rest of their family, my family.

“Ok sweet girl” Rhaenyra says as she kisses the top of my head, “Jace and Aemond, you should join her, keep each other safe,”

The two boys shake their heads in agreement.

“We need to leave by sunrise if we want to get a good amount of drive into tomorrow,” Rhaenyra says as she follows the rest of her family into the house.

Once I know for sure that everyone else is inside safe and no one but the three of us can hear me, I utter my next statement.

“I um, I almost died today,” I start as I sit on the front porch with the guys leaning against the rails, looking up at me with concern, guns at their sides while the bloodied bat lays in my lap.

“When me and Cregan checked the first apartment one of those things was hidden. He got on top of me, but Cregan was able to save me. These things are strong but if we hit them hard enough in the head with something sturdy we can end them. I’m pretty sure swords and knives work well if you pierce the brain.”

“So we just bash these suckers in the skulls, save our bullets for bigger groups of them and take out single ones with a bash like they did in The Walking Dead ,” Jace says excitedly.

“Jace this isn’t some show, this is real life right now,” Aemond scolds.

“No, Jace is on to something here, we only have two guns with us currently, we’re gonna need more weapons that don’t need bullets. Aem, do you and Aegon still have your little league bats?” I ask, looking at him.

“Yeah they’re in the garage, I’ll have Aegon grab them before we leave tomorrow. Come on let’s start siphoning the gas,”

We begin the tedious task of siphoning, the moment I taste the gasoline I put the hose in the gasoline tank, spitting out the reminisce from my mouth.

Something moving beyond the hedges gets the three of us on alert.

“What was that?” Jace whispers, hand tightening on the shotgun.

“I’m not quite sure…you guys hang back and continue with the gas” I say as I step forward towards the hedges. As I step closer, another one of the zombies comes walking through. I swing my bat hard enough, ending it, I turn back towards the two walking back when more noises come from the hedges. Ten more of the dead come walking through right after it, fuck.

I look back towards Aemond and Jace, “GET THE OTHERS NOW IT'S NOT SAFE HERE ANYMORE, NOW GO JACE!” I scream, turning back around to swing at the head of the zombie. Aemond soon joins me firing off shots from the pistol.

We start moving back up towards the house as we can hear the frantic running of feet towards the cars, “Aegon grab your little league bats from the garage, we’re gonna need them,” I say behind my shoulder.

“Fuck I’m out,” Aemond says as he pushed me behind him, i grab his arm and pull him along with me to the cars, he gets into the passenger seat of my car as I get into the driver seat. Alicent, Jace and I all start the cars just as an even bigger hoard of the dead comes walking through the hedges. We pull them out like crazy.

“Here Y/n, the walkie-talkie mom found, she said put it on channel 2,” Baela says from the back seat.

“Thanks sweetheart,” I say grabbing it while steering with one hand, “Alright, just follow me, and if we for whatever reason get separated, Cregan will guide you guys to the cabin,”

“Alright,” Heleana replies over the walkies, “We’ve got our car loaded with the guns,”

“And I’ve got the Bats in the truck,” Aegon says from behind me as well.

“Alright, it’s about a 22hr drive to Winterfell, we should get there by the day after tomorrow if we take shifts driving.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cregan agrees.

“Sound good sweetie,” Alicent says.

I check the time and see that it’s just hitting midnight, I involuntarily yawn causing Aemond to look over and check on me.

“Hey if you need me to drive, do you can rest, let me know ok, we need you at 100%” Aemond says, laying a hand on my thigh.

“Of course, I’ll let you know when I need the shift change,” I smiled up at him.

12 HOURS LATER

I’m shaken awake by Aemond as we pull to the side of the road, a clearing. Baela and Aegon had taken the front seats sometime while I was sleeping.

“Hey come on we made it just outside Harrenhal, we’re stopping for a much needed stretch and to eat food,” Aemond says gently, “we’ve already scoped it out as well so we should be safe for at least a few hours,”

“we could drive into harrenhal, get some more supplies and weapons, we need to save our bullets. In fact I’m sure we’d find more ammo there as well. We need melee weapons, and everyone needs to learn how to shoot,” you say, stepping out of the car walking to your small group.

“Hey Y/n/n, here I saved you some beef jerky,” Heleana says holding up a stick.

You smile at her, “Thanks Hel,” you bite into the tough meat, swallowing before you choose to speak.

“We need more supplies, water, weapons and gas. A few of us should head into Harrenhal to grab what we need, we can’t all go. I’ll go for certain but Cregan you need to stay in case anything happens to me, you get the rest of them to the cabin,”

“I’ll go with,” Aegon says, “Might as well make myself useful,”

“I’ll go too, we can all pile in my car,” Jace says, standing up and gripping the shotgun.

“Then it’s settled, Aemond you and Cregan can start training them on how to shoot, you the guns sparse until we get back with more ammo,” I said walking to the back of my car getting the bats and handing them to Aegon and Jace. Jace hands over the shotgun to his Nyra.

Alicent and Nyra both go over to their respective kids giving them words of encouragement and kisses on their heads, they both turn to me and pull me into a hug.

“You come back to us too,” Nyra says, holding my face in her hand.

“I will aunt Nyra,” I smile at her, “Come on, let's head out,” I say, walking to Jaces SUV.

“Y/n, wait, before you go,” Aemond says while jogging to me.

“Yeah wha-“ he cuts me off with a kiss, hands on my cheeks. I deepen the kiss, swiping my tongue across his bottom lip. We pull away when someone coughs. I look away and sniffle, placing the back of my hand over my lips.

“You come back to me,” Aemond says, pulling me into a tight hug.

“I will,” I say, kissing him once more and climbing into the car, “come on let’s go, so we can be back before the sun goes down,”

Harrenhal is just as bad as we thought, zombies surround the entire place. We were able to park about a mile away, bats at the ready.

“Come on the pharmacy looks clear, if we are quick we can hit up the market and the game and wildlife store after,” Aegon says as we run to the back door, trying to avoid the zombies.

“Alright we spread out,” I say, holding the bat out in front of me as we check for zombies.

We spread out, filing our backpacks with any medical supplies and medicine we can find. I go to the feminine hygiene area and stock up.

Aegon whistles, “Hey Y/n/n” he holds up a box of condoms waging his eyebrows at me. I flip him off with a smile.

“Hey do we need antibiotics?” Jace says behind the counter.

“Yeah grab it all, we never know when we would need something” I say turning back towards him only to be ambushed, “Shit!”

I push it away and bash it in the head, it’s blood and juices getting over my face and clothes. Aegon and Jace rush over to me.

“Fuck, Y/n are you ok?” Aegon asks, dropping his bag and bat, holding my face in his hands looking all over me.

“I’m fine, I didn’t get bit or scratched, I’m ok”

“Alright, can’t have you dying on us, you hold this group together,” he says smiling.

“Come on, I think we’re good here, let’s head to the market, we can get canned food and water” Jace says.

“Yeah come on, it seems we've cleared out this place to last us a while,” I say, looking out the front door and checking to see if any zombies were near, only a few. I open the front door and motion for the other to follow.

We run over to market, clearing out the few walkers we see as we enter. We head in the same direction this time to avoid the pharmacy fiasco. We go down each aisle getting cans of food, and water filling up our bags the rest of the way.

“Holy shit!” Jace yells, causing me and Aegon to turn towards him fearing the worst, “look guys twinkies!”

Our faces light up, we rip open the sweet treat and bite into them. We all moan in delight, grabbing boxes of the snack cakes, taking them to the group would definitely raise some spirits especially in those of the children. As we finish packing up supplies including getting some knives from the kitchen section.

Finally making it to the game and wildlife store Aegon and I take off our duffles and open them up, filling it with hunting knives, riffles, handguns and ammo. You also grab the camping gear and some sleeping bags as well. We also clean house, it’s a great start to your otherwise bigger haul in the future by the time you make it to the cabin.

As we are headed out the door, I notice an ax. I pick it up and head back to the car loading up and cheerfully laughing with my two friends. When we make it back everyone smiles as though everyone has let out a breath they’d been holding since we left.

Aemonds runs up to me, trying to pull me into his chest but I put one hand up. “No I have zombie blood and guts all over me”

“I don’t care, I knew you’d make it back in one piece, you and my brother and cousin,”

I smile up at him and kiss his nose, causing him to blush, I pull away from him and walk towards the rest of the group, “We grabbed more than enough food to last us til we made it back to the cabin and possibly even more. We got these though we figured it would cheer you guys up?” I say pulling out the twinkies we managed to find. The kids and even Nyra and Alicents faces light up at the treats.

“Y/n, they’re all decent shots now, but I don’t think we should travel anymore today, we can pick up the driving tomorrow, if we leave by day break we could get there tomorrow,” Cregan says.

“Alright, that sounds like a good idea, we got more guns and knives. Everyone gets a knife, when a zombie gets near you, you use the knife, right to the head,” I instruct, as I sit down by the small fire they’ve created.

By day break we begin packing up the trucks, getting ready to head back on the road. Groaning can be heard coming back from the trees, zombies appearing.

We get the smaller children into the car along with Nyra and Alicent who shoot from the open windows. We begin stabbing the undead in their heads, soon we have finished them all off.

We let our guard down for a brief moment. That moment is destroyed by Luke’s screams of agony. I quickly turn and stab the zombie's head, he soon releases Luke and the young boy falls into my arms as I put pressure on his bite.

[lupinobi]

So long, my love (Asahi x Nishinoya)

Summary: "There are little to no rules when it comes to love. But when love is left to wonder and wait, love grows tired." Asahi waited for Noya as much as he could, but time made love cool down, and with his heart seeking for a new reason to beat, he found his way to Mei. His heart, still loyal to the love he once had for Noya, knew it was time to move on. Six years later, with a comfortable life, he is face to face once again in front of the guy he loved for a long time, and as much as he wants to give in to what his heart wants, his life is not with him anymore.

"So long, my love... it was a lovely ride being in love with you."

Word count: 2,837

Warnings: Just some fluff and angst. Just in case, I'm letting you know.

Notes: Mention of one of my ocs, Mei Aoki. I will post more about her and the rest eventually :D

Had he known his day was going to be like that, he would've avoided the park.

The first sunrays of the day hit him in the face just before his daughters jumped into the bed to wake him up. Asahi barely had a second to gasp for air before Nagisa and Asuka hugged him as they giggled playfully. He recomposed himself and sat on the bed, tickling them as Mei walked into the room.

"Girls, I told you to wake daddy up gently. This isn't gently", Mei said shaking her head but smiling as she saw the girls hugging Asahi once again.

"I don't mind, this is the life I always imagined for us", Asahi replied, kissing the twins' foreheads. "Good morning to you too."

"Good morning", Mei replied, leaning in to leave a gentle kiss on Asahi's lips he gladly took and smiled. "Okay, so the girl's already had breakfast, in case you couldn't tell by the milk mustaches they have. I'll go take a shower, and you can get them ready."

"You heard that, buggies?" Asahi asked looking at his daughters. "I'm choosing your outfits today."

The twins smiled and ran towards the hallway, turning back to Asahi as he slowly got out of bed.

The routine was something he got used to pretty easily. At first, the routine of having his first formal relationship since... since him. It wasn't hard to get the hang of it. Soon enough he asked Mei to move in with him, and before they knew it, the twins were on the way. And it was something he loved. The moment he saw his daughters for the first time was the moment he knew he had an even bigger purpose than the one he thought he had at first. And everything was worth it. The disappointment in his parents' eyes when him and Mei broke the news of the pregnancy, the rushed wedding that was regardless full of the love he once imagined, the nervousness of his friends who wanted to learn to be proper uncles for his kids, the late night shifts he and Mei had to work, every single thing was worth it.

Eventually he didn't think of him. The pain his goodbye brought to him started to slowly fade away. He was okay.

By the time Mei was done showering, he already had the girls dressed, hair brushed and put up in little pigtails with tiny bows Tanaka and Kiyoko bought them for their birthday. Once Mei got dressed and got ready, he kissed her and the girls goodbye.

"I'll be back before dinner, so we can cook something when I come back. Make sure to pick the girls up by four, my mom has a bowling club event later today", she said, smiling at him as she blew him a kiss by the front door.

"Will do, don't worry", he reassured her, as he waved goodbye to the girls.

"Bye daddy!" Nagisa said.

"Have a good day at work, papa" Asuka added.

"Love you", he replied, and the three of them repeated it.

Over the past six years, he had been doing good at work, enough that he had a more flexible schedule. He was thankful for it. It gave him time to spend with the girls, and more time to spend with Mei. That was all he wanted, and he certainly loved being around his family. Occasionally, it gave him time to take the girls back to Miyagi to visit his family and friends. He was truly doing amazing, and he enjoyed the life he had. He really did.

But sometimes a brief flashback took over his mind, and a familiar heartache visited him like a long lost friend.

That was, at least, when he saw the old pictures. He never had the courage to tell Mei about him... about Noya. He asked himself why would he have to tell her? He was his past, and the feelings were buried in the past, or at least that was something he wanted so bad to make himself believe to be true. The reality, the crude reality, was that he still had love to spare for him. And it didn't matter how much he wanted to leave all of that behind, it was a part of him his heart was holding onto really hard.

As he stepped outside the shower, he shook his head. He had to focus, and not let the past catch up with him and the good life him and Mei had built for their family. There were more important things than his high school boyfriend. His daughters were more important. His marriage was more important.

He got ready as quickly as he could, and barely had something to eat before he stepped outside the house, making his way to his office. He was lucky he had a job that required him to be creative, that allowed him to distract himself from the thoughts that came to his head every now and then. He was good at his job, and it was enough to make a living. Combined with Mei's income, they lived comfortably and were able to spend time with their daughters, and that was all he wanted.

Certainly, there were times when Asahi missed the days in the gym, playing volleyball with his friends, having winning streaks, and hard defeats. He never forgot the people that he met through the sport that changed his life. Now it just seemed like a distant memory, from which only good stories remained. He was lucky he still had contact with his closest friends, and eventually got a message or two from the guys he once had to face in a championship match. But he was so willing to give up the life as a volleyball player in order to pursue another one of his dreams. He was okay with it, even with remembering the libero that stole his heart once.

Before he knew it, he received a call from his mother-in-law.

"Hello, Asahi. How are you doing?" She asked.

"Hello, Kanako. I'm doing just fine. Just about to finish here in the office."

"Good, good. The girls already had lunch and they're playing with Mei's old dolls right now. I have to leave to my event in about an hour, so I just wanted to make sure you're coming soon."

"Don't you worry, I'll be on my way in a minute."

"Alright, son. We will be waiting for you."

Asahi hung up the call with a little smile on his lips. The feeling of being loved and accepted in Mei's family meant the world to him. When Mei asked him about meeting her parents, he felt as if all the colors drained from his face. The truth was he was terrified of meeting her parents, especially because they were living together and he wasn't sure about how Mei's dad would feel about it. He felt such a relief when he met the old couple. They were everything but terrifying. Mei's dad, Aoi, was the sweetest man he'd ever met. He spent all that evening showing him his toy collection, and the feeling he got from them was so comforting.

When Aoi passed away right before the twins' first birthday, he thought he'd never see Mei or Kanako smile again but life got better, and Asahi made sure he was the greatest support they could get.

So to him, being loved by his wife's family meant everything.

Once he finished with what he was doing, he made his way to the car and drove to Kanako's house. The ride was short and before he knew it, he was already there. He wasn't sure if his daughters had the ears of a hawk, but before he could announce himself in the front door, the girls swung the door open and jumped to hug him.

"Papa!" Nagisa said, grabbing Asahi's hand.

"We missed you so much!" Asuka added. "We were waiting for you."

"I missed you too, little birds", he replied, getting to their heights and kissing their foreheads.

He stood up again as Kanako walked to the door, ready with her bowling equipment and a big smile.

"They behaved like the little angels they are", she reassured Asahi, smiling at him and patting his shoulder. "I got to get going. My friends are waiting for me."

"Do you want me to drive you?" Asahi asked.

"Nonsense, son. I'm walking to my friend's house and her son is driving us. Walking is good for me at my old age."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. Why don't you take the girls to the park? They've been mentioning it all morning."

Asahi looked at the girls, each one holding one of his hands.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. We still have time to spare before Mei gets home."

Kanako smiled and looked at the girls.

"Be good, be kind, be grateful", she said, and the girls repeated those words.

When Asahi met Mei at the Tokyo art gallery, he overheard her say those same words as she said goodbye to her mom on the phone. It caught his attention, and it was a topic of conversation they hooked on for a good moment. As they walked through the gallery, he knew he liked her a lot and wanted to see her again. Eventually, he learned she loved to visit the gallery every weekend, and made the visits a habit. Before they knew it, they were something more than friends. He found comfort in talking to her, and he quickly fell in love.

As he saw Kanako walk away, he made his way to the car with the girls, making sure they were secure in their car seats, then he drove to the park.

The park was not too crowded, and that was sort of calming to him. That way he could keep an eye on the girls that were just a few meters away from him. He stood by the playground and smiled at Nagisa and Asuka as they kept asking him to watch them go down the slide, or go into the swing.

As he helped the twins swing, he caught a glimpse of someone. Someone he recognized really well.

And he saw him. Before Asahi could react, he was already walking towards him.

He turned his gaze away as Nagisa spoke.

"No more swing, papa. Can we go slide?"

Asahi nodded.

"Yes, but stay close."

The girls nodded and ran to the nearest slide, still a couple meters away from Asahi.

Refusing to take his eyes off his daughters, he felt him stand beside him. He hadn't changed that much. Those travelling shenanigans didn't make him grow a centimeter. The only thing that had grown in him was his hair, now tied in a sloppy low ponytail.

Asahi refused to say the first word. He said the last. Why would he have to speak first when he spoke last before he left? Noya had to say the first word, and if he didn't, then he could leave.

Alas, he spoke.

"It's good to see you. I'd recognize you anywhere."

His voice still sounded the same, the voice that he heard many times pronounce countless i love yous and empty promises he never fulfilled.

Asahi didn't reply.

"I see what you're doing. You want me to do all the talking? Okay, I will. I was hoping I could find you. I didn't imagine it would be at a children's playground."

"My life is different from what you remember, and what it used to be", he said finally. "I'm a father."

"Congratulations", Noya replied. "They look just like you."

"That's the only thing they have from me. That spirit of theirs they get from their mother. My wife."

Noya smiled.

"Ah, yes. Congratulations on the wedding too. I hope you are happy." Noya said, gazing to his feet as he gently kicked the sand. If Asahi didn't know him better, he wouldn't have noticed the jealousy in his voice.

"I am, no thanks to you."

"I know, I know. To be fair, you can thank me for leaving and not coming back because you have a happy life now."

Asahi finally looked at him, but Noya refused to look him in the eye, instead, he just looked at the twins, who kept laughing as they used the slide.

"My life and my happiness is not something I owe you, Noya", he said, anger and pain in his voice. "I loved you, and I was broken when I knew you weren't coming back. I chose to move on, not because of you, but because of me. And what I have right now is because I chose to keep living."

Noya sighed, and finally looked him in the eye.

"I'm glad that at least one of us is happy and moved on."

"Noya, it's been six years. You can't expect me to have stayed in the same place waiting for you."

"And I am glad you have a life you love, that you moved on. I'm happy you have love. That is all I wanted for you."

Asahi shook his head in disappointment, turning once again his gaze to the twins.

"And all I wanted was you. And I waited, but I grew tired. I deserved to live a life even if it was without you, and now I have it and I don't want anything else. Even if..."

He stopped for a moment, trying to hold back the tears as his throat started to hurt.

"Even if?" Noya asked. That attitude of his drove Asahi crazy. Somehow, in that moment, it still did.

"Even if sometimes I still think of you."

Noya kept quiet for a moment.

"I tried to get over you, but I just couldn't. Miyagi was too little for the both of us, but we had different plans."

"We did", Asahi agreed, waving at Nagisa as she asked him to look at her go down the slide for the thirteenth time. "But I am right where I am supposed to be, and I wouldn't trade what I have for what could've been."

"You shouldn't." Noya said, patting Asahi's shoulder. "I love you, and I think I always will."

"Please, don't. You're far too late, Noya.", at this point, he felt as if he was once again that highschooler in love with a guy who played volleyball with him. But that wasn't him anymore.

"Even if you don't feel the same... I just wanted to tell you."

Asahi nodded, not being able to bring himself to reply.

"And I'm sorry for leaving how I did, when I did", Noya said, pain in his voice.

"Don't. It is our choices what makes us what we are now", Asahi interrupted. "I'm sure you'll find someone, and you'll be okay."

Noya smiled shily.

"I'm sure I will", he agreed, locking eyes with Asahi just one more time. A gaze that made a million thoughts rush to both of them, a need to be together once again, to share a last kiss, to be the two reckless boys in love in the volleyball club.

What a shame they weren't them anymore.

"Goodbye, Asahi", Noya said. "Take care."

Asahi nodded.

"Goodbye, Noya. Good luck."

He saw as he walked away, and got pulled away from that hypnosis by the twins, taking his hands.

"Daddy, can we go home?", Asuka asked.

Asahi smiled and nodded, holding the girls' hands as they walked back to the car.

The ride home was silent, and the hour they spent waiting for Mei to come home he didn't think of Noya at all. Was that encounter the closure he needed? He wasn't sure.

As the front door opened and Mei walked into the house, his life started to look more enchanting than ever. The girls ran to her and he joined them, holding Mei by the waist and giving a gentle kiss on her lips, and then on her forehead.

"Oh?", Mei said surprised. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you I love you, in case I don't say that enough."

"Asahi..."

"Thank you for the life you've built for us."

"Not me, us."

Asahi nodded, and looked at Asuka as she spoke.

"Papa, who was the funny man at the park?", she asked with genuine curiosity.

"The funny man?", Mei asked raising a brow.

"Yes! Daddy was talking to a funny man at the park."

"An old friend from the Karasuno volleyball team", he replied.

"Is there one I don't know yet? I thought I'd met everyone", Mei said with a smile, walking to the living room and looking at the picture of the Karasuno volleyball team. Asahi and the girls joined her.

"Him", Asahi said pointing at the picture, just right where Noya was. "He was our libero."

"Your what now?"

He laughed, and as he looked at the picture, he knew he'd be okay, and so would be Noya.

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Honey Don't Feed Me (Or Else I Will Come Back)

Jim's a monster hunter, and Claire has been cursed with lycanthropy. Jim's a chef, and Claire's hungry.

So, one day I was thinking about @avirxy‘s Tear Me In Two (The Moonlight Will Anyway) series when Hozier's "It Will Come Back" came on when I was driving to school. This fic idea came to me and gripped me so tightly that I knew that I had to write this, even though it's taken a while because grad school.

You don't need to read Tear Me In Two to understand this fic, but I recommend that you do anyways because it is a wonderful series full of Claire Angst.

Rated T for memory loss and suicidal dialogue.

AO3 (archive locked)

FFN

When he was younger, Jim had hated when his mom was working a night shift. He was scared that his mom would go to work one day and never come home. Now, the night after a full moon? He was thankful that she wasn’t there to question why he was taking a thermos full of soup with him on a walk through the woods, especially when there had been so many so-called feral dog attacks recently.

It was the night after the full moon, and Claire still hadn’t come home. She had disappeared three days before the full moon. Jim had thought she would have come back today, shown up to school exhausted and covered in scratches. She had done that last month and had temporarily put a stop to all the dirty looks that her parents had been giving to Jim and Toby.

Jim could tell where she had been by the claw marks on the trees and the paw prints in the dried mud. And he had seen her in this area. Or at least, he had seen a feral dog with a blue hairclip still stubbornly clinging to her streaked fur. He placed the thermos on a flat rock and opened it. He grabbed a napkin out of his backpack and placed the spoon on it.

“I know you’re here, Claire.”

“Go away.”

“And waste the soup?”

She stepped out from the trees and shadows that had been hiding her. Only a single hair clip clung to her hair, desperately trying to tame her mane of curls into something manageable.

“You can have it.” Hopefully it was Claire’s stomach that growled and not the wolf.

“I made it for you. Besides…” Jim trailed off before he could ask the question. She probably wouldn’t know when she had last eaten. The last full moon, she hadn’t remembered what had happened when she had disappeared. She had looked so lost as she had said it. Claire was amazing in so many ways, among them her brilliant mind. She was one of, if not the smartest, students in their year. She was taking enough classes that she could graduate high school this year (though she’d need an extra year so she could go to college), and she still had straight A’s.

(Or at least she had straight A’s before the dog bite.)

Claire had once confided in Jim that she thought her mind and grades were the main reason why her mom loved her, because having a smart daughter was a status symbol. And now she was losing parts of her mind to the wolf.

“Besides,” Jim said again, “it’s already open, which means it’s already cooling.”

“I don’t want you here,” Claire said, and if it wasn’t an obvious lie Jim would’ve felt like he had been slapped. As it was, the pain of her lie hurt less than the pain of how disorientated and hurt Claire was. When she was on top of her game, she was a much better actress. She was normally capable of making her lies sound seamlessly true.

“I don’t want you around me,” she continued. This was less of a lie.

“I know you. You’re not going to hurt me.”

“Yes, I will.” A huff of sardonic laughter escaped her lips. “I don’t want to, but I’ll hurt you. I’ll hurt all of you. It’s better like this. It would be better if I were gone forever; I’m just too much of a coward.”

It took Jim a moment to realize what she was talking about. When he did, he had to place a hand against the tree bark to ground himself. He was no use to her if he panicked over her words. “I’m not going to kill you, Claire.”

“You should, before I hurt someone and make them like me.”

“You need to eat. You’re not thinking straight. Please.”

Maybe it was the hunger, or maybe it was him, but Claire finally sat next to the soup and picked up the spoon. Slowly, Jim walked to her and placed a hand on her knee.

“You’re making this even harder,” she said, looking at him with watery brown eyes. It was the first time she had met his eyes since the “dog” bite. How long had flecks of gold been floating in her irises? Since her first transformation? Since the bite? She hadn’t had them before.

“You’re going to be okay.”

“No, I won’t. All of Blinky’s books on lycanthropy say it’s incurable.”

“I don’t care. Come back with me. We’ll get through this together, my love. I promise.”

Her eyes widened before she began to sob into his shoulder. Jim realized that this was the first time he had told her that he loved her.

A/N: I swear that when I started writing this Claire wasn't suicidal. But then, when I went to reread (and edit) this fic it made me tear up, so I think it fits the narrative.

[occult-roommates]

When a daddy's boy ends up with only a mother

A few days after breaking up, Dawud was at work, cause life goes on even when a relationship ends. Anyway, he wasn't feeling that sad about it. Still, when he came across Ralf at the end of his shift, he just had to start bitching.

Dawud: And like, he always dyed his hair black and he looked awful. Red hair suits him way better but no. Also I know he meant it as a joke but I hate how he called me stupid because I didn't know panini means sandwich in Italian. Like, languages are hard man. Ralf: I'd agree with you, but I speak like three so... Dawud: German, English, what's the third one? Ralf: Spanish. Dawud: Why the fuck do you speak Spanish?? Ralf: Mi esposa esta Latina y viví en América del Sur durante unos años. Dawud: How come everyone but me knows Spanish! Also I have no idea what you just said.

Then, as if they were not in one of the busiest airport in the world, out of the thousand of people who take off and land there every single day, Dawud just had to run into...her.

Dawud: Um...hi. What are you doing in San Myshuno? Farida: I've been invited to see a conference on how spellcasters kept a matriarchal tradition in spite of living in a world dominated by human male. Dawud: Oh uh, ok. Have fun.

As awkwardly as that conversation went, Farida left to catch her taxi, and Dawud just went back to Ralf.

Ralf: Ooooh, rebound with a cougar maybe? Dawud: Ew dude, that's my mom. Ralf: ...Sometime I wish that crash had killed me. Dawud: What? Ralf: By the way, that was awkward as hell. Do you like your mom?

Dawud pulled Ralf aside, and then they went to sit down in an employees room. Nobody was there at that time, he could explain it to him without anyone hearing.

Dawud: Well, I mean, I like my mom obviously, I love her. But...it's always been hard between us. Like, growing up I've always been a daddy boy, even though to be honest, my parents were very busy with their jobs so I spent most time living with my friend Audrey. Then, they divorced and they got shared custody and I remember hating going at my mom's house, even if I was still young enough to need to be babysat by Audrey's parents. I remember seeing my dad as the fun cool parent and my mom as the boring strict one always busy working on some academic paper. Ralf: Ok, but that was just you being a kid right? Weren't you like, eight when your parents divorce? Dawud: You're right, but then...You know, my dad died suddenly a few years after. Which like, it's already hard for a kid, but I was the one who found him, an aneurysm suddenly burst during the night basically. Anyway, shortly after the funerals, I got into an argument with my mom and I snapped and said I wish she was the one who died. Ralf: Oh that's...bad... Dawud: Of course, I made her cry and I felt so guilty I just...I promised I will never disappoint her again. It kinda succeeded, but then you know my life story so needless to say, I did ended up disappointing her massively, and since then we can barely talk to each other. Though like, she wanted to have a girl instead of a boy, so I've been a disappointment since the moment I was born. I don't know why I even tried.

Ralf didn't know what to say, he could sympathize with wanting to make his mother happy, but other than say "it sucks man", he had nothing useful to add.

Dawud: So now that I've explained this, you gonna elaborate on that plane crash thing? Ralf: Uh...I mean, you've just bared your heart to me, so guess I got no choice but to explain then...

Prev - Next

[coochiequeens]

I knew using a surrogate was the only way I'd have a child. I saw what women would go through to carry a baby, and it just wasn't something that I was prepared to do.“ If she wanted to be a parent but had no desire to go through pregnancy and birth why not just adopt ?

I never had the desire to have a baby physically. The idea of using a surrogatestarted before I ever considered the process. I was young and married, and at the time, my husband wanted a baby—but I didn't.

Unfortunately, that relationship didn't work out. But when I met my now husband, I loved him tremendously; it was a different type of love. With him, I wanted to have a kid. So, at 36, I froze my eggs and embryos.

After a few years, we started talking about it seriously. In my heart, I knew using a surrogate was the only way I'd have a child. I saw what women would go through to carry a baby, and it just wasn't something that I was prepared to do.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for women who have children and work, but I never thought that was for me.

I didn't judge myself. I allowed myself to say hey, giving birth is just not for me. I did, on the other hand, know the traditional surrogacy route was for me—but not for health reasons. Instead, my reason, which probably isn't popular, was a life decision that worked best for us.

Choosing a surrogate

We used a surrogacy agency recommended by a friend and found a mother of two who'd given birth before. She was also very honest about why she was interested in being a surrogate.

As a single mom originally from Cuba, she had been in the States for eight years trying to make enough money to feed and provide for her family—and it wasn't easy. I knew the money meant a lot, but also, I'm originally from Columbia, and we're both Hispanic. I felt a connection and kinship with her.

Plus, I felt she would do a good job.

The cost of surrogacy

Looking back, we didn't expect or think about the cost upfront. The surrogacy costs can be a lot for many families. Ours ended up around $120,000 $140,000 USD.

Our surrogate worked the night shift at the hospital, so we paid her salary for the final three months of pregnancy. We wanted to make sure those long nights didn't take as much of a physical or emotional toll on her. We also paid for her food to ensure a great diet. That alone became really expensive over the nine months.

Our doctors said age wouldn't be an issue, so we didn't factor it into the final cost. When we met her, she was 39; by the time she had our baby, she was 41. Some medical issues arose during labor and delivery, leading to more costs than we expected. We learned there are a lot of possible health risks involved with age that can increase expenses before and after birth.

The emotional impact of hiring a surrogate

The hardest part is having faith that everything will work out since you're trusting a person you've barely met to carry your child. As much as you try to get to know and build a connection with them, you may still live in different states and come from diverse backgrounds. It's tough to establish that deep level of connection.

Being comfortable with using a surrogate and taking that chance helps ease the experience and anxiety. You'll have some negative thoughts about not completely controlling the situation—I did. But I leaned on my faith and I prayed everything would go well. I wholeheartedly prayed our baby would be healthy.

One thing that helped was speaking to our surrogate at least once a week. We also virtually attended her doctor's appointments via Zoom. Because we lived in different states, being a part of the journey felt nice.

The most comforting part was that our surrogate was very responsible and caring. She knew what to do already since she had two kids—pregnancy made sense to her. Knowing this helped us build trust and confidence in the process.

We had a really good relationship with her; I'm grateful for that.

What I wish I had known before

We knew what she did but didn't realize how challenging the job would be on her body toward the end of the pregnancy. If you're going to go the surrogate route, I recommend digging deep into what the surrogate does for work and making sure it's manageable. The additional costs also add up, putting more pressure on your relationship.

It also might've been easier (and perhaps less costly) if the surrogate's dietary choices aligned with ours.

Lastly, you want to be comfortable with their age. There will most likely be fewer health risks during and after the pregnancy for a younger surrogate. To be a surrogate, you need to have already had children. With our surrogate being older, it meant she was responsible, but carrying the baby and being pregnant was a little more difficult on her body.

Those are concerns in both tangible and emotional ways.

Seeing our baby for the first time

People always say it, but our baby was the best gift ever. It's hard to understand what that means until you have your own little bundle. As a person who wants to impact the world, I quickly realized that creating a baby that will benefit society is one of the most significant impacts you can have and one of the best gifts you can give. It was a real mind shift.

Sharing that utopian level of love with my son, Rio, is like seeing 3-D your whole life, and suddenly you see 4-D. It's the epitome of what life is and re-establishes your belief in the potential and pure magic of everything.

Ultimately, having Rio and our surrogacy journey was one of the most profound and humbling, exhilarating love-feeling experiences I have ever (and will ever) have. Our family is now complete, and we're forever grateful to the woman who so generously lent us her womb.

If it was about money she could adopt a child for $1,000 to $50,000

[janetfraiserdeservedbetter]

Pins and Needles (Chapter 6)

Pins and Needles Chapter 6

(Read Chapter One, Two, Three, Four and Five here!)

Rating: PG

Word Count: 2063

Fandom: Stargate SG1

Pairing: Sam Carter x Janet Fraiser

Summary:  Janet is a single mother and owner of a tattoo studio. Sam is a florist who has just moved into town. Janet's infatuated. Sam's a disaster gay. Flower shop/Tattoo parlour AU.

Notes: Hi y'all, I know it's been 2 years since I updated this and all I can say is I'm so sorry >.< Not long after I posted the last chapter, my mum got diagnosed with cancer, so life got thrown upside down for a while. She passed away at the end of last year and I just didn't have the brain capacity to update. Thanks for sticking with me and still giving this fic so much love.

------------------------------

The day in the life of Janet Fraiser wasn’t usually very exciting. On weekdays, she’d open the store, sometimes with Vala, other times alone. She’d sweep, sterilize, set up and then respond to emails and do paperwork until the shop opened. With only two artists, their client base consisted of mostly regulars on the weekend but they’d get the odd walk-in as well. They made enough money to get by and while the shop wasn’t making them millionaires by any means, it wasn’t breaking the bank either.

That being said, with a break in meaning that they'd need to close for the rest of the weekend, clients would have to be rescheduled and what little money they would have made that day was out the door now.

Janet leaned back in her chair with a sigh, running a hand through her hair as she hung up with her last booking. The client had been understanding and had rescheduled for another day but Janet wished more than anything that she had something tactile to be doing rather than calling insurance and rifling through the paperwork.

Around 10, the bell above the door tinkled and Janet looked up to see her daughter waving goodbye to her friend Aly. The young girl dumped her overnight bag by the door and let out a whistle as she looked over the now patched up window.

“Dang mom, I didn't know you were doing renovations,” the teen mused. Janet didn’t hide the roll of her eyes as she climbed to her feet and pulled her daughter in for a tight hug.

“Yeah, well, it’s not something I’d’ve chosen, personally.”

The pair parted and Cassie pulled a chair over to the desk, dropping into it unceremoniously. 

“Did they take anything?”

“No, the sheriff thinks they got spooked and ran off.”

She hummed, picking at her nails. 

“How was your night darling?”

The teen was telling her mother about the weekend she’d had and Janet relaxed a little, listening intently to her daughter relaying the school gossip to her. It was a pleasant distraction to the morning of admin. It felt like days ago that Sam had visited and asked her on a date. Oh god.

She was supposed to take Sam out to dinner tomorrow night. On a date. She hadn’t been on a date in longer than she cared to remember and Sam was an incredibly smart, extremely gorgeous and charming woman and Janet was old and oh god, what if she scared her off?

Cassie seemed to notice her mother’s shift in attention. With a gentle prod, Janet snapped out of her thoughts.

“Yo mom, you okay? Where’d you go?”

“Sorry sweetie, I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”

The bell rang again, this time signalling Vala’s arrival. She looked overdressed, as she usually did, in her leather trousers and a loose-fitting men's shirt, her breasts spilling out of her push-up bra beneath the open buttons.

“I don’t understand men,” she exclaimed, dumping her purse beside Cassie’s bag. Janet laughed gently, watching her friend plop herself in front of the desk. “Look at me, Janet. Would you not want a piece of this?” The woman grabbed her breasts, pushing them together with a frown. Janet laughed again as Cassie’s face reddened and she hid behind her hands.

“Absolutely,” the tattoo artist smirked, reaching for the latte Vala had brought her. “But I may be biased because I love boobs.”

“Mom!”

“Precisely! So why is Daniel Jackson so bloody blind to my advances? Every morning I go in there, tits out, legs practically akimbo and nothing, not even a glance. What's wrong with me?”

“Maybe you’re not his type?” Cassie squeaked, giggling.

The silence from Vala was palpable. “No, impossible.” She huffed. “Anyway, at least the other handsome man at the cafe can appreciate a work of art. Practically tripped over himself to pay for our drinks.” She looked pretty proud of herself and Janet snickered, taking a long sip of her drink. The caffeine was a welcome buzz and she relaxed a little more, watching her daughter and friend talk together. 

Janet was reminded at times like this how lucky they were to have such great friends around them. Even though Vala could be loud and immature and frustrating at times, she was a loyal and caring friend and had always been there for Janet when she needed a drinking buddy or a shoulder to cry on. Even more than that, she was great with Cassie. Being a single parent was hard and Janet always feared that she was too strict on her daughter. Jack and Vala were always there to parent her when it got too much.

It really did take a village to raise a child.

“Have you decided what you want for your birthday?” The woman was asking. The pair stood in front of the full-length mirror, Vala braiding the younger girl’s blonde curls. “What about a tattoo!”

Cassie was giggling. “Think mum would let me get a tramp stamp?” 

“Absolutely not,” Janet called but they seemed to ignore her.

“Ooh or maybe a few face tattoos!”

“Oh, or I could get my nose pierced!”

“Or your nipples!”

“She’s 15, not 25, Vala!”

The dark-haired woman shot her a grin in the mirror.

“Lighten up, Jan! I had mine done at 15!”

“Of course you did,” she muttered, unable to help the smirk that found her lips. “Besides, she has a ‘not-date’ with Damien that day.”

“Ooooh, Damien!” Vala teased and the teen blushed again, pushing the woman playfully. 

“It’s not like that! We’re going bowling with our friends!”

“Mmmhm, I've heard that one before.” She tied the braids off with a grin that both Fraisers knew to mean that Vala had a wicked idea. “Does that mean we need to go shopping for a cute, definitely not flirty, not-date outfit?”

Cassie's eyes widened and the pair turned to Janet, both grinning madly. 

“Can we mom? Please?” “Come on, Jan, how can you say no to us! Your daughter has a not-date and I’m… well, I’m going through a hard time with my love life! It’s called retail therapy!”

It would be nice to get out of the studio, Janet concluded. There wasn’t much they could do until the security company sent the footage to the police and that wouldn't happen until Monday morning. She was also painfully aware that she didn’t have anything nice to wear on her date with Sam so maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Fine.” The pair’s excited squeals drowned her out but she grinned nonetheless and got up to grab her coat.

-----

The mall was fairly busy. Christmas was still a few months away but already people seemed to be out trying to beat the holiday rush. 

The pair dragged Janet from store to store, taking their time rifling through every shelf and aisle. Vala couldn’t resist a quick trip into Victoria’s Secret where she got herself several new sets of lingerie; it wasn’t news to anyone that she had an Only Fans and that's how she could afford these luxuries. Tattooing didn’t pay incredibly well and a woman like Vala needed extra income to support her lavish tastes.

While she waited for her friend to finish her haul, a dark green set caught Janet’s eye. It was made of satin but black lace lined the cups and the waist of the panties; the fabric was soft under her touch and there were only two sets left. One just happened to be in her size. Chewing her fingernail, she stared at the lingerie, feeling a little ridiculous. She was a woman fast approaching her forties, looking at sexy lingerie from Victoria’s secret. If it were anyone else, she’d be right there, urging them to ‘treat themselves’ and ‘fuck the patriarchy’, but she was her own worst hypocrite.

She heard a gasp from behind her. Vala rushed forward, grabbing the set and holding it up to Janet’s torso. 

“Oh you have to!” The woman purred, admiring the colour against Janet’s tan, inked skin. “It’s so sexy! You have to.”

“I don’t know…”

“Don't be daft! It’s perfect for you!” With that, Vala was marching back to the counter and Janet had no choice but to follow her. “Now you have something spicy to wear if you ever get the guts to ask Sam out.”

The woman paid for it and handed the bag to Janet with a grin.

“Thank you,” she conceded, cheeks burning with excitement.

The trio left the mall, wallets lighter but bags full of goodies. While Vala and Cassie had been in the change rooms, Janet had found herself the perfect top to go with her lingerie; not that she thought they’d have sex on the first date but it made her feel sexy and desirable nonetheless. 

Janet would never admit it but Vala was right. This had been exactly what the three of them had needed. She was feeling calm and relaxed in a way that she hadn’t for a few days and she couldn’t wait to get home and spend the night watching movies with her daughter. Every year seemed to be flying by faster than the last and before she knew it, Cassie would be moving out and going to college. Janet was fully determined to take advantage of these moments with her daughter while they lasted.

She stepped off the travelator first, stepping out of the automatic doors into the parking lot, Vala and Cassie behind her. They’d gotten a spot only two rows from the doors and as she maneuvered past a blue VW, her truck came into view.

Her heart sank.

The passenger's side window had been smashed in and the contents of her glove compartment and centre console were spilling onto the bitumen. A few people were standing around the vehicle, gossiping. A sheriff’s cruiser pulled up alongside the crowd and Sheriff Hammond and his deputy, Walter, jumped out. 

Janet felt Cassie grip her hand as she stopped before the mess.

“This your truck Janet?” The deputy was clearing some onlookers away from the scene as Hammond approached. She nodded, trying to process the scene in front of her. Could this week get any worse? 

“We’ve been inside for an hour at most,” Vala told the man, taking up guard by Janet’s side.

“There’ve been a lot of break-ins lately,” Walter told them, stopping beside Hammond.

“Did they take anything?”

“I don’t know, I didn't get a look…” She couldnt tear her eyes away from her registration papers that lay on the concrete, the ink slowly blurring into a black blobl as water from the puddle soaked into the paper.

“Right well, we’ll have to get her back to the impound and see if we can’t find any prints.”

“How long will that take?” This was Vala who stood close to Janet, her presence firm and comforting.

“Could be a day or so. We have to call in the folks from the next county over.” So much for her date with Sam tomorrow.

The process took almost an hour. Though it appeared that the car, besides the broken window, was fine, a tow truck was called to transport it back to the impound. Vala had taken cassie home while Janet sorted it, not without complaints from the young girl.

“First your shop, now your truck. One hell of a coincidence, don't you think? Can you think of anyone that’d want to get back at you? Disgruntled family, unhappy client?”

“No. I don’t know why anyone would want to make my life miserable.” For a moment, the image of her ex-husband flitted across her mind but she shook the thought away. They had a restraining order and he didn’t even know where they lived. Still, she told the sheriff as much; she wasn’t taking any chances.

“What’s his name?”

“Sergeant Hugh Walker.”

“Alright, we’ll look into it.” The man’s gaze softened and he touched her arm gently. “You need anything, you let me know, alright?”

Janet returned the man’s smile, nodding gratefully. She watched them go, her car in tow. She stayed where she was for a long moment, letting the stress and the thoughts storm around her head, stinging her eyes. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she headed back inside to call a cab.

[azafms]

NAME: Christina Azariah Shredder

MEANING  OF  NAME  :  of  latin  origin  meaning  “  a  follower  of  christ  ”  ;  of  hebrew  origin  meaning  “ helped  by  god ”

NICKNAME(S)  :  Aza , Shreds 

AGE  /  D.O.B.: April  17th  1993  ( 29 )

GENDER , PRONOUNS & SEXUALITY: Demigirl , She/They & Bisexual

HOMETOWN: Austin , Texas

AFFILIATION: The Brotherhood

JOB POSITION: Mechanic , Owner of Moe’s Mechanics Chop Shop

EDUCATION: High School Graduate

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

CHILDREN: None , hates them .

(  +  )  positive  traits  :  loyal , decisive , generous , regimented , determined 

(  -  )  negative  traits  :  reckless , impulsive , forgetful , selfish , brash

｡*    ❪       📂   ›    BASICS.

Introducing  AZARIAH SHREDDER . Word on the street is they are a MECHANIC and member of THE BROTHERHOOD for the past EIGHT YEARS . Though they are IMPULSIVE and TACTLESS , they can also be INQUISITIVE and UNYIELDING . In the chaos of New York City, they’re sure to fit right in.

｡*    ❪       📂   › BIOGRAPHY

Aza was born to a mother who knew one thing , scheme her way through life , and as soon as she had her child she taught her how to do the same thing . That is until the day she up and left . Aza waited a week before venturing out of the house , her mom always told her if she didn’t come back home to wait for her , but they were out of food and the young girl was so hungry . It wasn’t a far walk from their apartment to the corner store and she knew how to steal food , it wasn’t until she was walking back home that she was stopped by the police , a seven year old barefoot and alone in the middle of the night has a way of ringing alarm bells . She found out later that her mother was arrested , not that it’d matter much ,Aza was placed in foster care and eventually adopted by Bud & Annabelle Shredder .

It took time for her to settle into the make shift family . Annabelle a young adult fiction author and Bud , a former NASCAR driver it was her father who taught her everything she knows about cars . She wanted to be just like Bud , a nine time Daytona 500 champion and unlike most of her siblings , she had the best shot of it . Aza had a natural talent for cars and for the first ten years of her life , Bud was thrilled with the idea of having another kid who loved cars as much as he did . That is until Bodie , the oldest shredder , nearly died in a race . Bodie hit a turn too fast , flipped her car and it caught fire . After the accident Bud refused to let his daughters have anything to do with racing . Completely shutting down any of Aza’s attempts to change his mind , if there was one thing he simply couldn’t handle it was the thought of possibly losing one of his children .

There was no was she wasn’t going to let a little thing like rules keep her from her passion . If she couldn’t race legally , she’d race illegally , and she was really good at it too . At eighteen she took all the money she’d won by racing in Texas and moved to New York . She got a job at Moe’s Mechanics right away , the old man even let her rent out the apartment above the shop , the two grew very close and she saw him as a second father figure . Despite all his warnings about falling in with the wrong crowd , Aza has always drifted towards the dangerous and unknown , she’s always been the type to fight first and ask questions second . It wasn’t her hot temper that got her on the brotherhood’s radar , it was her impulsive nature and inability to turn down a dare , [ person A and B are both totally open for plots , B is obviously a member of the brotherhood but A doesn’t have to be , they’d just have to be aware that person B is ] person A dared her to steal person B’s car . 

Little did Aza know , Person B just so happened to be a member of the brotherhood , not that it would have stopped her from taking up the chance to show off . Boosting the car was easy enough , it was trying to hide it for three days until she could find a buyer that was the hard part . By the time Person B had tracked down their car she’d already gotten rid of it , which put the two of them at an impasse . To try and smooth things over she agreed to work for them . What was only meant to be a temporary way to save her neck turned into her creating a second family . Though Person B has never really forgiven her for getting rid of their favorite car .   

｡*    ❪       📂   ›   PERSONALITY.

aza has always been impulsive to a fault , she doesn’t think before she does things often times leading to her getting arrested , getting into fights and all around pissing people off . she usually means well , she’s just not too great at the execution part of the plan . she will laugh if you cry around her , feelings tend to put her on edge , she can’t handle her own emotions let alone yours . she’s a really loyal friend , she’s extremely nonjudgemental and always willing to hear someone out . she’ll do her best to be supportive but she’s more like the misguided mom friend who’ll tell you to drink and break some shit if you’re feeling a little blue . 

｡*    ❪       📂   ›    AESTHETICS.

setting an old lover’s things on fire , rock music so loud it makes your eyes water , ‘ losing ’ your car keys , forgetting to text that you’re home safe , cigarette smoke clinging to your skin , permanently having motor grease under your nails , breaking your phone every few days , fighting as a form of flirting , knowing just how fickle family can be so you refuse to get too close to anyone  

｡*    ❪       📂   ›    NOW STREAMING.

18 by anarbor / if it means a lot to you by a day to remember / ain’t no rest for the wicked by cage the elephant / hate me soon by yellow ostrich / if you can’t hang by sleeping with sirens / i miss you by blink-182 / death by rock and roll by the pretty reckless / dumb by nirvana / kiwi by harry styles / the worst in me by bad omens

[invisibleraven]

AU headcanon ask!

enchanted AU pleeease :)

Luna is delighted by her 'so many dads!' and makes all the other kids at her school jealous because they've only got one parent, and she's got the three. Her teacher is a bit concerned because as far as she knew, Julie was a single mom. Julie has to fumble through an explanation of oh yeah, she has two boyfriends now, yes they can pick Luna up, her password is Pamplemousse because she giggles every time she says it. Parent teacher night is a bit of a trip, since Reggie is so earnest about learning and Luke just wants to scope out the music room, but Luna's teacher is enchanted by them, and already has ideas for Luna's father's day crafts.

Victoria looks the other way when Julie wants help making her three new friends 'real' people, the less questions asked, the better. Even if she does this on the regular, she has no idea where these guys came from, just knows that they need help, and that's what she's best at. But when Willie gets a look at her operation, he's delighted and immediately volunteers to help her while he figures out his life. Victoria takes a shine to him, and takes her under his wing. Because Willie is the definition of be gay do crime in every universe. But she also sets him up with a trauma counsellor, and he spends a lot of time talking with other abuse victims as he plans out a book or a series of video essays to help others in similar situations. She totally gives him away at his and Alex's wedding, and is pseudo grandmother to Isla once they bring her home.

Reggie does end up loving country music. Luke is less keen, but once he sees how fast Reggie learns to shred on the banjo, he falls even deeper in love. When Julie starts singing along with Reggie, their voices forming a perfect harmony, Luke proposes on the spot. Reggie flushes and sputters. Julie giggles and tells him not yet, as it's only been a few months. Luke starts penning a proposal song anyways, and busts it out after they've been together a year. Julie and Reggie happily accept. Their wedding is on the beach, with Luna as the world's happiest flower girl, flinging petals this way and that during the whole ceremony. The guys legally adopt her after that, making them her 'for real' dads, which delights her to no end.

The three of them float having more kids, and eventually, Reggie proposes adopting. He spent most of his life alone after his parents passed, and given their almost orphan status themselves, it would be nice to give a home to a child in need. Much crying ensues, but they agree, and while the paperwork is terrible, especially since there's three of them, they bring Danny home two years later. He's quiet and shy, especially for three, but Luna helps bring him out of his shell, and eventually it's like he was always a part of their family.

Carrie proves to be a wise and fair ruler. Even if she does miss some modern world conveniences. Thank goodness she has magic users at her disposal to create indoor plumbing and refrigeration. She and Flynn bicker a lot, but it's always loving and playful. They enjoy Flynn's shape shifting abilities a good deal, even if it does scandalize the servants at first to find some random other woman in the queen's bed the first time. They never do figure out how to get back to LA, but they're happy enough together, and have a long reign over the kingdom before handing it over to Carrie's protegé, Kayla and then enjoy a happy retirement in Reggie's old restored treehouse.

[lexa-griffins]

I love how passionate you got when you talked about milf Lexa 🥰

Let's start with the basics. How did Lexa meet her ex and what happened?

I love Milf Lexa a very very normal amount I swear!!!!! (she says, vibrating at a frequency that could shatter glass).

Alright, so Lexa and her ex Jennifer (or Jenny how everyone calls her. I envision her as Katheryn Winnick) met back in college. Lexa got a massive crush on her and once Jenny realized the cute sorority girl was into her, she asked her out and soon enough they were dating. For Lexa, it was a complete fairytale, Jenny was charming and the funny type of sarcastic, the bad girl type that can still win over the parents. She just didn't know Jenny she was just going with the flow. She found Lexa insanely hot and a cool girl to hang around and she did care for her but she was never really as in love as Lexa was. And then they got an apartment together on their last year of college and they shared the bills and it was fairly comfortable for Jenny so she stayed. And then Lexa proposed and she said yes. For Lexa this was everything she ever imagined her life turning out like. They got married at 23 and then Lexa asked about kids and about three years later Lexa was pregnant with Alex and then he was born.

And then things shifted. Jenny clearly loved their son, that wasn't a question, but she did not seem to want to do any of the hard lifting, meaning she'd get the giggles and the laughs while Lexa dealt with meltdowns and colic and blown out diapers. And then the comments. Suddenly Lexa was not putting an effort in their relationship, she was giving the baby all the attention, they hadn't had sex since before Alex was born and Jenny would make comments about how Lexa had stopped taking care of herself - as if Lexa wasn't already having a hard time dealing going from a fit young adult to now having a softer body and no time to work out. Things got better when Alex turned one. Date nights become a thing again, they started having sex more and Lexa had managed to get fitter again, definitely not how she was pre-baby but she was feeling like herself again.

Around this time, Jenny started talking to other women. Lexa though they were doing so good now and then she found her messaging a girl from work, nothing ever happened but there was definitely some emotional cheating. And then, after a talk, Lexa suggests what she now realizes was selfish and not the time for it but what she thought could save their marriage: another baby.

And it worked... for nine months. Lexa really felt like they were gonna go back to being a happy family once their daughter arrived, Jenny was so loving towards her, answering to Lexa's every whim, taking such good care of their little boy. Delilah was born via c-section and the day Lexa bought her home was the day she knew their marriage was over. She was in the hospital for four days and everything inside the house was at it had been when she left it when her water broke, not a single dish washed, nothing. Their bed was still unmade and when Lexa sat down to rest a little she was woken up not ten minutes after by her crying newborn being shoved into her arms for a diaper change 'cause Jenny was too busy building a lego tower with Alex.

Delilah was one when Lexa broke it off. She just couldn't take anymore comments about how she let herself go and gotten "fat", how gross it was for Jenny to see her c-section scar, how noisy the kids were all the time, and how everything was always Lexa's fault. And yes, she did still blame Lexa for being the one to break their marriage up. Lexa won main custody as Jenny up and left to another state with the kids spending one weekend at Jenny's house once a month, where they usually have the time of their lives with the fun mom who takes them to do cool stuff Lexa never has the money, energy or time for - and Delilah, who doesn't even remember a time when her moms were together and doesn't understand fully what went down, tends to comment how everything Jenny does for them is so much cooler than Lexa does, down to the cooking.

After going through this, Lexa doesn't really feel like giving love a second try. It was painful the first time around and Clarke is so young she can't imagine her not getting bored of her the same way Jenny did. :c my poor baby