#tabitha. 009

[annelim]

@smallstabs Pleasant Valley Farm

While Charlie hadn't particularly calmed down in terms of collick, Annie had realized about a month after her daughter's birth that, if she didn't leave the house, she would slip into what Benji gently referred to as "a funk". That precipitated a trickle of activity at first—whatever her body would initially allow—but, over time, had since grown into somewhat of a routine that she and Benji had formulated and that worked well for them. She'd become something of a stay-at-home mom, her workload dropping dramatically, though mostly unintentionally—if Charlie was not physically against someone's body at any given time, nobody was getting anything done, which limited Annie in terms of actually sitting at a desk and drawing. She didn't mind it, for the most part—mornings with Benji and Connor before work and school, lunches with Candace, afternoon walks around the neighborhood with Charlie and Tabitha, and then dinner and evening fun, where Benji eagerly took over Charlie duty while Annie had time to devote solely to Connor. She had assumed a very domestic life, very quickly, which was somewhat surreal to her, but something she was pretty much settled into, and everyone was happy and content, and what more could she want?

"I'm mad at Benji, FYI," Annie muttered drolly, a cup of cider in one hand, the other rubbing soothingly across Charlie's back as she lay strapped over Annie's chest. Annie glanced around to make sure her husband wasn't weaving through the maze of trees at either of her or Tabitha's sides, within earshot. "I keep asking him what he wants for Christmas, and he keeps saying, like, 'I have everything I want,' or whatever, and I know—it's very sweet. And I am glad that he feels that way. But that sort of shit does not help me."

This Christmas felt different, charged with a muted anticipation Annie hadn't had in years past; Colin's passing last year had effectively rendered that Christmas a blur, and the prior year, Katie was particularly vulnerable, which made things a bit awkward for everyone, though they powered through both years for Connor's sake. This Christmas, their first with Charlie, and with Connor in the house full-time, she wanted to be memorable. And she wanted to make it more memorable by giving Benji the perfect gift.

Annie took a sip of her cider. "He is impossible to shop for, and he always gives the best gifts, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being second place. I got stuff from Santa for him, but I need, like, a wife gift."

[keolalagaaia]

closed for: @tabithaxking

where: all night diner pre-prom and then under the sea prom during

Sat at the counter of the diner, Keo was doing his best to follow the sole instruction he had received from the manager that he was twenty minutes early to pick up.

( Don't be distracting. )

It was a task easier said than done on account of how fun she was to distract but he does his best to adhere to it so Gideon would continue to remain as chill as he was about how often Keo hung around the place as of late.

[xnothero]

ALL MUSES.

 — ALL  OCS.

001.  adrian  elliot,  sebastian  stan.  /  28   —  35.  the  bodyguard.

002.  alejandro  diaz,  sean  teale  /  25   —  30.  the  second  grade  teacher.

003.  alexandra  hale,  phoebe  tonkin.  /  18  —  21.  the  freelance  photographer.

004.  alison  warren,  kaylee bryant.  /  18   —  23.  the  influencer.

005.  aliyah  scott,  jessica  parker  kennedy.  /  25  —  30.  the  bartender.

006.  anastasia  king,  marie avgeropoulos.  /  1100+.  the  broken  hero.

007.  andrew  dunbar,  justin  hartley.  /  30   —  35.  the  surf  instructor.

008.  antonio  rivera,  oscar  isaac.  /  35   —  40.  the  physical  therapist.

009. benji warren, tyler hoechlin. /  30   —  35.  the  baseball  coach.

010. catalina martinez,  eiza gonzalez.  /  verse  dependent,  the  police  officer.

011.  christopher  lawson,  daniel  gillies  /  35   —  40,  the  mafia  affiliate. 

012.  cruz  salazar,  ryan  guzman.  /  28   —  32.  the  personal  trainer.

013.  daniel  park,  tom  hardy.  /  30   —  35.  the  english  teacher.

014.  elizabeth  dane,  katie  mccgrath.  /  30   —  35.  the  vigilante.

015.  esperanza  salgado,  lindsey  morgan.  /  21   —  25.  the  college  student.

016.  francesca  brooks,  melissa  benoist.  /  25   —  30.  the  receptionist. 

019.  javier  montero,  manny  montana.  /  27   —  33.  the  freelance  artist.

020.  jaylin  ruiz,  diane  guerrero.  /  24   —  27.  the  vigilante.

021.  jeffrey  winston,  charlie  hunnam.  /  27   —  35.  the  mechanic.

022.  joseph  winston,  chris  hemsworth.  /  35   —  40.  the  mercenary.

023.  jordyn  richardson,  candice  patton.  /  25  —  30.  the  paranormal  investigator.

024.  juliana  warren,  camila  morrone.  /  24   —  27.  the  ‘runs  a  flower  shop.’

025. karisa,  astrid  berges  frisbey.  /  immortal.  the  unemployed.

026.  lauren  grace,  crystal  reed.  /  delayed  aging.   the  former  SHIELD  agent.

027.  liliana  danvers,  virginia  gardner.  /  18   —  21.  the  college  student.

030.  marshall  bernard,  JDM.  /  48   —  54.  the  mechanic.

031.  melanie  mccarthy,  danielle  rose  russell.  /  18   —  21.  the  ‘taking  a  gap  year.’

032.  melissa  ramsey,  odessa  a’zion.  /  18   —  21.  the  swim  instructor.

033.  mia  thomas,  bianca  lawson.  /  27   —  35.  the  hunter.

034.  michael  oakley,  brandon  flynn.  /  18   —  21.  the  college  student.

035.  nicole  miller,   lauren  german.  /  27   —  35.  the  emt.

036.  remy  king,  lakeith  stanfield.  /  24   —  27.  the  tattoo  artist.

037.  richard  warren,  joe  manganiello.  /  37   —   42.  the  firefighter.

038.  roman  warren,  casey  deidrick.  /  27  —   35.  the  overnight  stocker.  

039.  ryan  reeves,  odette  annable.  /  27   —  35.  the  hunter.

040.  santiago  martinez,  michael  trevino.  /  18   —  21.  the  athlete.

043.  seraphina  warren,  adelaide  kane.  /  21   —  24.  the  paranormal  investigator.

044.  siobhan  averell,  lesley-ann  brandt.  /  27   —  35.  the  bodyguard.

045.  tabitha  kyle,  olivia  holt.  /  21   —  24.  the  thief.

046.  tommy  cohen,  jon  bernthal.  /  37  —  42.  the  hunter.

047.  valentine  warren,  ben barnes.  /  21   —  24.  the  paranormal  investigator.

048.  venus  hathaway,  jessica  alba.  /  32  —  37.  the  detective.

049.  veronica  creed,  shelley  hennig.  /  delayed  aging.  the  vigilante.

[avery-grayson-blog]

001. The House That Built Me // “I thought if I could touch this place or feel it, this brokenness inside me might start healing. Out here it's like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself.”

Technically the Grayson family still owns their original home back in Charleston, so this isn’t COMPLETELY accurate, but the idea of it holds true. One of the main selling points to moving to Atlanta (and returning to South Carolina each year) is that it’s helped her feel more in touch with her “roots” and who she used to be as Avery Grayson, the girl, before she became Nikita Grayson, the actress. Although she never voices it much, there’s a large part of her that feels a disconnect between who she is on the inside and the image she often has to portray.

 002. Stars // “All those times we looked up at the sky, looking out so far, we felt like we could fly. And now I'm all alone in the dark of night, the moon is shining, but I can't see the light”

This song is dedicated to her mother. When Avery was twelve she lost her mother in a car accident during a hurricane that hit the eastern coast. It was an event that would literally shape the rest of her life and the way she viewed or reacted to specific situations. Upon entering the entertainment industry she decided to use the professional alias ‘Nikita’--- a play on her middle name, Nicole, and her mother’s first name, Tabitha.

003. Drown // “What doesn't destroy you, leaves you broken instead. Got a hole in my soul growing deeper and deeper, and I can't take one more moment of this silence, the loneliness is haunting me.”

After her mother’s passing Avery went through an extremely dark and difficult time. She’d been far too young to cope on her own while old enough to recognize what a loss it truly was. As time went on her grief turned to periods of rage and destruction as she tried to sort through the mess that had become her mind. Most notably during this period of her life was the feud that began with her father, Nathaniel, that still remains today.

004. Cop Car  // “But there was somethin' 'bout the way the blue lights were shinin', bringing out the freedom in your eyes, I was too busy watching you going wild child to be worried about going to jail.”

Theo Hawkins and Avery Grayson went hand in hand growing up. It wasn’t until an incident the summer after her 17th birthday that their dynamic changed from best friends to more. It was a young summer love doomed from the start but she credits it as her first real romance. (tag later after acceptances)

005. Sorry // “'Cause I can sometimes treat the people that I love like jewelry, 'Cause I can change my mind each day, I didn't mean to try you on, but I still know your birthday, and your mother's favorite song.”

In most cases Nikita’s never felt regret for the way she’s rapidly ended relationships because she never took them seriously. However, one relationship in her past was different than the rest and reconnecting with him in Atlanta has made her reevaluate her previous ways. ( @mranthonywilliams )

006. Kindly Calm Me Down // “When my world gets loud, could you make it quiet down? When my head, it pounds, could you turn down all the sound? If I lay in pain, by my side would you stay? If I need you now, would you kindly calm me down?”

Despite the fact that over a decade has passed since her mother’s death the lingering affects that it’s had on her life still remain. To the public she’s the ‘American Sweetheart’, a true southern belle with a million dollar smile and a heart of gold. While that might be true to an extent, there is so much of Nikita that is never seen outside of her closest circle of friends (the nightmares that still plague her, the crippling fear she holds inside about losing somebody again). Thankfully she’s found herself those true few that have seen what goes on behind closed doors and have always been there to help her through the dark times. ( @annabelle-grayson, @zachgrayson, @brettgoldstein, @finnsta, @lipreese )

007. Tee Shirt // “When I saw you, everyone knew I liked the effect that you had on my eyes, but no one else heard the weight of your words or felt the effect that they have on my mind.”

Nikita never expected her arranged engagement to actually work. What completely caught her off guard about Colt, however, was the way she actually felt herself drawn to him from the start. It wasn’t just his outward appearance, although she likes that just fine, but something in the way he carried himself and seemed determined to always keep her on her toes. He’s shown her a considerate and sincere side that has made her stop looking at it all as an obligation and instead as something she wants for herself and no other reason.  ( @coltcandler )

008. I Got You // “I'd do the time for you, Tell a lie for you, Yeah, baby, that's what I'd do. I'd walk the line for you, take a shot for you, yeah, baby, that's what I'd do. 'Cause I got you, it's true, I'd die for you.”

If there’s one thing that could be said about Nikita it’s that she's been fiercely loyal to the people she loves her entire life. There literally isn’t a single thing she wouldn’t do for any one of them and she will always have their back whenever they need her. Friendship and loyalty have always been two of the most important things to her so, in this case, she absolutely believes in ‘do for others what you would want them to do for you’. (y’all know who you are I’m not tagging the world in this one lmao)

009. Tattoos On This Town // “It sure left its mark on us, we sure left our mark on it. We let the world know we were here with everything we did--- We laid a lot of memories down, like tattoos on this town.”

This song basically goes out to every single place she’s ever lived from Charleston to New York City, Los Angeles to Atlanta. Her life has taken her all over (mostly due to her acting career) but each place (and the memories made there) has laid its own mark on her, making her the person she is today. Likewise, Nikita would like to think that she’s left an impression everywhere she’s went, even if it was only on one person.

[keolalagaaia]

"Hey there," Keo greets with an obvious smile, the very same that tended to make an appearance on his face whenever he was around her. The news of pancakes only make it remain and he leans back slightly as she puts the plate down, a 'thank you' he was about to extend for them momentarily forgotten about as he realises he's gotten the premium not-listed-on-the-menu sort.

While the idea of the upcoming prom seemed like fun to him, he wasn't sure if that was a shared sentiment with the only person he wanted to go with.

Her skipped prom in high school and the logistics of babysitters and outfits and everything else that made it as potentially equally stressful as it would have been fun had made him hesitant to ask her despite the want to being present.

"Sneaky as hell," He compliments, completely impressed with it as he moves from the stool at the counter to stand instead, pointing at the plate once he did, "I can't believe you got me."

( Solely in that specific instance -- every other way that she had him was of no surprise to him, not when he was playing a long game with his only end goal in mind being that she kept him. )

He willingly breaks all sorts of diner manager and diner dweller boundaries as his hands find her hips, foreshadowing his promposal acceptance with a kiss that could have rivalled the syrup she had utilized in sweetness.

"That's a hell yeah, by the way, I'd love to go to prom with you."

@tabithaxking

A common scene lay before her. Keo was sat at the counter while Tab finished up her shift at the diner. The tips she'd earned from her double where stuffed deep into her apron and it was hard to not want every minute to go faster until she was free with him there.

While she knew he tried his best to not be a distraction, it never worked.

But today, there was an extra reason she was anxiously tapping her foot as she put through another order at the register. With a double ding of the bell which signalled the first stage of her plan was complete, Tabitha quickly rushes into the kitchen to finish up her masterpiece. After a minute or two, she materializes before him.

"Hey," Tabitha holds the plate high enough that it's out of Keo's immediate eyeline. "You looked hungry, so I made you a stack." Putting the decorated plate down in front of him, the waitress bites her lower lip in anticipation, waiting for his reaction to her invitation.

( @keolalagaaia )