#theo tug lucy

[toast-com]

10-14-22

Theodore scowled as he gripped his bat firmly. He planted his feet, and looked his friend Hank in the eye. "You ready Theo?" Hank called, tossing the baseball from one hand to the other. Theodore nodded, and breathed deeply. He felt better, when he was in the batting cage...more alive. He felt like he had a better grip on life's problems, and himself. George's proposition, the rogue wolves, the ghosts, none of it mattered. All that mattered was him, the bat and the ball. 

 "I'm ready Hank!" He shouted, and Hank threw the ball. Theodore swung, the bat connecting with the baseball with a crack. The ball went flying, and with it some of Theodore's worries. Hank shielded his eyes with a hand, and turned to Theodore, and grinned. 

 "It flew far." Hank observed. "I'll go get it-" 

 "No Hank, I'll get it." Theodore cut in. Hank glanced at him, surprised.

 "Are you sure?" 

 "Yeah." Theodore nodded, and raced off, leaving Hank in the batting cage.

He found the baseball easily, and slowed when he spotted it. 

 "I'm not even out of breath," Theodore thought, crouching to pick the ball up. When he rose to his feet, he froze, and growled. 

 "Aw, gee Ted," A voice spoke up behind him. "What happened to us being friends?" Theodore whirled to face the owner of the voice, the ghost of his old friend Lucy. She looked more corporeal than she had during their last encounter, a teasing look on her face. She blinked at him, cocking her head slightly, and smirked. "I see you've learned nothing from our last encounter Ted," She went on. "You still haven't gained control of your wolf side." She chuckled, striding towards him. Theodore turned away from her. 

 "What do you want Lucy?" He asked. "I thought you said you wouldn't follow me when I left Halifax. You told me you weren't able to leave your resting place." A cold hand settled on his shoulder, and Lucy's teasing voice filled his ears. 

 "Well, I lied. Both times actually." Theodore frowned at this revelation. "You see Theodore," She continued. "You and I are stuck together, because of the promise we made as children. Remember that?" Theodore nodded, and Lucy appeared in front of him, still smiling. "And my resting place was destroyed, I guess you could say I'm a free spirit." She chuckled at her own joke. "But, enough about me, how are you?" She looked up at him. "The full moon's in a few days..." Theodore scowled. She was right, the full moon was in a few days, and with it, his transformation, as well as George's proposition, to join his pack. 

[uniquedinosaurdreamland]

Lionesses x Reader

-Spiderman and Cinderella-

Cute little start to a maybe series xx

Lionesses x Reader, Lionesses x R!Children!

🌷

Your whole life was flipped upside down at sixteen. You were on your way to become an amazing football player, playing the the U17’s Lionesses as well as in the Liverpool Academy and were deemed one of the best upcoming players. But It all went down hill when one night at a party you got drunk, slept with a guy and before you knew it, you were standing in a bathroom with a positive pregnancy test staring right back at you.

Conversation after conversation followed with family, friends and staff about what to do next. You had managed to contact the boy from that night only to get ghosted and to find out he had left town the next week with his family.

You support system was made up of the best people in your life, being there with you through everything even when learning that it wasn’t just one baby but two. Nine months later your beautiful twins were born, Theo Luka Y/L/N coming out first followed by his sister Maisie Luna Y/LN. Your heart was full from the moment your babies were placed into your arms and you knew you would give them the world and more.

Nobody expected you to return back to football but just four months later your were back in the academy, juggling school, football and your twins but in the end you made it work. Now fast forward three years with your two bundles of joy now being three years old you were on your way to your first senior call up for the England National team.

You were the last to arrive at St George's Park due to having two bubbly, energy filled toddlers who refused to wear anything beside a Spiderman costume for Theo and a Cinderella dress for Maisie. Arriving just in time for dinner, you left your bags as you were notified someone would take up to your room that only held you and the twins.

There was no time to be nervous when entering the dining hall, having two of the most extroverted toddlers ever they didn’t waste anytime in rushing through the doors and towards the food. Taking no notice of the many eyes that snapped to the two toddlers, like always in their own little worlds.

“Slow down guys, I will get your food. Be patient please.” You ran in after them, smiling apologetically at the chef who didn’t know what to do with two kids babbling at him in a toddler language he couldn’t quite understand.

“You got some energetic kids there.” You turned around to the voice of Sarina, smiling as she pulled you into a hug before bending down to the twins levels. “Hi, my name is Sarina. What are your names?”

Maisie and Theo looked up at you simultaneously, making sure to give them a small nod to tell Sarina their names. “Spiderman” Sarina let out a laugh at Theo’s answer.

“Well nice to meet you Spiderman, and I am guessing you are a princess.” Sarina turned to Maisie after shaking Theo’s hand gently.

“I am Cinderella.” Maisie said poking out her chest in pride, you couldn’t help but smile as your new coach stood a curtsied to Maisie, the toddler letting out her tiny giggles that never failed to melt your heart.

Sarina stood with you as you grabbed plates and filled them with food you knew Theo and Maisie would like, lucky for you they were absolutely angles when it came to eating, when they were younger both of them even ate dog food for you childhood dog that was set out at your parents home.

“Two hands.” Placing the tray carefully into Maisie’s hand. Unbeknownst to you Leah and Lucy had stood from their respective tables and made their way towards the group of you.

“Need a little help there mister?” Leah bent down grabbing the tray from Theo’s hands to her own as he saw the young boy struggling. “You wanna come sit with me, I’m Leah.” Theo once again looked warily at the blonde stranger reaching behind him to tug you shirt, causing you to turn around.

“Hi.” You couldn’t help but be awestruck at the two world class defenders in front of you, managing only a small greeting.

“Hi, I’m Leah I can take this little guy to come sit with me.” The blonde greeted showing off her trademark smile.

“Oh god, you really don’t have to.” You said shaking your head knowing Theo was in his most energetic mood and he was eating his dinner which meant he was very messy.

“Mummy I want to go.” You looked down surprise at Theo.

“Okay then off you go, I want all the veggies gone when I come check.” Not another word was uttered from your three year old as he happily took Leah’s hand as she led him to her table that sat Keira, Georgia, Beth, Jordan and Katie. You didn’t even notice Maisie was already sat at a table with Lucy, Rachel, Millie, Mary and Alex.

“What just happened?” You said to no one in particular, Sarina laughing and patting your back.

“You got free babysitting, just go with it.” Sarina smiled before making her way back to the staff tables.

You didn’t have to worry about where to sit cause as soon as you turned around from grabbing your plate the loud voice of Ella Toone rang out calling you over to sit down at a table that held herself, Alessia, Lotte, Esme, Lauren and Chloe. Your nerves shattered away as you fell into a comfortable conversation with the group of girls, not taking any note to the conversations your twins were having with some of Englands best.

“Is your Mummy good at football?” Rachel asked Maisie who was stuffing her face with food, sat comfortably in her chair that had four cushions stacked to keep her in level with the table.

“My Mummy is the best, she gets all the balls in the net.” Maisie smiled at Rachel who she had now named Ra-Ra, the three year old having a nick for coming up with nicknames for people with names she deemed to hard or long to say.

“She sounds pretty good.” Millie smiled at the little girl across the table.

Back at the table Theo was sitting in he was telling a long story about how he was going to be the best football player ever. “What position?” Keira asked the boy, who thought about his answer for a sec.

“Keeper like Jordan Pickford and Mary Earps.” Theo replied with a big smile on his face.

“Yo, Mary you’ve got a future keeper here, says he wants to be like you and Pickford.” Georgia yelled to the table Mary was sitting at, she caught Theo’s eye giving him a big smile and thumbs up.

“Theo what happened to becoming a striker like your mum.” You said to Theo having caught wind of the conversation that was happening across the room.

“Keepers at the unseen hero’s of the game.” You jaw dropped as the three keepers around the room cheered at your son’s words.

“Who told you that? also your veggies better be done.” Your son’s face dropped from his sly smirk into a annoyed face as he looked down at the broccoli and carrots on his plate that you knew for a fact he did like but just didn’t eat it straight away to annoy you.

Having lost track of the time as everyone sat and talked you looked down at your phone to see it was the just about time to put the twins to bed, knowing they were bound to crash soon you knew it was time to get them to bed.

What you hadn’t expected to see when you stood up to grab the two toddlers were both of them fast asleep Theo in the arms of Beth and Maisie asleep in the lap of Millie, looking tiny in comparison to the brick wall.

“It will never seize to amaze me how they always fall asleep with everyone else but me.” You smiled at Beth who gently passed Theo into your arms.

“You’ll be back down right we are all just hanging out down in the team room.” Leah asked before you could step away from the table.

“As soon as these two are settled I will be back, by the looks of things I will be back very quickly.” You smiled at the table walked over to the other table where Maisie was cured into Millie’s chest.

“I can bring her up.” Millie immediately offered, making your heart melt at the kindness from all these women just on your first night.

Soon enough with Theo in your arms, Maisie in Millies as well as Rachel tagging along for the ride you made it up to your room without any toddlers waking up. “Was it hard to come back from giving birth?” The question came out of no where from Millie as you placed Theo into bed.

“I though about not doing football and just giving up all together, I was sixteen, still in school with twins it was almost impossible to do it. But football is everything to me and I really wanted to come back and I knew if I worked hard enough I could make it my career. It was hard, but even getting this call up makes it feel all worth it.” Millie and Rachel nodded along to your words as you placed both twins on one of the beds, making sure to set up a baby monitor in case they woke up.

“They’ll be fine in there?” Rachel asked.

“They’ve had a long day i’ll be very surprised if they wake up before I come back to the room, they somehow always wake up when they feel my presence come back.”

Coming back to one of the team common room everyone was sitting around in their different groups. You decided to join a group of the younger girls who were playing a game of uno.

“I’ll deal you in.” Alessia said smiling up and giving you seven cards to play the game.

You were able to play about two rounds with Niamh taking the win for one round while you took the win for the other. Most of the girls also had a big travel day so everyone headed to bed early including you, waving goodnight to Esme and Lauren who took the room beside you. You quickly entered the room quickly checking on the twins, getting ready for bed and falling straight asleep.

[disenchantedif]

The MC wakes up from a terrible nightmare, sweating and crying. They turn to look at the RO laying next to them and calm down, saying "You're still here...". Turns out their nightmare was the RO abandoning them. How would the ROs react/handle this?

Luci

The nightmare is sudden and you’re heaving when you wake. Gentle hands grasp your shoulders and you nearly sob.

"You're still here..." You breathe out, voice cracking and shaky.

Luci, who was hovering above you having woken you just seconds before, flinches back at the words as if you’d struck them. They immediately lean back in, pulling you into a tight hug.

They can't say they'd never leave you. That's not true, because they did, and it hurts them worse than anything knowing the repercussions it's had.

"I'm here," They say instead because it's all they can say. They hope you hear the promise in the words anyways.

Penny

She’s hovering close when you wake and the instant your eyes open, you’re in her arms.

"You're still here..." You whisper into her neck, clinging to her shoulders.

She grips you tightly, careful of her sharp nails against the bare skin of your arms, "Always. You won't get rid of me so easily."

"Thank you." You whisper into the darkness.

"Hush, love. Get some more rest."

Her voice is melodic, soothing, the lilt of her accent making it easy for you to sink back into sleep. She's definitely using her song to achieve it, but you can't be anything but grateful right now.

She cradles you in her arms for the rest of the night.

Cameron

"You're still here..." You say, hoarse, staring at them from where they're tangled in your sheets, looking concerned.

Their eyebrows draw together before their face falls. They look so upset you almost apologize, but they gather you in their arms before you can even attempt it.

"I am. I always will be." They swallow thickly, "I love you."

Your fingers twist in their t-shirt, the soft fabric grounding, the floral scent of their shampoo filling your senses. When you pull back, they bring a hand up to stroke your cheek, still wet from tears.

"Are you okay to go back to sleep?" They ask softly.

"Yeah." You answer, laying beside them and practically curling into their body.

You don't have any more nightmares.

Viktor

You're in his arms before you're even fully awake. He strikes a thumb across the curve of your cheekbone and you shudder in relief.

“You’re still here…” You sigh, your eyes slipping shut at his touch.

“That’s never up for debate,” He says wryly, and you open your eyes to see a faint smile on his lips.

You shift in his arms, curling closer, “I…it was a nightmare.”

“I know,” Viktor leans down, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “It’s okay, though. I’ll always be here to wake you up.”

You fall asleep pressed against his chest, his body a warm and comforting weight. He tosses an arm around you, tugging you as close as possible, and plays with the hair along the nape of your neck until you drift off under the soothing touches.

Theo

You think you might be crying, you’re not honestly sure. You sit up sharply, and hands are stroking up and down your arms in a comforting motion.

“Hey,” Theo whispers, raising a hand to tilt your chin up, “Where’s my sunshine, huh?”

You heave a shuddering sigh, leaning forward into their arms, “You’re still here…”

They freeze for a moment, as if not comprehending the words, and then their arms wrap you in a hug.

“Yeah, babe, I’m still here.” Theo rests their chin on your shoulder, “Don’t have any plans on letting you go, either.”

You both lay back down, curled into one another, entwined completely. Theo’s tail ends up wrapped around your waist, as if to pull you closer, and they press their lips to yours in a brief kiss before you go back to sleep.

Amri

You wake to gentle hands carding through your hair. You breathe deep, trying to shake off the terror of the nightmare, looking up to see Amri’s worried face.

Your head has somehow ended up in their lap, their wings coming to circle around the both of you protectively.

Amri tilts their head, their hair brushing their bare shoulder, “What’s the matter, hm?”

“You’re still here…” You say, eyes flush with tears.

They blink, eyes widening, before a hand brushes across your cheek and reaches down to cup your jaw. They press a firm kiss to your lips, before leaning back to look you in the eyes.

“I’m lucky,” They say, clear and concise, “To have you. Anyone would be. Whoever doesn’t realize that is an idiot and it’s not your fault.”

They wrap you in a hug, their breath warm on your skin as you slowly begin to doze off once more.

Charlie

You jerk upward, your pulse racing from your nightmare. Charlie follows suit, gasping awake as they’re startled by your sudden movements.

“Wha-?” They blink, looking at you in concern, “Cariño, I love you, but you just took a year off my life.”

“You’re still here…” You sigh, slumping back against the headboard.

They pause before reaching an arm over to pull you in and tuck you into their side. Turning their head, they press one kiss into the crown of your head. It’s followed by another, and then another, then they’re kissing your forehead and the tip of your nose.

They finally press a kiss to your lips, pulling back to smile gentle, “I’ll always be here.”

Harlow

Typically, you’re not the one being shaken awake from nightmares, but it seems the roles are reversed tonight.

You gasp, nearly choking on air as you wake, and are met with Harlow’s pale face staring back. They reach out a shaking hand, gripping your own tightly.

“You’re…still here.” You say, your chest sore with panic and harsh breathing.

“I am,” Harlow says quietly.

They’re never one for grand declarations, but they squeeze your hand three times. It’s a comfortable silence, one you could float in forever as you lean back against your pillows once more.

Harlow lays beside you, breaking their grasp on your hand in favor of resting their head in the crook of your shoulder. It’s a timid touch, something shy, but you’re used to it. You understand.

“Goodnight,” You whisper.

“Night,” They say in response, their breath ghosting across your skin.

Avery

It’s obvious Avery is quite familiar with panic attacks, and they soothe you quite effectively until the weight isn’t so heavy on your chest.

You bury yourself in their arms, curling close. They’re soft; softer than you ever thought they’d be, before you actually knew them.

“You’re still here,” Your breath catches as you try and speak.

They bury their face in your neck, hungry for any kind of touch. Pressing a kiss along your pulse point, they wrap an arm around you and pull you close. Their hand settles on the small or your back, warm and comforting.

“I’m here, and I’ll remain here.” They say, “You shouldn’t have let me stay so long. I’m…you’re very easy to need.”

“Says you,” You tease back, pressing closer.

You can hardly tell who is laying on who by the time you fall asleep again, limbs entwined in a perfect tangle.

Wraith

Their touch feels like a breeze on your skin as you wake, and you nearly choke on a sob.

“You’re…still here…” You reach out, borderline desperate.

They’re like an apparition until they slowly solidify, their incorporeality fading as you touch them.

“I am,” They say, voice sad, “I wish-“

They don’t finish. They wish a lot of things. You do, too.

[lucifitzgerald]

whispers

Luci meant what she said when she told Nora, Theo, even Vic, that she’s used to people whispering things about her. Behind her back, right to her face, in side comments or passing glances, she’s used to it. It happens often, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. She ignores it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t leave a mark that heals slowly.

There’s a lot of shit talking about her with regards to her dark gift, her family, particularly her mother but...she didn’t quite expect for it to get bad with regards to Theo. So many people are just fucking nasty about how she shouldn’t be with him. As a Legacy family and just as a general point of reference, how Luci isn’t worth it.

She doesn’t but much effort into it--she knows it’s coming, mostly, from jealous people who don’t know shit about Theo or her. The people who matter are on their side, she thinks--unsure about Roman? or Cade, and the only thing that really matters is how her and Theo feel about one another.

That’s strong, she knows that.

Regardless, it’s starting to wear on her, just a little.

Luci walks quickly out of the cafe, avoiding another gaggle of classmates whispering about Theo going through a charity phase--she’s eager to get back to her dorm room and relax.

She turns a corner and gasps as someone reaches out for her, tugging her right into a broom closet. Once a hand goes over her mouth so she doesn’t yell, she knows who it is. She sighs, shaking her head in the darkness.

“Theo,” She laughs gently, “God, what is wrong with you?”

[sequinsmile-x]

Day-to-Day

Part of the Whatever Tomorrow Brings series.

Chapter 2: Theo 

This chapter is all about Theo coming out to his family, which I know can be a sensitive subject for people. So I just wanted to give fair warning before anyone reads it. 

Word count: 4.7k

Read here on ao3, or below the cut.

Let me know what you think! 

January 2010

Emily was nervous as soon as the school called, Theo’s teacher, a kind woman called Ms Gorman, wanted to speak to her as soon as possible. Aaron couldn’t make it, a meeting with his superiors running over, so she had a cranky Amelia in her lap as she sat in a slightly too small chair in Theo’s classroom.

“Mrs Hotchher, I understand that the circumstances around Theo’s recent absence from class was...unusual to say the least.” Ms Gorman says kindly. “But I do have a couple of concerns.”

Emily frowns, her heart constricting in her chest, fears about her son being held back a year taking root. She shushes Amelia as she cries out, holding the small toy she had brought to entertain her infront of her.

“I did try my best with homeschooling, I know it wasn’t ideal but we did ok.”

“That’s not what I mean, Mrs Hotchner. Theo is a very bright boy, and he is doing very well academically.” Ms Gorman reassures, and Emily feels a brief moment of relief. “My concern is more around the social side of things.”

“Oh.” Emily says. “He hasn’t said anything. What about Ollie, and his other friends? You couldn’t get them to spend 10 minutes away from each other before.”

The truth rolled around Emily’s head. ‘Before’ was back prior to their world being torn apart and a serial killer almost murdering Aaron in their old home. Before she had spent 6 months in a cramped apartment with her kids, allowed no contact with her husband or anyone else in their lives.

“6 months is a long time when you are their age. They’ve all moved on.”

It felt like a gut punch to Emily, guilt spreading through her body quickly. She swallows against the lump of emotion in her throat. “Does he talk to anyone?”

Ms Gorman smiles sadly at her before shaking her head. “He tried at first, but he just sits alone now at lunch and at recess. I’ve tried to encourage him to play with the others, but all he wants to do is see you or his older brother.”

Emily closes her eyes briefly and takes a deep breath before she looks back at Ms Gorman.

“Thank you for letting me know.” __________

Theo doesn’t want to talk about it at all on the way home from school, despite her attempts to bribe him with ice cream. Jack isn’t even able to pull him out of it with promises of a few rounds of MarioKart. Theo solemnly eats his dinner before going to his room early, asking if he can just go upstairs to play alone.

Emily sighs as she gets Amelia out of her high chair, kissing the sleepy baby’s head as she pulls her into her arms. “Bed time for you I think, sweet girl.”

Aaron walks over to them and smiles, kissing his wife on the lips and his daughter on her head.

“Why don’t I put her down and you go speak to Theo?” He says, a tightness in his voice that had been there since she told him what the teacher had explained to her. He was already lifting the 11 month old from her arms as Emily started to protest. “We both know you’re the only one he’ll talk to.”

Emily opens her mouth to argue, but Amelia interrupts her, mumbling into her fathers shirt as she sleepily lays her head against him.

“Dada.”

Emily rolls her eyes as she relents. “I fed her almost exclusively with my body for 10 months and you’re the favourite.” She says, eyebrow raised but no malice in her voice. They both knew she didn’t really mind, that she was delighted that the once strong bond between father and daughter had been repaired after their long separation.

She kisses her daughter’s head again, whispering goodnight and words of love against her skin before she heads upstairs to her son’s room. She knocks lightly on the door.

“Theo? Can I come in?”

There’s a sniff through the door that makes her heart twist in her chest. “No.”

“Theo, baby. I want to make sure you’re ok.” There’s a pause. “Please?”

“Ok.”

Emily walks into the room to find Theo sat on his bed, tears streaming down his face and Archie held tightly in his arms. “Oh my sweet boy.”

She walks over to the bed and sits next to him at the head of it. She wraps her arm around him and he immediately curls into her embrace, his wet face pressed against her shirt.

“I have no friends.” He cries, and she shushes him, pulling him fully into her lap so she can hug him properly.

“Your teacher said you have been having some problems with Ollie and the others.”

“They don’t want to talk to me anymore.” He sniffs. “They said I’m weird.”

Emily immediately stiffens, anger spiking in her veins. She hears a voice in the back of her head, that sounded suspiciously like her husband, that was telling her she couldn’t tell off a bunch of 7 year olds for upsetting her son.

“That’s not very nice of them.” She says, kissing the top of his head, surprised at how even her voice sounded. “Have you tried talking to anyone else?”

Theo sniffs again. “There’s a girl called Lucy that seems ok.”

“Well, why don’t you talk to her?”

Theo pulls back from her enough to look at her, an indigent look on his face that she just knew was all her. “Because she’s a girl, Mommy.” He says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well, I’m a girl.” She replies, fake indignation in her voice as she pokes his nose. “You speak to me all the time.”

“You don’t count.”

“Oh I don’t, huh?” She says, tickling him until he relents. He is laying against her again and she runs her hand through his hair. “Just try talking to her, baby. You never know she could end up being fun. Even if she is a girl.”

Emily stays with him until he falls asleep, slipping out from under him with years of practice at not disturbing him. She goes in search of her husband and finds him in their room, laying on their bed, one hand under his head, still fully dressed from his day at work.

“Is he ok?” Aaron asks as soon as she enters the room, his voice tight and his eyes are fixed on the ceiling.

She sighs, joining him on the bed. “I think he will be.” She looks at him, biting her lip when she sees the barely suppressed emotion on his face. “Are you ok?”

“It’s my fault.”

“Aaron, it’s no-”

“Don’t say it’s not my fault.” He says, his voice too close to begging for her liking. “I goaded a serial killer and he came after me, after us. And now our kids are traumatised, and our son doesn’t have any friends left.” Emily grabs his hand and tugs him towards her. He doesn’t resist, rolling onto his side until he is pressed up against her, his head on her chest. She wraps her arms around him, scratching her nails through his hair.

“Honey.” She punctuates the pet name with a kiss to his forehead. “I’m not going to let you blame yourself for any of this. It’s all George Foyet’s fault. All of it.” She almost feels her own resolve slip when she feels his tears through her shirt, opposite to the side that Theo had cried on only an hour earlier. “Ok?”

“Ok.” He says, his hand moving to her hip to squeeze it. “Ok.” He repeats, sounding more sure.

They lay there for a while, taking comfort in each other that two months after their reunion still felt precious.

“What would we all do without you?” Aaron asks into her shirt, his voice sounding lighter than it had done all evening.

Emily laughs. “I don’t know. I think our kids would all have less of an attitude though.”

“You’ve got that right.” He replies, and she can feel his smug grin against her chest.

“Jerk.” She says, unable to stop herself from laughing. He looks up at her and they kiss, his hand on her hip tightening. They pull back and she leans her forehead against his. “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” __________

November 2020

Theo wants to get it off his chest, he wants to tell his family before he leaves for college. He decides to tell Penelope first. Aside from his parents she had always been his biggest supporter, his confidant. Her friendship with his mom and dad had served him well before, a rare teenage tantrum about them being over protective turned around in moments as she reminded them how much they had been through to have him, and to keep their family safe. She had driven him home, his head lowered as he apologised to his mother for their crossed words. Now he needed her advice.

He had sent her a text the day before asking if he could come round after school for a chat, saying he needed some help with something, his insistence that it would be kept a secret from his mom and dad clear. Penelope replied, almost immediately like she always did, with the affirmative and Theo found himself unable to concentrate throughout this classes. His mind focused elsewhere.

Penelope answered her front door in a flurry of bright colours and barely concealed anxiety. She ushers him into her home, a hug and a greeting in quick succession as she guides him into her living room.

“Now, you have got to tell me what this is all about.” She says, already passing him his favourite soda before he can ask for it. “I know you said you wanted to keep whatever it is between us, but if you’ve done drugs or killed someone or something else illegal, I don’t think I can keep it from them.”

“Aunt Pen-”

“Your dad has this way of looking directly into my soul or something. And your mom is terrifying when it comes to you guys. I’d have to go into hiding-”

“Aunt Pen.” Theo says more firmly, finally getting her attention. She stops ranting and stares at him, an expectant look on her face. “It’s nothing illegal. I promise.”

She seems to notice how serious he is and she instantly calms, the concerned look on her face melting away into comfort. “Theo, you know you can tell me anything.”

He takes a deep breath, and he says the words he had never said out loud, but had known were true for as long as he remembered. “I’m gay.”

Penelope doesn’t react for a second, no emotion passes over her face, and Theo very briefly wonders if he had somehow made a mistake. Then all of a sudden he’s in a bone crushing hug, and he can almost feel the relief pouring out of him.

“Am I the first person you’ve told?” She asks, still holding him tightly.

Theo swallows against the lump in his throat, tears of relief on his face. “Yeah.”

“And you want my advice on how to tell your mom and dad?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a beat of silence. “Oh.” Penelope suddenly exclaims, pulling back from Theo, making him jump slightly. “I have an idea. You could get one of those confetti gun things, fill it with rainbow confetti and just let it off at dinner.”

Theo stares at his aunt for a second, the enthusiasm rolling off of her in waves. “Yeah, I’m not going to do that.”

“A cake?”

“Aunt Pen.” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to do something over the top. I just want to tell them.”

“Teddy Bear.” Penelope says, using the nickname she had used when he was small. She was, without a doubt, the only person he would let get away with calling him that now. “Your mom and dad love you. Nothing will ever change that. You should just tell them, whenever you feel ready.”

He nods, a smile on his face. “Ok.”

She sends him home with enough baked goods to feed a small town, and a fierce hug at the door. “I am so proud of you, Theo.”

It’s the only secret Penelope Garcia ever keeps. __________

The next day Theo comes home from school to a package, Penelope’s recognisable handwriting on the label. He takes it to his room and opens it, something like a mix of a laugh and a sigh coming out when he pulls out a handheld confetti cannon.

There’s a small note attached to it that simply says ‘in case you change your mind.’

He hides it under his bed. ___________

Emily is surprised when she looks up from her never ending stream of paperwork to a knock on her office door to see her son standing there, nerves rolling off of him. There were times when it was hard for her to accept that so many years had passed. That her once tiny baby who refused to be separated from her in the first few weeks of his life, although her husband would argue it was years, was now this 18 year old standing in front of her.

Her nerves were immediately on edge. He would only have finished school just less than an hour ago, meaning he had come directly from school to Quantico. The kids used to visit her at work more when they were younger, Aaron bringing them in on evenings when she was still Unit Chief and they were fresh back from a case, paperwork too behind for her to go straight home. He would walk into her office, Theo and Jack by his side and Amelia resting on his hip with a bag full of food prepared for them all. This was rare, just one of them showing up unannounced, and a number of worse case scenarios were already tumbling around her head.

“Theo, hi.” She immediately abandons her work, pen forgotten on her desk as she approaches her son. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah.” He chokes out, sounding anything but ok. “I just wanted to talk to you. Alone.”

“Of course. Give me one second.” She walks past him, a hand briefly on his shoulder before she pokes her head out of her office and tells her assistant to give them some time. She then closes the door and pulls the blinds shut giving them total privacy, already completely prepared to hunt down whoever had Theo this upset. She sits on the couch she keeps in her office and pats the seat next to her, encouraging him to join her.

At first Emily just sits there, watching Theo intently as he avoids looking at her, worry all over his face. She lets five minutes of tortuous silence pass. She sees how he is picking at his cuticles, a habit he had inherited from her, how his left knee was bouncing constantly, anxiety rolling off of him.

“Theo, honey.” She places a hand on his knee to stop it from bouncing. It makes him look at her and she gives him an encouraging smile. “You can take as long as you need to tell me whatever it is you want to. I just need to know if you’re ok, because I’m worried.”

“Sorry.” He says, trying to smile at her.

“Oh sweetheart, no.” She cups the back of his head. “Don’t apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Theo suddenly closes the gap between them and hugs her tightly. He’d always been the most affectionate out of her children, even throughout his teenage years he had still consistently sought her out. A bond between the two of them that Aaron often said even teenage hormones couldn’t fracture.

Emily hugs him back, frowning at what almost felt like desperation in his embrace. “You’re ok, Theo. You’re ok.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

He pulls back from her, and she instinctively wipes the tear away from his cheek. Something she had done countless times in his life. Something she would do as long as he needed her to.

Theo takes a deep breath. “I’m gay.” He says, his voice shaky but his words certain.

Emily had known this was coming, she always had. She had seen how anxious Theo had been lately but waited for him to come to her, for him to be ready. She smiles at him and wipes another tear away from his cheek. “Thank you for telling me. I love you and I’m so proud of you.”

There’s a beat of silence before Theo furrows his brow, looking so much like Aaron it makes her smile wider. “That’s it?”

“Were you expecting something else?”

“No.” He says, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Lucy came out to her parents lately and it didn’t go well. I guess I was worried.” He swallows the lump in his throat. “Do you think Dad will be ok? What about grandma?”

Emily smiles at him again and pulls him back into a hug and kisses the side of his head.

“Sweetheart.” She soothes, her hand running up and down his back. “Your dad loves you, no matter what. It’s kind of part of the whole being a parent thing. I can be with you when you tell him if you want.” Emily smiles when she feels him nod against her. “Just take it one step at a time. And as far as your grandmother goes, if she says anything even slightly awful you leave her to me. I’m long overdue for a fight with her anyway.”

Theo laughs at that and pulls away, and wipes the few remaining tears from his face. “Thanks, Mom. I don’t think I could go head to head with her.”

“Lucky for you I have 50 years of practice.” She smiles. “Do you want to go home? Talk to Dad?”

“Don’t you have work?”

“You’re more important than any of that.” Emily says gesturing to her desk. “It’s completely up to you though.”

“Let's do it.” __________

Theo is grateful for his mother as she sits next to him on the couch, close enough for him to reach out for if he needs her. She’d always been his favourite person for as long as he could remember. His memories of the time they had been separated from his father were slightly fuzzy, and at this stage when he dreamt about it he wasn’t always sure what was real and what his brain had made up to torture him. What Theo did remember, however, was his mother. How she had held it together, the way she had still let them all know how much they were loved.

It was only as he got older, and he realised how disgustingly in love his parents were, it occurred to him how difficult it must have been for her. He had seen how miserable either of them were if they were separated for a few days at a time, and every time they hugged a little too long in the foyer of their home, only breaking apart at Amelia’s protests, he wondered how they had managed it for 6 months.

When he tells his dad his most closely guarded secret he feels instant relief at his supportive reaction. It was almost, word for word, the same as his mother’s, and a small part of Theo wondered if they had practised it.

__________

He tells his brother over the phone a week later, Jack’s working schedule as a resident at the local was difficult and made getting together tricky at times.

Theo takes a deep breath as he walks into the living room, a small smile on his face as he finds his younger sister sitting on the couch, her head buried in her phone.

“Mills.”

“Yeah.” She doesn’t look up from her phone.

“Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah.”

Theo pauses when she still doesn’t look up at him. “Amelia.” He says, the use of her full name finally drawing her gaze from her phone. “It’s important.”

She holds her hands up and makes a show of locking her phone and putting it down in her lap. “You have my undivided attention.”

Theo takes a seat next to her on the couch. “I’ve already told Mom and Dad, and Jack, so I thought it was important to tell you too. I’m gay.”

Amelia looks at him for a second, expression blank before she picks her phone back. “Are you free right now, or are you doing this with everyone tonight?”

Theo furrows his brows at her. “Sure...I’m free.”

“Cool.” She stands up, furiously texting someone. “Jack thought you wouldn’t come out until after Christmas, and now he owes me $20. Can you drive me to his place?”

Theo stares at her for a second, his car keys already in his hand. “You guys bet on that?”

“Yeah.” Amelia replies, smiling at a text he assumes is from Jack. “Can we go to Taco Bell after?”

“Why?”

She rolls her eyes at him. “To spend my $20. Obviously.” __________

Amelia sits next to him, her feet on the dash of his new car, eating what appeared to be her third taco in as many minutes. She reaches into the paper bag in the passenger seat footwell and passes him one. Theo takes it with a smile on his face.

Amelia nudges him with her elbow. “I’m very lucky to have you as an older brother.” She briefly rests her head on his shoulder, and Theo is taken aback by the out of character sentiment from his sister.

Then as quickly as it happened, she removes her head from his shoulder and takes a sip of her Baja Blast. “So, what’s your type? Big and muscly like Uncle Derek, or nerdy like Uncle Spence?”

“Mills.”

“What? I’ve got to be on the lookout for you.” She takes another sip of her drink. “You’re terrible at flirting.”

“You’re not even 12. You shouldn’t even know what flirting is.” He deadpans.

“Oh come on.” Amelia says, rolling her eyes. “I’ve known what flirting is since I could talk. Mom and Dad do it constantly. It’s disgusting.” __________

“It’s rare we get the house to ourselves.” Aaron says as he wraps his arms around Emily’s waist from behind, kissing the side of her head. She was standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up some vegetables for dinner. It was the closest thing Aaron would let her do to cooking, his claim that she could burn water always quickly following his protests that he could prepare meals by himself.

Emily smiles as she briefly leans back into him. “Careful, or it will be your fault when I cut myself.” To make a point she purposely pushes the knife down a little harder than necessary. “And we both know you can’t cope if I’m hurt.”

“That’s unfair.” He says squeezing her a little tighter.

“Do I need to bring up the time my appendix nearly exploded, again? Or do you remember that differently to how I do?”

He takes the knife from her hand and turns her round so she’s facing him. Her arms automatically wrap around him, her hands trailing up his back to rest at the edge of his shoulder blades. Aaron leans down to kiss her, determined to wipe the smug look off her face, when they hear the scrape of a key in the front door. He groans and rests his forehead against hers.

Emily laughs and briefly presses her lips against his. “We’ll carry on this conversation later, Mr Hotchner.”

“That better be a promise.” He says, pulling her slightly closer, hearing Theo and Amelia’s voices drift into the house.

“Always, my love.” She kisses him again before extracting herself from his grip. She walks towards where she can hear the kids talking, and she arrives to find Amelia going upstairs.

“Does she not want dinner?” Emily asks Theo, watching her daughters retreating figure up the stairs.

“I think Mills just ate more tacos than anyone ever has in one sitting.” Theo says, smiling at the look of bewilderment on his mother’s face. “She bet Jack $20 that I would come out before Christmas, she made me take her to Taco Bell to spend her winnings.”

Emily raises an eyebrow. She knew Ameila had very little tact, and a part of her was concerned at what she could have said to her brother. “Do you need me to have a word with her?”

“No it’s ok.” Theo shakes his head. “Mom, did you and Dad already know?”

Emily flushes slightly, averting her eyes from her son before she looks back at him. “Yes. We did. We were just waiting for you to feel comfortable enough to tell us.” She laughs at the look of confusion on his face. “Honey, I think you sometimes forget what your dad and I both used to do for a living. Plus, your first ever crush was Joe Jonas from Camp Rock.”

Theo laughed at that, the relief blooming in his chest. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It wasn’t our place, honey. This is your story to tell.” She opens her arms up for a hug which he gladly accepts. “We’re both so proud of you.” ______

After dinner Aaron goes to the home office to mark some papers for the class he taught at Quantico. Full retirement had never quite suited him, so he taught one class a semester. Theo finds himself standing outside the office just before he went to bed, after watching a movie with his mother, knocking to say goodnight to his father.

“Come in.”

Theo opens the door and walks in, hovering in the doorway. “I’m off to bed. Mom says she’ll meet you in your bedroom to finish the conversation you started.” Theo says. Aaron tries to hide the smile on his face, but obviously fails when his son makes a noise of disgust. “I should have known that was something gross.”

“Sorry, you know she thinks it’s funny to freak you out.” Aaron laughs, his amusement at his wife's antics still as strong as they were when they first met. “If you need me as backup the first time you bring a boyfriend home let me know. We both know what your mother is like.” Aaron says, smirking as Theo’s face pales, images of Jack’s first attempts at bringing a girl home flicking through his brain.

“Oh God, she’ll find a way to bring up the you vs Foyet thing won’t she.”

Aaron smiles as he takes a sip of his drink. “Without a doubt.” __________

Aaron sneaks into his bedroom a couple of hours later, well aware that his wife was likely fast asleep by now. He smiles when he sees her curled up in the middle of the bed, mouth slightly open as she snored lightly, her hand under his pillow.

He quickly gets ready for bed before joining her. The movement of the bed wakes her enough for her to make a disgruntled noise before she moves closer to him, her thigh pressed over his waist.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.” He soothes, securing her to him with a hand on her back.

“I think I promised to do something dirty when you came to bed.” She mumbles, face pressed into him.

Aaron chuckles, his hand drifting under her sleep shirt to press against her skin. “Another time, baby. You’re tired.”

She hums into him. “I’m glad Theo is ok, he seemed happier at dinner.”

“I think he’s just relieved it's out there.”

They lay in silence, and he thinks she may have fallen asleep until she speaks again. “He told me that Penelope sent him an explosive prop to come out to us with.”

“She did what?” __________

[ellewritesathing]

Infernal  -  II

Summary: In your sleepy little town of Greendale, nothing ever slept for long. And ever since October, everything felt like it was waking up. Everything except for you, that is. One teensy trip to Hell (and an infuriatingly cute guy) later and suddenly you felt wide awake.

Word-count: 2.5k+

Masterlist Prev. | Part 2 

A/N: thank you guys for all the support for Part 1!! i really appreciate it and i hope you enjoy this one 💕 (also this is my first time making a tag list, could please you let me know if it worked properly?)

Things went back to normal so quickly that your trip to Hell almost felt like a dream that you just couldn’t shake - the only visible sign that it ever happened being the carefully covered bruise on your forearm. That’s just the way life was now; spikes of supernatural intervention and then the lull of Baxter High. But then Sabrina burst into Harvey’s garage again, holding a gigantic book in her arms and calling for a Crisis Fright Club meeting. Another spike.

She explained how one of her new duties was dragging souls to Hell and that she needed your help to get the next guy. Jimmy Platt. Her plan was that once she took Jimmy’s soul, you guys could grab his newly-dead body and she could use it to house Lucifer and free Nick.

“So, it’s like Freaky Friday!” Harvey said. His enthusiasm made you laugh, which you quickly stifled when you noticed that your friends were still on edge about the whole ‘reaping the ice-cream man’s soul’ thing.

“It’s called a soul transference, but kind of,” Sabrina said. 

The four of you agreed to take the Spellman hearse and steal Jimmy’s body while Sabrina took his soul to Hell, but she grabbed your arm before you could follow the others to Harvey’s pickup truck. 

“What’s up, Brina?” you asked, trying to hide the hesitancy in your voice. She seemed unsure for the first time since you’d met her, and you doubted it was because of the body-snatching. “Do you need to talk about being Queen of Hell?” 

“No, it’s not that,” she answered. She bit the inside of her lip for a moment as she chose her next words. “Well, I mean, it kind of is. Do you remember Caliban, the guy from the beach who’s also trying to rule Hell?” 

A face like that was hard to forget, but you didn’t want to tell Sabrina that. 

“Yeah, why?” 

“I want you to stay away from him,” Sabrina said. The words tumbled out of her mouth and she worked quickly to explain what she meant to your arching eyebrows. “Not in like an ‘I forbid you from seeing him’ kinda thing, just be careful if he shows up. I don’t know anything about him except that he’s bad news and clearly has a thing for you.” 

“First of all, I don’t think demons have things for anyone,” you said, overcompensating for the rush you got when she said he was interested in you. “And second, this is the same guy that wants to enslave all of humanity, right? Not really my type.” 

“Yeah, I wasn’t really into the bad boy thing at first either-” Sabrina looked over at Harvey and Roz for a second when she spoke - not long enough to seem significant to anyone who didn’t know her, but long enough for someone like you. “But things change and I just want you to be careful if they do. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” 

“Trust me,” you said, using your other hand to move Sabrina’s off your arm and interlace it with yours. “The only way I’m going to get hurt is if the ice cream man tries to make a break for it.”

She gave you a not entirely convinced smile before the two of you piled into the back with Theo. You picked up the hearse, played musical chairs with the seating chart, and then waited for something to happen after Sabrina left to reap her first soul. 

Rather disappointingly, the only thing that did happen was Sabrina coming back empty-handed and confused. Undisappointingly, Jimmy had kidnapped a little girl in order to extend his contract, and if he died then she rotted away somewhere in Greendale. 

---

The last thing you felt like doing was going to the pep rally after Sabrina accidentally got locked in Jimmy’s murder-freezer and Lucy got returned to her mom, but there was nothing else you could do. They had a plan and you were just backup if it went south. The plan did not include you trying to kick Jimmy's teeth in. 

You didn’t want to third-wheel Theo and Robin or Harvey and Roz, so you picked a spot against the fence where you could still be a part of the pep rally but you had some distance from the over-eager teens. Leaning against the fence, you got lost in your thoughts until a voice woke you up.

“I thought it was tradition for all the pretty girls to dance up there in their little outfits, not for one to be left behind in the shadows.”  

You turned your head to see Caliban waiting for you to respond, so you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest. He was bad news, even if he was attractive bad news. Like a car crash that you just couldn’t keep your eyes off. Did car crashes usually have such phenomenal bone structure?

“And I thought it was tradition for all the demons to be in Hell, not hitting on unaccompanied minors,” you said, doing your best to seem unrattled. Ignoring the smirk on his face and turning your gaze back to the cheerleaders, you continued, “You do know that Sabrina will kick your ass if she finds you here, right?” 

“I think the Morningstar has other priorities at the moment,” he said. The sand crunched under his feet as he came closer. “But you can try to kick my ass, if you’d like.” 

Casting a glance at him before turning away, you reminded yourself not to get involved. A pretty trainwreck was still a trainwreck, no matter how much you wanted it not to be. The ground shifted again and Caliban was right next to you, lifting his hand slowly to move your hair off your neck. The places where his fingers brushed your skin lit up. 

“You truly have no idea what you are, do you?” He asked it like he was telling you a secret. Despite your attempts to seem unnerved, your jaw clenched. He moved in your peripheral vision and took something out of his pockets. Stepping in front of you, his hands lifted to drape a necklace over your head. “The shell is from the Shores of Sorrow. When you’re ready to find me, just break the shell. Use it wisely, love, because it only works once.”

Choosing to look at his face instead of the necklace, you noticed something in his eyes that made you think at least part of what he said was true. There was something else that made you feel like you didn’t want to find out which part it was. 

Determined not to be unnerved, you put on your best war face and straightened up. “And why should I believe anything you say?” 

“Why should I have any reason to lie to you?” he asked, seeming amused by your standoffishness. 

“Because you want to get the Throne, which means you have to go through Sabrina,” you said, taking the necklace off and wrapping the rope around the seashell as you spoke. The shell was white with specks of faint color creating patterns along the outside. A very pretty trainwreck indeed. You reached for his hand and lay the necklace in his palm. “And you’re trying to go through me to do that.” 

“Do you really think so low of me?” Caliban asked. 

You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely hurt behind that stormy expression of his or just trying to manipulate you. You looked down at your hand, still holding the back of his, and saw your sleeve had rolled up. Pulling away, you tugged your sleeve down to cover the ugly yellow- purple that had been sticking out. Looking back up to say that yes, you did think that low of him, you found Caliban staring at your forearm. 

“You didn’t get that in Hell.” 

He said it so matter of factly that it sent shivers up your spine. 

“How would you know?” 

Harvey called out to you, breaking your staring contest and signaling that it was done. When you looked back, Caliban was gone. The necklace lay in the sand where he had been. Telling yourself it was better if you had it than some unassuming girl, you picked it up and shoved it into your pocket. Then you rushed over to your friends like you hadn’t just consorted with the enemy. The very distracting enemy.

--- 

In an effort to prove that you were right to distrust him, Caliban challenged Sabrina’s right to rule with a challenge to find the Unholy Regalia. The first part was finding the Crown of Herod, so you spent the day at the Academy with Ambrose trying to figure out where it could be. Zelda was hardly enthused about your presence, but Hilda asked what the harm was of letting you poke around under Ambrose’s supervision. Besides, she said, they had bigger problems to worry about than you reading about witches. 

After scrambling to find the location of the crown, Ambrose left to find Sabrina, leaving you alone in the Academy’s library. Figuring this was the only opportunity you’d get, you started looking for books about … something. You didn’t know what Caliban meant when he asked about what you really were, and your dad had told you countless times that Delilah was based on you. If she wasn’t human, that had to mean that you weren’t human either, right? 

Or that your dad was crazy. Either option seemed equally possible, if you were being honest with yourself.

One of the books you pulled was about changelings; fairies or demons that replaced human babies and terrorized their host families. But you knew it wasn’t right. It just didn’t click with you, and you doubted that they’d just dump a fairy with humans without an evil instruction manual or a card with the time and place of Evil Babies Anonymous. If you were a demon or a fairy, you felt like you’d know about it. 

Sighing, you checked your phone. Multiple texts asking where you were, if you were coming to the carnival, and did you need a ride. You sent off a few texts that all essentially said the said thing: you’d meet them there as soon as you could.

You made your way back home and dumped all your school things and research on your chair in the corner of your room. You grabbed a jacket and pulled your hair up into a ponytail before heading out the door so none of your friends put out a missing person’s report on you. 

“Bye, Dad! Don’t wait up!” you called. 

Just before opening the door, you heard your dad say something that you didn’t quite catch. Hand hovering over the doorknob, you had to decide between heading out or see what was responsible for the nagging feeling in your stomach. The nagging won. 

“I thought you were going to the carnival with your friends,” your dad said with an easy smile when you leaned in his doorway. 

“Yeah, I am but I thought you said something,” you said. 

He seemed to be doing better today at least. The good days used to be the norm, the bad days were a foggy nightmare that you woke up from with a stack of your dad’s homemade pancakes, and then you turned sixteen. Now you could count the number of good days on one hand. 

“Oh.” He straightened up in his chair. “I just said to be careful. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that. Have fun.” 

“Wait, what did you just say?” you asked, muscles tensing slightly. He couldn’t know about Herod’s crown. 

“To be careful,” your dad blinked. 

“After that.”

“Have fun?” 

“Right,” you said. He’d forgotten what he said. Another lapse in memory, did this still go in the good day pile? “Will do.” 

The Carnival was way more unsettling than you expected. You couldn’t find your friends anywhere, all the sounds were too loud, and the lights got brighter and brighter as the sun set. Your dad’s words ringing in your head didn’t do much to ease the anxiety either. 

You jumped as one of the games rang out next to you and a hand reached out to steady you. You pulled your arm away and caught the hand with your own, twisting it at an angle and waiting for the wrist to snap. 

“Easy,” Caliban warned, leaning into the movement to protect his wrist. “You could hurt someone like that.” 

“That’s kind of the point,” you said, dropping his hand and crossing your arms over your chest again. Even though you acted like it didn’t, this place felt a little bit safer with him next to you.

“Oh, I know,” he said with a devilish smile. He ran a hand through his hair as he stepped closer to you. “I see you kept the necklace.” 

He couldn’t have - you were very careful to hide it under your clothes - but you knew he expected you to check. That would give him an answer as to if you kept it. You didn’t move or say anything, but you did jump when another game celebrated a victory with loud chiming. 

“A little on edge tonight, are we?” 

“Only because there’s this guy that keeps popping up whenever I’m alone,” you said, turning and starting to walk again. “People are telling me to get a restraining order, but I’m not sure it’ll do anything to stop him. I think something more dangerous and less orderly might be what I need.”

“Perhaps I could be of some help,” Caliban said, making it clear that he understood what you were implying but refusing to acknowledge it. “I happen to have an affinity for doing dangerous things.” 

“Oh, I bet you think you do,” you said, stopping and turning back to look at him again. 

A dangerous thing with an affinity for doing dangerous things looked back at you. Maybe it was your anxiety clouding your judgment or maybe it was the way the Ferris wheel lights caught in his eye, but all you wanted in that moment was to forget Sabrina’s warning and kiss him. After all, one dangerous thing never hurt anyone; it was always the harmless things that got people damned. Like apples. And Caliban was hardly an apple. Though if you thought about it hard enough, maybe that meant he was the snake.

Realizing that it had been almost a minute since either of you had said anything and a smile was slowly etching its way across Caliban’s face, you shifted your weight and asked, “Don’t you have places to be, people to torture?” 

“Now that you mention it, I do have somewhere I need to be.” He ducked his head slightly as he spoke and took a step back, readying his hands for whatever spell he was about to cast. Looking back at you with a smile that managed to be both conniving and grim, he added, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that.” 

“Wait, what did you-” 

But he was already gone, a few burn marks on the ground the only evidence that he’d been there at all.

Taglist:  @peachesandknives  @caliban-is-my-girl  @t-a-i-l-o-r-m-a-d-e @music-movies @miss--moose

Part 3

[my-angel-daisy]

daisy chains

summary: james and cordelia are not lovers, well, that’s how cordelia sees it.

word count: 5.8k

cordelia winced, she watched lucie collapse on the stairs of the institute from exhaustion. they were both covered in blood, their own and otherwise, disheveled and distraught. cordelia was tempted to follow her parabatai’s example or jump in front of her to soften her blow but she couldn’t.

the grand entrance door opened and william herondale ran down to his daughter. he took her in his arms and lifted her as he exchanged a frightened look with cordelia, he had questions, ones she didn’t know how to start answering. tessa herondale also made her way down with forced composure as she ran to the jolly group.

there was a silence as she scanned her eyes to assess the situation as she always did. “lucie will be alright my love” she told her husband as she took lucie's pulse, she began encouraging him up the stairs and they reached inside. cordelia had never seen mr herondale so fragile and vulnerable but then again one would be with their limp child in their arms.

“there aren’t any serious wounds mr and mrs herondale, she will just need some rest” cordelia only whispered this but it startled both of them. as she said this her parabatai began to stir and regain consciousness. perfect timing as always.

from there on, everything seemed to blur for cordelia, lucie got attended to and since neither has serious injuries she began to explain the evening to her family. 

cordelia felt numb, she didn’t acknowledge the cloth bridget was dabbing at the slice on her collarbone to shoulder, nor the breathless animated voice of lucie as she told everything. tessa was quizzing lucie’s recollection for any signs of dark or powerful magic but they didn’t recall anything. 

the arberg’s had disappeared two weeks previously, they were an acclaimed member of the clave so their vanishing had set all the shadowhunters on alert but it didn’t directly impact anyone at the institute. lucie and cordelia had been investigating a string of murders of werewolves and didn’t see the connection with the powerful warlock, theo conall until it was too late.

perhaps they were both lead into a trap or conall had simply been multitasking to the highest extreme but when lucie and cordelia visited his residence to ask about some fair folk connected to the moon children he was acquainted with, they didn’t expect to hear the shrill screams of amelia arberg.

the trained servants and friends protecting him were effective, dedicated and loyal. their blood shed as lucie and cordelia made their way towards amelia who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old. cordelia wasn’t unfamiliar to battles, they had become as natural to her as a ball dance but seeing the child amidst it all was unsettling for her nerves.

her strokes were slopier, her punches not as accurate as usual, all because her eyes kept going back to the child. once they had soaked the mansion with blue and red blood, cordelia stepped over the purple mix and grabbed the little.

conall had escaped but one problem at a time. here was a missing child trembling with terror and as cordelia followed her eyes, there they were, her parents, disembodied and on display for their child to see all. 

cordelia and lucie walked a great distance to find a coach with amelia hanging from cordelia's side. amelia was here, desperately clinging to cordelia’s side on the couch. her cries aren’t as loud as they were before, they are tired, hitched dry tears of a child that can’t stop crying. some of the blood on cordelia has transferred onto her tiny hands and bright red, strained cheeks. cordelia had made no effort to comfort her, she was still a lifeless statue staring at the floor of the institute drawing room.

she began to register there were other people there, too many of them. will herondale has a cool composure about him as he called for amelia’s nearest relatives to be contacted immediately, for the enclave to assemble at conall’s manor to judge the crime scene and with a quick nod to lucie, he left.

cordelia saw lucie drop to her chair with a whine and her brother was at her side telling her to go rest or eat, bombarding her with worried statements. tessa herondale was knelt in front of her trying to stroke amelia’s hair and soothe her into releasing her grip on cordelia to no avail. matthew and james rose in unison as they declared they would go and help mr herondale. cordelia wasn’t sure with one of them spoke but they left too.

the room felt colder even though a mighty fire was blazing in the fireplace. as the night sunk in, cordelia left amelia to tessa’s gentle care. she bathed herself, and tried her best to forget the paralyzing face amelia had given her when she first noticed her in the manor. she shouldn’t be so shocked and unnerved, she was a shadowhunter and disturbing scenes like those are to be expected but how she had never thought she would experience a mission like that so soon.

a knock on her door presented matthew who had returned as all business with the clave had been settled and the hunt for conall had been taken over by an elite team of senior shadowhunters. “amelia's uncle has come to collect her, lucie is already receiving his thanks and she insisted that you wouldn’t want to join but i thought i’d ask just the same” he declared in his relaxed manner. “no thank you matthew, lucie was right, i don’t want to join at all” he nodded and told her that dinner will be served to her and lucie in their room and left with an encouraging and pitying smile.

cordelia was glad she could confide in lucie who understood her better than anyone else could. after finishing their meal, lucie lies her head on cordelia’s shoulder and rants of the catastrophe that is today. lucie was always so good with her words that it comforted her better than anything. lucie can word all the stress and anxieties of the day so perfectly that cordelia didn’t need to speak them aloud herself.

lucie left after her therapeutic rant with her parabatai to visit her parents to no doubt do more of the same and hug her mother and father who eagerly awaited all day for a private conversation with her. since cordelia’s parents were not there to do the same for her, she tried to escape her self pity by running to the library.

cordelia had always been fascinated by flowers. the way people use the plant to express their feelings in a way they can’t with words interests her. two of her favourite volumes of flower related books lay in front of her. she listlessly flipped through the scientific explanations and research for care of flowers, her eyes never left bright detailed illustrations of various species. she was enthralled by their mysteries and natural beauty. then the oak door swung open to filter even more light into the room.

it was james, he stood by the door for a few seconds as she slowly closed her books and lay them on the table, he was hesitant in his steps, cordelia didn’t understand why. nowadays he has become more distant and awkward around her. she hated it, she wished she could shake him and stop that uneasiness that always flashed in his eyes.

he made his way around to her side and grabbed the top book to flick through, he was trying to busy himself and she was impatient, she knew why he was here and what they had become to expect from each other. his golden eyes looked around the room, avoiding her. she wished he hadn’t come now, he seems so uncomfortable and bored of her even though he hadn’t even made the effort to greet her.

“james” she caved and his eyes snapped to hers. finally, she thought. she loved it when he looked at her, she never wanted to pay attention to his other facial expressions because when he looked at her, she felt she had free access to view his golden eyes. she loved the different shades that run through them as though he had trapped the heart of the sun itself in his eyes. they always burnt her own eyes to look at.

he reached for her as she ignored his worried frown. he gently grabbed her neck and pulled her head closer while simultaneously wrapping his arms around her waist. he closed his eyes, always did before their lips were even aligned, maybe he’s memorised where they’ll always be. cordelia’s hands shly stroked up his arms and rested on his shoulders.

his soft lips met hers and they exchanged gentle small pecks that deepened into long kisses. cordelia used all her composure to refrain from moaning and biting on his lips. her form was still and stiff, she didn’t want it to be that way but she was too afraid to move onto him, to ignite the kiss with a passion that james won’t reciprocate. this meant that she only let james lead as he pleased. it felt too fragile, if she were to move her hands up the back of his neck and tug at his hair like she craved to, he might snap away, she was certain he would.

they may have kissed countless times now but it somehow never felt intimate. cordelia never felt like they were lovers, contrary to what anyone looking from the outside would think. they would think they were young inexperienced lovers that are coy in their courtship. they are not lovers, there is no courtship, james isn’t shy. cordelia knew why he wanted this distance, the softness separated them, made it easier for him to pretend it was any other woman. cordelia was sure of this, it was the only explanation for why else would his kisses taste of grace blackthorn.

cordelia felt used, she had liked to think she had too much respect for herself to allow this to continue but she was lying to herself. her desperation for james herondale had gotten the best of her and she would still take this, however little it may be, it was still a bit of james.

5 minutes later and james pulled away. his swollen lips and darkened eyes lightened her heavy heart only for a moment. of course he looks beautiful, slightly panting for air and gazing at his arms still around her waist. he was the first to pull away and cordelia the one to leave, in keeping to this routine they had developed, cordelia rose and went straight for the door with no glance nor word to james.

cordelia laid in her bed and stared at the ceiling as lucie lightly snored. she didn’t want to cry about it, she had grown too tired of that. james had first kissed her 4 months back in the empty drawing room as the humming summer sun shone upon them. it had gone just the same as today, only matthew had barged in and they were forced to jump apart.

at the time, cordelia had not noticed the coldness of his fiery eyes. she had even entertained the idea of james confessing his love for her. the memory forced a sarcastic chuckle to leave her in the dark room. she waited and waited, thought he was drafting and redrafting a letter but that never came, the very next week cordelia saw him passionately latch at grace blackthorns lips in a quiet room at a ball in the institute.

but she still waited and pined for the kisses that followed even though james never spoke of them to her. he never addressed it but repeated it. everytime they were alone he held her and so sweetly planted the uniform kisses but they both parted and pretended it never happened. what good would come of it? for him to tell her what she already knows? there is no need to hear james confirm that she is a replacement for grace when he is not with his only love, cordelia didn’t think she was brave enough to bear those words spoken aloud by the only man she truly loved.

**** 

james sat on his writing desk. glaring at the paper as through it had deeply offended him. he had become confused and decided that he would write all his thoughts, however tangled and distorted, hoping that when he looked back at it with fresh eyes, they would make sense. how wrong he was. the drawer under the desk is littered with past attempts.

james had sworn his love for grace blackthorn to the world. he loves her deeper than any ocean his poets wrote about. he adored her, her clear eyes that had inspired him to become a poet himself, grace had made him try, and fail, to express his love for her in grand words and exuberant phrases. but he couldn’t find any, his sister was the one who was gifted with the pen to write her emotions in a way james could only read and enthusiastically agree with.

again, grace. he had committed himself to her. he has given her his heart to do with as she pleases. anyone who knew him was aware of her mark on him and he wore it proud, prouder than if it were a medal. so why would he so much as dare question his own loyalty to his grace. there is no other and all these letters have grace’s name for it was her he was destined to love.

deception was no use. he cannot lie to himself as convincingly as he has been lying to others recently. he had kissed cordelia. it was no accident. no heat of the moment bout of lust. he had noticed cordelia in a different way. his sister’s parabatai was not one whose beauty lashed onto you. it was gradual, first he noticed her laugh, how sweet and warm it made him feel. then her touch, something as innocent and (previously) meaningless as exchanging books made his fingers tingle. at night he would trace where she had stroked with his other hand and stare in confusion but he sure did find many other excuses to make sure it was repeated. “here take my pen daisy” “pass those to me, i will carry them for you” etc. and so gradually, the daisies sprouted in the garden of his mind, erratically and turned into a field.

they had been too much, cordelia’s pull, her soft hair, dewy skin and plump lips consumed him. how reckless, insolent, unacceptable for him to act on it. he owed her an explanation or better still an apology. he thought a love letter would suffice, so he did try, the very time he first kissed her. but it sounded pathetic, she would laugh at his face, demand the truth, how could someone so publicly dedicated to grace blackthorn write her a letter like this.

he had meant everything he said in the first one, the one under all it’s other 20 or so more revised, though less honest copies. but a letter won’t do, he has left it too late. james herondale has somehow managed to procrastinate on a love letter. but maybe the word “love” is too strong for these letters, they are confessions from a sinner unsure of his sin. he recognises the carnage he has caused but cordelia doesn’t seem to react to it, she seems indifferent, uninterested in his feelings. she leaves every time they kiss, with james confused and frustrated behind her. he never has the courage to tell her to stay.

and so the latest extract of his knotted mind he pulled onto ink. he cannot help but compare. does his adoration for cordelia touch graces? no surely not. he thinks of cordelia’s bright eyes when she talks of flowers in her garden, the beaming smile when asked about a weapon she had clearly been waiting for someone to address. james always envied the one who asked before him, he had made a note to try and beat them to it whenever he next sensed an excitement in her waiting to be unleashed. but he had not acted on it, in his own stupidity, he had kissed her instead. 

grace however giggled after they kissed. he is not ashamed to say it makes him proud to see the slightest blush crawl up her pearl white cheeks. but cordelia never giggled, never so much as smiled. this weighed on him, he should kiss her better, hold her more freely, embrace her more, show her all these words he can’t say. he shrinks when the time comes, a coward again. she strips him of his courage, his bravery and senses.

****

the carriage halts outside the institute, lit with lights and melodic music. cordelia was fidgeting with her gloves, which her mother didn’t fail to point out. cordelia waited for alastair to exit before following herself after her mother. she hadn’t been to the institute for a week now, she hadn’t read the invitation either and wasn’t sure what or whom welcomed such a celebration which she didn’t speak aloud to save herself the embarrassment. 

she saw the institute full of life and walked the steps that now had such a horrid memory ingrained into her steps. cordelia was still reeling, she felt uneasy and couldn’t process her experience in a way she knew she was expected to. as a shadowhunter, no one would assume it was the results of a mission that set her mouth in a frown or produced the paled expression masking her face from the sleepless nights. She found comfort in her parabatai’s letters and now, warm welcome and hug. through it all, she still has her lucie.

the institute decor was spectacular, she expected nothing less from the herondale couple and their restless desire to make others feel welcomed. these gatherings however, have become an inconvenience to cordelia. she had been overjoyed at first, of course, but as each event became repetitive — being asked about her father, her “unique” characteristics and “unconventional” charm have become exhausting. there’s only so many backhanded compliments she could take. “what a pretty dress, it works so well despite your complexion”. if the whole building was emptied save the musicians and lucie, she would never feel this way. 

it was later in the evening when she noticed james herondale. he looked breathtaking. black hair framing his structured face and glowing eyes. his lips were sliding into a grin as he listened intently to someone she didn’t recognise. she was starting, and instantly made her way to the refreshment table in hopes no one around her saw the blush she felt burning her cheeks.

she sighed to herself and felt tired. of james. she was tired of being captivated by him, of being addicted to him. she didn’t want to feel this way anymore, she knew she had repeated this argument with herself so many times before with no definitive answers. but this time, something had changed, she looked into the garden of the london institute and saw a bunch of lilies she once saw james give to grace and knew it would never be otherwise. 

****

cordelia was waiting for lucie in the small drawing room of the london institute on a rainy winter day. she and her parabatai were due in a boutique south for their final fittings, cordelia’s mother was to meet them there in two hours. cordelia never bought any item of clothing without her mother’s approval. this unquestioned arrangement made her feel like a child and suffocated by the control her mother demonstrated in every aspect of her life, but she knew if she were to challenge it, the consequences would be dire.

cordelia was caught up on the pitter-patter of rain and her thoughts so she didn’t notice james enter. she gave a stiff but polite greeting and resumed into her silence. she hadn’t talked to james for a month and she could physically feel the distance the time had created. 

james seemed very agitated and uncomfortable. his brows were knotted and his lips lined in a frown. although she must admit the effect was appealing, she did not like being the cause of this expression. cordelia had admittedly been avoiding him and the atmosphere in the room made it evident she was within reason. but this was for the best, she told herself, it gave her room to find someone else, someone who will love her.

they didn’t speak for some time, then suddenly in a cautionary whisper, james spoke.”cordelia” she met his eyes and was startled to see him watery eyed. “what’s the matter james? are you well? goodness what has happened?” she felt panicked. this display of emotions was rare for james.

“calm daisy, i apologise, there is nothing the matter” james said as he wiped at his tears and straightened himself. cordelia felt bewildered and knew james could see it on her face because he gave a soft cuckle. “don’t stress on my accord, i'm quite well” he offered but cordelia wasn’t convinced but at the same time she didn’t want to press any further. she didn’t know if she was any longer in his confidence.

after a prolonged and painful silence, james abruptly stood and strode to stand in front of cordelia with an air of purpose. he proclaimed “cordelia. I believe I have made a catastrophic mistake and i don’t know how to fix it but i will try” he met her wide and perplexed eyes. her head tilt made it obvious, he needed to specify. “it is regarding my behaviour towards you these past months..” he whispered.

cordelia’s face snap to the floor and rigid composure in her posture as if physically shouting at him to stop without saying a word. he resumed. “I have behaved in a disgraceful manner that is disrespectful towards you… I apologise, i know i should have done so earlier but daisy.. I'm pathetically afraid of you” he saw cordelia’s brows knit and she began to glare at him. she felt herself get angry at him but unlike those other time, she didn’t try to be kind to him, she will be fair to herself.

james started fumbling with his jacket pockets and pulled neverending letters and notes. he gathered them all in a pile in one hand and gestured for cordelia to receive them. she hesitantly reached for them and let them rest on her lap, looking between the letters and james with suspicious eyes. “I've tried.. time and time again but they never turned out right so i thought that if you saw them all, maybe you could decipher my meaning” james desperately explained. “i am not lucie, daisy i don’t know how to explain these feelings i don’t understand myself and i’ve been frantically searching but finding a poem or prose by the perfect poet or artist more talented than me to encapsulate how you make my heart tremble has been impossible. i can’t find the combination of words and i have failed time and time again to physically show you yet-” he was breathlessly ranting and stopped himself when he noticed the horrified look on cordelia’s usually calm face.

he stood unsure and walked back to his seat. cordelia saw his eyes shut as he tried to control his breathing, he opened his golden eyes and set them on her. she felt her cheeks reddening and held her breath. “I do not expect you to reciprocate my…” he started again. “read them daisy, then and only then tell me what you think of me, command me as you please and I will comply without question, only… give my muddled words a chance” he bowed his head and left her.

**** 

james practically ran upstairs to his room, alarming his mother and beryl in the hallway. he began pacing around his room, trying to level his breathing and cool the heat that was burning his face. 

just when he thought he had finally found composure, he felt regret claw it’s way at him. what if she never spoke to again? that would be torturous, not to even get a reaction, if this silenced her, oh by the angel, he felt panicked. what if she was disgusted in him and she distanced herself from the institute. he sunk deep into his armchair and brooded until dinner.

****

james felt nauseous and his pale skin and tight lips had not gone unnoticed. “what’s the matter with you jamie? is it your repulsive suit, if so, you shouldn’t worry, nobody expects anything more from you” matthew gave a very backhanded compliment as a form of reassurance. james frowned his eyebrows “what’s wrong with it” he began self consciously running his down his jacket. that wasn’t a source of distress for him but it sure was now.

matthew chuckled and slapped james’ back. “only a joke jamie… would you like to leave, i know a better place we could go” james considered this. the lightwoods had an evening garden party that his aunt cecily and uncle gabriel had been planning for weeks. it would be rude to leave. it was beautifully decorated. the garden had been decorated by witchlights that trailed around the perimeter, creating a soft source of light that made their humble gardan look enchanted, as though you had been drawn to it by mischievous pixies.

he will stay, he needed to be here tonight. he hadn’t seen cordelia in 2 weeks and it was eating away at him every waking and sleeping moment. he had become restless. this must be how mundane purgatory was. he awaited cordelia’s sentence. will she send him to a hell without her or a paradise where they were forever side by side? he was biting at his lips and mindlessly mingled through society. he felt like he was watching himself move through a smudged mirror. he knew his friends were joking and laughed in unison with them when he didn’t hear the joke. he’s vaguely aware of grace’s presence on his left, her eyes on him but he doesn’t respond. he had ended their agreement weeks back and although this earned him quizzical looks from his family and friends, he didn’t regret it. grace would not have a problem finding suitors, she attracted eligible young men like moths to a flame. 

then he sees cordelia and everything starts to clear and she glows, shining her light on everyone around her. she is laughing at some private joke with lucie. he felt his stomach flip and instant jealousy towards lucie. his feets had already carried him towards her. james somehow kept the panic at bay. cordelia was looking at him with expectant eyes. he should say hello, yes, let’s start with that. he gave a slight bow and made his greeting, a bit less casual than usual and lucie must have noticed for her eyebrows rose. 

“cordelia” he spoke her name and a weight felt lifted from him as though he had said a prayer. “may i please have a moment of your time” he spoke low and quietly so that only she would hear. “of course” she said with a polite smile as they silently moved to a quieter area where you could hear the chirping of crickets.

when he turned to face her, he was speechless for a second. she was breathtaking, her soft curly and fiery hair made her seem ethereal. it made him feel like he was seeing an angel no mortal had any right to see. she turned her face to the floor and james realised the second had lasted longer than he thought. he opened his lips to speak but none of his speeches came forth.

she evidently had more courage and spoke. she raised her head and whispered in a way a queen announces a command. “james my mama will notice if i am gone for too long” that was not what james had expected but he understood. mrs carstairs was very particular about cordelia’s whereabouts and he didn’t want to get her in any type of trouble.

“have you read my letters?” james fiddled with the rings on his fingers and couldn’t look at her. she answered shortly that she had but didn’t elaborate. “and what are.. what do you make of them?” cordelia took a few steps away from him and turned back to him. james was terrified now, more than he ever remembered being. he saw the blade that was executing him but it was cordelia’s words.

“i think it cruel you would let me read them and i wish for us to return to the way we were before” james’ eyes widened. “cruel?.. no you must have misunderstood my letters” he tried reaching towards her but she backed away. “then what was I supposed to understand from them?” james gave a slight scoff. surely she hadn’t read them thoroughly but it’s alright, he will explain himself.

“that i love you” he said definitely. she looked hurt and recoiled. james felt sick. this was a mistake. he was hurting her and he should never have said that. she looked disgusted in him, she could never love him, he had been delusional. “love?” cordelia asked him but he didn’t know how to answer, of course it was love.

“you don’t love me james. you said so yourself in every letter. you wrote again and again how you couldn’t, how grace is your true love. we both know that is the truth. you feel nothing for me that isn’t shame at your attraction to me and you evidently have no respect for my person if you find it appropriate to send me letters with your lustful thoughts. how could you james? i have done nothing to deserve such cruelty” cordelia’s voice broke and james felt tears prick at his eyes. she was wrong, this is all wrong. he wanted to scream. wanted to tear the stupid letters until his fingers bled. how can she misunderstand him so severely.

“no daisy” he grabbed her wrist as through it was the only thing keeping him from being dragged to sea. “i love you, the only shame i feel is my behaviour towards you. i love you, i love you.. please forgive me daisy please, let us forget about them and start anew i beg you” he pleaded with her and didn’t bother to conceal the desperation in them. 

“mama had always told me to never trust what a man says but what he does.. jamie all you’ve done is conceal your feelings for me as though im a dirty secret and you have never shown any intention of courtship” cordelia had her face lowered but james could see the stream of tears on her cheek dripping to her neck. 

james dug his nails into fist as he gently entwined his fingers with cordelia’s with his other hand. she was mistaken but there was no denying it was rational how she had come to that conclusion. “i.. i know that it may seem like i don’t but i need you to give me a chance, let us start our courtship tomorrow, i have so many places i want to take you daisy. let us start fresh and i will show you and do anything you need me to do to prove my love” she was still silently crying and james felt his heart break.

he had caused this, his cowardice and selfishness had created a rift between them. he pulled her towards him and felt her struggled breath against his collarbone. he held her tightly and stroked the small of her back. 

“promise m-“ “anything” james interjected. “promise me you won’t do this again. promise me i will always know what you feel for me and will never be a replacement” cordelia’s voice was slightly hoarse from crying “i promise, i promise my angel, you have never been a replacement, i will bare all of me to you and use ‘i love you’ to greet you and punctuate all my sentences” james vowed as he kisses her palms. 

cordelia’s teary eyes were looking at him as though she had never seen him before. she lifted her hands to his neck and drew him to her. cordelia was kissing him in a way they’d never kissed before. it was hot and frantic. their bodies were pressed together and he could feel her soft and warm body all over him. she tugged at his hair and james felt a moan escape from his lips and was caught by cordelia as she gently bit at his lips. 

they heard a roar of laughter in the distance and they broke the kiss to turn back to the party. the party. they should head back. but james found it hard to move. he wanted to stay here and hold daisy all night, his daisy whose lips were wet and plump, looking up at him with dark brown eyes. “we should..” she began but didn’t continue. they were both panting and james didn’t want to be apart. but he remembered that he had a future with cordelia and he wanted it to start tonight.

he stroked her cheek and gently pushed a stray strand of curly hair back to its place. he saw her pat down her clothes and followed her lead. put his arm out, which she took. james felt a jolt at her closeness but privately smiled to himself. this is how it will be from now on. he had cordelia by his side and he will do everything in his power to make her happy.

he led her back and when cordelia turned to him to say her farewell he said “thank you for your time miss carstairs, i was wondering if you would like to join me to visit the chelsea physic garden tomorrow afternoon” he said this in an overly formal tone and he was rewarded with a grin on cordelia’s face that made her eyes shine. “i would be delighted mr herondale” she gave a pretty courtesy and went to her friends, james watched her for some time before turning to look for sona carstairs who was luckily speaking to his father. he joined them and enthusiastically talked with mrs carstairs for the rest of the night. it wouldn’t hurt to be on friendly term with cordelia’s mother who, as it turns out, was fascinating, he was sure they would be good friends. 

james’ mind was restless with anticipation that night. he must have matthew over first thing in the morning to help him dress and beryl is always good at planning picnic baskets but he must tell her that cordelia prefers raspberry jam to strawberry. he loves her, and he will show her. in time, he hoped, she may love him too. 

the end.

note: thank you to @sadtrains​ @tsctrashh​ @cordeliajamies​ @salchik​ and @fairytalejordelia​ for encouraging me to post this 

[pckarchives]

alicia pinched the hem of her sleeve between two fingers, idly tugging at it as she stared at her bedroom door. —-another night, another night terror. she’d gone quite a while without them, mostly by not sleeping. a feat made easier by the fact that she was more vampire than anything else these days; things like food, air and sleep were delightful but not necessary. tonight had been a hopeful attempt. but she’d tucked an hour beneath her belt, at most, before her limbs seized and some ambiguous silhouette was leaning over her, dragging a blade across her skin. she hadn’t been to tell if it was a doctor or allistair. if nothing else, she supposed she could thank him for the new nightmare fuel.

...this was so stupid. she was being a child.

but isaac had offered—-

she was still being stupid.

her brows furrowed and she twisted the fabric of her shirt around her finger. he was still awake; she could tell that much, at least. his heartbeat was a steady and comforting pulse, when everything else felt... off, to say the least. —-she didn’t need to bug him. but this room felt too much like a prison, it felt—- she felt like it would breathe to life and wrap its arms around her, dragging her back to another cold room, beneath another sharp scalpel. rationally, she could also talk to her brother, but—— hadn’t she already decided to stop being a problem for him? camden was at work for another graveyard shift, so he was out of the question. ( though he did make wonderful hot chocolate and grilled cheese for her, on the nights when she approached him about her sleeplessness. he’d really gotten this ‘big brother’ thing down to an art. ) she’d even considered theo, gwen, lucy or tatum, but it was late. leaving the apartment to bug someone else made even less sense.

...this was all so stupid, but god, she could not stay in this room.

she finally released her sleeve and pried the door to her room open, stepping outside before she could talk herself out of it. just a few minutes. she’d talk to isaac for a few minutes, then she would act like a normal human being and go back to bed. inaudible footsteps carried her to his door and she paused, rocking on her heel for half a beat before she lifted her hand to knock. it would be quick. she would be in and out. ( so she would appreciate it if her heart would chill on the heavy beating. ) she wrapped her arms around her stomach and decided to stop breathing altogether. ( take that, dumbass organs. ) “...isaac? it’s, um, lee.” she closed her eyes against the swell of embarrassment. idiot; who else would it be? she shook her head and powered her way through. “can i sit with you for a few minutes? ——unless you’re busy. or just don’t want company. in which case... tell me to fuck off.” okay, she really needed to stop talking.

[bartallenisbae]

Imagine Henry finding out he has two more kids and not just any but twins with you, the girl who had a one night stand with him

Everything was going fine. Henry moved back to storybrooke with his daughter. Emma and hook were going to have a baby.

Henry was sharing popcorn with his daughter Lucy while watching a movie. A joke had got Lucy to laugh. Henry then heard someone knock on the door. He got up and opened the door to find two kids, a boy and girl. The boy looked identical to him when he was his age, it was a little scary

The boy and girl smiled at him

“Hi are you Henry Mills?” The boy asked, Henry looked to see where their parents were

“Um yes” Henry said

“Awesome, I’m Theo and she’s my sister, Teddy” Theo said and dove under Henry’s arm. Henry turned and when that happened Teddy got in.

“What the heck is going on” Henry said, Teddy tugged Henry’s arm and he looked down at her kind eyes

“Sorry about him. He is just annoying” Teddy said, Henry nodded hesitating

“That doesn’t answer my question” Henry said, Lucy walked in to see her dad and two kids in the kitchen.

“Who are you guys?” Lucy asked, Theo was getting orange juice as he turned to Lucy

“ Hi I’m Theo and that’s Teddy, my sister. We came to find our dad and we did” Henry and Lucy looked at each other

“Ok then who is he” Henry asked, the two were sitting while drinking orange juice. The girl and boy stopped and put their drinks down.

“You really don’t know” Teddy asked, Henry looked at them with a confused face.

“You probably don’t remember this but 11 years ago you met (y/n) (l/n) and slept with her. A few weeks after she found she was pregnant. (Y/n) is our mom. We are your kids. It’s great to meet you” Theo said, Henry’s eyes were wide

“That was before you met mom” Lucy said

“Ok I did sleep with a (y/n) but there is know way we have kids” Henry said, the twins put the drinks in the sink.

“Yes you do” Teddy said, He gave Henry their birth certificate. Henry looked at it for minutes with silence in the air.

“How did you find me” Henry asked

“That’s not important. I’ve always wanted to meet you” Theo hugged Henry. He had a hbog smile on his face, Henry tried to pull him off

“Where’s your mom” Henry asked, Teddy let his dad go

“ At home. She doesn’t know we are here” Theo said

“This moron decided to sneak on a bus so I decided to follow him so he didn’t destroy the world” Teddy said

“ How did your mom not notice you leave” Lucy asked

“Mom is asleep. Being a single mom isn’t easy” Theo said, Henry ran a hand through his hair

[haileyadavis]

Standing at the entrance of the festival holding Sophie’s hand, Hailey looked around as the pair waited for Theo and Lucy to arrive. She’d pulled her phone out to respond to a text from her roommate when Sophie began tugging on her hand. ‘Mommy, mommy! They’re here!’ The six year old said, causing her to look up and smile when she saw Theo’s head above everyone else with Lucy on his shoulders. “I could have sworn we agreed on noon.” She said once the pair was close enough to hear her, a playful smile on her face, “It’s almost twelve thirty. We almost went in without you.” @theodore-hawkins

[toast-com]

My Theodore Tugboat ships (so far)

1. Foduck x George x Emily

2. Theodore x Lucy

3. Hank x Pugwash

[just-jordie-things]

Like She’s Mine (part five) - Stiles Stilinski

not gonna lie, i love when i post a part you all beg for the next one haha i guess i’m evil like that

warnings: swearing, sadness, teen pregnancy

part one part two part three part four

FOUR MONTHS LATER (early june)

I was laughing and giggling at Madison as she was sat on her pastel blue blanket.  We were both sat on the living room floor, and I just watched as she sucked her pacifier and continuously rattled her little elephant themed rattle.

“Who’s a cutie? You are! You are!” I leaned forward tickling her size and bumping my nose against hers as she just fell into a fit of giggles.  “You are! You are!” I said in my high pitched voice that made her smile in the wide toothless way I love.  The pacifier nearly fell out of her mouth.  I laughed, sticking it back between her lips.

“Can I play with her?” Allison asked, sliding off the couch and falling oh so gracefully on her butt.  But it made Madi laugh, so she probably did it on purpose.  I nodded, and tugged on the ends of her blanket, making her laugh again as she slid across the carpet.  Allison smiled brightly, picking up Madi from under her arms and lifting her in the air.  Madison squealed with delight, kicking her legs around and flailing her arms.  I smiled as Allison rose her up and down, both of them giggling.

“Do you mind if I go take a call for a little bit? Not long-”

“Take all the time you need” Allison said, not tearing her eyes away from Madi.  “I’ve got this.  Be gone for a week, I could care less” I scoffed playfully and shook my head.

“Hard to believe there was a time you loved me more than my daughter” I said, chuckling as I left the room.  I pulled out my phone, and dialed one of the few numbers I knew by heart.

“Hey it’s Stiles Stilinski why can I do for ya?” I could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke.

“Stiles” I practically breathed out his name.  I hadn’t spoken to him, at least on a call we text a bit, in quite a while.  In fact not since before Madi was born.

“Hey y/n” I sat down on my bed after closing my door, and just relished in the sound of his voice.  “Hello?”

“Sorry I’m still here” I said.  “How’s George Washington?”

“Great! y/n I’m so excited, two more weeks of classes then I come back home” My heart swelled.

“I’m excited too Stiles” I said softly.  “I don’t like being apart for a whole year” He chuckled slightly.

“You okay? You’re quiet today” He said.  I played with the seam on the side of my jeans

“Yeah I’ve just… I’ve missed your voice” I said.  It was quiet for a few seconds, and I worried that I was too forward.  “You never shut up when you were here and now you’re gone and geez” I covered quickly, and he gave a small laugh.

“Yeah.. yeah I’ve missed you a lot too y/n” He told me, and I was glad he couldn’t see my blush.  “I didn’t miss anything big right? You didn’t get married or have a baby or become an assassin right?” I think I gave him the most forced laugh you could offer.

“No Stiles don’t be crazy” I said.  I accidentally ripped out a loose thread in my jeans, cursing silently.  He laughed again.

“Two more weeks y/n” He said.

“Two weeks” I repeated.

“You finish up your courses?” He asked.

“Yep” I responded, picking again at the thread on my leg.

“Well that’s good, lot of free time?”

No, my time is pretty taken up with diaper changing and amusing Madison.

“Well sort of, work is cramping a lot of time but I’ve got nothing better to do and money’s always good right?”

“Well if you ever have to much, I’m always just a call away” I giggled, and pulled my legs up on the mattress, criss crossing them.  “Anyways, I’ve got class in ten so I’ve gotta get going”

“Oh, alright” I responded.

“But thanks for the call y/n, made my day” I blushed again.

“Well I’m glad.  I’ll see you soon Stilinski”

“You too l/n”

“Bye”

“Bye” I pulled the phone from my ear, hesitating to hang up.  He wasn’t either, I was just staring as the seconds ticked on the screen.  My thumb hovered over the red button, but in seconds I whipped it back to my ear.

“Stiles?” Why was I breathless.

“Yeah?” I froze up, too nervous to say anything truthful.  Maybe, I have a couple big secrets, one, I had a baby and it’s Theo’s and I kept her, two, I’m in love with you.  “y/n? You alright?”

“Yeah just…” I thought, biting harshly on my lip.  “Just come back with your smile, okay?” He chuckled slightly, a puff of air through his mouth.

“You too” He responded.

“Okay”

“Okay” He whispered the word, and I thought of a movie Lydia once forced me to watch.  “I’ll see you in two weeks y/n”

“Bye Stiles”

I hung up this time.  I set the phone on my bed next to me, and just took a moment to recoup.  My hands were wringing together as I collected my thoughts, already wondering what I was going to do with Madison while he was here.  I couldn’t hide her forever… but he couldn’t know.  And the longer I kept her a secret, the more at risk he was of finding out.  When I finally got up and opened the door, Allison was there, holding Madi on her hip and bouncing slightly.

“That was sad” She said, and I rolled my eyes.

“Really? Listening in on my phone call?” The brunette shrugged.

“Madison was falling asleep, I was getting bored” I giggled and shook my head.

“Al, you know I was going to tell you anyways” I told her, carefully picking Madi up from her cradle, and tucked her safely in my arms.  She went out to the living room as I brought the little girl into her room.  Yeah, Allison sort of lost the second room I had spare.  We turned it into a blue and pink walled nursery.  There was Madi’s crib in the corner, the changing station in the other.  A small structure hung from the low ceiling over her crib, stars and animals hung from strings.  I laid her in her crib, brushing my hand over her cheek softly, before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.  “I love you Madi” I whispered, before turning on the baby monitor, taking the other one, and heading out to where Allison was.  She was sitting on the couch in the living room, pouring a glass of wine in one of the two glasses she had.

“Wine?” She asked, holding it out to me.

“Yes please” I heaved, and sat next to her.  She moved so her back was on the armrest, legs swung over my lap.

“Hey uh… is it cool if Scott comes over?” She asked, and I nodded, waving a dismissive hand.  “Good cause I already invited him” I chuckled, and clinked my glass against hers.  “So” I looked at her as I took a sip.  “How’s Stiles?” I shrugged slightly, though it was unnecessary.

“Excited for school to be over” I said plainly.

“Seemed happy to see you soon” She added, and I stayed silent, staring down into my glass.  “You were pretty quiet though, until the end” I still didn’t speak.  “I thought you were gonna tell him about Madi”

“I almost did” I finally admitted.  “I wanted to.  I really wanted to actually”

“Are you going to?” She asked, and I shrugged my shoulders, letting out a long and exasperated sigh.

“I want to Al, sometimes anyways, I really do” She nodded, prompting me to continue.  “I have thoughts about seeing him like… hold her and… and play with her and push her stroller” I smiled softly at the idea.  “Maybe rocking her late at night… or like, feeding her or something, maybe even singing, you know those weird thoughts you get”

“Come here” Allison said softly, opening her arms.  I leaned to the side, my head lying on her collarbone.  “y/n your problem isn’t just telling him about Madi, you know” She murmured.

“What’s my problem?” I asked quietly.

“You’re conflicted” She told me.  “Because you love him.  You don’t like the secrets because you love him, and because you love him you don’t want him to be disappointed in you” I let out a long breath, knowing she was right.

“Why are you such a therapist” Allison laughed softly, petting my hair before I sat back up and practically chugged my wine.  How lady like, I know.

“Anyways.  I do agree that eventually you have to tell him”

“I know”

“But I understand that you’re nervous”

“I know” You said again.  I poured myself another glass of wine, and Allison re situated her legs to no longer be on my lap, but tucked underneath herself.  I sat silently, trying to collect m thoughts.  I think that’s all I’ve been doing, trying to organize everything before delving into a master plan.  That being hiding Madi while Stiles was home.  There was just too much to think about at once.

I was thinking about moving to Canada and beginning my life as Lucy Delmotte, traveling artist and sculptor when there was a knock on the door.

“That’s Scott” Allison mused.  “It’s open!” A moment later Scott had walked in, kicking off his shoes and hanging his jacket in the hall closet.  “Hey Scott” Allison said softly as he came over.  He ended up sitting on the floor by the coffee table, where our nearly empty bottle of wine sat.

“Madi sleeping?” He asked, holding onto Allison’s hand.  I gave him a nod, watching how his thumb stroked over the back of her hand soothingly.  He hummed, pouring himself his own glass.

“Stiles comes back in two weeks” Allison began to fill in Scott.  “We’re wondering what we’re going to do” She said.  This was my favorite thing about Allison I think, it was always a ‘we’.  Never a ‘y/n’s fucked something up let’s help her fix it’.

“You want honesty?” Scott asked me, taking a drink.

“I’ll take anything at this point” I sighed.

“I think you should just tell him, pick him up from the airport and bring Madi” My eyes widened, and I rapidly shook my head.  I looked to Allison.

“I thought you said he was good with helping” I said quietly.

“I am” Scott protested.  “Is honesty such a bad thing? It’s you and Stiles, why hide it? You never keep secrets”

“I’ve never had to keep a secret” I retorted as kindly as I could manage.  “Scott, I was pregnant, and I never told him.  Do you know this eats at me every day?”

“Then you’re doing both of yourselves a favor” Scott shrugged like it was simple.  “Sure, my mom kept it low key at the hospital, and somehow Parrish managed to let the records slip away from the Sheriff’s eyes and into a file, that will probably never be opened, but this is Stiles, and you”

“I don’t know what that means anymore Scott” I sighed, drinking the last of my glass, and setting it on the table.  Scott sighed, and reached up to put a hand on my knee.

“You’ll figure it out” He said slowly.  “You always did take longer to catch on”

I sat in Madi’s room for a little bit before going to bed that night.  Sometimes when it was late and she was fast asleep I’d go sit in the rocking chair in her room, in the moonlight, and just speak softly.  Usually about my day, anything really.  Once I’d get tired enough, I’d say goodnight, take the baby monitor, and go back to my own room.

Allison went home with Scott tonight, so it was just me and Madi.  But it was already midnight, so when I collapsed on my bed, I passed out.

When I woke up the next morning, my muscles ached from sleeping awkwardly.  I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I pushed myself out of bed.  My feet dragged on the carpet to Madi’s room.  She was already awake, playing a little with a stuffed blue wolf Scott had given her.  By playing I mean she was petting it with the hint of a smile on her face.  When she saw me she made a small sound, meaning she wanted me to come over and hold her.  If it was a tone lower, it meant she either needed to be fed, changed, or needed her pacifier.

“Hey there baby girl” I said with a sleepy smile.  She kicked her feet happily and I stooped over the crib to lift her up.  I yawned, holding her on my hip and wandering into the kitchen.  She made a higher pitched noise, and I opened the fridge, grabbing her bottle.  “This what you want?” I asked softly, and her hands reached out for the bottle of milk.  I chuckled quietly, holding it at the end as her mouth latched around the nipple.  I didn’t prefer to direct breastfeed, too much pain and I don’t think Madi liked it as much.  So Allison and I looked into it, and I ended up buying a breast pump.

I liked feeding her from the bottle because she would hold onto best she could, and it would always make laugh.

I was bouncing her slightly and speaking softly to her when I heard the door open.  My brows furrowed with confusion since Allison said she was staying with Scott for the day,

“Hello-” I turned, and grinned so wide when I saw Lydia there.  She was tearing up, dropping a suitcase and a purse by the doorway.

“y/n” She choked out my name, rushing over to me with open arms.  I gladly let her hug me gently for a quick moment, and her attention was soon diverted to Madi.  “She’s even more adorable than in the pictures” Lydia said.  I smiled and nodded, setting the bottle on the kitchen table.

“Would you like to hold her?” Lydia looked at me, a slight worry in her eyes.  “Don’t worry, she’s comfortable and she’ll like you.  You have a nice chest” Lydia giggled and nodded her head.

“Yes, yes I’d love to” She said, and I carefully handed Madison over.  “Wow” Lydia breathed, rocking her in her arms.

“See? You’re a natural Lyd” I said, watching as my friend and daughter smiled at each other.  “I didn’t know you were getting back today, I thought it was tomorrow”

“Eh, I drove here, so I just went through the night instead of stopping at a hotel.  I was too excited to see Madi here… and maybe at three too many Starbucks stops” I chuckled as Lydia sat on the couch.  “I love the apartment, it’s adorable and perfect” I nodded, looking around.  It was a nice size.

“So you drove here all the way from Massachusetts?”

The next two hours we just sat there catching up on the majority of our year.  I talked a lot about baby raising, and she talked a lot about the art museums in Cambridge, which was where her campus was.  We did a lot of gushing about missing each other and her being happy to meet her niece.  I’d happily deemed Lydia and Allison as Madison’s aunts not long after she was born.

“And what’re we planning to do about Stiles?” She asked, catching me off guard.

“Currently i’m planning my escape route to Alaska” I sighed, and she chuckled.  “I don’t know.  I’m torn”

“Still not going to tell him?”

“Not this time around” I answered.

“When does he come back?” Lydia asked.  I gave her a guilty look as Madi squirmed, and Lydia handed her back for me to cradle.

“A little under two weeks”

The next day Scott babysat Madi and Lydia, Allison I spent the whole day out.  There was a lot of shopping.  No seriously, Lydia made us go into every store at the mall.  Every time she turned into one saying ‘this could be good’ Allison and I gave each other a look.  Basically a lot of foot pain but worth it because hey, new clothes! It was nice being able to wear the cute stuff again.  Lydia was mostly excited for me to be wearing heels, to which I cringed.  Though I did find some cute sandal styled black wedges.  I thought they’d be fun for a beach day or something.

We ate lunch out, again catching up and talking about Stiles.  Why has this whole situation make me talk more about Stiles than I think about him? That was more than you’d think.  By the end of the day, you’d finally made your decision.

Allison, Lydia, and Scott would cover Madi for you while Stiles was visiting this summer, so he’d never see or come into contact with her.  Then, when he’s at school again, you mention wishing you had someone to take care of, and ‘adopt’ Madison while he was away.

Allison wrinkled her nose at the idea, and Lydia straight up said it was a shitty plan.

“Got any better ideas?” You asked, bouncing Madison on your knee as you were back at the apartment now.  Both girls sighed, mumbling an ‘I guess not’.  Then taking turns trying to make Madison laugh.  But she was too tired from playing all day with Scott.  Me too baby girl, you thought to yourself.

“Look guys, it’s getting to be eight I’m gonna put Madi to sleep” You said after a while.  Allison and Lydia agreed, and Allison began fixing supper for the three of you as you took your girl back to her room.  “Alright baby.. Let’s get some sleep” You hummed, setting her down in her crib, and wrapping the blankets around her.  “There… nice and cozy, yeah?” You smiled as her eyes lowly slipped shut.  “Love you Madison” I told her, and brushed a hand over her head with a slight fuzz of hair.  “So much” I stooped over to kiss her lightly at the crown of her head, and I tried to stop myself from crying.  

“y/n! Stiles is calling!” Allison called.  “I’ll answer it!” She added before I could say anything,

There was too much stress swarming me.  “I’ll see you in the morning sweetheart” I murmured.  “Goodnight” I whispered again, before finally getting back up and heading to the living room.

“Oh and here she is now” There was hushed giggles between the girls as I saw Allison clutching the phone to her ear.

“Hey, can I talk to him when you’re done-

“He’s been waiting to speak to you” Lydia wiggled her eyebrows and laughed loudly.

“GUYS!” I heard Stiles yell through the phone and I chuckled quietly.

“Alright alright fine” Allison sighed, handing the phone towards you.  “It’s for you” She sing songed and winked at me.  My brows furrowed but I managed a small laugh seeing that Lydia was laughing her ass off on the floor.  I rose the phone to my ear .

“Hello? Stiles?”

“Hey” He said, smile evident, as always.  “Hey, how’s the life in Beacon Hills?”

“Good, good, how’s DC?”

“Good…. Good” He responded.  “So I kinda had an idea that I just asked Lyd and Allison about and they made fun of me sorta”

“It’s okay, you’re used to it I’m sure” He chuckled quietly as I smiled.  “What was your big idea?” I asked.

“Well I was thinking when I’m there, we could go to San Diego” My eyes widened.

“That’s a full day of driving-”’

“Like for a whole weekend.  We could drive there on Friday, spend Saturday and Sunday, probably at a hotel or something.  We could shop and go to the zoo-”

“Why did the girls make fun of you?” I giggled.  “It sounds like a lot of fun, I’m in”

“Yeah but it’d be like… just you and me so they were laughing-”

“So?” I shrugged.  “We always have a good time together and we’ve got so much to catch up on, I just spent a year without my best friend” I gasped.  “What if you buzzcut your head again!? I can’t let that happen- promise me you’ll still have lots of hair on your head!” Stiles laughed, and you were sure that he was running his fingers through it now.

“Yeah yeah, I promise it’s all still there” He told you.

“Oh thank god, you would’ve been making the mistake of a lifetime” I breathed, putting a hand on my chest.

“What? Scott always said it was cute-”

“No, no Stiles.  Five year old buzzcuts are cute.  What you have now? Keep that.  Chicks think it’s hot” Your face grew hot the second those words left your mouth.

“I’m hot?” Stiles asked, cockiness clear in his tone.

“Don’t let it go to your head, all that good hair will fall out and you’ll lose it” He laughed again, and I sat down on my bed.  “Anyways, San Diego sounds like a lot of fun, I’ll definitely go with you”

“Sweet!” I giggled softly as he was borderline screaming.  “I’m so excited y/n, this is gonna be such a great summer”

“Yeah I do hope so” You said.  A few moments later, your baby monitor rang with the sound of Madison’s cries.  Panic surged through you as you fumbled to turn it off.  Hopefully Stiles couldn’t hear it.

“So how’s Scotty-”

“Oh, Allison’s calling for me I have to go” You lied quickly.

“Oh, okay” Stiles said.

“It was nice talking to you Stiles, love you see you soon bye” I rushed, and hung up the phone then rushed into Madi’s room, not waiting for a response.

“y/n-” Allison had just come in after I had, about to inform me of my daughter but I was already lifting her and cradling her in my arms.

“Shh… shh baby” I hushed and cooed.  I first checked her diaper, but she was clean.  “Alli can you grab her bottle? It’s in the fridge” I asked, and she nodded, leaving the room.  Lydia came in awkwardly, and ended up just standing by the wall as I rocked Madison back and forth.  “Hush Madison Rose, shh” I cooed.  “It’s okay… it’s okay”

“I wish I knew how to help” Lydia said, and I casted a kind glance her way.

“It’s okay” I said to her before looking back to Madison.

“You know uh.. I know it’s your guys’ business, but I heard you talking to Stiles” She said, a big grin pulling on her lips.

“Oh yeah, he said you guys made fun of him”

“I mean, renting a couples’ suite is sort of ‘make fun of’ worthy don’t you think?” Lydia chuckled, and my eyebrows scrunched together.  But she spoke before I could say anything about it.  “You seemed to love it though, telling him you loved him” She drew out the word loved, and my anxiety peaked.

“What!?” I whisper screamed, not wanting to make Madi cry again.  Allison rushed in with the bottle in hand.  “Thank god” I breathed, and was happy that milk was the solution because it calmed Madison instantly.

“You told him you loved him, at the end of the call.  I heard you specifically say it.  You said nice talking to you Stiles, love you, see you soon bye, like it was all one sentence” If I wasn’t holding my daughter, I’d be slapping myself in the face.

“I can’t believe I did, it was an accident I just-”

“Hey, it’s fine.  Not like he’s gonna care” Allison snickered as I slowly stopped rocking Madison.

“What? Why do you guys keep saying weird stuff like that?”

“Well he found a hotel for cheap, but it was one of those ‘romantic’ things you know? Less money cause it’s where couples go for their honeymoon or as vacation away from the kids” My eyes widened, probably the size of a saucer because that’s how it felt.  I had to force myself to blink.

“Really?” I asked quietly, glancing down to Madi.

“Yeah, he said it’s cheaper you know? And maybe she’ll dig it I dunno. He said that last part all quiet like” Allison informed you, and your heart swelled.  He wanted you to dig it.

“Yeah, yeah I would dig it” I said with a little giggle.

I spent the whole night thinking about it, and the whole next day.

“Wipe that smile off your face” Allison said the following night as she packed up a bag for Madison.  Her and Scott were taking her for the day, saying it was time for me to relax for just one day by myself.  I was very reluctant but eventually Scott gave me a twenty and I folded.  I slowly set Madison down into the crib, and ran my hands through my hair as I began to pace around the room.

“Wipe the smug look off your face” I retorted, sitting down in the rocking chair as Allison tickled Madison’s belly while she was in her crib.

“No way.  I’m watching the boy of your dreams get the girl of his dreams, you, and I’m just too… too excited about it” She gave me that wide angelic smile that I was pretty sure made Scott melt into his shoes.  I looked down at my lap, playing with the drawstrings of my sweatpants.

“I think you guys are reading into the situation- not that I don’t love the idea of us- Stiles and I- but... I don’t know it’s just not, him” Allison gave me a long face, and I shrugged, palms up with a tight smile.

“You don’t know that” She countered.

“Alli, you could say that about anything” I said softly, and she sighed, putting an extra rattle into Madi’s bag.

“I guess we’ll just have to see” She said.

Again, I spent the night pondering my Stiles fiasco.  It used to a be a few separate things, but I think they’ve all just balled into one mess.  We’d texted here and there today, and he never mentioned my not so tiny slip on the phone, so I figured he just pegged it as an accident.  Which was fine, as least there wasn’t a big situation.  But at the same time I wish I knew what went through his head when I’d said it.  I fell asleep after hours of deep brain thinking.

The next morning, the day of Madi being stolen from me baby sat by Scott and Allison for most of the day, I woke up lazily.  I was happy to see Allison making breakfast as my daughter sat in her high chair.  She let me sleep in.  That’s real friendship.

“Morning sweet pea” I said in a high voice, nearing my daughter as she gurgled and waved her arms.

“Morning to you too hot stuff” Allison responded with a short laugh.

“I wasn’t talking to you I was talking to this little bean” I said, giggling at the end, making Madison giggle too.  She held onto my fingers in each hand.  “What’re you cooking?”

“I’m making you scrambled eggs and french toast before I go” Allison responded, wiping her hands on her already messy and wrinkled tee shirt.

“Awe” I smiled her way before going back to entertaining my girl.

“Yeah I figured you’d want something nice” Allison hollered, and I heard her turning the dials of the stove, probably to off.

“Thank you” I said, walking in as she was putting the delicious meal on a plate.

“No prob hon” She said with a bug grin.  “I’m gonna go put on something presentable” I nodded, carrying my plate and a glass of juice to the table, leaving it to cool and going back to Madison.

“Someday you can eat the yummy nummy people food and not the goopy banana soup” I said, smiling big and tickling her neck.  She squealed and giggled in response, making my heart warm.  When Allison came back out, she was in jeans and a blue tee shirt with white arrows all over it.  It suited her well.  But hell, everything suits her well.  It’s Allison.  She had Madison’s bag on her shoulder, and was pushing the stroller in front of her.

“Alright, we all ready?” Allison asked, bearing the same size smile as me.

“We are!” I said enthusiastically, hoping Madi would get happy and not really realize that mommy wouldn’t be going with her today.  But she always did really well with Allison.  Allison undid the buckle around her tummy, and lifted her out of the high chair and into the stroller.  She strapped her in and smiled up at me.

“You know, we could both be called mom” She suggested, I chuckled, shaking my head.

“First of all, that would make for so many confusing parent days at the schools” I said.  “Besides the fact then she’d think Scott would also be her father and- yikes that would just be a mess” Allison pondered that for a moment, then laughed and nodded with me.

“You’re right, that’s too difficult.  I’ll stick with being the cool aunt” She winked and kneeled down to double check on Madi.

“I’d make sure you have everything but you’re always three steps ahead of me” I said with a small laugh, and Allison nodded in agreement.

“Okay well, Scott texted earlier he’s just outside the apartment in the car” She said, and I gave a slightly sad smile before crawling on the floor in front of Madi.

“Be good for Alli okay?” I said, before leaning forward and kissing her little nose.  “Muah!” She giggled, and I stood up again.  “Alright well, I guess I just wish you good luck” I shrugged, hugging Allison shortly.

“Bye honey”

“Bye Al” I waved slightly as she walked out of the apartment.

Now it was just me, and relaxation.  But being me, I had a schedule for the day.  It was eleven now, so I’d eat the breakfast Alli made me.  I’d sit in front of the television till 12:30, then go take a long bath.  Around 1:30 after soaking and giving myself a spa treatment, I’d read for a while, eating lunch around 2:00.  Madi got home at three, so I had a whole hour of free time.

The breakfast Allison made was superb, and I was on my last bite when there was a knock on the door.  I groaned.  Of course.  Of course my one day off.  It’s either Allison having forgotten something, or Lydia wanting to go shopping.  I wanted to pretend I was dead, or sleeping.  But being the kind person I (unfortunately) was, I went to answer the door.

“Lyd, I don’t wanna shop today-” 

“Hey, y/n” 

That was not Lydia.

That was

Stiles.

Fucking.

Stilinski.

HA EVIL CLIFF HANGER  im sorry guys i love you

tagged: @morganschiebel @bunnyboo10154 and @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday

thx again madi for proof reading!! @celestial-writing

side note: if stiles ever shows up on your doorstep just jump onto him and latch onto him and don’t let go not even when he asks what the duct tapes for.

xoxo ~ jordie