#this comes out when she and Rogers are bonding over their ill-fated love lives

[youre-not-a-cat-youre-a-rat]

a cs 2.0 fic i’ll never write

An AU Emma pops through a portal in Hyperion Heights

She’s got JMo’s Superfly hair and she stabs car with her sword like James Marsden in Enchanted.

The normies who arrest her are like “Another one for Rogers”

She gets handcuffed to a desk at the station and is all tight lipped about who she is, and Rogers calls OG Emma to make sure it’s not her

Maybe AU Emma gets free of her cuffs and she and Rogers have a sword fight in the middle of the station, much to everyone’s annoyance

It turns out she’s sort of a vagabond in her realm. Her parents were killed and outside forces seized the throne and ran her out of the kingdom, and she just spent years as a wandering adventurer until she ended up crashing with an old hag who prophesized that she would become, like, a guardian to the Guardian - or whatever

Cuz post-Rump, Alice has become a sort of all-purpose Guardian, like OG Emma’s an all-purpose Savior (a term I’ve stolen from an Entertainment Weekly recap)

So Emma searched for a portal to fulfill her destiny cause maybe that would ease the guilt she feels for abandoning her kingdom/wrongs she’s done as a wandering adventurer, or something

So she meets Alice and they instantly hit it off, but AU Emma and Rogers are all wary of e/o at first - though Emma can’t help her knee-jerk impulse to flirt with him

AU Emma also makes friends with the Hyperion Heights crew, especially Tiana (obviously, bc the way to Emma’s heart is through her stomach) and she ends up crashing with her and helping out at the food truck

And Rogers is irritated bc he doesn’t feel like running into Emma when he’s just trying to get lunch

But then stuff happens and Rogers starts to appreciate how much Emma cares about and looks out for Alice and vice-versa, and they grow to respect e/o

Then they have some on-the-job adventure-bonding, and some late-nights-at-Roni’s-confessions, and they start to strike up a friendship

And then oh no, Rogers suddenly starts feeling super attracted to AU Emma, which is weird cuz he doesn’t feel the same way about OG Emma - but that makes sense cuz he considers them p different people - but it’s still weird yo

And then one day AU Emma runs into OG Emma and Killian for the first time, and they’re obviously married and have pre-teen Hope in tow, and she kinda freaks and flees

Rogers hears about the encounter and finds her and they go for a long walk and talk about relationships and how they’ve both always been kinda skeptical that a real romance is in their own futures

But then oh no it’s late and they’ve walked far, but they’re near Rogers’s apartment and he has an extra room so he offers it to Emma for the night

And she borrows some sweatpants and a Seattle PD sweatshirt

And they both lay in their respective beds, wide awake, for a while

And when they give up on sleeping, they run into each other in the kitchen where Rogers has started to make tea

And the kitchen’s suddenly all cramped during the tea making process

And they’re whispering bc they left the lights off and it seems like they should

And there’s hand brushing. And a tentative smooch.

And blammo, sex happens.

Emma wakes up the next day spooning Rogers and she slips out to think about things

She walks to Roni’s and she finds OG Emma having breakfast, and they introduce themselves properly and have a talk, and AU Emma comes to the decision that she wants to ask Rogers out 

She ends up eating with OG Emma and Killian and Hope (and probably Henry and Ella and Lucy)

Then she goes to find Alice to, like, ask permission to date her father, and Alice and Robin (who’s there) are overjoyed and drag Emma to a store to buy a date outfit and cook up some romantic schemes

And somehow they end up back at Tiana’s with all the Hyperion Heights women who’ve heard about what’s going down, and it turns into an impromptu date-prep party

Alice’s inter-dimensional cousin, Hope, shows up and she obviously hero-worships Alice (there’s a You’ve Got Mail moment with Hope and Jacinda where Hope’s like, I’M HER AUNT)

Anyways

Meanwhile Rogers has been kinda freaking out since he woke up alone. At some point throughout the day he realizes no one’s heard from Emma since she had breakfast with OG Captain Swan, and he starts to think she left town or something

And he spends all day looking for her to no avail

But when he comes back to his apartment that night, Emma’s standing in front of his door waiting for him

And she’s changed out of her Gilderoy-Lockhart-in-the-duel-scene, off-the-shoulder cape and boots that she’s had on throughout the whole fic

And she’s wearing a nice dress and heals that she bought with Alice, and Hope’s done her make up (cuz she learned how to eyeliner from her dad, obvi)

And she’s got a bouquet of roses cuz it seemed like a good idea at the time, shut up

And she says she came by to ask him out on a date

And Rogers feels all the panic melt away and he just beams

And they smooch

End

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Non-Sequential [Ch. 24]

Pairing: Pre-Serum Steve Rogers/Steve Rogers x Reader

One night, Steve Rogers met a beautiful dame named Y/N. He hadn’t intended on letting her get away. But fate had other ideas. Y/N appeared and disappeared in his life so hauntingly that Steve started to wonder if she was an angel meant to watch over him.

Word Count: 3,000

Chapter 23

1943 - Italy

Steve doodled as the rain poured down around him.

His pencil traced back and forth over the dancing monkey.

“Steve?” A voice said behind him.

He did a half glance over his shoulder and quickly did a double take when he found Y/N soaking wet with only an oversized military jacket around her shoulders.

He shot to his feet.

“Y/N!”

Steve rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. 

She was freezing. 

He immediately took off his coat and wrapped it on top of the other one that was the only thing keeping her from being completely naked.

“Are you OK? Are you hurt? How long have you been here? Were you looking for me long?” He rattled off question after question.

She smiled. “Take a breath, Steve. I’m fine.”

She pointed for him to sit back down and followed suit. 

He did as she said. Then he suddenly got bashful and embarrassed. He shifted his weight awkwardly as if he was trying to hide from her gaze.

Y/N caught on rather quickly. “How does it feel?”

Steve was speechless.

“This is your first time seeing me since your operation, isn’t it?” Y/N added, but she already knew the answer.

He just nodded, too uncomfortable to meet her gaze.

“I bet you can’t keep the girls off you,” Y/N teased.

Steve blushed. “Well, I don’t know about that – I mean, don’t be ridiculous.”

Y/N giggled.

His face dropped, “You were right. It did work.”

She gave him a warm grin. “Told you that you were the right man, didn’t I?”

Steve frowned. “Yeah, except now I’m just their show pony.”

“Now what would Agent Carter think of that?” Y/N teased.

It was such a strange game to play, pushing Steve toward Peggy when Y/N knew that she would be Steve’s second love because of her. 

Y/N respected Peggy, appreciated what she’d taught Steve about love – especially what she taught him about loving a strong, independent woman.

But there were still times when jealousy reared it’s ugly head. Y/N hated those times.

Steve’s eyes widened at the mentioning of Peggy.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about her,” Y/N smirked.

“How are you?” Steve changed the subject. His eyes were serious and genuine. “Last time I saw you, you were upset with me – future me, that is.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I’m saying. You could be visiting me from before that time. This all gets rather confusing, huh?”

Y/N chuckled at his adorable frustration and confusion, and gave him a shy smile. “No, you were right the first time. I’m visiting from further into the future.” She nodded, “Things are better. I forgave you. Don’t think there will ever be a time when I can’t.”

Steve exhaled, relieved that there wouldn’t be a time when Y/N would stop being his friend, stop talking to him, stop visiting him through time.

Y/N’s eyes glanced at Steve’s sketchbook.

“Feeling like a dancing monkey, Steve?” Her tone was playful, but the question was serious.

He quickly closed the book. He cleared his throat. “I’m traveling with dancing girls, trying to get people to buy war bonds.”

Y/N nodded, “Wars are expensive.”

“But I could be doing more,” he snapped back.

“Then do more, Steve.”

“I can’t – I’m not even officially in the army.”

Y/N laughed, “Since when have you ever followed the rules?”

He laughed too.

She carefully reached out and took his sketchbook.

Steve tensed as flipped through it. She wasn’t surprised to see a portrait or two of Peggy. There was also some of his mother. Y/N was wondering why Steve hadn’t taken to sketching any of the girls in the dancing troop he’d been traveling with.

“You ever do any sketches of…” Y/N was about to tease him and ask about drawing her. But her words died out when she flipped to two pages of portraits. 

Both were of her.

She was in some form of Steve’s clothes in both of them. A ill-fitting shirt falling off her shoulder in one, pants bunching at her ankles in another.

“You weren’t ever supposed to see those…” Steve mumbled, scratching the back of his neck and lowering his head so she couldn’t see his blush.

“I’m flattered,” Y/N admitted. She took in all the details. “You made me rather beautiful, though.”

Steve scoffed without meaning to. “I only drew you how you are.”

It was Y/N who was blushing now.

Yes, in the present, where she was together with Steve, he told Y/N all the time how beautiful he found her.

But for some reason, hearing it from innocent, sweet Steve Rogers was different. He held no feelings for her and, as far as he knew, he never had a chance with Y/N. But that didn’t stop him from letting her know that she was indeed a beautiful woman.

Y/N flipped back to a drawing of Peggy. “You should tell her how you feel.”

“She doesn’t – I’m not – don’t be ridiculous, Y/N.” Steve fumbled around with his words.

No matter how long he knew Y/N, her direct way of speaking still caught him off guard every so often. The only times Y/N did not speak her mind clearly was when she could not tell Steve hints and secrets of the future.

“She does. Don’t be an idiot, Steve.” Y/N looked around. “You’re in the middle of a war. You need to make sure you find something worth fighting for.”

“And what about you?” Steve asked gently.

“I’m not fighting a war. At least… not yet.” Her eyes glazed over at the thought.

“That’s not what I meant.” Then he shifted his weight, trying to decide if he should say what he wanted to. “I meant… is there someone back where you’re from – uh – telling you – telling you that you’re beautiful.”

Y/N smirked at Steve’s awkwardness. He’d lost so much of it after all of his hardships. He’d gained so much more confidence; he was more self-assured now.

“I do,” she admitted softly.

She was going to make another joke about him drawing her, but the words got caught in her throat when she flipped to the next page.

Bucky.

Bucky standing with his crisp and clean and brand new military uniform. Hat tilted a little sideways. And that famous Bucky Barnes smirk on his lips.

Y/N’s fingers traced over the lines without even realizing it.

“He’s missing,” she blurted out.

“What?”

Her eyes shot up to him. “You’re going to find out in a few minutes. This is the 107th – or what’s left of it, I guess.”

“Y/N, you never tell – what are you saying? Bucky – is he – is he dead?”

“No, he’s alive. A prisoner of war, but alive.”

“You’ve never told me something like that before,” Steve said slowly, clearly still trying to process the news.

“Sometimes I get sick of fighting time,” Y/N sighed.

“I have to go after him,” Steve’s shoulders straightened and he was handling a surge of determination.

Y/N smiled, “Yes, you do.”

Then fear filled his gaze, “I know you can’t - or you won’t – tell me…but is he – will he be OK?”

Y/N stared into his eyes for a moment. “Yes, he will be fine.”

‘For now…’ she added in her mind.

Steve was surprised she continued to tell him of the future.

Y/N looked over her shoulder as if she could see something. But when Steve followed her gaze, not even his super-soldier sight spotted anything.

“I have to run before she finds you,” Y/N told him. “When it comes to her, you’re a terrible liar. And I don’t want you to have to explain how a naked, American woman got onto this base, completely undetected.”

Steve shot to his feet. “You’re leaving already.”

“I’m sorry, Steve. But you’ve got to go save Bucky and then you gotta get the girl.”

Then she quickly kissed him on the cheek, instantly making him go red.

He made a step for her, not wanting her to leave already.

But she was already quickly turning back to him, accidentally bringing their faces far too close to be considered just friendly.  

“Try not to kiss Private Lorraine,” Y/N breathed, caught off guard by their closeness that could easily be seen as intimate.

Steve’s brow furrowed. But he couldn’t stop his gaze from flicking down to her lips quickly. “I-I don’t even know a Private Lorraine.”

“Well, you will. And you should stay away from her. You should stay away from all women like her, OK?”

He nodded, not wanting to disappoint her.

“It’ll make sense soon. I promise.”

Lo and behold, Peggy was the next woman in his life to surprise him and show up out of nowhere.

—————-

PRESENT - Wakanda

Y/N quickly walked down the halls of the royal palace. She could hear the two kings guards tailing her.

One of them cleared their throat, “Ms. Y/L/N, if it is Sergeant Barnes you are heading toward, he is actually in the training facility.”

Her brow furrowed. She was going to find Bucky, just like she always did when Steve was gone and she was lonely.

However, he was alone at his hut less and less it seemed.

Y/N would’ve been happy, proud that he was socializing himself with new people more and more frequently. But that didn’t seem to be his motivation.

She didn’t want to jump to any ridiculous conclusions, but she started to feel like Bucky didn’t want to be alone with her.

Even when he had asked for him to teach her self-defense, Bucky insisted that they also enlist some of the Dora Milaje. He said it would help since he only had one arm and he didn’t want her education to suffer because of it. But Y/N knew Bucky could take down Steve with a single arm if he so wished, therefore it felt like weak reasoning.

Y/N had been in Wakanda for a year now and she’d found a routine in her life.

She no longer felt like a foreigner, but a proper member of Wakandan society – despite the fact that she lived in a royal palace.

Steve would need to leave to meet up with the team every so often, but he always tried his best not to return as quickly as possible.

Y/N still had nightmares of her kidnapping, her torture, her near death experience that she could only blame Hydra for. She was sick of hating her time traveling affliction.

When Steve asked her if she was having them when he was away, Y/N always lied. What good would it do either of them for him to worry and feel guilty about being away?

The nightmares were one of the main reasons she finally asked Bucky to teach her self-defense.

Y/N would’ve asked Steve, but she didn’t want to make him stay in captain mode any longer than he already did. He also was almost too patient with her. She needed to be pushed.

When Y/N walked into the gym, Bucky was doing one-armed pushups.

He had no shirt on and there was just a pair of black shorts and sneakers – which Shuri most definitely designed – covering his body.

Wakandan hip-hop was playing on the speakers, which was why Y/N didn’t recognize it. Shuri had taken it upon herself to help Y/N teach Bucky anything and everything pop culture.

The kings guards left Y/N to it. Whenever she was with Bucky, they didn’t see the need to linger. He would protect her.

Bucky heard their arrival and his head snapped up.

He quickly jumped to his feet when he spotted Y/N and gave a small nod of acknowledgement to her guards.

Y/N tried not to stare at Bucky’s ridiculously muscular and sweaty chest. She did. But it was damn near impossible.

His and Steve’s bodies were ridiculous. God-like is what most women would confess.

Furthermore, Y/N got to see how Steve put his to use… in ways no one else knew about.

“You wanna keep rubbing it in my face that you can do hundreds of pushups with one arm while I can’t even do 5 with both of mine?” Y/N greeted him.

Bucky chuckled, and Y/N swore she made him blush. Or maybe that was just from working out.

“You just gotta work at it, kid. I’ve got the advantage of a super-soldier serum.”

There it was again. That nickname. When he said it, Y/N realized he hadn’t used it in quite some time.

But Y/N pushed the thought out of her head and rolled her eyes teasingly.

“Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to still do all of those without it.”

As soon as her feet stepped onto the padded flooring Bucky was waiting on, he kicked Y/N’s legs out from underneath her.

He did it so smoothly and quickly that Y/N could’ve blinked and missed it. The only proof being that she was now laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Her head was aching from hitting the ground hard. 

“Bucky! What the actual fuck!” She screamed.

He tried not to look too pleased with himself. “Last lesson, I told you that you needed to learn to always be prepared. Most attacks are going to be a surprise. If you don’t train your body to always be ready, all the other stuff is pointless.”

Y/N glared at him. “Way to build trust...” But then she quickly rolled back to her feet.

Without really thinking her plan through, Y/N lunged for him. She meant it to distract him from her actual intentions, which were to knee him right in the balls. 

Payback is payback.

But Bucky easily deflected all efforts. And he absolutely knew what she was trying to do.

“Ya trying to play dirty?” He asked with a smile.

“Just trying to get even,” Y/N snapped.

She knew she wasn’t going to get any damn hit in. She was a civilian jousting with the Winter Soldier. She didn’t stand a chance.

But Y/N did know is that Bucky wouldn’t ever hurt her. In fact, he would put himself in harms way to make sure that didn’t happen.

So, Y/N decided to use that to her advantage.

If she wanted to take him down, she had to go down with him.

Y/N lunged for him at a weird angle, hoping her own weight combined with gravity would be enough to drag him down with her.

Bucky’s eyes widened slightly as he realized Y/N’s body was about to hit the ground hard and quick, and at an angle that would easily dislocate her shoulder. 

He shifted his weight so his back hit the ground and he took all of the blow, Y/N having his body as a cushion to land on.

“You OK?” He asked hurriedly. Even though there was no way she could’ve harmed herself.

Y/N nodded and smiled mischievously. “Had to figure out a way to bring you down…”

Then Bucky snapped back to reality.

He was laying on his back with Y/N laying on top of him. Her chest pressed against his. Her hands were spread across his bare chest, able to feel his skin. Her warmth was enveloping him. When did his grip on her go so low on her hips? He could feel her heartbeat, and then he felt it quicken when a silence settled between them and they realized how unsuitably close they were.

But swore he didn’t mean. He tried with all of his might not to take a glimpse at her lips. But his eyes were no longer in his control.

Now he was panicked.

He quickly ushered her off of him, almost being rough about it.

Y/N misread his panic as irritation with her.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “Did I hurt you?”

Of course she didn’t hurt him.

“I’m fine,” Bucky mumbled without looking at her.

Y/N was finally able to acknowledge that something was off between the two of them, and it had been for awhile. She wasn’t sure if she could put her finger on when it started, but it felt like it had been since she showed up at his doorstep after seeing him bleeding out in the snow. She’d killed a Hydra agent that day trying to protect him.

“You don’t call me ‘kid’ anymore,” she accused him.

Bucky’s brow creased as he finally looked up at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean, you did earlier. But that was the first time in months.” Then she gestured at the giant and empty training facility. “This is the first time we’ve actually been alone in months too. What’s going on, Bucky? Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” he muttered swiftly.

“Then what is it? Because something is – it’s off. We’re off.”

But Bucky just stared into her gaze.

He couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t explain what he was going through.

He couldn’t tell her that he was trying to keep his distance, trying to prove to his best friend that he wasn’t trying to steal his girl. But he couldn’t stay away from her either. He couldn’t leave her be when both of them were so alone here.

Bucky couldn’t tell her he was in love with her.

What would be the point?

The two kings guards returned. “Ms. Y/L/N?”

“Yeah,” she muttered without breaking her stare down with Bucky.

“Captain Rogers just landed. We thought you may wish to know.”

Y/N finally blinked and turned to them, “Thank you.” Then she turned and promptly left without saying another word to Bucky.

As soon as he was alone, Bucky rubbed his face and paced. “What the hell are you thinking, Bucky?” He whispered to himself.

------------------------

Chapter 25

It only took me 2+ months, guys!  Please, please, please let me know how you feel and what you think. ❤️

[lgbtqiahistoricalromance]

LGBTQIA+ Historical Romance Novels with Ghosts, Ghouls, and Gothic themes 2019 - Updated October 17

A list of titles that either came out after the last update in 2018 or were published this year. Many series!

Gentleman Wolf by Joanna Chambers

- An elegant werewolf in Edinburgh…

1788. When Lindsay Somerville, the most elegant werewolf in Paris, learns that the man who held him in abject captivity for decades is on his way to France, intent on recapturing him, he knows he must leave the Continent for his own safety. Lindsay cannot take the risk of being recaptured—he may have been free for a century but he can still feel the ghost of his old chains under his fine clothes.

… on a mission…

While he’s in Edinburgh, Lindsay has been tasked with acquiring the “Naismith Papers”, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It should be a straightforward mission—all Lindsay has to do is charm an elderly book collector, Hector Cruikshank. But Cruikshank may not be all he seems, and there are others who want the papers.

… meets his match

As if that were not enough, while tracking down the Naismith Papers, Lindsay meets stubborn architect Drew Nicol. Although the attraction between them is intense, Nicol seems frustratingly determined to resist Lindsay’s advances. Somehow though, Lindsay can’t seem to accept Nicol’s rejection. Is he just moonstruck, or is Nicol bonded to him in ways he doesn’t yet understand?

Note: this is the first book of a duology – the story continues and will complete in the second book, Master Wolf.

A Hidden Beauty by Jamie Craig

- Student of letters, Micah Yardley wants one thing: to meet the poet Jefferson Dering. After hearing his idol speak at Harvard, Micah travels to Jefferson’s home in nearby Wroxham, entertaining visions of discussing poetry over dinner and drinks. What he experiences exceeds anything he ever anticipated. Jefferson finds Micah mesmerizing and passionate, everything he has ever wanted. But after getting caught in a compromising position with another young man a decade earlier, he exiled himself from Boston and from affairs of the heart. Jefferson represses his longing for Micah, but his tumultuous emotions cannot be contained. Micah denies the truth of his desire for Jefferson. Jefferson refuses to act on his passion for Micah. But all it takes is a single kiss in Wroxham's haunted church to change the course of their lives ... and ignite the flame that could fulfill a generations-old promise.

Deosil by Jordan L Hawk (Whyborne & Griffin series finale!!!!)

- Whyborne, Griffin, and their friends have faced down cultists, monsters, and sorcerers. But their greatest challenge is now upon them. On the return voyage from Balefire Manor, Whyborne receives the worst news possible: Widdershins has fallen before the onslaught of the Fideles and their servants. There’s still time to stop the return of the Masters, but that window grows shorter by the hour. Together with Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must reach Widdershins to face the ultimate test—and decide the fate of the world, once and for all.

The Ingenious Mechanical Devices series by Kara Jorgensson (bisexual, pansexual, asexual, persons with disabilities, and POC characters in this series!!!)

Book One = The Earl of Brass

- Eilian Sorrell is no stranger to cheating death, but when a dirigible accident costs him his arm, he fears his days of adventuring are over. As the eldest son of the Earl of Dorset, Lord Sorrell knows he will face a bleak future among London's aristocracy unless he can escape. On a quest to return to his old life, Lord Sorrell commissions a prosthetic arm, but the craftsman isn’t quite what he expected.

Fenice Brothers Prosthetics is in trouble. Hadley’s brother is dead, and she is forced to pick up the pieces and finish what he started. When clients begin turning her away, she fears she will fail until she crosses paths with the enigmatic Lord Sorrell. In exchange for a new arm, he offers her a chance at adventure in the deserts of Palestine.

Beneath the Negev’s sand lies something far more precious than potsherds or bones. A long lost crystal city has been found that could change Eilian and Hadley’s world forever, but they aren’t the only ones who know its secrets. Will they make it out alive or will they, too, be buried beneath the desert sands?

Shinigami by Xia Lake

- A coming-of-age love story between an orphan and the heir of the richest family in the Land of Yamato. The human world meets the yōkai in a power struggle for the fate of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu. While he battles to find his own path, Hirotsugu finds solace in a boy who will become his secret friend, then his salvation, and then as they become adults together, the love of his life.

The Sea May Burn by Rose Lerner (Part of the St. Lemeston universe, a f/f retelling of Jane Eyre!!!) COMING SOON!

- Goldengrove’s towers and twisted chimneys rose at the very edge of the peaceful Weald, a stone’s throw from the poisonous marshes and merciless waters of Rye Bay. Young Mary Palethorp had been running wild there, ever since her mother grew too ill to leave her room.

I was the perfect choice to give Mary a good English education: thoroughly respectable and far too plain to tempt her lonely father, Sir Kit, to indiscretion.

I knew better than to trust my new employer with the truth about my past. But knowing better couldn’t stop me from yearning for impossible things: to be Mary’s mother, Sir Kit’s companion, Goldengrove’s mistress.

All that belonged to poor Lady Palethorp. Most of all, I burned to finally catch a glimpse of her.

Surely she could tell me who cut the strings on the guitar I found in the music room, why all the doors in the house were locked after dark, and whose footsteps I heard in the night…

Lost in Time series by AL Lester

Book One = Lost in Time

-  Lew Rogers's life is pleasantly boring until his friend Mira messes with magic she doesn't understand. While searching for her, he's pulled back in time to 1919 by a catastrophic magical accident. As he tries to navigate a strange time and find his friend in the smoky music clubs of Soho, the last thing he needs is Detective Alec Carter suspecting him of murder. London in 1919 is cold, wet, and tired from four years of war. Alec is back in the Metropolitan Police after slogging out his army service on the Western Front. Falling for a suspect in a gruesome murder case is not on his agenda, however attractive he finds the other man. Both men are floundering and out of their depth, struggling to come to terms with feelings they didn't ask for and didn't expect. Both have secrets that could get them arrested or killed. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures, and illegal sexual desire, who is safe to trust?

We Met in Dreams by Rowan McAllister

- In Victorian London, during a prolonged and pernicious fog, fantasy and reality are about to collide—at least in one man’s troubled mind. A childhood fever left Arthur Middleton, Viscount Campden, seeing and hearing things no one else does, afraid of the world outside, and unable to function as a true peer of the realm. To protect him from himself—and to protect others from him—he spends his days heavily medicated and locked in his rooms, and his nights in darkness and solitude, tormented by visions, until a stranger appears. This apparition is different. Fox says he’s a thief and not an entirely good sort of man, yet he returns night after night to ease Arthur’s loneliness without asking for anything in return. Fox might be the key that sets Arthur free, or he might deliver the final blow to Arthur’s tenuous grasp on sanity. Either way, real or imaginary, Arthur needs him too much to care. Fox is only one of the many secrets and specters haunting Campden House, and Arthur will have to face them all in order to live the life of his dreams.

The Clearwater Mysteries by Jackson Marsh

- Book One = Deviant Desires

The Victorian East End lives in fear of the Ripper and his mission to kill rent boys. Silas Hawkins, nineteen and forging a life on the streets could well be the next victim, but when he meets Archer, his life changes forever. Young, attractive and rich, Archer is The Viscount Clearwater, a philanthropist, adventurer and homosexual. When Archer suspects the Ripper is killing to lure him to a confrontation, he risks his reputation and his life to stop the madman's murders. Every man must play his part, including Silas. A mashup of mystery, romance and adventure, Deviant Desire is set in an imaginary London of 1888. The first in an on-going series, it takes the theme of loyalty and friendship in a world where homosexuality is a crime. Secrets must be kept, lovers must be protected, and for Archer and Silas, it marks the start of their biggest adventure - love.

Highland Haunting: A Townsend Halloween Story (The Townsends) by Lily Maxton

- For the past few months, Ian Cameron and Robert Townsend have been settling into their new life together, but when a series of odd events occur at Llynmore Castle, Ian begins to suspect that he's being haunted. The question is, is the spirit malevolent or benevolent? Does it want to harm him or warn him of something to come? As Halloween draws closer, the ghost becomes stronger. Ian and Robert will have to trust each other and trust themselves to find the answers they need before it's too late. *Highland Haunting is 16,000 words and features the main characters from A Scot's Surrender

The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall by Sebastian Nothwell (f/f!!!)

- Heatherhurst Hall

Cumberland, England

1892

American heiress Kit Morgan is heartbroken at the wedding of her dearest school-friend. At her lowest moment, she is rescued from her agonies by the mysterious and alluring Alexandra Cranbrook, sister of a visiting English baronet. Alexandra is beautiful, charming, and effortlessly beguiling. Kit cannot help but fall in love with her.

When Sir Vivian Cranbrook proposes marriage, it seems natural for Kit to accept—if only to live with the woman she desperately loves.

But the Cranbrook’s ancestral home of Heatherhurst Hall is not all it seems. The attic is forbidden. Strange scratching noises echo from within the walls. Wraiths stalk the corridors by night. And worst of all, Alexandra’s love has turned to scorn.

Still, Kit is determined to earn her happily-ever-after and save the Cranbrooks from the horrors of Heatherhurst Hall.

If only she could know Alexandra loved her in return.

~The Haunting of Heatherhurst Hall is a Gothic romance rife with horror and heartache, wherein an American heiress makes an ill-advised marriage to bring herself closer the woman who’s stolen her heart.

Read by Candelight series by Gillian St. Kevern (7 book so far, with m/m and f/f love stories!!!)

- Book One = The Secretary and the Ghost: A Gothic Paranormal Romance

Pip Leighton is in a fix. His sister’s marriage hinges on him staving off the family’s impending financial ruin by taking the job of secretary to Lord Cross, a reclusive man with a temper befitting his name. Developing a passion for his employer was not on the cards. Neither was getting caught up in the deep mystery surrounding Foxwood Court and its resident ghost, but Pip has never been one to shirk a duty. As Pip delves deeper into the past, he discovers that his only hope for a future with Cross may depend on a man long dead—a man with a curious resemblance to himself.

The Gentleman Attraction: a short victorian mm paranormal romance by Connor Peterson

Emerson Mallory never mixes business and pleasure. His eyes might wander but he certainly wouldn’t risk his professional reputation over a tryst. Not even for a silver-haired scoundrel who clearly knows his way around a bedroom and makes his heart race with just one look.

When a flirtatious train ride turns into a weekend in close quarters, Bennet Clarke doesn’t agree that it would be best to leave their attraction at the door. He gave up worrying about human sensibilities the night he became a vampire centuries ago, and right now he wants more than one taste of Emerson’s charm and unnerving ability to see past his cavalier masks.

Their host has a few secrets of their own and a madcap plan that requires Emerson to enlist Bennet’s help. When the inevitable happens, Emerson begins to think that maybe Bennet’s way of looking at things isn’t so bad. Bennet, however, is faced with a dilemma. Keep up the ruse, or confess that Emerson has no idea who he’s gotten involved with.

Amidst the flurry of activity surrounding their host, the two men will have to keep their affair secret, plan a successful party, and decide if forever is too much to ask.

Spellbound: A Paranormal Historical Romance (Magic in Manhattan Book 1) by Allie Therin

- To save Manhattan, they’ll have to save each other first… 1925 New York Arthur Kenzie’s life’s work is protecting the world from the supernatural relics that could destroy it. When an amulet with the power to control the tides is shipped to New York, he must intercept it before it can be used to devastating effects. This time, in order to succeed, he needs a powerful psychometric…and the only one available has sworn off his abilities altogether. Rory Brodigan’s gift comes with great risk. To protect himself, he’s become a recluse, redirecting his magic to find counterfeit antiques. But with the city’s fate hanging in the balance, he can’t force himself to say no. Being with Arthur is dangerous, but Rory’s ever-growing attraction to him begins to make him brave. And as Arthur coaxes him out of seclusion, a magical and emotional bond begins to form. One that proves impossible to break—even when Arthur sacrifices himself to keep Rory safe and Rory must risk everything to save him.

Hayden Thorne is reissuing many of her LGBT romances this year, with some of the most original content in the genre. Many are YA options, but very enjoyable for adults!

Extensive 2018 Halloween List 

Since links have been failing in Tumblr, here is the URL for Halloween 2018: https://lgbtqiahistoricalromance.tumblr.com/post/188457088709/lgbtqiahistoricalromance

[cianmars]

And AU Headcanons for Detective Red Snowing? PLEASSEEEEEEE

Ooooooooh yes! (literally who sees this please send me even more for this ship as I love them)

Often when they go out on dates everyone assumes they’re on a double date, they are always stressing that they’re all together.

Rogers is actually an amazing cook, a few times he’s cooked for his family if he got home before them, he claims he just follows recipes but he’s overjoyed that his spouses love it. 

They chose their wedding rings together and all have engagement rings from each other (David to Snow, Rogers to Ruby, Snow to Rogers, and Ruby to David). Some idiots  people try to make out that David likes Snow best and Rogers likes Ruby best etcetera, they have no insecurities about it at all, they know they love each other fully and completely. 

They try to go out on date nights at least once a month, but mostly they’re homebodies and have ‘dates’ at home when the kids are asleep.

They’re often caught in the kitchen dancing with each other along to the songs on the radio - they are amazing gestures of love and do them constantly (from flowers, mixtapes, chocolates, dancing, to big gestures like romantic nights away at hotels).

I accidentally started to do like five for each of them…. and for their kids (I have like a million more HC honestly)

Rogers:

They all met after Hook got back from Neverland where he had been for just over a century - having reached his lowest (giving Bae to Pan) he had tried to redeem himself when he met bandit Snow, faking Prince David, and unknowing werewolf Red. He tried to distance himself from everyone and do good deeds from afar so not to hurt anyone else but fate had a different idea and he bumped into them all the time, before long they all finally realised they were all in love and formed a poly Quad.

Under the curse (not done by Regina but by someone else) they were transported to Hyperion Heights which is right next to Storybrooke. Detective Roger’s first name is Kian, he often gets it shortened to either Kee (key) or Ian (mostly because everyone kept pronouncing it differently or asking him a million questions based off of it). Once the curse breaks he keeps that name instead of Killian’s, he finally forgive himself (after over a century of making up for his past deeds and continuing to do that since) and that he wasn’t the same man who had the name Killian Jones. He takes the last name of Charming but he often gets called just Rogers like he was under the curse. 

Because he took in Alice under the curse he’s the one who understands their now growing daughter the most, and her mental health issues, despite that he wished that it hadn’t taken him so long to do it, he also totally regrets not having bonded as much with Emma and tries to make up for it but it’s hard because his baby already has so many walls. 

He and David worked together as partner detectives under the curse, he  visited the diner owned by Ruby twice a week, and spoke to Mary Margaret who he saw in the bookstore every Tuesday and Thursday night at 8pm no matter what (they were subtle like that) (until Emma came to town and it all started to change and become uncursed. He had crushes on all of them but he assumed that he was just good friends with them or desperate for human connection. 

He still has phantom pains where his hand should be, under the curse he got his new hand attachment which works almost like real hand which he keeps when the curse breaks. He only uses his hook against villains.

Ruby:

Ruby is a very logical thinking and a natural mediator, she was both a knight and a diplomat in their kingdom (as well as having the official title of princess like her husbands has the title prince). She uses these skills during the curse at her diner which lies between Storybrooke and Hyperion Heights to both run the place and the financial side and to help people in the diner solving their problems. 

She would walk around with Alice on her back in werewolf form when she was a baby until the curse fell in the Enchanted forest and couldn’t sleep, she would often find runaway near her diner in the early hours when she was starting to open it, she always took her in and made sure she had enough to eat, she did the same when Emma suddenly started to hang around with Alice. She wanted to take them in but was told she wasn’t allowed to foster either of them because she was always at the diner (plus the curse was wanting to make her feel guilty). 

She is an amazing cook and baker, when the curse breaks their home smells like baking all the time. She shares cooking duties with her spouses as they often catch up on their days while cooking. She tries to teach her daughters how to bake, she encourages 

She is a really fast runner even in human form, she uses that to her advantage as both of her girls are such fast runners and they sometimes spook and run away when they’re scared.

Because of being a werewolf she runs hot and rarely ever gets ill, but when her spouses or children get ill she has about a million different home remedies to try and help them.

Snow:

She’s a teacher in a school in Storybrooke during the curse but she lives between the city and the town, close to Ruby’s diner, they’ve been friends for as long as they can remember (because of the curse). The diner is also how they all met during the curse. When the curse breaks she stays a teacher.

She always talked to Alice at the diner but had no idea she was homeless until Rogers took her in (Alice hadn’t wanted her to know), one day she brought her a backpack with some new clothes, hygiene stuff, snacks, and puzzles because she could tell Alice needed things like that. 

She spent hours in the bookstore, becoming friends with Belle as she did, she was constantly (unknowingly) recommending books to her spouses while they were cursed. When they buy a house after the curse breaks there are bookcases full of books all around the house. 

She’s rather type A, just like Kian, she’s hyper organised which comes in positive when they are going out somewhere. She’s also very competitive, particularly when it comes to board games (she sometimes lets Alice or Emma win). 

She became Emma’s teacher in Storybrooke when Emma joined, she made sure to give Emma all the extra help she needs, she bonded a lot with her and strongly supported David fostering Emma during the curse, but felt a little jealous that she didn’t. 

David:

He was partners with Rogers under the curse and had a crush on him during it but thought it was just because they work together in what can be a high pressure environment. He also had a crush on Ruby who he talked to and jokily flirted with at the diner at least once a day, and Snow who he met in the hospital. 

He was shot the week Emma came to town. In hospital he met Snow, Emma, and Alice. Snow was volunteering there and Alice was snooping around trying to figure out what was going on. Emma was part of Snow’s class volunteering and she started to talk to him. They see each other in the diner all of the time, when he realises that she ran away from her foster home and was living on the streets with Alice and a few others, he becomes an emergency foster career and fosters Emma (while Rogers takes in ‘Tilly’)

His apartment in the city is really modern and rather big (his cursed self was pretty well off (because he wasn’t the one who Zelena mainly cared about affecting) He felt bad when he realised even the things he took for granted Emma had never had. He was much happier when they bought a slightly more homely feeling house when the curse broke (plus it meant both he and Kian could try and convince their wives to get a dog - “One that isn’t Ruby” “You’re both in the doghouse”)

After Emma moves out of Snow’s class and into a new one they find that she isn’t being helped at all and is basically ignored, they have to choose between finding a school in the city which can help her better, or David homeschooling her, or a mixture of the two.

He’s pretty athletic and is an avid runner and can even beat Ruby, he competes every year in a few marathons and races, often for charity. He lets Emma and Alice ‘train’ with him, often before they have baths and go to bed… mostly to wear them out.

Alice:

Alice was conceived when Kian had a one night stand a little while before he got into a relationship with David, Snow, and Ruby (he slept around a bit in the hopes that he would stop feeling things for his true loves). The lady tracked him down a few weeks after Alice was born and said that she didn’t want Alice and she was now his problem to “deal with however he wants”, he was not about to abandon (or worse) his daughter. He fell in love at first sight, he prepared to leave because he assumed no one would want to raise someone else's baby, but his spouses would never do that. They also fell in love straight away, Alice knows her story, and that family isn't made of blood but of love. 

Alice was nearly 5 when the curse hit and had been very excited about her mommy going to have another baby, especially when she was told the secret (that it was going to be a girl). She actually helped choose Emma’s name, out of two options (with strong hinting from Snow that Emma would be an amazing name).In the Enchanted Forest she was taught chess by her papa. She started to play chess against him again when the curse started to break when Emma came to town 6 years later. She’s really good at it and it helps her to organise her thoughts and figure out the curse to go on to break it with Emma).She was meant to go through the wardrobe with pregnant Snow but the curse fell before her Hook could get her to the nursery.She told her parents that she was going to marry a girl when she was 4, she pointed out that she was right when she got her first girlfriend.

She had been living with a neglectful couple during the curse so she ran away when she was young, she’s good at living on the street and can parkour pretty well. Emma was in a similar situation and the two found themselves drawn to each other, when Emma ran away Alice looked after her, the two were constantly together. She became a informant for Detective Weaver, which is how she initially met Rogers. She was eventually looked after by Rogers. 

When the curse broke it was rather overwhelming to fully remember her pass as well as being aware of the six nearly seven years she missed out on having her family. She broke down yelling at all of them when she didn’t think Emma was around to hear. Zelena had only cast the curse as she saw how happy Snow was when she was pregnant with Emma , and wanted to be the ruler instead. So Alice shouted (out of being overwhelmed and a little jealous) that if Emma hadn't been thought of she would never had her family stolen from her. Emma heard and ran away, Alice was the one who found her and assured that she honestly didn’t mean it, no matter what she never shouted anything like that again.

When she was a teenager she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her parents help her a lot with managing it, but she’s still getting used to it. She’s starting to notice a difference between how she feels when she’s on her medicine and when she’s off of them.

Emma:

She came to the city when she was 6 when she was fostered by Blue and George, they were emotionally and physically abusive towards her from the first night she was there, so it took her a short time to run away from there and onto the street. She became best friends with Alice and August along with a couple of other street kids.

She has autism and ADHD. She autism was the reason the people who were months away from adopting her decide that they didn’t want her - her parents pointed out that that’s not her fault and that the other people were wrong to give her back because she’s autistic. Snow (or Mary Margaret) was the first teacher to really invest in her and actually help her. 

She’s worn a hearing aid in her left ear since she was 4 and was hit by a foster mother, the same thing happened when she was in Storybrooke, only by George this time, when people had started to realise that she wasn’t living there and had run away. Tilly holy Rogers and David and they arrested George and made sure that she got checked out at the hospital. 

She’s nicknamed Koala as she’s always attached to one of her parents, particularly David, she’s a complete daddy’s girl despite claiming that she’s independent. She’s always assured that it’s okay to be a little clingy, after all her sister was the same.

She carries around her important things in a backpack she's rarely seen without, her baby blanket, a teddy, sketchbooks, pencils, her kiddie tablet, etcetera. She also always has headphones with her which help when she overstimulates.Things have to be deemed very important to go in her backpack.

[theherothechampiontheinquisitor]

You’ve Got Mail - Chapter 1

Summary:: Belle French and Callan Gold meet in an AOL chatroom in the late 90′s and quickly bonded over email. Little do they know that in real life they are business rivals that completely hate each other. 

Originally published under melissabosquez, September 2014. Cover by Midstorm

Belle French held her breath and watched slyly from the curtain of her bedroom window for her long term live in boyfriend, Geoffrey, to exit the building on his way to work. The mornings were the favorite part of her day, especially when her boyfriend was gone so that she could indulge herself in one of her guilty pleasures; the internet. Geoffrey was a bit of a technophobe that was convinced that modern advancements were going to be the downfall of all mankind, beginning with the internet. Whenever he caught Belle online he would begin harping his conspiracy theories and it was easier for her just to wait until he was gone. He didn’t like what he couldn’t seem to understand, whereas Belle appreciated it for the marvel it was.

They had been in a relationship together for nearly five years now and it had become a thing of habit more than any kind of love or connection. She didn’t doubt that Geoffrey was any more interested in her than she was in him. He was convenient though. Comfortable.

She waited for a few more moments and finally he appeared out the front door of their apartment complex and was on his way down the street. With a squeal Belle dropped the curtain and ran the short distance from the window to her desk and opened up her portable computer with a grin. With a grin and the crack of her knuckles she double clicked the AOL icon and waited to be connected to the internet.

If Belle was perfectly honest with herself, it wasn’t exactly the wondrous depths of knowledge or endless possibilities that the internet entailed that excited her. Those were all good things and she loved to see how things progressed further but all she really was looking forward to was three little words. You’ve. Got. Mail. She smiled and spoke the words out loud in time with the computer voice, quickly clicking on the icon of a letter waiting in a mailbox. The page loaded and she felt her stomach tighten in anticipation as she was rewarded with an email from her favorite person, thespinner61.

Belle had met thespinner61 in an AOL chat room several months ago by accident. It was supposed to be a chat room to talk about common interests in books but turned out to be nothing but crude jokes and desperate attempts at cybersex. Belle had almost logged off after several sexist comments were directed towards her for not instantly responding to queries of her a/s/l. To be honest she had no idea what that even meant. Before she could respond thespinner61 came to her rescue and responded, “Go shake your ears.” Belle had laughed, catching the literary reference to Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. It had very obviously flown over the head of her aggressor to which thespinner61 replied again, “The simplicity of your character makes you exquisitely incomprehensible to me,” and “If I were as ignorant as you Ben Rogers I wouldn’t let on.” Each quote taken from The Importance of Being Earnest and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn respectively. He had won her over instantly.

After that incident they had started sending each other emails back and forth for literal hours on end. They talked about all kinds of things. Literature, politics, art, film. Sometimes they even talked about things as simple as the weather and it never felt awkward or forced. The one thing they agreed to not speak of were things that were too personal. Names, ages, addresses and the like were never brought up. The only thing Belle knew was that he too lived in New York City and he had a long term girlfriend of his own.

They had been sending each other emails back and forth for five months now and the thrill of “you’ve got mail” had yet to wane.

To: bookworm1984

Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: books you must read spinner!

My dearest bookworm. I write to you from the middle of Atlanta as all hell is breaking loose as General Sherman and his Army invade. Our lovely protagonists have just braved all peril to escape and now have shared a very personal smooch before Rhett has decided (rather foolishly and quite dramatically) to go back and join the war efforts, leaving our strong, but distressed damsel to her own devices as she plots to make it to Tara.

If you haven’t noticed, at your quite incessant behest, I am hundreds of pages into your favorite literary endeavour, Gone With The Wind. Not exactly my cup of tea so far but I cannot say I am entirely dissatisfied with the quality of writing. Margaret Mitchell has a very distinct style and I must say that I quite enjoy when she becomes caught up in her descriptions, especially of the surroundings. It’s enchanting in its own way. I will continue the ill-fated adventures of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler when I return home this evening.

Tell me, now that I have started your novel, will you finally stop your hemming and hawing and pick up the Hunter S. Thompson novel we were discussing? I promise, his political commentary is often surprising, always amusing and generally spot on in ways you would never imagine. I recommend Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail ‘72. Great introduction to his Gonzo journalism. I raise a glass of Wild Turkey to him for that one.

From the thumping noises coming from above, it would seem that the dragon has finally stirred. Best I get the coffee pot brewing before she scourges me with her hellfire.

One last note in regards to your work related problem. Tell the guy threatening your business to fuck off. Stand up for yourself. Do the brave thing and bravery shall follow my dear.

----Spinner

You’ve got mail!

Callan Gold turned back to look at his open laptop on the table. Bookworm was a fast writer this morning he thought with a smile. Normally she took longer to respond, indicating that she was pensive and probably didn’t agree with something that he had said, usually something over literature. The faster she responded, the better mood that she was in, the more excited she was to discuss things.

Turning back to the coffee mug he was fixing, he added three packets of sugar and some hazelnut creamer, stirring and finishing just in time to hand it off to it’s recipient, Mal, as she stumbled blindly through the swinging kitchen door. Mornings were not Mal’s high points of the day, whereas Callan had always been a bit of an early riser.

Mal graciously accepted the steaming cup and slinked into one of the chairs at the small breakfast table. She shoved Callan’s laptop back over to his side of the table as he rejoined her. He raised an eyebrow to her as she slurped the coffee down, not seeming to care how hot it was.

“I’m starting to believe you are really a dragon with your high tolerance to scorching coffee,” he smirked and resumed reading his newspaper as Mal made an incomprehensible grunt, finishing her first cup of coffee of the day and standing to fix another.

He and Mallory had been going through this same routine for decades. First as friends and then as more, though he would hesitate to call her his girlfriend. Their relationship wasn’t like that. They were more roommates. With benefits. They lived together, worked together, slept together but there was no real romantic love between them. They had been friends longer than Callan could even remember. One day not too long after his wife had left him and took their now estranged son with her, Mallory had shown up at his door and never left.

It was an arrangement that they both were happy with. Neither of them had to be alone anymore.

Mal took a drink out of her second cup of coffee and feeling decidedly more human, leaned back against the counter and eyed Callan though his face was obscured by the paper.

“So, do we have any small business owners lives to ruin today?” she asked, her voice still a bit raspy with sleep, a hand combing through her messy blonde hair.

“Only one today I’m afraid. That same damn little bookshop around the corner from where we are building. The owner is stubborn as a mule, refuses to sell. I sent her one last offer that I think may entice her. If not well, don’t say that we didn’t try to help her come six months down the road when her little shop is in the hole,” he answered back, folding the paper up in front of him.

Mal gave him a crooked smile. “There’s a reason that you are known more for your cruel business tactics than your shite coffee.”

“I’m a tea man, Mal. You’ve known this for 20 years. Perhaps if you could wake up at a normal time you could make your own coffee instead of being forced to have your first five cups of the day be my ‘shite’ brew.”

Mal laughed in response. That was something that would definitely never be happening. “Well, I’m off to shower, Cal, I’ll be ready to go quicker than you can say Maleficent!” she winked in regards to the nickname he had given her when he didn’t think she was listening.

Callan waited until he heard the tell tale screech of the shower faucet coming to life before he pulled his laptop in front of him and grinned at the unread message from bookworm1984.

To: thespinner61

Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: books you must read spinner!

The Hunter S. Thompson speech again? After seeing that Johnny Depp film based off of his book last year I must admit that I am still a bit sceptical to read any of his works. Though the film did have a few redeeming qualities, particularly the wave speech at the end as he discusses the death of the American dream. I will trust you on this just as you have trusted me on Margaret Mitchell.

Speaking of, I promise that you will quite enjoy Gone With the Wind if you will quit being so cynical. You are right though, MM’s imagery is one of my favorite things of the book. Aside from the strong female characters and the delightfully scandalous Captain Butler.

Perhaps I shall take a page from Scarlett O’ Hara’s book and stop being worried all of the time. I’ll think of my problems tomorrow and accomplish what I need to today. I suppose I should keep this passage in mind...

“A startling thought this, that a woman could handle business matters as well as or better than a man, a revolutionary thought to Scarlett who had been reared in the tradition that men were omniscient and women none too bright.”

I will take your advice to heart my friend. Do the brave thing and bravery will follow, right? Let you know how it turns out tonight.

Hope you have a great day. Beware the fire breathing dragon.

----bookworm

Callan closed his laptop instead of choosing to respond. He didn’t always consider himself a very sound advice giver but when bookworm1984  had told him she was having trouble with a pushy man trying to hurt her business (which she refused to reveal to him, as per their anonymous disclosure), he knew that she just needed a little bit of a push to stand up for herself. If there was one thing that he knew, it was business. He was glad he could at least inspire marginal confidence and hoped that it would all work out for her in the end.

As the CEO of a successful, multi-billion dollar chain of bookstores, Golden Books,  he would like to think that he knew a few things about chasing away a competitor. After today, if the owner of Fairytale Corner accepted his buy out offer, his new store would be the only bookstore around for miles.

Packing up his things he moved towards the staircase as he heard Mal beginning to make her way down. It always amazed him how quickly she could go from the monster that morning to the beautiful, intimidating business woman she now presented herself as.

“Intimidating as always, my dear,” he joked, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

“Why, Cal, you aren’t turning romantic on me now are you?” she raised a brow.

“Of course not, we have business to tend to. If Fairytale Corner decides not to sell then we will just have to put them out of business the old fashioned way,” he grinned, already calculating plans in his mind.

“What’s the owner’s name again? I will give them a call before lunch, see if I can push this little deal along any quicker.”

“I think it’s something french sounding,” he said as he pulled a few papers out of his briefcase. “Ah, yes. Ms. Belle French, owner since her mother passed away five years ago.”

Mal accepted the papers from Callan and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Well, lets go kick this little girl out of the neighborhood then.”

Callan offered her a smile and then his arm as they made their way out the door.