#this would explain all the times Lucy has called me both ''creepy'' and ''hot'' in the same sentence

[thethingything]

I just spent 4 and a half hours on a drawing because I was like "hmm, drawing a self portrait sounds fun" and then I spent the whole time working on it going "this is absolutely beautiful but that is not my fucking face and I can't work out why it doesn't look right"

[thiswasinevitableid]

for the meet ugly prompts, 38 indruck nsfw ;)

Here you go!

38: I overhear you ordering your coffee in a coffee shop and I’m trying to place your voice when I realize that you’re the phone sex operator I’ve been calling on and off for the last few months but the realization startles me so much that I accidentally spill my drink on you and you’re pissed

Indrid thought he was having a normal day. He’s treating himself to a post work iced vanilla mocha, then he’ll go home, watch T.V and draw, maybe jerk off, then go to bed and get up in time for his eight a.m appointment tomorrow.

He’s messing around on his phone when the person placing their order catches his ear. There’s something in the drawl, polite and friendly, that feels weirdly familiar. It’s not a regular at the shop, and a glance at the mans face offers no useful information; he’s a complete stranger.

The barista asks something about the second drink, and the man replies, “as sweet as can be, please.”

“Ahnngod, please, please, please say I can cum?” Indrid’s been edging himself with the fleshlight so long his wrist is sore.

“Hmmm” the voice on the phone takes his sweet time answering, “dunno, not sure I punished you enough for teasin me in the bar.”

Indrid whimpers, hoping the neighbors can’t hear (even if he’d like them too, they haven’t consented to it).

This is how his calls to the 1-800-Hot-Guys line have gone ever since his first time. He asks for “Ryan,” gets a sweet, southern greeting before the other man asks what he’s in the mood for tonight. See, Indrid’s only recently begun exploring his interest in men, and is discovering that a better sense of his sexuality makes it much easier to get in touch with his other desires. Like being fucked in a bathroom stall where lots of people can hear what’s happening to him.

Ryan always takes the ideas generated by Indrid’s desire-addled brain and runs with them. Tonight, virginal Indrid Cold went to a leather bar and found a bear waiting for him (he suspects Ryan might be one in the real world, because when Indrid first revealed that preference his moans sounded a touch more genuine). The bear made him blow him in front of everyone to make sure he was worth taking home, then told him not to cum until he was done fucking him.

“Please?”

A chuckle, “Okay darlin, you can cum.”

Indrid’s certain he hurts Ryan's ear with the noise he makes as he spurts into the toy, but all the other man says is , “Good boy.”

After a moment, he adds, “aw fuck, meant to bring some spankin or somethin into the scene because I know you like it.”

“That’s, that’s quite alright. I’m not sure you could ever disappoint me.”

“Thanks, sugar.”

Indrid whines, hoping it sounds horny and not like the noise a man who’s just realized he’ll be sleeping alone makes.

“You like when I call you that? Because it’s true; you’re as sweet as can be”

As he’s been having its slow-motion realization, Indrid’s body has been going on autopilot, picking up his cup when the young woman behind the counter calls his name. Which means that--when Indrid startles at his revelation-- the cup is in perfect position to send its contents flying straight onto the man who caused it.

“AHfuck, jesus man be careful!”

“I, I’m so sorry, here, let me-” he slips in the puddle of coffee and hits the floor, kicking the other man in the shin on his way down.

“Owfuck, fuck, okay, don’t fuckin try to help again.” The man snaps.

“Nono, right, I’m sorry, goodbye” he scrambles up, sticky with shame and vanilla syrup, and hurries out of the shop.

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

Duck keeps an eye on his burner phone while playing Plants vs Bom-Boms on his real one. It’s shaping up to be another night with only two calls.

He took up the phone sex thing during the last government shutdown; the park had to furlough them, and he needed money. The extra cash was nice enough that he kept at it even after work started back up. He isn’t the most in-demand operator; he can’t lie, laughs a little too easily, so lots of callers don’t come to him a second time.

One of the few who does is Indrid. He’s Duck’s favorite because their fantasies align well enough that he actually jerks off while on the phone with him. But the guy hasn’t called in two weeks; this is a bummer, in part, because Duck came up with a scenario involving a pool table and a biker gang he thinks Indrid would really be into.

More than that, he’s worried about him.

He worries about him so much that even a half a day later he’s wondering if he should figure out how to have someone check on him. The coffee shop is conducive to thinking. Right up until the dipshit who spilled coffee on him a few weeks back plops down in the seat across from him.

“You here to ruin another shirt?”

The man, all silver hair and angular features, shakes his head, “Nono, I, I really am very sorry about that. I came to offer to buy you another.”

Duck points at his cup.

“Some other time?”

“You come here often?’

“Since I moved to the city, yes. I was out in the suburbs up until a few months ago.”

“Fine. Next time we see each other, you owe me a drink.”

He nods, nearly sliding his red glasses off his nose in his eagerness. Then he taps on the table, “There’s, ah, something else you should know. We already know each other. In a way.”

Duck frowns; he’s never seen this guy before, he’d remember his face.

“We talk on the phone. Often.”

Oh fuck.

“My name is, ah, it’s, it’s Indrid.”

“Jesus, glad you’re ok--hold the fuck on. How the fuck do you know who I am?”

“I recognized your voice the last time we were both here. I, I wanted to get to know you more but I felt it was only right to do so if you knew I knew who you were so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable, but you clearly are, I’m so sorry” he stands up, banging his knee in the process, “I promise I won’t call any more, I didn’t mean to be creepy, I’m sorry, goodbye.”

He’s out the door in a flash of long limbs before Duck has a chance to respond.

Duck sighs, downs the rest of his coffee, and decides not to dwell on the fact he’s going to miss Indrid’s calls.

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

Indrid’s excited. He really is.

It’s just that the sex club is even more overstimulating than he anticipated.

It was alright at first; when he replied that yes, this was his first time, the guy working the counter ushered him over to a set of blue velvet seats and told him to wait. Soon, Indrid and ten others were being given a rundown of the rules, risks, and etiquette of the space, their understanding of which they signed in a neatly typed contract.

Then they turned them loose into three stories of sexual exploration and Indrid froze, totally unable to process it all. Lucky for him Lucy, there with her girlfriend Willow, helped him navigate the edge of the first floor until they came to one of the “chill out” rooms; rooms for people for whom the club was as much a place to chat with friends as it was a place to get spanked or suspended. They even have juice.

After three separate people check to be sure he’s alright, he asks the trio on a nearby couch where he should go to if he’s interested in bondage and impact play. They all agree the second floor is his best bet, and that there’s a shibari demonstration starting soon.

To reach the demo room, Indrid passes though a portion of the space that reminds him of a hotel. The nice dominatrix explained the rules for their use as: doors and windows closed, leave us alone. Curtains open but door shut? You’re free to watch, but don’t come in. And if the door is open, you’re welcome to join whatever is happening. He pauses at some open windows, but nothing really catches his attention.

The demo room is already packed, so he stays at the back. A perk of being tall is he can see the couple on the little platform easily without blocking anyone else’s view. The dom is explaining why she chose the rope she did and what ties she’s going to show everyone. Indrid listens, but his eyes wander in hopes of finding someone checking him out.

Someone is. But Indrid isn’t sure it’s a good thing.

Duck stands a few bodies to his left, looking him up and down with a slight smile. Well, at least that means he doesn’t think he’s stalking him or something.

The other man meets his eyes, tips his head towards the nearby green room and raises an eyebrow. Indrid nods, picks his way through the crowd to find Duck has beaten him there.

“Y’know, if you’d told me you were into this scene, I coulda worked with that.” He polishes off his water and tosses the cup in the trash.

“I...this is my first time. Is, ah, is it yours?”

“Nah. Came some when I was younger, decided to come out tonight because I was bored and itchin’ to get someone cute in my lap.” The casual way he says it is a hundred times hotter than the practice voice he used on the phone.

“Ah. In, ah, in that case, would you mind if I asked you a question?”

“Shoot.” Duck leans against the wall, grinning.

“Am I dressed alright for this?” He gestures to his pink and yellow tank top and black jeans.

He watches Duck catch his laugh before it starts, which he appreciates.

“You’re dressed just fine, Indrid. I mean, just look at me.”

“I am” Indrid is having such a difficult time tearing his eyes from the way Duck’s white t-shirt fits his chest or how the bluejeans show off his ass. Duck catches him mid-ogle, which is all it takes to drop his gaze to the floor.

“C’mon, sit down with me a sec.” Duck settles on a grey couch, leaving Indrid space to join him, “feel like you and I got off on the wrong foot. You know I ain’t angry with you for tellin me you were a customer, right?”

Indrid shakes his head but sits down all the same.

“Indrid, you startled the hell outta me when you admitted that. For a second, I was sure you were gonna try to get somethin outta me by threatenin to tell my boss at my regular job. But then it was so fuckin clear all you were tryin to do was be straight with me and try to be polite about the drink thing, I wasn’t mad at all. You just up and bolted before I could say as much.”

“Ah. Yes. I, ah, I can be a bit of a walking disaster so I try to get out of situations before I make them even worse.”

Duck touches his hand, “I get bein’ spooked. Happens to everyone. But, uh, guess what I’m also gettin at is, uh, if you wanna actually get to know each other, I ain’t gonna complain.”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay” Duck scoots closer, “let’s start easy; what do you do when you ain’t callin me?”

Indrid tells him about the tattoo shop, which leads to them comparing ink, which in turn leads to Duck getting on a ten minute digression about native plants. They’re debating the best Cramps album (Duck votes for “Date With Elvis,” Indrid for “Off the Bone”) when they decide to stretch their legs, Duck holding Indrid’s hand as he weaves them through rooms and clumps of people.

They end up doing laps of the second floor, people watching, during which Duck nudges Indrid playfully, “Knew you were kiddin me with the never been fucked stuff.”

“Ah, well…”

“Holy fuck, you’ve never had sex and you picked here as the place to try? You got guts, sugar.”

Indrid blushes, “Well, yes and no. I’ve never had sex with another guy, but I feel confident in what kinds of things I want to try. You helped a lot with that; you made me feel safe enough to express and explore my more intense desires.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“I came here out of curiosity, and because I thought my chances were good of finding someone who shared my interests without running the gamut of dating.”

“So all that stuff about bein watched, bein roughed up and used, you, uh, you really like it?”

“Indeed. Do you like it too? I, ah, I assume you pretend to like everything when you work on a sex line.”

“You’re supposed to yeah. But I’ll let you in on a little secret” Duck leans close, whispers in his ear, “I never was much good at pretendin.”

“Oh. Oh my.” He leans against Duck, excitement making his legs unreliable.

“You want me to show you just how much I like it?”

“Please.”

Duck kisses his cheek, “Missed hearin you beg, sugar. C’mon.” He pulls Indrid two doors down to a room dedicated to impact play. People are sprawled and tied to crosses, benches, chairs, all of which look exciting. Duck doesn’t stop to consider them, doesn’t even hesitate on their trip. He stops at a table, one bolted to the floor, and digs through a nearby basket.

“Here it is” he pulls out a red blanket, holds it out for Indrid to test the texture.

“It’s lovely.”

“Good” Duck spreads it on the table, “you’ll be comfier this way. How naked do you wanna be?”

“Is just my underwear alright?”

Duck points to the completely nude person being spanked on his right and the fully clothed one being hit with a crop to his left.

“I meant with you.”

Duck sets his hands on Indrid’s hips, “as long as I get to see this cute ass in the air for me, I’ll be just fine.”

Indrid quickly strips to his boxer briefs, opts to leave them on for now. Duck licks his lips, pats the table. Indrid bends over it, feet planted on the floor.

“Gonna use just my hand tonight. Easier for me to feel how hard I’m hittin, and I wanna be able to grope you while I turn your ass red.”

He moans, tenses as Duck rubs soothing circles on his ass. The first few slaps are mild, Duck checking on him after each one. Then one comes, hard and sharp, and he gasps, hips momentarily twitching away from Duck.

“Still good?”

“So very good, more, pleaseAHgod” He clings to the far end of the table as Duck brings ten slaps down on each side before giving him a rest.

“Let’s see...how many times would you say you called me?”

“At, at least fifteen.”

“Fifteen times two, add a few extra for ghostin me…” Duck pets his lower back, “You’re gonna get forty on each side as punishment for not lettin me see you cum all those times you called. Think you can handle that?”

Indrid nods.

“Count.”

“AHone, two, th-three, Aaaah,god, fourfive…”

Indrid loses himself somewhere around “ten” on the second side; all his focus is on being good, on counting out each strike, on taking whatever Duck wants to give him. His heartbeat is loud in his ears and his skin stings from ass to thigh. Dimly, he hears spectators complimenting Duck on having such a well-trained sub.

“He is, ain’t he?” Duck lands the final blow with a grunt, keeps his hand there and squeezes. Indrid whimpers, the pain going straight to his already aching dick. Duck shifts his stance, still mercilessly groping the bruise but pressing his fly against the cleft of Indrid’s ass, making it abundantly clear Indrid isn’t alone in his arousal, “he fuckin knows who he belongs too.”

Indrid moans, tears pricking his eyes; Duck is wonderful, Duck is handsome, Duck is perfect, and Duck is claiming him instead of someone twice as attractive or experienced.

“I know, sugar, you like it when people see how good you are for me.” Duck crouches down, petting Indrid’s hair as he studies his face, “you wanna regroup and finish this at home? Or do you need me now?”

“Now?” Indrid raises his head hopefully. His voice is odd in his throat, vulnerable but not afraid in the slightest. Duck nods, helps him up, thanks the person who offers to clean-up the station since Indrid, “looks like he’ll hit the ground if you let go” and grabs Indrid’s clothes.

“No point in putting these back on. Not with what I’m gonna do to you.”

They find an unoccupied, cleaned room, Indrid flopping on the bed as Duck closes the door.

“You wanna prep yourself or do you want me to?”

“I, I can do it. And could we, ah, leave the curtains closed for this bit?”

“Course.” Duck draws the red fabric tight as Indrid fishes complimentary condoms and lube from the bowl on the table. He’s so wound up he starts with two, the stretch uncomfortable for a few instants before he gets himself to relax.

“You look so fuckin good doin that.” Duck is undressing, only taking his eyes off Indrid when his belt buckle resists him.

“I’ve had a lot of practice fingering myself while listening to you. I, I’d picture whatever person you told me to but I, none of it compares to you.”

Duck blushes as he pulls his pants off.

“I mean it. You, you’re so handsome I” he tenses, pushing the third finger in and fucking himself fast, “I can’t believe it. I,I want to be so good for you, Duck, please,” he’s babbling, decides to quit while he’s ahead, “is three enough?”

“You tell me.” Duck gestures to his dick with a flourish; it’s average length, he thinks, but combined with the dark hair on Duck’s belly and the strong curve of his thighs, it is the most glorious dick in all of creation.

“Yes, yesyes, please come over here now oh, wait, the curtains please?”

Duck whisks them open on his way to the bed, settles with his back against the wall before rolling the condom on with ease. He points to his lap, “You wanna face me?”

“Yes. I...I like the idea of people watching but I don’t think I can handle seeing their scrutiny just yet.” He straddles Duck, let’s the shorter grope his sore ass before guiding it down.

“You sure you wanna do this now?” Duck murmurs into his chest, “you don’t owe me your first time with a fella.”

Indrid kisses his forehead and sinks down in reply.

‘Fuck!” Duck grips his hips, laughs, “that’s a hell of an answer, sugar.”

“Nngh” Indrid’s whole brain goes offline at the feeling of Duck inside him.

“Dick drunk already?” Duck teases.

“YesAHGOD, god, ohmygoodness.” He clings to Duck’s shoulders as the other man fucks up into him with abandon.

“That’s just fine, ‘Drid. Got enough brains for the two of us; all you gotta do is be my cute, fucked-out toy.”

“Nffph” Indrid hides his face in Duck’s neck. His legs and ass, still sore from earlier, are reluctant to obey his mind, so all he can do is let Duck bounce him on his cock or hold him down on it to thrust up in short, demanding jerks of his body.

“We got an audience.”

Indrid tries to moan. It comes out a whimper.

“You want me to tell you what they’re doin?”

“Mmhhmm”

“Two of ‘em are makin out with one eye on you. The other three…” he nibbles Indrid’s ear, “they’re jerkin off to us. Don’t blame ‘em, you look so fuckin good on my dick they all wish they were me.”

“Duck” his cock keeps rubbing on Duck’s belly, threatening to spill before he’s ready.

“One of ‘em asks how you feel on my dick. You want me to tell him?”

“Please.”

“Fuckin’ great!” Duck yells, “it’s his first time and he’s” Duck grunts, bucks his hips, “so fuckin tight but takes it like a fucking champ. Gettin in this ass is a fuckin privilege.”

Indrid smiles into his skin at the pride in Duck’s voice and the responding whoops from outside.

“Fuck” Duck kisses his cheek, “fuck, shoulda grabbed a cock ring, I’m gonna cum way too fuckin fast.”

“Me, me too.”

“Just like a fuckin virgin.” Duck quickens their pace.

“I’m not a--Aaaahn” the noise cuts off as he cums between them, cock pulsing onto Duck’s skin.

“Fuck, fuck that’s hot, fuck, c’mon sugar, lemme cum, lemme cum right in this fuckin perfect assfuck, fuck, ‘Drid.” He holds Indrid down, groaning as he pumps his hips. Then he tips them forward, crashing their mouths together and pressing Indrid into the bed.

When they surface for air, the spectators are gone. Duck pulls out, cleans them both up as Indrid tries to remember how words work.

“So good.” Is what comes out.

“Glad you think so.” Duck gathers him into a hug, “you want me to do all the aftercare here?”

Indrid blinks, “what’s the other option?”

“We could, uh, go back to my place?”

“That...I’d like that. Wait.” Indrid cocks his head, “do you...would it really be okay if I stayed the night?”

“Yep. Kinda hopin you’d stay over plenty in the future.”

“You want to date me?’

“Damn right” Duck kisses him, “besides you, still owe me a drink.”

Indrid kisses back, grinning, “So I do.”

[the1northlanderprincess]

Romantic Thoughts on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

I’ve always had a kind of fascination with Dracula (well, since my teenage years, actually) and other dark fantasy stories. Several years ago, I first watched Dracula with Frank Langella. Quite a sexy one, if I do say so myself. I wasn’t too sure about watching BS Dracula, because I knew it was rather bloody. Well, I’ve sort of gotten over my disgust factor in recent years, so I finally gave it a shot, because I was in the mood for dark romance, and heard that this movie had one of the most romantic stories ever.

Holy crap, that is an understatement.

This movie is what other romance movies should strive to be, especially ones that cover soulmates and the like. Seriously....”I have crossed oceans of time to find you”? Yes, please!

The buildup, imo, to what Vlad and Mina ultimately shared was done very well. Before they meet, Vlad, how should I say this, plants seeds of his persuasion(?) into her mind. Upon meeting her, she is rather annoyed with him, tries to dismiss him quickly, which he, at first, complies. But, with him being Drac, he appears before her again. I think he admires her stubbornness and likes the chase. I honestly found it a little funny. Because it was, like, oof, this is going to be harder than I thought; girl’s got spunk.

A favorite little moment that I really liked was when he brought her back that night outside the gate. The way they just stand there and look at one another once she’s behind it, and how he steps away slowly, and lingers, before heading back into the carriage...I love how suitor-like it was. Way to act like a normal, chivalrous human being, Vlad! LOL.

Then we have the dinner scene, the most intimate between them, aside from the bedroom scene. It’s just the two of them in a warmly lit room. And he’s dressed every bit of a regal prince. She’s beginning to be more open, what with her bold colored gown and wide neckline. At the table, they nearly kiss, but she pulls away, and Vlad watches her. Mina begins to muse a story about the princess, and Vlad has such a mesmerized expression that I’m totally in love with. He comes up behind her, and turns her tears into diamonds (that could be a mini meta in itself). She smiles and turns to face him, and he holds her face, and places a kiss on her forehead. Gosh, the tension! Almost makes me forgive them for not using That Kiss. Almost.

Next we have the bedroom scene. Ah, the bedroom scene. So we see Drac mist in (why did it have to be neon green?), and Mina senses him. She is relieved, and wants to be with him, and he softly says she doesn’t know what she’s saying. It’s then revealed that he is already under the blankets, shirt open, leaning over her patiently. In most cases, this would be really problematic and creepy, but there’s something about this that’s really romantic. It’s probably because he’s allowing her to make her move on her own time. He respects her like that. In fact, she’s the one who pulls him in for the kiss.

He kisses down her body (HOT), then he picks her up and places her hand on his chest, just so Mina knows that he actually isn’t alive. She’s shocked, and wants to know what he is. He confesses who he is, ashamed of it. It actually surprised me that he told her everything. But, maybe it wasn’t surprising. Perhaps he wanted to be completely truthful with her, so she isn’t blindsided, and can make a more informed decision to be with him. Again, kind of gentlemanly. He may be a bloodthirsty monster, but he’s an honest one, haha. This terrifies her, knowing what he’s done, and takes it out on him. He attempts to gather her up in his arms, and she confesses her love, though it’s not something she’s entirely proud of.

After that, we see she’s calmed down, and she is utterly determined to become like him. He lays down all the facts about becoming a vampire, but it doesn’t faze her. So he takes her in his arms, dips her, then in a rather gentle manner, if you can call a vampire bite gentle, he sinks his teeth in her neck, and proceeds to cut open his chest. She begins to drink, and we see that this pleases him, but he comes to his senses, and says he can’t let her do this, because she will be condemned and hunted down like him. He loves her too much to allow her to live that kind of life (my feels!). But girlfriend doesn’t care, and continues to drink, greedily. Vlad is living his best life at that moment, then he holds her close to him once again.

Finally, the chapel scene. He is mortally wounded, and she wants to help. However, he doesn’t want to be saved; wishes the curse to end. She understands, and pushes the sword all the way through. Things start to heal, including her. Looking up, she sees the mural and finally gets it. Her voiceover explains that their love was stronger than anything. It’s very bittersweet, because, on the one hand, Mina and Vlad were truly in love, but she was unable to really revel in that love as he was dead. Beautiful, tragic stuff.

When I finished this movie, a question came into mind. Did Vlad love Mina for Mina, or was it because she looked like Elisabeta? I really think it’s both. He obviously was drawn to her because of her looks, but I do think he grew to love her for her personality as well. He courted her, let her make choices on her own terms. Yeah, he was devastated that she went to be with Jonathan, but he didn’t go after her personally in a blind rage. Of course, he pretty much sealed Lucy’s fate at that point, but, again, it’s Dracula, what do you do? 

However, his behavior with his courting of Mina is something I want to address. He was never truly aggressive with her. Any time she dismissed him, he could have used compulsion, or threaten her. The only time you see anything close to that is in the tent, when he takes her to a corner and she tells him to stop. I think he really regretted that. Because he’s a lot more subdued in future interactions. Also, when he’s on the bed with her, he could have easily forced himself on her, but, no.

Major, major points to Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder for acting their hearts out in their scenes together. Like, you could really tell when Mina was starting to fall for Vlad, and when he realizes that there was something really special about this woman. You could see how Vlad was so afraid that she’d reject him after he told her the truth. You could feel Mina’s devastation over his role in Lucy’s death, and the following bewilderment of her feelings for Vlad. Plus, what chemistry! Some of the best period drama chemistry I’ve ever seen. It really made up for the lack of kisses between the two. Truth be told, I can’t think of many movies that are so sensual without having a lot of kissing with the two romantic leads. A rare thing that is.

Overall, I’m so glad I watched this movie (production is a whole other post). I’m on the “best romance ever” bandwagon, and I want to have more movies like it.

[smallblueandloud]

in blackwater woods

pairings: eleven/rose, amy & rose, amy & eleven, amy/rory

summary: there's a normal-looking blonde woman in the doctor's room, and amy really has no idea what's going on. but she's going to figure it out. (a rewrite of doctor who 6x11, the god complex)

notes: i only started plotting this after @doctorroseprompts prompted episode rewrites with rose literal years ago. this fic has been in the works for... a long time, and thank you so much to those who kept being enthusiastic and excited about it <3 the title is from the mary oliver poem of the same name. i kept her line breaks, just added a few more of my own

read it on ao3 | more of my doctor who writing | more of my writing

Look, the trees

are turning

their own bodies

into pillars

 of light,

are giving off the rich

fragrance of cinnamon

and fulfillment,

-

Amy opens the door of the TARDIS and steps out, breathing deep. Behind her, inside, the Doctor and Rory are discussing medical politics of the 23rd century - a conversation that’s lasted on and off for several weeks now. She’s reasonably interested in medicine, but only when Rory’s the one doing the explaining, and that’s mostly because she gets to see him being passionate about his favorite subject.

She has no trouble, then, with tuning them out in favor of paying attention to where they’ve landed. Landing in a new place and experiencing it for the first time is her favorite part of travelling.

She looks around. Then she frowns.

“Doctor?” she calls, turning back to let her voice carry.

The two inside don’t stop arguing. It’s not surprising, she supposes, given that they’re both interested in what they’re talking about. But it makes her feel suddenly and powerfully alone. “Rory?” she calls, a little louder.

They stop. “Amy? What’s wrong, love?” asks her husband.

He and the Doctor are suddenly at her shoulders. At her right, Rory puts a hand on her shoulder. On her left, the Doctor says, “What’s wrong, Amy?”

Her loneliness vanishes, just as quickly as it had appeared, and the familiar exasperation takes its place. “The people are six hundred feet tall, he says. You have to talk to them in hot air balloons and the Tourist Information Centre is made of one of their hats, he says. I don’t see any hats, Doctor.”

Here’s the issue: they’re indoors. Amy was promised Ravan-Skala’s sky festival, an event that only happens once a year, on the planet with no buildings. But the corridor they’ve landed in is definitely in a building - not to mention carpeted, sort of dim, and rather like any cheap hotel you could find at home.

“There’s something creepy about this place,” says Rory, his hand tightening on her shoulder. She reaches up and squeezes it.

“Exactly,” says the Doctor, moving forward as he clasps his hands together. He spins around to face them, pointing at both her and Rory. “Why is that?”

Amy frowns, looking at him as she tries to figure out what feels so off about wherever they are. This is a familiar game, though she’s never been very good at it.

“Where are we?” asks Rory.

“Great question!” he says. “Not on Earth, that’s for sure. The air tastes slightly different - can you tell?”

“Yeah,” says Amy, sniffing. There it is. There’s a vague hint of... something in the air, nothing she’d ever smelled before. “And if we’re not on Earth, but this place looks exactly like a cheap hotel on Earth-”

“Exactly!” exclaims the Doctor, waving his hands in tight circles in front of him. “Who would go to all the trouble? Why?”

“Let’s figure it out, then,” says Amy, starting to grin. The Doctor smiles at her and spins around, pointing forwards. “Onwards!”

-

the long tapers

of cattails

are bursting and floating away over

the blue shoulders

 of the ponds,

-

“I don’t understand,” says the Doctor, pacing back and forth. He waves a pad of paper as he passes her. Amy exchanges a skeptical glance with Rita, the practical medical student, as Rory frowns at Joe’s dead body. “Lucy Hayward saw what she used to be scared of. Joe saw the dolls - bloody creepy buggers - which he didn’t seem bothered by at all. But what do they have to-”

“I don’t-” starts the nervous guy. The Doctor stops pacing abruptly, turning and moving in one smooth movement until he’s directly in his personal space with a finger in his face. “What is it, Howie?”

“I don’t think it’s just what she used to be scared of,” he says. “I don’t- I mean- I saw my room,” he says, in a rush. The Doctor nods, moving away, as if finally grasping how unnerving it is to have a half-mad alien in your face.

“I saw my room and it’s what I’m scared of now,” Howie gets out. “My worst fear, I guess.”

“And it wasn’t the CIA covering up aliens?” asks Amy, realizing a second too late how insensitive that sounds. Rory shoots her a sharp look from his seat across the aisle, next to the man himself, and she winces.

“No,” says Howie, looking straight into her eyes. Before she can muster up the ability to apologize, he continues: “I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t think I need to. But- Doctor, I think- we see our worst fears in there.”

“Yeah,” says Rita, suddenly. Everyone jumps. “I saw mine too.”

Amy frowns. From what she’s seen in the hour since they lost the TARDIS, Rita has struck her as incredibly competent, practical, and able to take everything in stride. If she succumbed to temptation and looked in her room, the rest of them don’t stand a chance of resisting.

She sneaks a glance at the Doctor, who seem to be doing a quick mental calculation. As she watches, he seems to add two and two and end up with something unpleasant - he pales considerably, and then turns so she can’t see his eyes any more.

“Don’t look at me like that,” says Rita, to the room at large. “It’s impossible to avoid. And it’s-”

She hesitates, which only makes Amy more nervous. She hasn’t hesitated once, even with the alien revelation, since they got here.

“It’s terrifying,” she says, finally. “I mean, obviously, but you don’t realize how bad it’s going to be. It’s like that woman said. You have no idea what it’s going to be, but when you see it-”

“-you realize it could never be anything else,” finishes Gibbis. Amy glances at him, and sees that he’s avoiding eye contact.

“You saw it too,” she realizes.

The Doctor turns back, wagging his finger at the three strangers. “All of you have. We’re the only ones that haven’t, so far.” It doesn’t sound like a question, but she knows he’s fishing for a response, making sure he has all the data.

“Right,” says Rory. Amy nods.

“But we will end up seeing it,” says the Doctor. He still looks pale. “Eventually. Right, Rita?”

“Yes.”

“But you can’t plan for it,” says Howie. “I don’t- I don’t think anyone can predict what it will be for them.”

“I can’t,” agrees Amy, surprising even herself. She doesn’t usually like sharing excessively personal things - but it’s true. She’s noticed, though, that people thrust into situations like these tend to make generalizations or assume rules in order to have some semblance of control, so it probably isn’t always the case. She glances at Rory.

Sure enough, he shakes his head. “I think some can,” he says. “I can.”

The Doctor wiggles his hands, but doesn’t say anything.

No one says anything, in fact. Amy considers going across the aisle to sit with Rory, but doesn’t want to step over the dead body, so instead she watches the Doctor, who seems to be getting stiller and stiller as he considers something. Finally, he says, “Would you say-”

He swallows. “Would you say that they-”

He’s watching the wall. Amy has a bad feeling about this.

“Would you say that the fears acted as they should’ve?”

“What?” says Howie.

The Doctor turns around. “Oh, come on. You know what I mean. If your fear was a person, did the thing in the hotel room know everything that the person should have? Was their personality the same?”

Gibbis shakes his head. Howie shrugs.

“Yes,” says Rita.

The Doctor turns to look at her. “You’re sure? Think carefully. This is important.”

“I’m sure,” she says.

“Would you say,” he says, “that it acted out of your control? Knew things you don’t know? Acted in ways you couldn’t predict?”

“Yeah,” says Howie. Gibbis is still silent. “I mean, I’ve pictured that scene a thousand times. But I’m not creative like that. I couldn’t have come up with what they said.”

“Right,” says the Doctor, exhaling. “Right.”

Amy knows, suddenly, what he’s planning on doing. Not why - god knows why he does half the stupid things he does - but that’s a question for later.

“I know how to figure this out,” he says. “I mean- I don’t know how. That’s the whole point. I’m using my phone-a-friend lifeline. Rita, how long did Joe have before he started being all-” He hesitates. “Joe-like?”

“A few hours, at least,” says Rita. She seems to have calmed down a bit. Amy admires her for that, and wishes she could have some of that serenity for herself. “We have a few hours before we go crazy. What do you need us to do?”

“Right,” says the Doctor, pointing at her. “Excellent. Good thinking. Except I don’t need you, Rita, for this part. I don’t need any of you, except-”

He hesitates, turning slightly towards Amy before aborting the movement.

He’s her best friend.

She takes pity on him, or maybe she decides to make his life harder. She meets Rory’s eye, and he nods at her. Go.

“You’re not going alone,” she says. “I’m going with you.”

The Doctor stares at her. “You don’t even know what my plan is,” he says.

She stares at him. Don’t make me say it, she thinks.

“You said it yourself,” adds Rory, helping him save face. “Make sure someone else can see you at all times. Amy should go with you.”

Amy closes her eyes, briefly, and thanks whoever’s in charge of Earth that Rory exists. Then she reopens her eyes and levels a look at the Doctor.

Time stretches out between them as she cows her favorite alien into submission.

Finally, he looks away, clapping his hands. “Fine. Pond with go with me, to my- to where I’m going, while her husband and the rest of you stay here. Rory,” he says, pointing at the husband in question, “you’re in charge, since you’ll be the only one who hasn’t seen their room. Don’t be cruel, don’t be irrational, but whatever you do, don’t let them leave. Got it?”

Rory gives him a thumb’s up, shooting a small, private smile at Amy. “Got it. Same to you, love.”

“Yeah,” says Amy.

“We can talk shop,” says Rita, giving them a smile of her own. Amy’s got to hand it to her - she’s holding up remarkably well, at least compared to Howie, who’s looking slightly green at the prospect of the Doctor leaving, and Gibbis, who is on his knees and seems to be praying.

“Awesome,” says Amy. She turns to the Doctor and offers him her arm. “Lead the way,” she says, because she’s not sure he’ll ever start moving if she doesn’t.

He slips his arm through hers. “Thank you, Pond,” he says, quietly enough that no one else can hear.

He starts to walk, seemingly without any doubt as to the direction. He seems confident, like this is just another normal day, but Amy knows better. His hand is shaking.

-

and every pond,

no matter what its

name is, is

 nameless now.

-

It seems like they’ve been walking for hours. Logically, it’s been more like ten minutes, but Amy’s well aware that they’re on the clock, and the Doctor seems to be, too. He keeps getting slower as they get closer to where they’re going, though, which only makes it feel like they’ve been walking for longer.

His hand is still trembling, more violently than ever. She hates seeing him like this - when he’s scared, the stakes are bad, and she doesn’t want to think about that right now - so she casts about for a question to ask him. When he goes into lecture mode, he detaches himself from the situation, and it always calms him down.

After a few minutes, one hits her.

“Doctor?”

He startles violently, having been lost in his own thoughts. “Wh- Yes, Pond?”

“How do they determine the room numbers?”

“What?” he says.

She gestures around with the arm that he’s not holding. “I mean. No one knew we were coming, but you still have a room. That means everyone in the universe has a room, right?”

The Doctor makes a doubtful noise, but he at least seems to be considering her question. She continues: “Then what basis do the numbers have? Do the numerals have a significance or something? But then you’d need a number unique to every being.”

“Yes,” says the Doctor. “Good question. I don’t know.”

She frowns. The chase is the best part for him - he loves considering and discarding possible explanations, usually out loud where she has to hear them. For him to give up so easily...

It’s concerning, but she doesn’t say anything. If a good question like that one won’t bring him out of it, nothing will.

They make another left, and then another right, go straight through a four-way intersection, make another right, and suddenly the Doctor stops in front of a door.

Neither of them say anything. Amy’s usually the one to push the Doctor to do something difficult, but she can’t bring herself to make him go inside. Instead, she watches his face as he considers what’s in front of them.

Sure, it’s the room housing his worst fear. But what is he thinking? Why are they here?

Finally, he says, “Birth order.”

“What?” she says. He disentangles his arm from hers.

“The room numbers. They’re based on birth order, must be.”

“How do you know?” He doesn’t answer, but she barely notices, too busy examining the numbers of the doors in front of them.

They’ve arrived at number 436535.11. To the left, there’s 436535.10.2, 436535.10, 436535.9, and so on. She frowns.

“How can people have decimal places?” she asks. “If it’s birth order?”

“Different fears,” he says. “Different stages of life, so to speak.” He gestures at 10.2. “In there, I think there’s probably a dead body. Either that, or rejection.”

“How can there be a room filled with rejection?”

The Doctor shakes his head. She’s surprised to see that he’s smiling, a little. “Never mind.” He shrugs. “Chances are just as good that it’s Jackie in there, anyway.”

She decides not to ask as he turns back to his door, number whatever point 11. The discussion of the other doors seems to have calmed him down enough that he’s ready to go inside, and she doesn’t want to cause more delay.

He takes a deep breath and reaches out, turning the handle and opening the door just enough for him to see inside without letting her see anything. His smile grows into something almost... almost...

Fond?

“Of course,” he says, quietly enough that she can barely hear him. “Did you really think it would be anything else?”

“Doctor?” she asks. He ignores her, pulling the door open fully and walking inside.

Amy knows the Doctor is brave. Things that still make her wake in cold sweats barely make him pause when they’re right in front of him. Whatever his worst fear is, then, is probably going to instantly turn up in her own room, wherever it is in this cursed hotel.

She doesn’t want to go inside. But he’s her best friend, and he’s already taken the plunge, so she takes a deep breath and follows him into the unknown.

-

Every year

everything

I have ever learned

 in my lifetime

leads back to this: the fires

and the black river of loss

whose other side

 is salvation,

whose meaning

none of us will ever know.

-

There’s a blonde woman in a blue leather jacket standing at the window, facing away from them.

She seems mostly harmless - doesn’t even turn around, making Amy think that she didn’t hear the door open at all. But the Doctor stops as soon as he catches a glimpse of her.

Amy sneaks a glance at him. His hands are shaking, worse than before, and he’s paled again.

She looks back at the woman, but doesn’t see anything particularly fear-worthy. She turns back at the Doctor.

He takes a deep, shuddering breath, and runs his hands over his face. When he exhales and pulls them away, he seems reasonably collected, but Amy stops herself from relaxing too much.

This is his worst fear, Amy reminds herself. Whatever she is, it’s worse than anything else he’s ever come up against.

“Doctor,” she whispers. He doesn’t respond, so she looks over at him. He doesn’t seem to have heard her - all of his attention is focused on the woman in front of them. He barely looks like he’s breathing.

“Doctor!” she whispers, again. “Snap out of it!”

Thankfully, this time he hears her, blinking rapidly as he’s pulled out of his trance. “What is it?”

“What are we dealing with here?”

She doesn’t mean to rush him, but she’s only now realizing that they should have planned some kind of course of action for confronting this apparition, and it’s making her panicky. She’d spent the entire walk so worried about him that she’d forgotten they were about to confront a monster, and she needs to make up for lost time. Fast.

He blinks, again, and finally tears his eyes away from the woman. “What?”

“What kind of alien is she?” asks Amy, urgently. “What did she do? How many people has she killed? Is she going to sprout a plunger and start saying exterminate? Wh-”

She’d only said that last part because she tends to get wittier when lives are on the line - it’s not out of any real expectation that he’ll actually appreciate her joke. He’s facing his worst fear and all.

To her surprise, though, the Doctor interrupts her by chuckling. “Amy,” he says, fondly. “What are you talking about?”

Amy shoots another nervous glance at the woman, who still doesn’t seem to have heard them.

“This is your worst fear,” says Amy. “It’s for a reason. I would have guessed the Daleks, or maybe my daughter - your goddaughter - getting into the stash of booze, so she has to be worse.”

“Amy,” says the Doctor. He looks at her, then back at the woman, then back at her. His mouth is moving, but he isn’t making any noise. His hands start to move - seemingly of their own accord - but he still doesn’t make a sound. Her suggestion was apparently insane enough as to render him speechless.

She considers hitting him to snap him out of it, but is distracted by movement on the other side of the room. The woman’s shoulders are tenser than they were when they walked in, and her head is slightly cocked - she’s listening to them. Amy resolves her initial impression of her. Clearly she pays attention, and is restrained enough to not attack them outright.

She turns back to the Doctor, who is still waving his arms about like a madman. Amy understands the urge to laugh hysterically when faced with terrifying situations, but this is really too much. She pokes him in the shoulder.

“Doctor,” she says, and nods at the woman.

The Doctor straightens, the smile slipping off his face. “Of course,” he says, suddenly deadly serious. Amy feels butterflies in her stomach and quashes them determinedly.

“Amy,” he says, formally, gesturing to the other woman like they’re at a ball of some kind. “Let me introduce you to Rose Tyler.”

On cue, the woman turns around. Everything about her posture screams military, or at least, well trained by a serious organization. Her arms are crossed, her hair is pulled out of her face, and she’s wearing a no-nonsense expression. Amy can see how she would be a threat.

She strides towards them and stops in front of the Doctor. He closes his eyes and allows her into his personal space, closer than anyone’s ever tried to get before. Amy’s hand makes an abortive movement to stop her - but the Doctor would say something, if he didn’t want her so close.

Right?

Or is he that scared?

“Doctor,” greets Rose Tyler. She’s significantly shorter than him, but it still feels like she’s in his face. “Nice to see you.”

She turns towards Amy. It’s not particularly sudden, but she jumps anyway.

“You’re the one travelling with him these days, I take it?”

Amy glances at the Doctor, who opens his eyes and nods at her. She takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Me and my husband, and sometimes our daughter.”

“Wow,” says Rose. Strangely, it doesn’t sound sarcastic, the way Amy would expect someone evil to say it. It just sounds... normal.

She turns back to the Doctor, dropping her arms to her sides. “You’ve gone completely domestic, haven’t you?”

Scratch that. She sounds teasing.

The Doctor takes a deep breath and then- he-

wraps his arms around Rose, lifting her up with the force of his hug. Amy can’t catch much of what he says, except that there’s a missed you in there as he gently swings her from side to side.

Rose laughs, bright and sunny, and says, “Put me down!”

“Never,” says the Doctor, swaying her back and forth before he does in fact put her down. He’s grinning, wide, and Amy has never seen him this excited. It still seems off, somehow - but there’s no way he would hug an enemy.

As Rose straightens her jacket, Amy tries to get the Doctor’s attention without it being too obvious, but he’s too caught up in staring at Rose to notice anything she tries. She abandons her frantic hand waving and considers. This information changes everything. When the Doctor had been so nervous- when he hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from Rose- it wasn’t fear.

The Doctor is enamoured with this woman.

Amy almost laughs. Of course his worst fear is an ex girlfriend. Facing the consequences of his actions, and all.

Rose finishes rearranging herself and looks back up at the Doctor, grinning wide. The Doctor smiles at her, although his face has lost all the joy of their reunion. It seems like he’s remembered where they are, suddenly, and it’s hit him like a bucket of cold water to the face.

He reaches down to cup the side of her head.

“Rose Tyler,” he says, his voice quiet. “What do you remember?”

Rose narrows her eyes at him. “What?”

“You are a projection of this hotel created for me,” says the Doctor, his voice turning cold, more or less. It’s still wavering. Amy can see how he’s struggling, but she’s not sure Rose can. “And I need your help.”

Her suspicions are confirmed when Rose steps back, out of his grasp. “Really?” she asks, the smile leaving her face. “Okay, we can do that.” Suddenly her expression is as frosty as his. “I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I was created from your memories, so the last thing I remember is watching the TARDIS leave me- leave us on that bloody beach.” She laughs, bitter. “That’s because that’s the last thing you remember about me.”

“Rose-” he says. “I didn’t-”

“No,” she says. “You’re right.” She sighs. “I shouldn’t- I’m not-”

She opens her mouth as if to ask a question, but he interrupts her. “I need you to focus.”

He’s looking over Rose’s head. Amy shifts, slightly, and sees the expression on his face. He’s torn, the way he gets sometimes when he’s looking at someone who’s going to die and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. “We need your help to figure out what’s going on here.”

Rose can’t see his face, though. She flinches. “That’s what you think of us, isn’t it?” she says. “I’d forgotten. But we’re nothing but apes to you, right? Apes with creativity. It’s what I am to you. A good problem solver.”

There it is, thinks Amy. Worst fear - a fight with an ex. Granted, it’s a pretty ugly fight already. Both of them are trying to hurt each other, now, and when you love someone that feeling is more painful than anything else in the world.

And she knows his treatment of his friends is a sore spot for him.

“We’re not doing this,” he says, his voice hard. Obviously Rose is rehashing an old argument. “We’re not- you’re not real. Rose Tyler doesn’t exist in this universe. All I need from you is her brain. So use it to help us.”

Rose adjusts her stance, crossing her arms again. “I don’t know what’s going on,” she says, in the same tone. “You need to give me some information before I can.”

The Doctor summarizes their findings in a few sentences, getting less cold and more animated as the story goes on. “And so we have four humans, one Tivolian, and one Time Lord, none of whom know what is going on and four of whom are going to go absolutely bonkers in worship to some Him in the next few hours-”

“How does this place know their worst fears?” asks Rose. “How am I here? Was it planning on you?”

“I don’t know,” says the Doctor. “Ditto. And no. We were planning on going to Ravan-Skala. Do you remember? I told you about it, once. We were going to...”

Rose ignores him, her posture shifting into something more tense, even as his voice trails away. “You say one person’s already died?”

“Yes,” says the Doctor, looking away from her. He seems hurt, and Amy’s hackles go up, even though it’s probably understandable for Rose to shy away from more friendly conversation, since their last one devolved so quickly. “Rory - that’s Amy’s husband, he’s a nurse - and Rita - she’s a new one, a medical student - are probably looking at the body now.”

“Ah,” says Rose. Amy realizes what seems so familiar about her posture: it’s military, again. She’s slipped back into the mission mode she was in when they first walked in.

It hits her that she should probably wonder what kind of organization Rose was in. Because it seems like the argument’s already over, and all of his fear - because it was fear, at least when he was standing outside the door - can’t have been for something that short. Anyway, the Doctor’s worst fear wouldn’t be- it wouldn’t be a three-minute argument, right? It has to be deeper.

What can it be?

“How did they die?” asks Rose. The Doctor frowns. Amy thinks back and realizes they hadn’t bothered to figure it out.

“I mean,” says Rose. “Knowing how they died has to give us some clue of what happened.”

“That’s... right,” says the Doctor. His face drops and suddenly he looks terrified.

Amy blinks. What the hell happened?

She’s not sure, but he looks like he’s on the urge of hyperventilating. He looks, somehow, like all of his worst fears were just fulfilled, and she realizes he hasn’t looked like this since they came into the room.

This, then, is why Rose is here. Whatever this is.

She makes a quick decision. She needs to get him out of here, if anything to give him some breathing room and ask him a few questions. If he’s this worked up from a single sentence... And they have a lead to follow up on, besides.

“We need to go and ask Rory and Rita, then,” she says. Both the Doctor and Rose jump, as if they’d forgotten she was in the room with them. As they turn to face her, Amy shrugs, feeling see-through. She compensates with extra bravado. “We’re running low on time, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” says the Doctor, his expression changing from fear into confidence. Amy hates it when that happens - it means he’s figured something out, gotten ahead of her. “But we need to figure out what’s going on, too, or at least come up with a viable theory. Amy, you need to stay here.”

“What?” asks Amy. There’s no way she’s letting him go out there on his own, not as his time runs out. Plus, she doesn’t want to be left alone with-

“We need to keep working on this problem,” says the Doctor, becoming more animated as the idea becomes more viable. “We have a lead, but that doesn’t mean we know anything. You and Rose can figure it out together, I know it, and she can’t- you can’t leave the room, right, Rose? So you have to stay here with her, Amy. It’s going to be- it’ll-”

He pauses.

“Why are you making that face at me, Amelia Pond?”

Amy wrinkles her nose at the sound of her full name.

Rose glances at her, then looks away. “She doesn’t want to be alone with me,” she says. “I turned up here, after all.”

“Ah,” says the Doctor. He turns to Amy, takes a deep breath, and looks her straight in the eyes. “It’s going to be fine,” he says, running his knuckles across her cheek - almost paternally. “I trust Rose. She’s not going to hurt you.”

Then why is she your worst fear?, Amy wants to ask, but now that he’s closer she can see the look in his eyes. He’s only a few feet from the breaking point, and she doesn’t want to push him further.

“Anyways,” he says, quietly. “I’m the only one who can find my way back. Otherwise I’d send you.”

“Yeah,” she whispers, trying not to worry too much. He’s a pseudo-immortal Time Lord - he’ll be fine. “Okay. Go ahead. We’ll be here.”

The Doctor pulls back, a manic look slipping onto his face. “Excellent!” he says, clapping his hands together. “I’ll be back! No one wander off!”

“Right,” says Amy, glancing at Rose.

Rose looks around. “Couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“Precisely!” say the Doctor, giving them both finger guns as he backs out the door. Then he closes it, and Amy is left alone with Rose Tyler.

“Right,” she repeats.

-

To live in this world

 you must be able

to do three things:

-

Amy turns to Rose.

She’s not sure what she’s expecting. Rose doesn’t seem to be evil, or particularly harmful, even inadvertently. She seems to be important to the Doctor, yes, but that doesn’t mean anything. Daleks are important to the Doctor. So are bananas, for that matter.

“So,” she says, trying (and probably failing) to sound casual. “Any ideas?”

If anything, Rose has good problem solving skills. She’d said it herself, earlier. Of course, the one time she’d demonstrated them, the Doctor had nearly had a panic attack, but Amy’s sure it’s fine. And Amy’s own reasoning skills aren’t half bad, either. They just need to use them.

By working together.

Amy’s not particularly known for her cooperative nature. Bloody hell, are they screwed.

Rose frowns. “Did you notice anything odd about the other people in the hotel? The Doctor doesn’t usually think to check this, or at least the him I knew didn’t, but if someone’s faking it- or planning on-”

“Sorry,” interrupts Amy. “You knew a different regeneration of him?”

Sue her. It was practically an invitation to ask about Rose’s past with the Doctor. Amy knows they’re low on time, but she has a feeling that the key to this is getting more information.

“Two, actually,” says Rose, absently. She still looks thoughtful. “Or possibly there’s a clue in how they talk when they go crazy? Are they being controlled? Are they acting out of character? Or are they speaking of their own volition? Do they want it?”

“I dunno,” says Amy. “I mean, I haven’t really seen any of them being controlled. By the time we got here, Joe was already crazy-”

“No video footage?”

“No,” says Amy. “Listen- I need you to pay attention to me.”

Rose instantly turns to Amy, her gaze sharpening. “Yes?” Amy half expects her to finish with soldier?, but apparently Rose can still talk to civilians.

“I don’t have enough information,” says Amy. “You have to tell me: why are you in the Doctor’s room?”

Rose stares at her for a second. Then she frowns. “I don’t see why that matters.”

“It does,” insists Amy. “Look, I know you still have questions, but take my word for it: I don’t have any other information about the victims. The only other lead we have is the hotel itself, and you’re a primary source. So-”

She sits down on the bed and pats the coverlet next to her.

“What’s your story?”

Rose sits down next to her, slowly. She’s still staring at her.

“Well?” prompts Amy.

Rose sighs and looks up at the ceiling.

“I used to travel with him,” she says, slowly. “I- I got lost. I was trapped in a parallel universe for a few years. I got back in time to help him save the multiverse, and then he dumped me right back at-”

She sighs. Her voice had gotten louder, but she takes a deep breath and gets it back under control. Her posture stays relaxed, though - fallen from the military posture she’s had since her confrontation with the Doctor.

She’s Amy’s age. It’s an odd thing to realize, because she seemed so much older, like she’s on the Doctor’s level. But she looks about 21 or 22, maybe 25 at a stretch.

“I don’t think I’m his worst fear,” says Rose, eventually. “I mean- I don’t- I love him, you know, and he loves me, or at least he used to, enough to break all of his rules. And I think he might still-”

Her hands close over the coverlet.

“It isn’t me,” she says, after a pause, sounding sure of it. “It’s- I think he’s terrified of losing me, the way he already did. And not- I mean- he’s done it on purpose. He’s chosen to lose me three times, now, at least, and he does the same to everyone else. So it’s not just that. It’s-”

She hesitates. Amy finds herself feeling curious about what the answer is, and not just because it will help her understand something about her famously private best friend. There’s something intriguing about this woman who claims the Doctor likes her best, made sadder by the fact that he refuses to acknowledge who she is. She’s obviously unique in some sense, if she’s in his room, and she seems as real as any other-

She isn’t the real Rose, though, argues part of her brain, and Amy flushes in remembered shame. She’d listened to that voice when encountered by the Flesh clone of the Doctor, and then it turned out that Amy herself was a clone, too. She’s spent enough sleepless nights feeling guilty over her treatment of him - and her hypocrisy - to know better now.

Speaking of which, though: it’s odd that the Doctor didn’t make the connection, too. He’d been so insistent that the Flesh Doctor was real and everything. He’d make the same argument for this Rose, right?

Unless it isn’t about his principles. Which, okay, yeah, probably pretty obvious, but it’s still important. He’s denying that Rose is real for another reason.

What is it? It should have to do with his fear... right?

“How long did it take him to come here?” asks Rose, suddenly. “I mean, once he realized-”

Amy thinks back. “About four minutes.”

Rose nods. “There is is. It’s- he- he’s always going to do that, I think, and that’s what scares him. Once he knows he can see me, he’s going to, and damn the consequences.” She stops, and frowns. “Huh. I don’t think I understood him this well before.”

“But now you do?”

Why would the room’s creation have extra knowledge? Is it to somehow make them scarier?

“Yeah,” says Rose, frowning again. “I think- it’s because of his expectations. He imagines that I must know him pretty well by now, because of my husband.”

Amy decides they’ve gone far enough down the rabbit hole and doesn’t ask. “So you think his worst fear is you? But not you, specifically, but his dependence on you?”

“Yes,” says Rose.

“Because he has faith in you,” she says. “He always thinks you’re going to help him save the day.” It reminds Amy of Gibbis. When they’d left, he had been on his knees, praying to the god of benevolent conquerors or whatever.

And now that she’s thinking about it, the others had been doing similar things. Howie had been talking about the X-Files, or something, to reassure himself that problems like this are solvable. Rita had kept anxiously putting her hands next to each other, palms up, as if her subconscious had already started praying. The Doctor’s immediate running to Rose isn’t so unexpected, in retrospect.

“Yes,” says Rose.

Of course it makes sense. Religion exists to reassure people when they don’t know what’s going on (basically all the time, for everyone, but oh well). But if everyone copes in approximately the same way, and the victims all end up praising Him-

Could it be connected? Does the hotel want them to pray, or at least fall back on faith?

Why would something want that?, thinks Amy, and wanders back into her mental archive of Doctor-related conversations for an answer. He’d mentioned, once, something about something like-

Oh, yeah. He was telling her all of the times that the Earth was saved with no one the wiser - initially a ploy to show her the necessity of waking up early, somehow - but after about ten minutes he’d gotten quiet and said, “And then there was the Year That Never Was.”

Amy hadn’t had any idea of what he was talking about (which was expected, considering the conversation topic), but even she had heard the capital letters. “What?”

“The Earth was saved by a singular, spectacular woman,” the Doctor had said. “And the power of belief.”

Belief is powerful.

Amy blinks. Joe had just- he’d just dropped dead, like a string was cut. But if the power of his belief, all that kept him alive and kicking, had been seized, somehow...

“Rose,” she says. “I’m not very good at medicine, but I am very good at figuring out mysteries.”

“The Doctor only takes the best,” agrees Rose.

“Of course,” says Amy, even too distracted to make a joke, or possibly take a bow. “What if the hotel is harvesting their belief?”

Rose frowns. “What?”

Amy stands and turns to face her. “Think about it. The Doctor came straight to you because he has faith in you, right? The others who are still alive also turned to whatever they believe in. The hotel has to have planned on that. And before the victims died, they kept saying ‘Praise him’, like they were worshipping something.”

“So faith is involved. Obviously, if people are seeing what they fear the most.”

“Yes,” says Amy. “Obviously.” She uses air quotes. “Not everyone’s para-military, or whatever organization you come from, you know.”

She grins at Rose, to show there’s no hard feelings, and keeps talking. “But why show people their worst fears and cause that belief?”

“This could be a prison of some kind,” says Rose. “The Doctor’s no saint. I mean, you and your husband haven’t even been drawn to your rooms - if you were brought here by accident, just because they wanted him, it would make sense.”

Amy shakes her head. “I don’t think it is. Why would the people die, then?”

“Torture and then execution?”

“Stop poking holes in my theory!”

Rose smiles, holding her hands up in surrender. “I’m only playing devil’s advocate!”

“Sure,” says Amy, looking at her mock-doubtfully, before moving on. “Anyway, why would they keep saying ‘Praise him’?”

“That’s true.”

“And you’re right,” says Amy. “It’s just a theory. But the Doctor mentioned something about the power of belief, once, and how it saved the world. If it’s that powerful, can’t it be used as a- a power source, or something?”

Rose’s smile melts away. She’s left with an expression of regret and pain. She looks like she’s remembering something - that, and she just realized something about their current situation. “Yes,” she says, quietly. “That’s true.”

Amy’s curious, and anyway, they can’t do much else without getting the Doctor’s information. “Were you there? What happened?”

Rose takes a deep breath and looks away from her. “Someone took over the world with a paradox,” she says, quickly, “and trapped the Doctor, powerless, on an aircraft carrier, forcing him to watch as he wiped out the human race. His companion at the time - a medical student named Martha, smarter than he was, usually - walked the Earth, trying to stay alive and pass on his story, so that when the time came the concentrated power of our belief would free him and then paradox could be undone, destroying that timeline.”

She’s gone back to mission mode. Amy realizes she does it to take a mental step back from what she’s describing.

“Are you... are you from that timeline?” she asks. It would make sense for a tough military person like Rose to be from an apocalyptic Earth.

Rose shakes her head, grinning a little. “Nah. I’m from London, same as any other regular person. I was- I was travelling around on my own at the time, trying to find the Doctor, and I ran into Martha. I helped her out for a few weeks, kept watch while she slept so she would be alert enough for her stories. I slept while she told them. I didn’t think it was Earth - didn’t think something so horrible could happen to my planet - and the details she’d mentioned just made me miss the Doctor even more. If I’d stayed awake, I might have-”

She inhales sharply, then closes her eyes and exhales.

“It’s past that time now. But her stories must have worked. Which means- yes, your theory is definitely possible.”

“It depends on how the people died,” says Amy. “There must be some way to tell if their belief was somehow harvested. We’ll just have to wait for the Doctor to-”

On cue, the door bursts open.

-

to love what is mortal;

-

“Amy!” says the Doctor, striding inside. He closes the door behind him, smiling wide. “Rose Tyler!”

There’s something off about his eyes. Amy realizes she’s not sure how long it’s been since he went back to the others. How much time does he have left?

“Hi,” she says.

“Hello, Doctor,” says Rose. She smiles at the Doctor, but it’s muted. “Did you get back to the others?”

“Yes!” says the Doctor, looking thrilled. “We found out how they died! Well, I didn’t really, it was mostly Rory and Rita-”

Here we go, thinks Amy. She’s worried to death about this man, but can he please shut up for even five minutes at a time?

“-have I mentioned how incredible she is? Of course, Rory is great, but Rita’s only a few involuntary statements away from going crazy, and she’s never been off-planet or in a life-threatening situation before, and she’s solving mysteries about alien causes of death-”

Amy shoots him a look, crossing her arms. He clears his throat. “Anyways. Joe died of... Get this, Amy! Nothing was wrong with him.”

She frowns. She’s not a medical expert, but it seems-

She looks over at Rose, who shrugs.

“What?”

The Doctor flaps his hands excitedly. “Exactly! He just stopped functioning, like he ran out of energy, or something.”

Amy has to resist the ridiculous urge to smile. It’s a terrible situation, but she may just be right about what’s causing it, and she’s proud of her ability to figure these things out. “You mean if he’d had a protein shake, he’d still be alive?”

The Doctor shrugs. “Probably not. Rita said he’d mentioned eating about an hour before getting here, so he probably wasn’t hungry. Rory says - he’s got more experience with this sort of thing, Rose - it’s likely his energy was sucked out of him on purpose. Since Joe was acting so weird, he thinks whatever made him Joe was taken, somehow. If we truly have souls, taking them would kill us, pretty quickly. Rita’s seen heart attack victims at her hospital, and she says the symptoms are similar, and that it seems like defibrillation would’ve had a positive reaction, and it’s fascinating, really, I could-”

Amy turns to Rose, arms crossed. Without looking at him, she says to the Doctor, “So what you’re saying is that something sucked out their energy and possibly their soul for their own uses-”

Rose throws up her hands. She’s grinning, slightly, and Amy knows it’s only out of worry for the Doctor that she’s not full-out laughing. “Fine, Amy!”

The Doctor frowns at both of them, half upset at being interrupted and half at missing the joke. “What?”

“We’ve figured it out,” says Amy. “The last thing we needed was the medical evidence. The hotel is harvesting people’s energy, somehow.”

“Ah,” says the Doctor, the smile dropping off his face. “That- that would make sense.”

“Yeah,” says Amy, inclining her head at Rose. “Pretty obvious, in retrospect.”

“How- how would it do that?” asks the Doctor. He’s starting to look nervous, and it scares Amy. His real superpower is hiding his emotions: when he gets too anxious to do that, they’re really in trouble. “I can feel it coming. I’m not sure how, but it is. Keeping busy seems to help the others, but for me - the more frantic I get, the faster it comes.”

He shrugs, trying and failing to seem nonchalant as he looks away from them. “I suppose I’ll provide a lot of energy.”

Rose walks up to him, slowly, and puts her hand on his shoulder, facing away from Amy. It’s the first time she’s touched him this whole time, and Amy doesn’t miss the small tremor that runs through him.

She’s figured it out, Amy realizes. If they’re being killed by their faith, the Doctor-

“You will,” says Rose, quietly. Amy feels like she should turn around or something. He’s never like this with her - even when he’s sure they’re going to die, he’s manic and hopeful until the end. It’s Rose’s presence that’s made him this delicate, and it feels wrong that she’s watching.

She doesn’t turn away, though.

“You will provide a lot of energy. But not for the reason you’re thinking.”

The Doctor furrows his brow and looks at her.

“It’s belief, Doctor.”

He swallows, his Adam’s apple working. “What?”

“Showing people their worst fears makes them think of what they believe in,” says Rose. “When they focus on their belief, they have more energy, and that energy is easier to harness. You’ve done it before, although to a much smaller extent. Remember-”

“-Martha?” finishes the Doctor. He looks up, away from Rose’s face. “Of course I do. I could never for- I will always remember.”

“Good,” says Rose. “She deserves it. But- Doctor, you’re a prime candidate. Do you see why?”

The Doctor looks back to her face. Something must click, because the confused lines on his forehead clear. “Oh.”

“Yes,” says Rose. “You came- love, I’m sorry, but you came running straight to me. The source of your fear was your faith and the hotel only made you believe in me more and-”

“But I've seen a lot of this universe,” says the Doctor, quietly. It sounds like he’s quoting something. “I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, and out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in-”

“Stop it,” says Rose, her voice shaking. “Don’t do that.”

“I will always do this,” says the Doctor, his voice going faint with horror. His worst fear, thinks Amy. “I will always-”

“You need to stop it!” says Rose, her voice getting louder. She still sounds shaken. “It puts you in danger! You’re about to die, Doctor! You can’t keep running towards me when you spot the barest hint of a chance-”

The Doctor raises his voice to match her volume. “Tough luck, Rose Tyler!” he shouts. He steps backwards, away from her. “Because I will always need you! I need you enough that I saw you when I had to make the hardest choice of my lives! The only reason I was able to make that decision was because you were there. I hadn’t even met you yet, but the worst weapon my people had ever made knew that your face was its best chance to convince me not to commit geno-”

Rose takes her own step back. She shakes her head, like she understands what he’s saying but doesn’t want to believe him. “What?”

“Yes,” he says. “You were there.”

She turns around to look at Amy as if she can’t handle what he’s saying. Amy has no idea what he’s talking about, but she nods at her. Keep going. It’s a good, important thing she’s telling him - he seems unable to find closure for anyone he loses, just locks it up inside. If Rose can convince him to let go of her-

Rose turns back to the Doctor. “You didn’t need me,” she says. “You could have done it.”

“You don’t know that,” says the Doctor.

“Yes, I do,” she says. “I believe in you. You would have done it because it was the right thing to do, no matter how much it hurt you.”

The Doctor stays silent. Rose sighs. “Doctor, I mean it. You don’t need me. You need to let me go.”

“No,” he says. “My worst fear is the fact that I’ll always come running, and that I will never be able to do anything without you. But- Rose, I can’t just kick you out of my life. Ten tried. It didn’t go well for him, emotionally.”

“I’m not telling you to,” she says. “Lord knows, I never want you to forget about me, and I definitely don’t want you to repeat what he did. But you didn’t need me for this. Amy figured it all out on her own. All she asked me for was our history, and you could have given her that. Doctor-”

She sighs.

“You need closure. You’ve been doing just fine without me for so long, and this- this open wound, it can hurt you when you least expect it.”

It reminds Amy of times he’s frozen at the wrong moment, reminded of someone he’d lost centuries ago. Rose is right.

“Or someone could manipulate it,” says Rose. The Doctor looks hurt, like what she’s saying is a betrayal of everything he’s known about her. Amy isn’t sure if it’s the general betrayal of you’re making me deal with my emotions or if it’s a deeper issue. “You need to heal.”

The Doctor frowns at her, opening his mouth to argue before hesitating.

Oh, thinks Amy, realizing what’s happening. Rose is breaking his faith in her - and at the same time, his fear of her - in the most loving way she can manage, both by making him realize he needs to move on and making it easy for him to do so.

She’s probably been planning it since they figured out what was going on in this hotel. It’s why she’s looked so nervous - nervous and sad - this entire time.

It makes Amy want to cry. It’s a good thing, and the right thing to do, but it feels like the end of something that has defined him.

“Of course Amy figured it out,” says the Doctor, eventually. “Amy’s spectacular.” Warmth blooms in Amy’s chest, the way it always does when he compliments her.

Rose sighs.

He shrugs. “And that’s why I take companions. I can’t do this alone, Rose.”

“Of course,” she says. “But you don’t need me.”

“No. Not like I did. I got so used to needing you that when I stopped-”

He brushes a strand of Rose’s hair out of her eyes. She laughs a little. The sound is wet.

“You have a point,” he says. “About the letting-go thing. I suppose. I guess- I only need-”

With his hand still in her hair, he leans down and whispers something into her ear. When he pulls back, Rose is crying, fully and openly, loud enough that even Amy can hear it.

“Do you think that’ll do it?” she says, eventually. “Is that- is that all you needed to tell me?”

The Doctor looks down, taking Rose’s hands in his own. “Just this more,” he says. “I will always miss you. I will never forget.”

“Good,” she says. “I’m sure the real me knows that too.”

Then she reaches up and flattens his hair. “Go on, then,” she says. “Go fix this. Save the others and get out of here.”

“Will do,” says the Doctor, smiling at her one last time. He grabs Amy’s hand on the way out.

Just before they leave the room, Amy glances back. Rose is smiling at them, still crying. As Amy watches, she wipes her eyes, winks at them, and then closes the door behind them.

-

to hold it

 against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

-

Later, in the TARDIS, after they’ve set the Minotaur free (via death) and taken everyone home (all alive), Amy walks into the library holding a steaming cup of tea. She’s in her pajamas and looking forward to a book - a common late-night custom of hers, when Rory has already gone to sleep and she’s waiting for her internal clock to realize the hour - and is surprised to find the Doctor sitting on the couch. He almost never goes into the library.

“Hey,” she says, sitting on the loveseat, adjacent to him. “I never see you here.”

“Yes, well,” he says, closing his book. It’s an old, dog-eared copy of Pride and Prejudice. “Rose and I used to spend almost every evening in here. I thought- I thought it would be fitting to come back. Make some new memories, and all.”

“Yeah,” she says, reaching out to grab his book. He doesn’t stop her, so she flips open to the cover page.

Rose Tyler is written in the top left corner. Amy traces the loops of the letters and looks back up at the Doctor, who’s watching her with a fond smile.

“Tell me about her,” she says. Now that they’re finally out of danger, she can finally ask all the questions she wants without having to relate them back to the mystery. “She wasn’t always military, was she? What was she like?”

“Oh, Amy,” says the Doctor. He grins at her. “She was wonderful.”

-

and, when the time comes to let it

go,

to let it go.

[nerdypinupcrystal]

Every Breath You Take Chapter 7: Reach Out, I’ll Be There

Hiiii guys! Sorry for the long ass wait! School was kicking my ass, but I’m on summer break for a month now so YAY! And I’m back with a nice long chapter for you and man are you guys in for a ride! Btw thank you @hufflebucky for the beautiful moodboard! I love it so much! And thank you @probably-a-velociraptor for the certain line you mentioned in your ask that I just had to put in here! You know which one I’m talking about ;) Without further delay....enjoy!

Masterlist

Chapter 7: Reach Out, I’ll Be There

The men of Nelson & Murdock were both on missions today. While Matt was following Iris to make sure she was safe, Foggy took that opportunity to stop by Sweet Heaven to see a certain stunning brunette he might or might not have already told his mom about.

Foggy Nelson has done his fair share of chasing after women he was attracted to throughout his life, though admittedly not all of those times were successful since beautiful women seemed to flock towards Matt instead. But the moment he laid eyes on Lucy Addams, all those memories of women he chased in the past had erased from his mind. He only had eyes for Lucy, and it appeared the feeling was mutual.

He couldn’t even begin to explain this feeling he had in his heart that was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Why so sudden for someone he just met? Love at first sight couldn’t possibly exist, right? And with that, Foggy’s heart argued, Why the hell not? Would that really be so wrong?

Whether or not it was love or just attraction, Foggy was determined to get to know the dark haired goddess who runs the adorable bakery that’s quickly becoming his favorite spot.  

Which has lead to the present moment where Foggy was currently standing outside of the bakery, seeing the woman of his dreams handing out cupcakes to a couple of excited little kids while their parents paid. Seeing her interact with the kids with a genuine glowing smile on her face made the butterflies in Foggy’s stomach flutter like crazy.

As if feeling his eyes on her, Lucy’s eyes shifted until they met his through the window. Her grey eyes brightened to greyish blue as she brightly grinned at him and waved for him to come in.  Foggy couldn’t contain the grin on his face that shined brighter than the sun as his cheeks flushed into a rosy pink.  Foggy quickly pulled out his phone to leave Matt a message telling him to meet him at the bakery to talk about a potential client instead of the office. He smoothed back his hair and straightened his tie before entering the bakery to see about a girl.

2 Hours Later

The bakery was empty aside from Foggy and Lucy currently occupying one of the small tables. There laid two half empty porcelain mugs of coffee and hot chocolate as well as an array of different pastries and cakes for Foggy to “sample”, only for him to split between them, always giving Lucy the bigger half.

But those desserts were ignored as the two occupants only had their attention focused on each other, the song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli playing appropriately in the background.

“What’s your favorite show?” Lucy asked with eager curiosity as she leaned closer to him with a dreamy gaze in her eyes.

Without missing a beat, Foggy replied “I Love Lucy.” It took him a second to snap out of his daze to realize how that might sound. “I mean, not because it’s your name,” he cleared his throat, his face flushing tomato red. “It’s just a great show! My mom had me watch it with her growing up, you’d love her by the way, I already told her about you- I mean, it’s a funny show!” Foggy was trying so hard to save face, he didn’t realize he was babbling.

The melodic sound of Lucy’s giggles stopped him from babbling any further. Foggy felt incredibly embarrassed by his word vomit, but all Lucy did was smile.

“You’re really cute when you get all flustered.” She told him, causing him to blush even harder. “And I love that show. She’s hilarious! And by the way…” She trailed off as she leaned toward him even closer. “I would love to meet your mother, since she’s raised such a fine young man.” She gave a flirtatious wink.

I love you baby And if it's quite alright I need you baby To warm the lonely nights I love you baby Trust in me when I say

Oh pretty baby Don't bring me down I pray Oh pretty baby Now that I've found you stay And let me love you, baby Let me love you

Foggy’s heart raced as the song declared everything he was already dying to say. He took a big gulp of his warm coffee before quickly asking her, “So what’s your favorite show?”

“The Addams Family.” Lucy replied with a smile.

“Really?” Foggy asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

She gingerly nodded. “Yep! I’ve always loved the dark, creepy and kooky stuff. And since my last name also happens to be Addams, I always imagined that I was related to them.” Lucy’s cheeks turned into a light rosy pink. “I love The Munsters too, but Addams Family has always had a special place in my heart.” Lucy’s eyes locked with Foggy as she reached for his hand before she continued, “Plus, I’ve always dreamed of having a love like Gomez and Morticia.”

Oh god, me too. Please let me be your Gomez! Foggy thought.

Before he could respond, however, the bell rang as the door opened. Foggy turned to see who rudely interrupted his time with Lucy, only to see Matt enter the bakery.

“Matt, so nice of you to join us.” Foggy greeted, his mood dampening slightly.

“Don’t sound too excited to see me, Foggy.” Matt sarcastically replied as he took the seat Lucy led him to at their table.

Foggy could see how visibly tense his friend was as he took a good look at him. His body was straight and tiff from tension, his fists tightening then loosening up. Foggy looked closer at Matt’s fists, noticing the knuckles were red with angry scrapes from punching something...or someone.

“Holy shit, Matt! Did you get in a fight?” Foggy exclaimed in concern.  Lucy saw Matt’s fists and rushed to the back room.

“No, I didn’t get in a fight.” Matt replied through clenched teeth. “I just needed to blow off some steam, and the punching bag was the best option.”

“Well I’m glad it’s just a punching bag and not a person.” Lucy said as she returned to the table with a first aid kit. “It’s a little too early in the day for you to be doing your Daredevil thing.”

Matt’s stomach dropped at Lucy’s words. His fists clenched even tighter as he addressed his best friend. “Foggy?”

“What?” Foggy shrugged defensively. “I can’t start a relationship based on lies! Besides, she’s cool. We can trust her.”

“What the fuck, Foggy?!” Matt snapped, thankful that the bakery was still empty. “You told a dangerous secret to some woman you just met?!” Lucy’s grip tightened on Matt’s hand as she continued treating it. “No offense, Lucy.”  He muttered apologetically.

Foggy, on the other hand, took great offense to Matt. “First of all, watch your language in front of this beautiful lady,” He angrily pointed out. “Second, we may have ‘just met’, but I’ve already named our future children!  And I know for a fact that Foggy Jr. and Lucy Jr. would appreciate total honesty in this family!” He finished with a pound of his fist atop the table.

The bakery went silent. Matt’s lips twitched while he tried to keep his angered expression. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t meant to last as he let out and amused snort.

Lucy didn’t bother hiding her giggles, she found the blonde teddy bear so adorable and endearing.

Foggy looked confused as to what was so funny. “What?”

Matt couldn’t hold it in anymore, he let out a belly laugh, “Foggy, you make it really hard to stay mad at you.”

Foggy still looked clueless until Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder affectionately, still giggling, “Foggy, you are too precious for words, but let’s hold off on baby names until we’ve had our first date at least.” She finishes with a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush into a bright tomato.

Before Foggy could think of how to respond, the bell chimed as a few customers entered the bakery. Lucy quickly rose from her seat to assist the customers, her fingers softly grazed through Foggy’s blonde hair as she passed by.

Matt smiled, knowing his best friend kept his “heart eyes” (as Iris called them) on the enchanting baker that’s captured his heart.

“You must really like her a lot if you trust her with this kind of information.” Matt spoke quietly, sounding more calm and understanding.

Foggy’s eyes turned downcast in guilt before facing Matt again. “I’m really sorry, Matt. You know I wouldn’t announce it to the world, or tell just anyone.”

He paused to gaze at Lucy, who was chatting with a middle aged couple while showing them her delicious creations. He felt his heart practically dancing when her eyes shifted towards him and she gave a blushing radiant smile.

“I’m in love with her.”  Foggy continued softly, not realizing he voiced his feelings out loud; his eyes still on Lucy. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, man. I know it’s crazy and it’s sudden, I mean we’d only met yesterday! But the moment I saw her, it just hit me like I got punched with lightning or something. I know this feeling I have is real. I mean, sometimes you just know as soon as it hits you, you know?”

“Yeah.” Matt softly replied in complete understanding. “I know exactly how you feel.”

Foggy’s eyes widened as he snapped out of his love daze. “Oh shit, how is Iris? Is she okay?!” Foggy didn’t notice his voice had raised in alarm, catching the attention of the two remaining customers in the bakery.

“I would also like to know how Iris is doing, Matt.” Lucy chimed in as she walked towards the middle aged couple to deliver their treats.

Matt hesitated, “It’s...a little personal. Actually it’s extremely personal...and..disturbing.”  He finished with a strained angry grimace.

Foggy’s eyes narrowed in concern as he leaned towards his friend. “What’s wrong? She is in trouble, isn’t she?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

Lucy rushed to their table and yanked back the chair next to Foggy to take a seat. “What’s going on with my best friend, Matt?” She asked, sounding more serious and intimidating than either of the two men have heard yet.

Matt, while touched by their concern, was still hesitant. “I don’t know if I should really say. It’s bad enough that I know when she hasn’t actually told me herself. It’s..” Matt felt his throat tighten and his eyes dampen at how painful it was to hear everything Iris had said. “It’s horrible.”

Foggy and Lucy stiffened at Matt’s words, trying to imagine what it was that Matt knew.

“Matt, we care about Iris, too.” Lucy replied.

Foggy fervently agreed. “Seriously, man. I’ve only known Iris for a day and a half, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself!”

Foggy didn’t realize how loud his voice carried until he heard how silent the bakery got. The middle aged couple clearly heard Foggy’s passionate statement, because without a second thought, they jumped out of their seats and bolted out the door.

Matt, Foggy and Lucy were alone once more.

Foggy bashfully asked, “Do you think they heard me?”

Matt’s eyebrows raised in perplexity while Lucy let out a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, sweetie. I think they did.” She said with a pat on his head.

Foggy shrugged, “Well, I said what I said. But that’s not important right now.” He leaned towards Matt once more. “Please tell us. We want to help Iris, too.”  

Matt sat quietly, contemplating his decision before faintly replying, “Okay.”

Iris

Claire’s impromptu checkup was relatively quick and painless. I cringed at her sympathetic gaze as she examined all the bruises and scars on my body, I felt embarrassed that she saw the extent of what he had done to me. She was considerate enough to not dwell on it, for now anyway. She did, however, diagnose the bruised ribs I didn’t realize I had. That explains why that hideous bruise on my torso hasn’t healed yet. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about that, except to take it easy and let it heal naturally, which will apparently take six weeks at the most.

After the exam was over, Claire gave me a prescription for some pain relief and antibiotics, as well as demanding I get some sleep.

After promising Claire I would rest on the condition that she stopped by the bakery for any treat on the house, I hugged her goodbye and exited the hospital.

I still wasn’t ready to go home yet. Not only out of fear of the lingering nightmares, but also out of fear of facing Matt. Despite Claire’s reassuring words, I still felt doubtful about whether or not he’ll want anything to do with me.  I still can’t get over the crushed look on his face when I walked away from him.  But maybe Claire’s right. I should just swallow my pride and talk to him. I owe him that much.

I snapped out of my inner thoughts and paused in my aimless wandering when I heard music in the air. I turned to the right of me, in the direction the music came from, and saw the tall building with the red neon sign in the shape of a guitar that read Guitar Center.

My fingers twitched with an aching need that I’ve repressed for far too long, my feet made the decision for me and led me inside the music store.

A wave of euphoria flowed through me as I took in the view of various instruments as far as the eye can see.  The sound of live instruments playing sounding more and more prominent.

I walked further into the store towards the music until I found a small group of three guys and a young woman just lounging around. They all had a unique style, mix of rock & roll edge with a wild and colorful bohemian flair. The choices of instruments were oddly mismatched. The woman, who had a rockabilly style black and pink polka dot wiggle dress, was on her feet playing an upright bass, one guy was playing the violin, the second was playing an acoustic guitar, and the third guy sat on the floor playing a tambourine with drum sticks like it was a mini drum set. This was such an odd and fascinating mix of musicians, I couldn’t help but be drawn to them.

My eyes drifted past them and landed on a beautiful red upright piano. My fingers twitched with the urge to play. Should I? It’s been so long since I’ve touched a piano, I was afraid that I would be so rusty that I really would sound as mediocre as he always said I did.

Well He was an asshole who didn’t want you to enjoy anything that didn’t involve him. Play the damn piano. It’s been too long since we’ve done anything we were passionate about. We deserve this. You deserve this!

My feet obeyed my thoughts quicker than I did as I now found myself seated in front of the piano. I barely noticed the quirky musicians go quiet next to me, all I could really hear was my heartbeat thumping in my ears. My hands trembled as I delicately caressed the keys, saying hello to an old friend.

Without any more hesitation, my muscle memory kicked in as I played the beginning notes of the first song my mom taught me. I started slowly at first, then my fingers sped up as the song began to build up. I could faintly hear the jingles of the tambourine, and it was quickly followed by the instruments of the musicians next to me. One of the musicians started singing, the lyrics confirming that they were playing my song alongside me.

She comes in colors everywhere

She combs her hair

She's like a rainbow

Coming, colors in the air

Oh, everywhere

She comes in colors

I looked over my shoulder towards the quirky group. The man with the guitar, who had his long hair tied back and wore a red Hawaiian shirt with black jean, met my eyes and nodded with a smile, signaling me to continue playing.  

My heart was dancing as I played on, my confidence growing more and more. I didn’t even bother holding back the beaming smile from my face, as I played the music box-sounding notes on the keys. My eyes began to mist from the pure joy of doing something I thought I’d never be allowed to do again.  I continued playing, with an energy and passion that have waited years to be reawakened.

Have you seen her dressed in blue?

See the sky in front of you

And her face is like a sail

Speck of white so fair and pale

Have you seen a lady fairer?

She comes in colors everywhere

She combs her hair

She's like a rainbow

Coming, colors in the air

Oh, everywhere

She comes in colors

Oh how I wish Mom was here with me, she would’ve loved to hear me play her favorite song again.

Have you seen her all in gold?

Like a queen in days of old

She shoots colors all around

Like a sunset going down

Have you seen a lady fairer?

She comes in colors everywhere

She combs her hair

She's like a rainbow

Coming, colors in the air

Oh, everywhere

She comes in colors

I wish Matt was here too. Would he like hearing me play? Would he say he loved it? Would he ask me to play more? Would he want to sit beside me as I played? Oh how I wished I knew for sure.

She's like a rainbow

Coming, colors in the air

Oh, everywhere

She comes in colors

The room went quiet as the final notes faded in the air. The quiet didn’t last long, though, as a few patrons of the store had started applauding; I didn’t even realize we had actually drawn an audience.  My face heated up, my cheeks flushed bright red amongst my pale skin. It’s been so long since I’ve played in front of everyone, I forgot how amazing it felt to get a positive response.

The musicians that accompanied me nodded with approval at me, and that simple gesture warmed my heart with a sense of belonging.

The tambourine man, who wore heavy eyeliner and a wildly colorful abstract shirt with leather pants, stood up to sit next to me on the bench and eagerly asked, “Play us another song, darling?”

I hesitated for a second, not used to getting such a request. “I’m not sure what you would like to hear.” I replied meekly.

“Anything you want.” The violinist replied. He wore black and white striped pants with a fitted pink and blue paisley buttoned shirt topped with a black bow tie and a black vest. “Just start playing and we’ll follow along.”

My brows furrowed in concern, “What if you don’t know the song?”

“We don’t need to,” The guitarist spoke up. “We just let the music guide us through.”

The pinup bassist sweetly chimed in, “That’s how we always play, so don’t even worry about that, dollface. Play us something.”

I took a second to think over what other songs I knew before I started playing with my musical acquaintances for the next couple of hours.

After we were done playing together in the music store, my new friends dragged me along with them to an indie record store that also had a small cafe inside.

I easily lost track of time, I was too caught up in my new friends; the sun had already set by the time we had all parted ways. I left the record store with a bag full of new CDs, a chocolate chip muffin for the walk home, four new phone numbers added on my phone, and a smile of contentment on my face.

Claire was right. I wasn’t alone in this anymore. I don’t have to be.

My thoughts drifted back to Matt. The thought of telling him the truth terrified me still. I want so badly to let him in, but I can’t help but let that shred of doubt nudge it’s way into my mind.

Can he accept me completely? Will he judge me for what I’ve done? Will he hate me for lying? Or will he still want to help me?

I was too lost in my thoughts, I wasn’t alert enough to notice I was being watched, and also being followed.

I felt a hand grab my arm in a painful grip as I was yanked into a dark alley, a second hand covered my mouth before I had a chance to scream for help.

Oh god. He found me! How the hell did he find me?! He’s gonna kill me before I can even tell Matt how sorry I am. I didn’t even get to see Mom. I wish I had actually spoken to her-

My thoughts were cut off when an unfamiliar voice growled from my captor. “Give me your money now, and you won’t get hurt.”

Oh thank god, it’s only a mugger! My body sagged in relief.

The man then held a knife against my throat, causing me to stiffen up again. Oh shit, it’s a mugger!

I started to panic as I struggled to get out of his grasp, biting hard into his hand in the process.

The mugger growled in anger as he moved his now free hand into my hair, yanking it to the point where I feared it would be pulled out of my scalp.

“You fuckin bitch!” He sneered as he shoved my face against the wall.

I was hyperventilating at this point, unable to hold back the tears that flowed down my face. “Please let me go! I don’t have any money!” I pleaded desperately.

The mugger then pressed himself against my back, pressing his groin into my back.

“Then I’m just gonna have to get something else from you, huh?” He replied as he licked my ear, my body shivered in fear and disgust.

Then suddenly the pressure from his body was lifted abruptly as he was pulled off me and thrown against the wall.

I quickly turned around and was staring in stunned silence as I saw my mugger getting his ass handed to him by a mysterious man dressed in head to toe black. The man in black moved with speed and grace as he punched and kicked the mugger around like a ninja. The mugger tried to get some hits in, but he never stood a chance. The man in black hurled him against the wall, landing a foot away from me.

I shrieked in surprise as the mugger grabbed my ankle.  I kicked and stomped repeatedly on his wrist, but he wouldn’t budge. The man in black rushed to my aid and pulled the mugger away from me. He let out a growl of anger as he threw him against the opposite wall.

“Keep your hands off of her!” The man in black threatened, his voice low and deep with rage, sending thrilling shivers down my spine.

He knocked the mugger out with one last anger-fueled punch, causing said mugger to collapse like a jenga tower.  He squatted down towards the mugger and proceeded to restrain his hands and feet, causing the mugger to start twitching back into consciousness, prompting the man in black to deliver one more knockout punch to the face.

My breathing slowed down as he stood up and turned to face me. My heart started to beat faster as he started walking tentatively towards me.  I took in his full appearance before me.  He stood almost a foot taller than me, his fitted black outfit did nothing to hide his muscular build that my eyes struggled to stray from.  The top half of his face was covered by the thick black fabric that tied around his head, leaving the bottom half visible; which of course drew my attention to those perfect full lips of his.  

Perfect full lips that started speaking.

“Are you okay?” His deep voice was gentle with concern.

I shakily nodded, taking a deep breath as I replied. “I am, thanks to you.”

He tilted his head as his hand reached toward the side of my face that had been shoved against the wall.  Even though his hand was gloved in thick material, my cheek came alive with a spark of electricity at his gentle touch.

“Are you hurt?” He asked with genuine concern.

My heart skipped a beat as his kindness reminded me of a certain neighbor, causing my eyes to water. “No, I’m fine.” I replied.

His head tilted once more as he asked with uncertainty. “Are you sure? He made you hit that wall pretty hard.” His thumb gave gentle feather light caresses across my newly bruised cheek.

I gave a shrug and replied tensely, “I’ve had worse.”

His whole body stiffened at my answer, he was close enough for me to hear him grind his teeth. I could just barely hear him mutter angrily under his breath, “I know.”

My brows wrinkled in confusion at what he could have meant by that. Before I could question him, though, he slowly began to step away from me, his lingering fingers grazing my cheek until he dropped his hand completely.

“You should go home.” He declared when he stood an extra couple feet away from me. “And be careful. The city’s dangerous at this time of night.”

“Okay.” I readily agreed. He started to turn around to walk away, prompting me to call out, “Hey!”

He abruptly stopped in his tracks, tilting his head once more to patiently listen.  

“Thank you.  You saved my life.” I finished, my voice heavy with gratitude.

I could just barely see the side of his mouth rise into a small smile as he replied, “You’re welcome. Please be safe.”

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows.  I didn’t waste another second to bolt out of the alley and rush home.

I finally made it back to the familiar apartment building and didn’t stop running until I made it safely inside the elevator.  Now that I had stopped and taken a breath, I began to feel the lead weight my legs had become; along with the exhaustion from lack of sleep and the series of events from this long day hitting me all at once. I definitely needed to go to sleep.

I got off the elevator on my floor and tiredly stumbled to my door. Before I unlocked it, I turned my attention towards Matt’s apartment. My run in with the mugger gave me a serious wake up call. I can’t keep wasting time being miserable and alone like this. I need to talk to Matt and tell him the truth, or forever wish I did. But not tonight. Not when I already felt dead on my feet. Tomorrow. I’ll tell him first thing tomorrow.

With my decision set in my mind, I entered my apartment and locked the door before I stumbled to my bed and finally succumbed to sleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling far more rested than the day before. I slept so heavily, I couldn’t even remember if I dreamed, much to my relief. I got up to brush my teeth and get dressed for the day, but not before texting Lucy to let her know I needed an extra day off, which she happily replied was no problem at all.

I could feel my stomach twist and tangle in anxiety at how this conversation with Matt can possibly turn out; I was ready to throw up. I was determined, but still terrified to tell him everything. I hate how scared I am about this. Matt has been nothing but sweet to me, I should feel comfortable enough to talk to him. But with the way I’ve acted towards him, and the weight of my secret, will he even want anything to do with me again?

My thoughts were interrupted by music playing muffled through the wall connecting my apartment to Matt’s. It was the beginning notes to The Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There”, as if he knew what was going through my mind

Now if you feel that you can't go on (can't go on)

Because all of your hope is gone (all your hope is gone)

And your life is filled with much confusion (much confusion)

Until happiness is just an illusion (happiness is just an illusion)

And your world around is crumbling down, darlin'

(Reach out) Come on girl reach on out for me

(Reach out) Reach out for me

Hah, I'll be there with a love that will shelter you

I'll be there with a love that will see you through

My eye started tearing up again as I paid attention to the lyrics. Was Matt trying to tell me something through this song, or am I just reading too much into it?

When you feel lost and about to give up (to give up)

'Cause your best just ain't good enough (just ain't good enough)

And your feel the world has grown cold (has grown cold)

And your drifting out all on your own (drifting out on your own)

And you need a hand to hold, darlin'

(Reach out) Come on girl, reach out for me

(Reach out) Reach out for me

Hah, I'll be there to love and comfort you

And I'll be there to cherish and care for you

(I'll be there to always see you through)

(I'll be there to love and comfort you)

My heart was beating uncontrollably, my skin riddled with goosebumps. Matt doesn’t usually play music out loud, and now he plays this song. He was definitely telling me something, and the song couldn’t spell it out anymore clearly.

I can tell the way you hang your head (hang your head)

You're not in love now, now you're afraid (you're afraid)

And through your tears you look around (look around)

But there's no peace of mind to be found (no peace of mind to be found)

I know what your thinking

You're a loner, no love of your own, but darling

(Reach out) Come on girl reach out for me

Reach out, just look over your shoulder

I'll be there to give you all the love you need

And I'll be there you can always depend on me

I'll be there

Don’t worry

More determined than ever, I finished getting dressed and bolted out the door, and walked straight to Matt’s door.

My palms began to sweat, but I forced myself to stay strong as I rose my hand up and knocked on the door. The footsteps I could hear coming towards the other side of the door matched the heavy heartbeat within my chest.  The door opened revealing Matt, dressed in grey sweatpants with the ends tucked into his grey tube socks, a navy blue hoodie zipped up but revealing a peak of a white t-shirt, his hair combed back and slightly wet from the shower he must’ve just taken; and for the first time since I’ve met him, his eyes were free of his usual red sunglasses, revealing his deep soulful brown eyes. He looked more beautiful than ever, and it simply took my breath away.

“Hi, Matt.” I spoke before I lost my nerve, keeping my focus on the task at hand.

Matt’s perfect lips rose in a soft and sweet smile. “Hi, Iris. Are you okay?” He asked, being the sweet gentleman he is.

“Yeah, I’m-” I started to automatically say before I cut myself off. Honesty. I have to start with honesty. I took a deep breath before I continued meekly, “No. I’m actually not okay. I haven’t been for a long time.”

Matt frowned in concern and sympathy. I spoke up once more, “That’s actually why I came to see you. Can we talk? I mean, if I’m not taking up your time of course. I can always come back later if this isn’t a good time.”

Matt rushed to respond before I considered backing off, “You’re not taking up my time, I’d love to talk to you. Please come in.” He opened his door wider to welcome me inside.

I stepped inside the apartment for the first time and noticed the space was almost identical to mine in terms of size, minimal amount of furniture as well.

“Would you like anything to drink?” Matt asked, being a gracious host. “I don’t have much except for beer and water, or I can make some coffee if you’d like.”

I shook my head with a smile, “No thank you, I’m fine.”

He then directed me towards the couch in the center of the room and took a seat with enough space apart to face each other. My hands started shaking as I tried to figure out what to say first. I decided the best to start with was an apology.

“I’m sorry.” I began as I shifted to face him. “For yesterday. The way I acted was inexcusable.”

Matt shook his head, “You don’t have to apologize, Iris.”

I fervently replied, “Yes I do. You’ve been nothing but kind and gentle to me, and I’ve been so terrible in comparison. You were so concerned about me and wanted to help me, and I repaid you by pushing you away and being so rude to you. You deserved better than that, and I’m so sorry, I’d understand if you didn’t want anything to do with me ever again. I wouldn’t want anything to do with me either-”

“Iris, stop.” He cut me off as he grabbed my hands in comfort. “I hate hearing you degrade yourself like that. You’re not a bad person. You’re a sweet and wonderful person, who has clearly been through something painful. And as long as you’ll let me, I’d really like to stay by your side more and help you in any way I can.”

My fingers gripped tightly to his hands, my eyes powerless to keep the oncoming tears at bay.  

I took another deep breath before I finally got to the point. “You were right.” I started. “I am in trouble. I did go through something painful. I…”

Matt squeezed my hands slightly tighter in reassurance. “It’s okay, you can tell me.” He spoke with the utmost gentleness.

I used that bit of encouragement to finally reach the point of no return.

“His name is Paul.”  Matt cocked his head in curiosity before I continued.

“My husband.” There it is. No turning back now. “He was hurting me. All the time.” My throat began to tighten at the memories. “At first he was so charming, sweet, loving. I thought he was so handsome and mysterious. He swept me off my feet instantly. Always doting on me, gave me gifts. I never really cared that he had money though, I just cared that he made me feel so loved, like I was all that mattered. When Mom had her stroke, I was devastated. It was just her and me, she was the only family I had left and I didn’t know how to take care of her. I was 20 years old, working minimum wage, I had no idea what to do. And Paul came in like a knight in shining armor. He paid for Mom to stay in one of the best nursing homes, he proposed to me and promised to move her in with us and provide a nurse to help me take care of her. He promised to make me so happy and loved.” I let out a scoff at my naïveté from back then. “I believed him of course. I married him in this big, expensive, show off ceremony he insisted we had to have. I was so in love and stupidly happy. I thought, ‘Life couldn’t possibly get any more perfect.’ And it didn’t.”

I looked away from Matt with a frown as I delved even further into the worst years of my life. “As soon as we came back from our honeymoon, everything changed. He had little obsessive compulsive quirks I didn’t know about before. The towels always had to hang perfectly neat and even on the rack. The cans in the cupboard had to be stacked neatly with the labels facing out. The house had to be completely spotless. The table had to be set appropriately. I learned the hard way how much he hated rules being forgotten.”

Matt’s body tensed up and his hands started shaking over mine. I continued further. “You could probably guess that he never followed through on his promise to move my mom in with us. His reasoning was that he loved me so much that he wanted to keep me all for himself.” I shook my head in disgust. “That’s also the reason we never had kids. He hates kids and hates the idea of someone stealing my attention away from him even worse. He got a vasectomy a month before we got married.” I cleared my throat to swallow down the lump of tears in my throat. “He took away my mom, my chance of being a mom, my music, my spirit. It didn’t take much to set him off and punish me as he saw fit. I was dying in there. He had been killing me slowly for three years.”

Matt’s voice cracked as he finally spoke up. “Oh god Iris, I’m so sorry.” He shifted a hand to intertwine our fingers together. “How did you get out of there?”

I knew he would ask me that.  This was the part I dreaded. “I tried calling the police. A lawyer too. They were no help whatsoever. The best they offered was a restraining order. As if that would keep him away.  I realized the only one who could help me was me. So I made the necessary arrangements I needed to make, and I escaped.”

Matt looked skeptical like he knew I wasn’t elaborating enough. “Is he looking for you?”

I shook my head, “No. He couldn’t possibly be looking for me. He has no idea what I did.”

His face scrunched in confusion. “That doesn’t make sense. How could he not be looking for you?  How could he not know you left?”

My heart was beating rapidly as I took a deeper breath and replied.

“Because he thinks I’m dead.”

A/N: Annnnd that’s chapter 7! Chapter 8 will come A LOT SOONER this time around and it’s gonna be a flashback chapter.  It’s gonna be rough, so be ready. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I hope it was worth the wait.  PLEASE comment what you thought of the chapter and reblog, be sure to follow me and hit me up if you wanna get on the taglist.  Thanks for your patience, I love you all! Until next time...*kiss noise*

Taglist:

@jobean12-blog @cametobuyplums @tomhollandeu @emilymarie0422 @lullabylike

[the-shadow-of-atlantis]

Part of the Team

Summary: Annabella decides to sneak off and meet the new team.

Tagging: @lizartgurl @melyaliz @coffee-randomness @gobydana @keanureevesislesbian @speedypan

A/N Maia Bailey belongs to @royslittleharper and Lucy Martinez belongs to @coffee-randomness

Part 1

“I hear someone in the kitchen.” Said Superboy as they neared the end of their tour of the Mountain.

Everyone ran to see who the intruder was only to become confused when they spotted a girl in a black hoodie and sunglasses that matched Robins sitting on the kitchen counter. A tray of cookies was placed beside her and Robin groaned when he saw her.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“You know her?” M’gann asked staring curiously at the girl.

“Yeah,” Robin mumbled. “She’s my sister.”

“Come on don’t be such a dick.” The girl said earning a glare from the boy wonder and Wally snickered beside him.

“I was unaware Batman had another sidekick.” Said Aqualad as he stared at the girl curiously like M’gann.

“Oh, I’m not a sidekick, just his daughter.” The girl clarified as she smiled shyly.

“If you're not a sidekick, how did you get in?” Superboy asked noticing how the cave never announced her arrival.

“Again Batmans daughter, I can get in anywhere. Anywho I just got home and imagine my surprise when I found out that my idiot brother almost got himself killed and formed his own super team.” The girl hopped off the counter and was glaring up at Robin.

“Keyword being almost,” Robin smirked and the girl rolled her eyes and turned to face Wally.

“And you're supposed to be the smart one!” She smacked his arm.

“Nice to see you to Bells.” Wally smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Bells, is that your name?” M’gann asked cheerily.

“More of a nickname.” Bells tried to keep a straight face as Robin continued to glare at them.

“Batman forbids them from revealing their true identity,” Wally whispered to M’gann.

“Oh, by the way, did you make the cookies?” Bells asked as she pulled one out from her pocket. “They're pretty good except they almost got burned. Always good to set a timer.”

“Thank you. I’ll remember that next time.”

“It was sweet of you to make any at all,” Aqualad spoke.

“Thank you, Aqualad.”

“We’re off duty. Call me Kaldur’ahm. Actually, my friends call me Kaldur.”

“I’m Wally.” He waved as he dug a cookie from Bell’s pocket earning him a slap. “See I totally trust you with my secret ID.”

“Doesn’t count if Kaldur beat you to the punch.” Bells snickered.

“Mines no secret. It’s  M’gann M’rozz. But, you can call me Megan. It’s an earth name, and I’m on earth now.”

Superboy began to walk away but then Bells felt him tense and then anger flowed off of him making her feel a bit dizzy.

“Get out of my head!” He shouted causing her to flinch and Wally to hold on to her arm.

He was about to ask if she was okay when they felt the voice in their heads.

What’s wrong? I don’t understand. Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically.

“M’gann stop,” Kaldur ordered and Bells felt Wally nudge her as if asking if she was okay. “Things are different on Earth. Here your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy.”

Bells gave Wally a reassuring nod as she straightens up.

“Besides, Cadmus’ creepy little psychic genomes left a bad taste in his brain.” Wally continued.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“Just stay out.” Superboy gritted out.

Everyone stood around awkwardly as he took a seat at the couch.

“Hello, Megan. I know what we can do.” M’gann perked up.

Everyone shrugged and followed her. Bells took the opportunity to jump on her brothers back.

“Is he always that… moody?” She asked as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah pretty much.” Said Wally.

Looking over at Kaldur, Bells hopped off her bother and went to walk over to him. Noticing that M’gann and Connor caught up and M’gann began to lead the way.

“Hi.” Bells said to Kaldur.

“Hello.” Kaldur turned and gave her a small smile.

“Is it true you have gills?” Bells asked excitedly glancing at his covered neck.

“Um yes,” Kaldur said shyly.

“Can I see them?” Bells asked still trying to sneak a peek.

Kaldur paused and looked at her stunned, Bells sensed his uneasiness and backed tracked.

“Sorry.” She mumbled. “It's just you're the first Atlantean I’ve met besides Uncle Arthur and he doesn’t have any gills. How do they work when you’re on the surface? Do they go on rest mode? Are you technically still breathing through them? Do they help filter the air?”

Hearing her brother and Wally snicker and noticing Kaldurs still shocked expression she looked down and mumbled another apology. A few seconds later she heard a jacket unzip.

“I honestly don’t know how to answer your questions. Truth be told breathing just comes naturally in both water and land. But if you’d like to see them.” Kaldur pulled the collar to the side and Bells saw his gills flex.

“That’s so cool.” Bells gasped as she walked on her toes to get a better look. “By the way, you’re technically supposed to wear a shirt under a jacket.”

“Okay, that's enough interrogating for you.” Said, Robin, as he got between them when they neared the elevators.

Bells rolled her eyes as the elevator took them down.

“It's my Martian bioship.” Said M’gann as the doors opened to reveal a red and blue colored oval.

“Cute.” Said Wally. “Not aerodynamic, but cute”

“It's at rest silly. I’ll wake it.”

They watched as the ship transformed and rotated to open a door ramp.

“Well, are you coming?”

Everyone walked up excitedly. This definitely wasn't like the batplane. Bells thought as she took a seat feeling the chair strap her in.

“Red Tornado. Please open the bay doors.” Said M’gann as she sat the command chair.

Bells tuned out what Robin and Wally were saying as she tried her best to look out of the window and onto the town below. She only turned around when she heard her brother ask M’gann to shapeshift.

“Is it wrong that I think I’m hot?” Wally asked as he stared dreamily at M’gann.

“Gross.” Bells giggled as she looked back out the window.

“Red Tornado to Miss Martian. An emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor power plant. I suggest you investigate covertly. I’m sending coordinates.” They heard over the coms.

“Received. Adjusting course.” M’gann replied.

“Red tornado is keeping us busy again,” Robin muttered.

“Um weren’t you just whining that you wanted a mission?”

“Well, a simple fire let you to Superboy. We should find out what caused the alert.” Said M’gann.

“I think I know the cause.” Said Superboy. Bells eyes widened at the sight of the small twister coming towards them.

They all groaned as the ship lost control. M’gann quickly steadied it and landed. Bells was about to get up but Robin stopped her.

“Stay on the ship.” He ordered.

“But-”

“Bells I believe you should listen to your brother.” Said Kaldur and Bells sighed.

“Fine.” She pouted as she sat and everyone hopped out through a hatch.

“Wouldn't want to get on Batman's bad side either,” Wally shouted.

Bells sighed as she stared out the window, the bioship hovered to a safe distance. After a few minutes, she saw Wally fly out of the building and land near the trees. Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to stay on the ship. Looking at the trees she closed her eyes and concentrated hearing slowly a soft song began to play in her head and she focused.

Wormy, Wormy, Wormy oh where are you.

Hello little one, Annabella thought

Oh hello, the small voice replied.

Can you help me find a friend of mine?

Sure, later wormies.

Annabella opened her eyes and saw the grounds of the forest as the bird flew around the trees, she quickly spotted Wally lying unconscious.

Is that your friend?

Yes, can you please wake him up?

The bird chirped and pecked at Wally's forehead. Wally groaned and got up noticing the bird.

“Thanks, Bells.” He muttered as he sped away.

Okay, you can fly off now have a nice day. Annabella blinked and the inside of the bioship came back into view.

She watched as a somehow buff version of Red tornado came out of the building they went too with the teaming coming up behind him. She watched as a storm began to grow and the robot began to advance on the team. Panicking she opened up her mind again.

The weather was supposed to be nice for a fly today what the hell?! An angry voice shouted in her head.

Hey, see that giant red thing in the sky? Attack it, it’s what's causing the storm.

She watched as the robot came into view of the birds' eyes and its attempts to swat it away. However, she lost focus when she felt the bioship move and the bird flew away. Bells quickly wiped her nose getting rid of the little bit of blood that trickled down. After a few moments, the robot left and the bioship landed. However, no one boarded for a while and Bells sat the awkwardly waiting. Finally, M’gann came in but Bells could feel the sadness and guilt she was carrying.

“Are you okay? What happened to the rest of the team?” Bells asked her when she noticed no one else came on.

“I messed up, they went to chase Mr. Twister,” M’gann mumbled.

“Okay but, why didn’t you go with them?”

“Like I said I messed up, they told me to go back.”

“You know the first time my brother snuck out to play hero he almost got himself killed despite his ‘training’. My dad went after him and saved him. His first few months of Robin was him learning from his mistakes. Everyone makes them and it's how we learn from them that makes us grow.”

M'gann gave Bells a sad smile. “Thanks but I think I should still call Red Tornado.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then okay.”

Bells listened as M’gann called and explained what was happening.

“The team really needs your help.” She pleaded.

“If I intervened it would not be to help. Still, it is an odd coincidence that this Twister shares my elemental abilities and my immunity to telepathy.” Said Red Tornado.

M’gann looked over at Bells before a look of realization spread over her face and she smacked her head. “Hello, Megan.”

She quickly hung up and turned the ship back.

“Whatcha thinking?” Bells asked.

“Mr. Twister wanted to fight a real hero.”

“Okay.”

“So let's give him one.”

Bells smiled as she felt confidence surge back into M’gann. The bioship hovered and Megan looked at Bells.

“Lets me guess, stay on the ship?”

“Please?”

Bells smiled as she held her hands up in surrender. “Go kick that tin can.”

Bells hummed as she waited for them to win. When the battle was over they hauled in the pieces. Wally showed her the robotic eye he snatched.

“Woah it looks so real.” Bells gasped as she studied the eye carefully. “Well, I think this calls for some victory pizza.”

“Pizza?” Kaldur asked making Bells gasp.

“You my friend have no idea what you are missing out on.” She smiled brightly as she searched her phone from a nearby pizza place.

When they got to the cave they piled their many boxes of pizza alongside the robot parts and told Red Tornado what they discovered.

“It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy you.” Said Kaldur as Bells slowly munched on a slice of pizza and studied one fo the screens scanning the parts.

“Agreed.” Said Red Tornado.

“Is that why you wouldn’t help us?” Megan asked.

“No. This was your battle ., I do not believe it is my role to solve your problems for you. Nor should you solve mine for me.” Red Tornado explained.

“Uh. But if you’re in danger.”

“Consider this matter closed.”

“Batman, Aquaman, and Flash, they’d have jumped in to fix things.” Said, Wally, as he took a couple slices from the opened box.

“Guess if we’re going to have a babysitter a heartless machine is exactly what we need.” Robin agreed.

“Dude! Harsh.: Wally scolded.

“And inaccurate. I have a heart, carbon-steel alloy. I also have excellent hearing.” Red Tornado corrected causing Bells to snicker.

“Haha. Right. Sorry I’ll Strive to be more accurate.” Robin apologized.

“And more respectful.” Kaldur continued.

“Speedy was so wrong.” Said Wally.

“This team thing.”

“Might just work out.”

Bells smiled as she followed them out.

“Come on we better get home.” Said, Robin, as he wrapped his arm around his sister who slightly froze. “Please tell me your dad knows you're here.”

“Well… someone knows who I’m sure would have told dad by now.” Bells slightly winced when she saw even Kaldurs disapproving stare.

“Home. Now.” Said Robin.

“But Kaldur hasn't tried pizza yet.”

“Now.”

“Ugh fine.” Bells pouted as she made her way to the zetatube.

Bells appeared in the Batcave and went to run up the stairs but stopped when she noticed her father standing in the middle of the cave with Alfred standing by the computer.

“Hola papi.” She said sweetly.

“Annabella,” Bruce spoke in a low tone. “What were you thinking going there?”

“I just wanted to meet the team.” Annabella rubbed her arm. “Alfred told me what happened when I was gone and he said it was okay.”

“The team is not a social gathering. If you want to be around people your age then maybe we should rediscuss school.”

“No. I don’t want to go to school. I’m already starting the homeschool program. Dad please I just-”

“You just what? Annabella, you could have gotten hurt.”

“I just wanted to be around people like me. I’m not like you dad, I’m not normal like you and Dick. And I don’t like pretending, not when I know what everyone feels about me.” Annabella spoke softly.

Bruce stood back in shock and Annabella took the chance to leave the cave hoping her dad didn’t notice the tears that were threatening to spill.

“She has a point you know.” Said Alfred, Bruce simply stared at the butler unsure what to say. “Miss Annabella is a very special child. A child who has only known two other people that are different like her at her age. But now Miss Bailey is off playing hero with Mr. Harper and Miss Annabella hardly sees her anymore. Very recently she was also told by Mrs. Martinez that she was no longer allowed to see her daughter Lucy. Miss Annabella needs to be around people that are like her. She already knows the rules, the entire league has watched over her at one point or another. It’s time to let her grow.”

Bruce sighed as he ducked his head and rubbed his neck.

“She did save us you know,” Dick spoke up. “She sent a bird to distract Mr. Twister. It gave Miss Martian enough time to cover us.”

Bruce slightly nodded as she moved to the change room. “Dick get dinner and get some rest.”

“Annabella, can I come in?” Bruce asked as he knocked on her door after changing into his loungewear.

“Yeah.” Came her mumbled reply.

Bruce came in and saw her curled up on her bed hugging her old plush bat and dragon together. Sitting down he rubbed her back and felt her relax.

“You can hang out with the team.” He said after a while, Annabella gasped as she quickly sat up.

“Really?”

“Yes. You will have breakfast here, do some chores, then you can take your laptop and do your schooling at the cave. Be back by no later than 10. No going on the bioship without permission from a league member. Absolutely no sneaking off on missions. You can divide your free time on the weekends between here and the cave.

Annabella squealed as she hugged her father. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

She couldn’t wait to go back.

[crownoyami]

Razor’s Edge

Pairing: Sam/Gabriel

 Warnings/Tags: Mentions of character death. Season 13 Canon Deviation, Kissing, Shaving, Good!Lucifer, Weak!Gabriel

 Prompts Used: Statment Prompt:

 He blinked at the scene before him, surprised but vaguely aware that this was far from the strangest thing to have happened to him today.

 AO3 URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15737631

 Summary: When Gabriel came back from the dead again after being left behind in the Apocalypse World he finds himself ushered into the bunker, down on grace and cold. While trying to figure out how to shave, Sam comes by to check on him and teach the archangel how to perform the task, living out a fantasy of his own.

 Authors Note: Well here is my second submission for the Gabriel Monthly Challenge. I think this will have to be my last one for this month as I have 3 Reverse J2 Bangs to do and I’m only allowing myself a 1-week break from Stanford Art (finished another round of editing! Just 2 more to go!) Hope you all enjoy!

  @gabriel-monthly-challenge @archangelsanonymous @revwinchester @archangel-with-a-shotgun  @archangelgabriellives @warlockwriter@ttttrickster

Razor’s Edge

   When Gabriel came back from the dead again, nobody knew how to react. He stood there in the doorway of the bunker, his body shivering though he tried to fight it off, a loopy grin on his face and arms outstretched like he expected a hug. If it had been Sam who opened the door, or perhaps Castiel he might have received one. Mary Winchester, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow before shuffling aside so he could come into the bunker and get warm. Things seem to both get better and worse for the archangel after that. He was tested just as he expected he would be, the Winchesters wanting to make sure he was who he said he was, and though he didn’t blame them, the process was annoying.

 Once it was all said and done, Gabriel looked up from his seated position at the table and began to explain. “I knew the second you shmucks started doing your creepy silent conversation thing that you were going to leave my brother’s sorry ass behind. What you may not have realized was that I know my brother, and while he can be a great big bag of dicks, I think he was honestly trying there for a while on fighting the good fight. Call me naive or whatever but I couldn’t just let him stay behind and plot his revenge… again. So, I decided to use the last of my grace to make a clone, and just like with Luci at the hotel; Michael bought it.”

 Taking a drink of the hot chocolate in front of him, provided by Sam who had seen his shivering, Gabriel swallowed the beverage before continuing. “Once Michael offered Luci a deal to get back to this world and his son, I let my big bro know that I wasn’t exactly gone. He pretended to take the deal, letting Michael think they were in it together before I made my move. Michael may have been stronger than Luci and I but with us working together we were able to kill the douche.”

 Jack was looking at Gabriel then, his eyes nearly pleading with him to know what happened to his father. While he didn’t approve of Lucifer having that kind of sway over someone so powerful, Gabriel could understand how having a kid might be the kick in the pants his big brother needed to get his act together. “He’s still there, we managed to snag Michael’s grace before taking him out so there’s plenty for him to open the rift later. The angels in that world still need someone to guide them, and Luci is going to sort out a few that seem to be more sympathetic and not on the short list of ones we already have to come over and help us recharge Heaven.”

 “Wait,” spoke Castiel, his eyes wide while he looked at the archangel in the room. “You mean to tell me Lucifer not only helped kill Michael, but he’s going to help our Heaven as well? Last time he had the chance to help restore Heaven’s power he vanished.”

 Dean was standing with his back to the wall, but at the mention of Lucifer helping he crossed his arms over his chest. Sighing, Gabriel looked at the last mouthful of hot chocolate he had left, tipping the mug up against his mouth until the remaining cocoa was gone. “I get it, believe me, I get it… but since you boys broke out Auntie Amara the mark isn’t controlling him anymore. Did it leave a mark on his grace? You bet it did… but he’s not the evil he was when he was locked away and having brought life into this world has made him, I dunno, softer I guess.”

 Getting a snort of disbelief from Sam who was sitting beside him at the table, the archangel rolled his eyes. “He could have killed me.” That statement made all eyes in the room swivel to look at him. “I literally only have a single speck of grace left, he could have easily have run me threw once Michael was dealt with… but he didn’t. He helped me open the portal long enough for me to squeeze through and that’s it, no tricks, not stabbing, and he had plenty of time to do either.” Sighing, Gabriel stood up from his chair. “Now if you guys don’t mind I would really like to stop this shivering and being cold thing, you have anything warmer I can use until I get some of my grace back?”

 Sam and Dean seemed to share a look for a moment before Dean rolled his eyes and Sam stood up. “Yeah,” answered the taller hunter, “I’ll get you set up, come on.” Following behind the man, Gabriel waited as Sam opened a couple doors, looked inside and shook his head before finally opening one and allowing Gabriel to step inside. The room was basic, a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand but it looked like the sheets were clean and there was clothing hanging on the inside of an open closet.

 “There’s been enough weird going on that Dean and I figured we would set up a couple of the spare rooms, we have mostly everyone from the other world on the other side of the bunker but there’s a couple of rooms left on this side. The clothes are ones that were here when we moved in, but we washed them and hung them up and cleaned the bedding. My room is just down the hall, two doors on your left and the bathroom is three doors down on your right. Toiletries are already in the bathroom if you wanna warm up with a shower if you need to shave just stick to the unopened razors and take it back to your room with you so it doesn’t get confused.”

 Looking up at the tall human, Gabriel nodded. The thanks was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t get the word out even though he knew they didn’t have to do this all for him. Sam seemed to understand though as he gave a soft smile, patted Gabriel on the shoulder and then left the archangel alone. With a dramatic sigh, though nobody was there to hear it, the blond picked out some clothing that looked like it might fit him and made his way to the bathroom. As much as he hated the thought of needing a shower, he hated being cold more.

 Turning on the shower and getting clean was one thing, he had been around humans long enough to enjoy a hot shower on occasion, so he knew his way around. Shaving, however, was a whole new adventure. Opening the package of generic razors and stealing a handful of shaving cream, Gabriel thought it would be easy. By the time twenty minutes came around he still had over half his right side left to do as he kept stopping each time he nicked himself to curse before trying again.

  *~*~

  Around an hour after leaving Gabriel alone in the bedroom, Sam made his way to check on the archangel. While Dean and Cas seem to think the man would be fine on his own, Sam remembered how hard it was for Castiel when he was a human. Checking Gabriel’s room first and finding nothing, the hunter made his way to the washroom. Knocking on the door, he heard a grunt which he took as an invitation and peered inside. He blinked at the scene before him, surprised but vaguely aware that this was far from the strangest thing to have happened to him today. Gabriel was standing by the sink, half his face covered in a thick layer of shaving cream, the other half was partially full of small cuts while his hands were gripping the edge of the porcelain sink tightly a razor in his fist.

 Stepping into the room, Sam closed the door behind him and made his way to the archangel. Gabriel was a mess, and it was easy to tell that he was at the end of his rope with trying to shave. For a second Sam thought about showing him how it’s done, to lather his own face and demonstrate when he caught sight of the little black kit sitting on the sink. It was something he had always wanted to do, there was something about the fantasy that pulled at Sam whenever the thought entered his mind, a fantasy not unlike the ones Gabriel had stared in before.

 “I could do it for you if you like, then you’ll know for next time.” Sam hoped that Gabriel wouldn’t deny him. When he noticed the shorter man give a slight nod, Sam quickly opened the black case and turned to the archangel. Inside his hand was a straight razor, one he liked to use when he wants to get a closer shave. For a second Gabriel eyed the razor in his hand before lifting his chin defiantly, practically daring Sam to try and harm him. Harming the other man was the last thing on his mind, instead, Sam wiped off the excess cream on Gabriel’s face and reapplied it correctly.

They didn’t say a word as Sam worked the razor, carefully slicing the hairs off Gabriel’s face before wiping off the lather and doing it again. It barely took ten minutes before he was done, but each stroke seemed to last a lifetime. While he was working, Gabriel leaned back against the taller man, watching him work through the mirror, and every time he went to rinse the blade off Sam’s eyes would catch those golden ones observing him. There was a heat there, one the hunter knew was reflected in his own.

 Once done, Sam wiped off the access cream his touches light. Gabriel smirked before looking up and turning his head awkwardly to face him. “You know,” began the archangel, his back pressed against the hardening bulge Sam was trying to ignore. “If you want to feel me up you could have just asked, no need to go 007 on me.”

 Instead of laughing at the joke, Sam bent down, turning his body as well as Gabriel so his lips hovered over the archangels. “You saying you don’t want to play out my fantasies?” There was a challenge in his voice, one he knew the archangel wouldn’t be able to ignore. As slightly chapped lips pressed against his own, Sam deepened the kiss. He wasn’t going to let this chance slip away, and by the way, Gabriel was clinging to his shirt and making small noises from the back of his throat, he didn’t think the archangel was going to let him go either.

 Gabriel had said he was done running, and for once Sam was done too.

   P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I’m reading (I always review so you know what you’re getting into) I’m on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.

[trashglasses]

Photographs

I figured I would post this here too since its on Ao3 :)

We got some fluffy Promptis with a baby here for ya! The idea was given to me by @jean-the-bean and it was also was based on an art piece that @jean-the-bean drew for my fic Some Things Never Change with Prompto feeding Nikolas.

Hope you guys enjoy!!!

A loud cry was heard from the back of the house.

“Shhh...Nikky it’s okay. Daddy is right here.” Prompto cooed softly, bouncing the fussy infant up and down against his chest. It wasn’t stopping the crying but at least it got him to stop screaming. “Are you hungry? Come on, Daddy will make you a nice, warm bottle.”

Prompto, with the child still nestled against his chest, made his way to the kitchen. Over the past few months, since Nikolas was born, things had changed a bit around the once quiet apartment. Sleep was a thing of the past. Both Noctis and Prompto were taking turns soothing the child in the night, so much in fact that the child already had a permanent spot in between them in bed.

Tonight was Prompto’s turn to get the late night calls. He had become quite the master at making one-handed bottles as of late. He learned quickly that putting down Nikolas while he was having a fit, only made him scream bloody murder and made the neighbors question their parenting skills.

He continued to bounce up and down as he shook the bottle vigorously to mix the water and the powder. “Shhhh...daddy has your bottle right here,” he whispered into the crying child’s ear. Once it was thoroughly mixed, he put the finished bottle in the warmer for a moment.

The baby’s whines got louder now, obviously wanting the bottle right away. “I know I know. But I gotta make sure it's warm Nikky. No one likes cold milk buddy.” he said with a gentle smile. Once the bottle was ready, he grabbed it from the warmer and sat down on a soft chair, adjusting himself so he could sit Nikky down on his chest. He squeezed a little out on his wrist to make sure it wasn’t too hot for his mouth before putting up to the infant's lips.

Nikolas latched on almost immediately and started to drink greedily from the bottle. Prompto chuckled as the baby reached up and his little hands tried to grab the bottle for himself.

“Trying to be a big boy and hold your own bottle baby boy? You are growing up too fast kiddo.” he asked, kissing the top of his head a few times. Nikolas let out a muffled coo and relaxed against his father’s stomach as he continued to drink.

Noctis had been woken up from Nikolas crying so he decided to head over to the kitchen to get some water or a late night snack. He let out a soft yawn as he walked into the living room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Prompto on the chair, feeding their son. Noctis felt a lump grow in his throat as he watched.

Prompto looked like he was glowing with happiness even though he was up at 3 in the morning to feed a fussy baby. Never once did Prompto ever complain about getting up to tend to Nikolas and now he could see why.

He was just happy to be a parent.

Noctis couldn’t let this moment pass without a picture. He swiftly made his way back to their room to grab his phone. Once he got back into his spot and took a few pictures of the adorable duo. His collection of pictures with Prompto and Nikolas was already getting out of hand and the boy wasn’t even 4 months old yet. After snapping the picture, he looked at it to make sure it was perfect. He smiled softly before shoving his phone in the waistband of his sleep shorts and watched quietly for a few moments before walking into the kitchen.

“N-Noct?  Is that you?” Prompto asked, looking down at the nearly empty bottle and a sated child.

“Yeah.” he said sleepily, “I’m sorry if I scared you. I was just getting some water.”

“You scared the daylights out of me. I thought someone was in here!” Prompto whined, putting the infant on his shoulder and gently patting his back to burp him.

“My bad. I didn’t think I needed to announce myself in my own house.” he said, sipping from his cup of water. Prompto rolled his eyes and focused his attention on burping Nikolas.

“You are really good with him Prom. When I am taking care of him, it takes me at least 10 minutes of crying before I figure out what he wants.”

“Eh. He was inside me for almost a year, I would think I would have a pretty good idea of what he wants by now. You’ll get it soon. Don’t worry.” he said with his signature warm smile.

“I hope so. Can’t let you wake up every night to get him. He is my son too.”

“I don’t mind it really. He’s a good baby and it doesn't take much to get him to stop crying. It's just..unbelievable that we made such a beautiful kid ya know. Like we made this little cutie. It's crazy. So I don’t mind if I have to wake up in the middle of the night because it's all to keep the little smile on this cutie.” Prompto said, tilting his head a bit to kiss Nikolas’ cheek.

Noct let out a happy sigh before walking into the living room. He gave Nikolas a kiss on the head and Prompto a kiss on the lips. “I am going to fall asleep standing up. I’ll see you in bed. Okay?”

Prompto nodded as he continued to pat the baby’s back. “It won’t be long. I figured out the secret for burping him quickly.”

Noctis chuckled and nodded before walking back to their bedroom.

----

“Prom! Can you grab my phone? I think I left it in the room!” Noct shouted from the kitchen where he was giving Nikolas a quick bath.

“Okay. Be there in a jiffy!” he called out, jumping off the couch and heading to grab Noctis’ phone and meeting him in the kitchen.

Noctis had his sleeves rolled up, hands deep his soapy water as he carefully washed the infant. He was humming a song to Nikolas, who seemed to be fighting sleep in the warm water. It nearly brought Prompto to tears.

“W-Wait, don't move, let me take a picture! I’ll just use your phone Noct.” Prompto said excitedly as he opened the camera app and moved towards the best angle. He snapped a few pictures in that angle before moving to a slightly different one to take more. Noct chuckled as he ran some soapy water through Nikolas’ dark locks.

“Got enough pictures?”

“I think. Lemme look em over first! Don’t move too much yet okay!”

Prompto typed in the simple numerical code before opening the gallery on his phone. But, a certain folder named “the duo” caught his eye first. He tapped the folder and saw what could have been over a hundred pictures of Prompto and Nikolas. Prompto's face flushed more and more red as he scrolled through the slew of poorly posed pictures. He even had some pictures from when he was in labor and Astrals knows he was an absolute mess.

“Are you done, Prom? Can I move now?”

Prompto shoved Noct’s phone right into his face. “What the hell is all this?! I look terrible in all these pictures Noct. This is so embarrassing!” He whined loudly, scrolling through the pictures as if Noct didn't already know every picture in the folder. “I hope you didn't show anyone any of these.”

Noctis brow raised in confusion, not understanding the sudden blow-up. “They are just pictures Prom. Every time I see you looking cute with Nikolas, I take a picture. I can't help it. I see how happy you look holding him or feeding him and it makes me happy and I want to capture the moment.” Noct explained, heading back to washing the sleepy baby.

If Prompto's face could have gotten redder, it would of. “B-but…..do you show them to people?”

“Sometimes. I send pictures to my dad the most though. He gets a kick out of it seeing you two.” He said with a little chuckle. He gently rinsed off the soapy baby and gathered him in a green towel with a little frog face hood on it.

“What?! You're telling me the King of Lucis has seen me in my ratty Chocobo boxers, with a spit up rag on my shoulder?!” Prompto said, his eyes pleading. Noctis couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Relax Prompto. He doesn’t think any less of you because of it. He appreciates how good a parent you are. He always asks about you; more than he asks about me really. So the pictures keep him updated.” Noctis explained, resting the sleepy baby on his chest.

“But still! You could at least send him better-looking pictures. Ya know ones where I have clothes on preferably.” Prompto said, crossing his arms over his chest. “At least ask me when you want to take a picture so I can ready myself. Don’t be creepy and sneak pictures of us. Just ask.”

“Then they wouldn’t be as adorable. I like the candid shots. You should understand that. You have more unflattering pictures of me than anything else in this world. So you can handle a few cute pictures where you aren’t posing for a magazine cover.” Noctis said, drying off Nikolas’ hair with the hood of the towel.

Prompto pouted a bit and looked away, still red in the face.

“Enough with the pouts.” Noctis said, leaning over to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Come on, Gladio and Specs want to see Nik today so we need to get ready. I don’t want to hear Ignis’ mouth if we are super late again.”

Noctis carried the yawning infant into their bedroom to get him ready for the day. Prompto looked down at Noct’s photos one more time, looking at each picture carefully this time. A little smile crossed his lips as he picked out a few to send to himself. He shoved the phone in his pocket and happily made his way to his boys.

[alexanderwrites]

Thoughts Roundup - Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 14

 “We Are Like the Dreamer”

David Lynch famously said that he can’t stand people talking after they see a movie. That the movie is the talking. Despite the fact that talking about movies is pretty much my passion, I get what he means. Up until recently, i’d be scouring the internet for hours after each new episode, reading about every talking point, every theory and attempting to unpick every moment. I would do this immediately after watching each episode which, really, makes no sense. Yes, I still like to read reviews and give the forums a quick peruse, but I find that to get the most out of the show, I have to sit with the episode for a while, and see how I feel about it after a good night’s sleep, hence why I write these reviews a day after I see each episode. There is such a thing as too much and too soon, and reading pieces immediately after watching an episode is sort of like seeing the opening act after you see the main show. There is so much to take in and enjoy with each given episode that afterwards I just need to process it in my own way without getting external input.

Talking and writing about the show does have merit and is great fun, I just am starting to realise that I need to separate the show from the writing about the show. I mean, how can it not mess with your expectations, for better or for worse? “We WILL see X character next episode”, “The next episode will be the ONE where everything changes”, “This character from this episode will be the key to the whole mystery”, and so on. How would I feel about The Return if i’d never read a word on it? Part of me wishes I had, but then again good, thoughtful writing about The Return is so complimentary to my enjoyment of the show, and has made me appreciate so much more about it. I suppose my point is: writing, whether good or bad, has affected the way I watch and view the show, and so for the reviews henceforward, I will try and keep my points as individual and unaffected by other writing as possible. Ideally, i’d like what I say about the show to express how I feel, rather than attempt to sway the readers (all 2 of you) a certain way. So, after a good night’s sleep, little to no reading on the episode and a big, fuck-off coffee, let’s talk about...

. The FBI. The episode kicks off and wastes no time in getting straight into things. It’s with openings like these - abrupt and un-establishing - that remind you that this is from one long, 18-hour Script. The endings often remind me of this fact too. Absent are cliff-hangers and buttons, and absent are ‘previously on’s at the beginning of each episode. Instead, here’s Gordon, calling Lucy. It’s strange to think that they haven’t interacted in The Return yet, and even stranger to remember that Gordon hasn’t even been back in town. It’s strange, because they’re two of the funniest characters in the show, and Gordon is one of the most Twin Peaks-y characters, despite not even being from the town. They feel linked, even if it’s by one event 25 years ago, and they are still linked today - they just don’t quite know how, yet. Gordon’s call to Lucy is laugh out loud funny; I have a simple comedy brain, and will always laugh at things that are too loud. Hearing Gordon’s tinny yell pummel its way out the end of her receiver really tickled me, as did his unexplained, confused pause when Lucy told him of her trip to Bora Bora. Not a beach boy, Gordon? So, for a scene that wastes no time, it certainly wastes time, but beautifully so. Their interaction is a miniature reunion that finally links Gordon back to Twin Peaks, which has always felt like his spiritual home.

The Return has had a really interesting way of dispensing information, wherein waiting for a character to discover something that we already know is as gripping as us discovering information in the first place. And so, Gordon finally finds out about Laura Palmer’s missing pages, and how it indicates “Two Coopers”. You have to admire Robert Forster’s straight-face matter-of-factness in handling these topics. He knows it sounds strange, but to him, these are just strange truths that it is his duty to notify his colleagues and superiors of. I guess, as a Bookhouse Boy, Frank Truman has seen enough odd things in those woods to not be particularly fazed by them anymore. 

. Tammy, God Bless you for saying “What’s the significance of the Blue Rose?” when asked by Albert which one question she should ask him about the first ever Blue Rose case. That is what we all want to know, and the last few episodes have given us more clarification of that than I ever expected. She could be seen as an audience surrogate, the newbie to whom everything is explained. But she is also smart, more proactive than the typical rookie, and she gives us the most perfect explanation of what a Blue Rose is: something which does not occur in nature. It’s exciting getting to hear glimpses into the history of the Blue Rose, but a bigger bombshell is dropped in this scene, one so inextricably connected to Dougie and Vegas that it’ll most likely have our FBI crew strolling down the strip by the next episode: Diane is Janey-E’s half sister. But, is she really? Whomever she is texting (which it seems is Doppelcoop), she tells them where the FBI are and that she’s getting them to Vegas. If this were her task, to get the FBI to Vegas, would it not be beneficial to her to speed up the process by claiming that she’s Janey-E’s sister? Who knows. Diane plays her cards very close to her chest, emotionally and informationally, and any time we get too close, we get a big fat Fuck You from her. For now, i’ll take her word for it, because I love the idea that Laura Dern and Naomi Watts are sisters. 

. Monica Belluci has the secrets to the universe, or at least in Gordon’s head. “Who is the dreamer?”. It’s a damn good question, and I think what it means is “whose chess board are they all pawns on?”. Is it Doppelcoop, or is it forces larger than him? Is it “Mother”, or something we saw born in the atomic explosion? The show has always felt like a dream, and while I don’t believe it’ll all turn out to be a literal dream, the feeling is there, and it makes us wonder what version of reality we are seeing. It’s a thoughtful philosophical quandary, and one that clearly disturbs poor old Gordon, the sensitive soul. And next we have our Bowie cameo which is not really a cameo like the clickbait headlines tell us, but a scene from Fire Walk With Me, which, at this point, you almost have to have seen to fully appreciate The Return. It’s interesting that both Gordon and Albert hadn’t remembered exactly what Jeffries had said, and his “Who do you think that is there?” question regarding Cooper is certainly creepy in retrospect. Did Jeffries slip in and out of time, and see who Cooper would become? It feels like he is, if not a key to unlocking the mystery, at least a very important figure in the overall story. I don’t think there is a clear mystery that will ever be solved at this stage, and I think in a sense, it would be disappointing if there was one overall answer to everything. It would be too easy. Instead, lets just take each scene and surprise we get, try and contextualise them as best we can, and figure out what they say rather than what they literally mean. It’s too vague and too abstract for everything to be neatly explained, and really, wouldn’t that ruin some of the fun?

. The boy scouts Bookhouse Boys are heading to Jackrabbit’s palace, and there is something intrinsically melancholy about their journey, because it makes Bobby fondly recall his father. The woods they walk through aren’t the scary, foreboding woods we see in Twin Peaks at night, they’re glowing with sunlight and the home of happier times in Bobby’s childhood. That is, until they find a vortex to the Black and White World and the woman from the Purple World who helped Cooper escape back in Part 3, naked and unable to speak, and with skin still over her eyes. The scene of them exploring gave me serious Lost flashbacks, and like Lost, what comes next is confusing as all hell, yet fairly answerable.........I think. Andy, of all people, disappears to the Black and White Room, which looks absolutely stunning again. The set design throughout The Return has been terrific but perhaps a bit more modern and less stylised than some of Lynch’s other projects, but the Black and White room is a hit of that old school, Eraserhead style set design. The Giant names himself as the “Fireman”, which ties again to fire and electricity being a source of evil, and the Fireman as a pretty decent bloke, really. A window above Andy transforms into a cinema screen which gives him the weirdest “Previously on” the world has ever seen. From the Atomic Blast and the releasing of Bob into our world, to Laura Palmer being taken by the Angels, it is a stirring and haunting mirror into the darkness that summarises succinctly the nature of good and bad in the show’s universe. And now Andy - yes, Andy - has the secret to it all. It’s a hypnotic scene, and i’m increasingly blown away by how well The Return is blending the more abstract, with the linear narrative, to the point where the two cannot exist without each other. Like a blend of a wanderlust through the netherworld, and a real-world sense of purpose and duty, Andy takes the woman to the police station to protect her. He knows more now, and understands that she is in danger. From who? Mother, it seems, is still hot on her tail. His job has never been more important, and keeping her safe was as important as arresting the policeman earlier, a funny scene, the buildup to which seems to have played out almost entirely offscreen. I like it though - it reminds you there’s an entire world going on that you don’t necessarily get to see. The woman chirps and squeaks in her cell, desperately trying to articulate some sort of message. We cannot decipher her message, no matter how hard she tries to speak. So close, yet so far away.

. James has his first non-singing dialogue of the season, and though he doesn’t give too many glimpses into his life, we know that it’s his birthday, and that he’s a security guard at the Great Northern. And that above all, he seems happy. It’s hard to tell from what we see of him, but he smiles so much more easily than he used to, and his brooding seems absent. We’re not really thinking about ol’ forehead, because we’re thinking about his Security Guard buddy, a ‘cockney’ (that accent is maybe the scariest thing in the return yet) who has lots of lines to tell you that he is, in fact, English (Pubs? Check! Football? Check! Antiquated cockney rhyming slang? Check!). It’s weird and a bit goofy, but damn is it a story that hooks you. I love the idea that there are portals to the Other Places all over the world (the book hints that there are many), including in an alley in the East End of London. Does that mean Ian Beale is to discover one next? It’s such an incongruous image but kind of brilliant, and now we have someone sent specifically to Twin Peaks by The Fireman and given one very powerful hand. Arms and hands, man. The references to arms and hands being signs of power, possession, weakness and evil are so numerous, but they seem to be perhaps an entry point for non-human spirits? Then, James goes to check out a creepy noise (never a good idea you dumdum) in the basement of the Great Northern, where that odd ringing noise seems to emit from. It feels like he could die down there; it feels like he is dead down there. It feels like hell, and there’s more excellent set and sound design to thank for that. There is something very bad under every building in Twin Peaks...

. In an episode that has so many talking points to choose from, I think the one that most people will be talking about is Sarah Palmer’s. Her scene is so filled with dread, malice, then satisfyingly gruesome terror that I needed to pause the episode afterwards. It’s an horrific yet celebratory moment: the disgusting harasser gets exactly what we’ve been waiting for the whole series, and gives a sense of power and authority right back in the hands of a tortured woman. Yet, it is pretty clear cut evidence that Sarah is either not a person, or is a person who is, for want of a better word, darksided. Was she the girl who got a bug in the mouth after all? Is she home to spirits as Leland was? It’s hard to tell, but i’m all for the spirits if they cause her to bite a gross dude’s throats out. When Laura took her face...off at the beginning of the Return, there was nothing but light. When her mother did the same, a darkness peered out, as did a cheshire cat grin that takes a pretty high place on the Nightmare Imagery Shitlist of The Return. 

. And we come to an end, with more ambiguous discussions at the Roadhouse. Billy gets a mention, and it is likely that he was the blood soaked creep from the jail cell scene earlier in the episode. “I can’t remember whether my uncle was there”, says one of the characters as she describes when she last saw Billy. She seems worried by this. It’s such a small and seemingly unimportant question, but it feels like the detail that makes her story not of this world. Having characters in more than one place at a time and having characters disappear and reappear has made us look out for any variation on this theme, and the Uncle’s both being there and not being there stands out. The talk of family members reminds me of the screaming car woman with the sick teenager from episodes back, who also listed members of her family, seemingly at random. What is going on in the families of this town? It feels so fucking nightmarish, and while I once didn’t enjoy these moments for their lack of direct connection to the narrative, I now appreciate them as miniature dramas, always unfolding under a shade of darkness, and expanding the universe of the show that you don’t really see. Tonight’s scene ties their drama to Audrey’s through the mention of Tina. How it’ll come together is to be seen, but the word I think most apt to describe it is Purgatory. It feels like these characters are stuck in a strange, haunted, endlessly unfolding narrative. Of abusive family members, of violence, lies and deceit, of nightmarish uncertainty and endless repetition. What would be really interesting would be to piece all these moments together to see what themes and motifs stand out, because like so much else, it feels like there is something pounding at us from beneath its surface.

That’s how I’d describe this episode. There is something underneath this episode, like the face beneath Sarah’s, or the language beneath the Blind Woman’s chirps, or the ringing sound underneath the Great Northern, that we get glimpses at but ultimately cannot decipher. They are brought out by fear, anger, necessity and desperation, and try as we all might, we may not discover what they all mean. Maybe it’s that we listen to the blind woman’s noises, that we venture into the basement, that we look into Sarah Palmer’s eyes, that is important. Perhaps the act of Andy listening to the fireman and watching those scenes unfold is what the purpose is. What matters most is not that the mystery is answered, but that we behold the mystery, and celebrate it. Isn’t that what all of life really is? One big, weird ass mystery that we’re endlessly trying to answer? We can watch the magician’s hands as closely as we like, but his hat will end up empty, and we’ll be left asking questions and wishing we’d just enjoyed the trick. Maybe we’re all in someone else’s dream, or maybe we are the dreamer - what matters most is that the question exists, and that we accept it. What more can you do than that? “What the fuck is going on in Twin Peaks”? We might never know, and that’s okay. 

[fresh-princess-is-here]

Graylu Secret Sibling Exchange.

Hey there, this is my first Graylu fic so leave your thoughts! 

My match-up is @oh-tetrabiblos who wrote me an amazing story, if you guys would like to check it out, it is here: x 

Summary: Lucy’s best friends Lisanna and Natsu have scared off every possible date. Cana suggests a guy who won’t be intimidated. Gray’s a hot snowflake. 

Rating: T+ (mild innuendo)

Words: 4,314 

This was so much fun to write, and I hope you guys like it! Thanks to @graylu-angstweek for organizing this event, and letting me participate! 

Happy New Year!

a/n: ‘peaking’ is a made-up term for checking out and discussing hot guys.

x

“Oh man, Elfman is looking good today.” Virgo purred as Lisanna leaned forward to stare at her with a disturbed expression.

“Can you not purr about my brother, V? It's weird.”

Levy giggled behind her hand, “Isn't that a rule? No peaking at brothers?”

“I wasn't peaking.” Virgo defended, eyes following Laxus as he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe off sweat from his forehead before finishing, “I was just admiring his muscle groups.”

“You know whose muscle groups I like to admire?” Levy veered the subject away from Elfman which Lucy was grateful for. Lisanna could get very protective over her older brother, very quickly.

“Gildarts?” Lucy guessed making Cana, who was sitting at her feet blanch.

Levy went bright red, “He's like forty!”

“He is hot.” Lisanna watched the coach in question, who was currently barking at his team to start running drills.

“He is married. Happily so. So happy that every morning, he makes his ‘favorite’ daughter pancakes cut into a smile. Even though she's 23 and has tried to move out countless times.” Cana bemoaned with a pout of indignation, sipping out of her bottle of beer with narrowed eyes towards her father.

The girls suffocated laughs at her statement, trying their hardest to offer silent support as Lucy reassessed exactly what she said.

“Aren't you his… only daughter?” She murmured thoughtfully, and Cana tilted her head to pin her exasperated glare on the blonde.

“I tell him that every day.”

Levy and Lisanna giggled joyously as Virgo whistled, “Look at Natsu Dragneel's ass today.”

Lisanna and Lucy shared a cringe at Virgo’s words about their best friend, who was currently jogging across the field.

“Yeah. He's got some serious bubble action going there.”

Lucy groaned at Cana’s agreement, and covered her eyes, “Can we make it a rule that best-friends/family can't be peaked at?”

“I agree with that.” Lisanna chirped but Virgo shot it down.

“Anyone is fair game. Do you think the guys worry about who is friends with who when they notice how nice Lisanna’s ass looks in those shorts?”

Virgo’s truthful words made Lisanna beam, “They were half price, marked down from seventy.”

“Nice!”

Lucy extended her arm for a high-five as Cana mused, “You know the economy is bad when alcohol begins to cost more than clothes.”

“The woes of being an alcoholic.” Lucy teased as Lisanna slapped her palm. Cana smirked a little and the girls tittered before a grey shirt was stripped off in the middle of the field.

They all sighed.

“How is it fair that Gray Fullbuster gets hotter every week?”

“He took his pants off in my psych lecture the other day,” Levy sighed, leaned forward to watch him shove Natsu ‘playfully’, “Those calf muscles alone could melt me in a puddle.”

“I like his eyes.” Lisanna implored, giving Virgo a nudge with her shoulder. Virgo, who had been snacking on a packet of crisps, offered her the bag.

Lisanna, instead of taking a few, snatched the bag and hopped off the bench. Virgo squawked in horror, chasing after her.

“Cana, is Professor Mac going to allow you being drunk in theoretical studies?” Lucy wondered, watching Virgo throw one of her shoes at Lisanna who scurried to the opposite end of the field. She noticed some of the guys watching amused, as Cana waved off her concern.

“That old guy loves me! I'm practically like his daughter!”

Lucy pretended she didn't notice Gildarts piercing gaze at Cana’s exclamation.

Lucy opened her mouth to reiterate the fact of the obvious, that she had one protective father and it wouldn't be a good idea to tease the thought with another when Gray wandered over to them, obviously heading for his bag which was only a few meters away.

Sweat glazed his upper body and the three watched in awe as he lifted his shoulders up and stretched with one arm behind his back.

Lucy bit her lip as abdomen muscles, clearly there but not intense; bunched and flexed in the bright sun.

“Dear lord, have mercy.” Levy stated, and Lucy hushed her, hoping he couldn't hear.

“I want to slather ice-cream over his body and lick it off.” Cana groaned and Lucy laughed a little, “He can probably hear you.”

“Doesn't stop me from wanting a piece of that fine -” Lucy clamped her hand over her confident friends mouth, whilst Levy laughed from beside her.

“Do you think he would mind if I took a picture of him to show my mom? She's been needing a bad boy for her latest book.”

Lucy shook her head, “You are both horrible. He's not meat. He's a person. He has feelings. It's not his fault his smile drops panties.”

Lucy had thought she had kept her voice low enough but one amused glance in their direction had the three of them stilling.

Shit.

Cana fidgeted and removed the hand over her mouth to whisper as Gray went about shuffling through his bag, “Do you think he can hear us?”

“I think he heard Lucy. Now tell us, the panty dropping; do you talk from experience?”

Lucy visibly cringed and grabbed her things, “Just forget I said anything.”

They both tittered evilly before Levy asked playfully, “Where are you going?”

“I have a lecture to go to.” Lucy explained blandly, feeling studied under Levy’s cheeky gaze.

“I thought you weren't going to go to that? It's not mandatory, remember?”

Lucy huffed as Cana snickered knowingly before giving them both the finger. Their laughter followed her as she made her way across the field towards Hall C.

Unfortunately, she only made it halfway until Natsu, called out to her. She turned, noticing how Levy threw the empty packet to Virgo and jogged over to him.

Natsu, Lisanna and her had been best friends since high school, all choosing to attend this college out of the many offers they had gotten. Luckily, this was one of the only ones that would offer Lisanna a scholarship and would support Nstsu’s… habits.

She ignored the fact that the whole team was now standing around, having taken a break from their drills as she wandered over to him.

“You coming over my house tonight? It's meatball subs for dinner.” Natsu grinned and Lucy couldn't help but smile back, a little bummed she couldn't make it.

“Actually, today’s the day I cook for Mom. So I can't.”

Lisanna finally reached them and poured, “Aw. Well, how about we come over and watch some black and white after?”

Lucy bit her lip, unsure to tell them when everyone was clearly paying attention to their conversation.

“Actually, I can't hang out tonight at all. I have… a date.”

They blinked at the same time. Lucy stifled a groan.

“Why are we just learning about this now?” Lisanna asked just as Gray finally reached the team, glancing over at them curiously.

“Because I didn't want to feed him to you vultures. Give a cow a chance.”

Natsu snorted at Lucy’s metaphor whilst Lisanna screwed up her nose, “We aren't that bad.”

Lucy placed her hands on her hips, her bag hanging off her wrist, “Yes, you both are. Every time I go out with a guy, you guys crowd him and scare him off. So, I wasn't going to tell you.”

“Fair enough.” Natsu shrugged, taking a long gulp of his Powerade, “So, we’ll just swing around at 7:00? Wait for him to get there and-”

“No!” Lucy objected fiercely, “You are both staying far away from me tonight. Erik and I-” she cut herself off with a wince as Natsu’s face went from ‘palcating’ to ‘that guy, seriously’ in zero point two seconds.

“Erik…?” Lisanna mumbled before her facial expression copied Natsu’s which almost made Lucy laugh.

“Cobra? The creepy kid with the snake?” Natsu barked as Lucy sighed, wishing she could take back her words.

“He's not creepy.”

“He lets his snake bite him! He's been in the hospital several times this month!” Lisanna cried, throwing her hands up in shock.

“It's for science!” Lucy argued as Natsu snorted.

“I forbid it. Lisanna, are we seriously going to let our precious Lucy date a snake loving lunatic?”

“Of course we aren't Natsu. I suggest we lock her in your room and-”

Lucy flailed before announcing, “That is not happening. You are both going to stay far away. Then tomorrow, you will be supportive friends and ask me about how cute Erik’s butt is and how far we got. Is that clear?”

“Define clear, I mean-” Lisanna began but Lucy shook her head.

“You will both do this for me. Or I swear, no more Lucy nights.”

They both gasped, appalled with the stakes Lucy had laid out.

“But Lucy nights are the best!”

“You wouldn't take them away from us!” Lisanna agreed with Natsu and Lucy smiled innocently, “And that's how I’ll know you won't sabotage my date with Cobra - I mean Erik.”

x

“So how was it?” Cana asked Lucy as they walked towards the library in search for a book that had been added to their reading list.

The blonde frowned, “The start was amazing! He was really funny and nice. We had a great time in the car.”

“That doesn't look like a happy face.” Cana pushed open the door, leaving it open so Lucy could follow as they entered.

Lucy reminded herself to keep her voice down, despite how ‘fired up’ she was.

“It isn't. When we got to the restaurant, you won't believe who was seated two tables away from us.”

“Uh oh.” Cana smiled a little, guessing where Lucy was going with this.

“They sat there and flung food at him. And when they weren't doing that, they were just staring. It was so embarrassing Cana.”

“I don't know why you are surprised.” They sat down at a table, and Lucy glanced around, surprised it wasn't busier.

She tuned back in just as Cana was finishing her statement, “Those two are so oddly protective of you after the whole Sting fiasco. I swear, they monitor you sometimes.”

“I caught Lisanna slipping vitamins into my brownie the other day.” Lucy moaned, exasperated and oddly touched by her friends dedication to keeping her safe.

Cana stifled a loud laugh, eyeing the grumpy librarian who watched the small group of students like a hawk.

“I thought that I'd avoid immediate dismissal if they didn't meet them. Between Natsu’s reputation and Lisanna’s ability to intimidate everyone on spot, I never stood a chance.”

“Is Lisanna really that bad?” Cana wondered curiously as Lucy snorted, “She once threatened a date with an eggplant.”

Cana laughed at that, earning an annoyed look which she ignored, “Have to say, she's imaginative. So it's a no for Erik?”

“He was basically shivering in fear and covered with food by the end of it.” Lucy pouted, dropping her head into her hands as Cana patted her head gently.

“So what are you going to do? Talk about it with them?”

“It's no use. Every time I sit them down to discuss boundaries, I get reminded that I become protective as well when it's them dating.” Lucy murmured, as Cana snickered at her friends monotonous tone.

“And why is that?”

Lucy lifted her head to watch her friends reaction to what she was going to confess, “I think Natsu and Lisanna would look good together. And there's only so many times the pair can ‘hook-up’ at a party and blame it on alcohol.”

Cana grinned, leaning closer, “I agree with you. Do you think they need a nudge in the right direction?”

The blonde snorted, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, “Not yet. If I'm not getting any, neither are they.”

The pair quietened when the librarian scuttled past, in her stereotypical dusty slacks and mustard yellow sweater that Lucy assumed was itchy considering the red rash on her neck.

Once she had disappeared into the columns, Cana spoke up whilst leaning back, her dark hair pulled into a low ponytail, “Then the answer is simple. You need to find a man who is impervious to Lisanna’s intimidation and doesn't find Natsu’s reputation frightening.”

Lucy blinked in surprise before smiling, “You’ve been using that word a day book I got you for your birthday.”

“It's become apart of my morning regime.” Cana winked and Lucy bit back a cackling laugh, inwardly glowing at Cana’s admittance. When she had gotten the book for her, Cana had made the horrible joke about using it as a coaster.

Of course, Lucy hadn't taken it to heart but it was pleasing to know it wasn’t collecting dust in the box of things Cana never uses.

Lucy thought back to Cana’s previous words, picking at her bottom lip — a trait she had never been able to get rid of — in thought.

“Where am I going to find someone who won't run home when meeting my guard dogs?”

“What is that dog called in Greek mythology again?” Cana snapped her fingers, trying to remember the name as Lucy raised her eyebrow at the drunken beauty.

“Cerberus?” Lucy supplied as she grinned, “Imagine Natsu and Lisanna combining heads and becoming-”

“You’re terrible. That will give me nightmares.”

Cana laughed, purposely ignoring the pinned glare of the librarian and opened her mouth to tease Lucy further when the doors to the library opened and a candidate for Lucy’s troubles appeared.

“Ask Gray!” Cana whispered excitedly, tugging on Lucy’s wrist to pull her from her phone.

“Ask Gray what?” Lucy replied, glancing up from the riveting text message of her mom’s daily battle with the garbage disposal.

“If he's interested in going on a date with you!” Cana hissed, almost smacking Lucy at her slowness. The blonde blinked before arguing in an equally hushed tone as the man in question wandered into the aisles with his bag over his shoulder.

“I can't do that! I knew Erik was interested in me. Plus, I've only talked to Gray a few times.”

Which was true, outside of sporting events and the occasional moment where Gray would hang around Natsu’s place, the two hadn't spoken. She had been comfortable with admiring from a distance and wanting to poke at the tattoo of French writing on his chest.

She wouldn't even know what to say, given the fact he was quiet and a little brooding unless Natsu was talking. Then he was snappy and sort of amusing.

Natsu and Gray had been close friends since preschool, although they'd never admit it to anyone, much to Lucy’s bewilderment.

Cana’s tight grip pulled her from her thoughts.

“And? He's hot, you’re hot. He won't be afraid of Natsu and Lisanna’s tendencies and the worst that can happen is, he says no!”

“Exactly! I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't take rejection well. I hit a slump and get a pimple.” Lucy pouted, remembering when the summer job she had applied for and the way they shot her down the minute they read her last name.

She could still feel the spot that dammed pimple had left.

“He won't reject you. He hasn't been in a relationship for over a year — that we know of — and what sort of blind idiot would turn down a date with a hot girl?”

Lucy couldn't help but mentally agree with what Cana was saying but the risk to reward ratio was way too high for her preference. And she didn't like taking risks often without a sure benefit.

She also cringed at the underlying feel of awkwardness and humiliation she'd feel if he looked at her and laughed at the idea of going out on a date with her.

“I don't know Cana…”

“Just give it a shot? And if he says no, then I'll find him and tell him I put you up to it.” Cana pleaded, her grip becoming painful which made me wince with a long sigh at the extreme puppy dog eyes she was giving me.

How did Gildarts handle that?

Oh wait, he didn't.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at the thought of the almighty Gildarts crumbling to his daughter eyes immediately.

Upon seeing her smile, Cana beamed and took this as a yes.

“Remember, you are a fierce woman. Now go get up there, and knock him dead.”

“But then how could I date him?” Lucy asked innocently, but the underlying of sarcasm made Cana roll her eyes and shoo her off towards the bookshelves.

Lucy took a deep breath in and stood up, wandering over there slowly. She could feel Cana’s impatience with her and went even slower, smiling at the loud huff she made.

Eventually, she found herself in the stacks, peering through the cracks to see if he was still there.

She caught sight of a shirtless boy and immediately knew the rumours were true, he did strip subconsciously. Not that she was minding of course, not one bit.

He was two aisles over, scanning through a German language book when Lucy straightened her back and cleared her throats innocently.

Two deep blue eyes snapped to hers and she fought blush, smiling politely, “Hi Gray, how are you?”

Good. Good.

English, activated.

He seemed puzzled at her sudden appearance but his face gave nothing away as he replied civilly, “I’m good Lucy. How are you?”

Flirt. Flirt.

She opened her mouth reply back with a witty one liner when he pushed his dark hair out of his eyes, and her saliva dried up immediately.

Her eyes followed the line of his slightly tensed bicep, to his yummy neck. Then she stared at his long fingers for a little bit, because hands were important and Lucy seemed to have a thing for them.

You are staring at him!

Speak!

He watched her curiously as she closed her mouth to stop gaping, licking her dry lips subconsciously. She noticed the way he watched her tongue and made a reference in her head for later.

“I'm horrible actually.”

“Oh?” Gray turned to Lucy fully, a frown playing on his lips as he gazed over her. It took the blonde a second to realise he was concerned and was trying to figure out what was wrong.

She absolutely refused to get excited over that little fact, and pouted playfully, “Last night, my dog ate my date.”

He blinked, surprised at her words and Lucy momentarily wondered if Gray wasn't the type to get humour.

Her worries were put to bed when his lips twitched and a knowing look reached his eyes. Her heart did a vague stutter motion and Lucy thought about the chances of tachycardia being brought on by something so minute was an almost smile.

“Oh yeah? That's too bad.”

Lucy nodded, playing along with her little ‘sad’ routine, “Left nothing but a bone from his ring finger.”

“Your dog didn't even leave you the biggest finger? Unforgivable.” Her cheeks burnt a little at his possible innuendo but Lucy couldn't hide the coy little smile that begin to break onto her face.

“Luckily, I noticed… you have fingers.” She watched him closely, assuming that he wouldn't mind a little flirt back.

He stepped closer to Lucy and she felt the hairs on the back of neck prickle up, a surge of adrenaline rushing through her body; excited. His pale skin was flawless, and his jaw strong, nose a bit crooked as if it had been broken and those eyes…

Sweet mercy. Save me.

“I do. Ten of them.”

“Mind if I see them?”

Her heart raced as he offered Lucy his right hand and she took it in her grasp, ‘pretending’ to study them as he asked, “What's the verdict?”

“A good set. Long. Probably able to handle a dog without getting bitten or running away.” Lucy dropped his hand with a mischievous little smile as his lips twitched again.

“Needing someone to help you escape an overprotective dog?”

“Yeah, I do. And I was hoping you could be it.”

Gray leaned closer and looked at Lucy with those deep blue eyes, her heart pattering away in her chest as he murmured, “What makes you think I'll be able to handle it?”

“With hands like that, I think you’ll be fine.”

She reached up on her tippy toes subconsciously, whether to challenge him or get closer, Lucy don't know; but when their noses brushed, she felt a drop of heat touch her stomach and begin to fan over her limbs like liquid lust.

Lucy balanced myself on her toes, holding the bookshelf besides them and he leaned against it with his arm, watching her so intensely that Lucy struggle to keep his gaze.

“It's just a date Gray.” Lucy whispered, wondering if his silence meant he was going to decline the invitation which would seriously lead her to a pimply road.

His head tilted, their noses brushing again as Lucy smiled, his cool mint smell surrounding her effortlessly, “You might even like it.”

She bit her lip as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in.

“What time should I pick you up?”

“We already apologized Lucy!” Natsu followed his friend through her house, seemingly unaware of the things she was arranging. Lucy grabbed her best earrings, staring at her best friends in the mirror with an easy smile.

“I know! I said you were forgiven.”

“Then why can't we hang out tonight?” Lisanna cried out, flailing about as Lucy slipped the earrings in, giving her a look.

I mean, seriously, I was wearing heels.

I had curled my hair a little, I was wearing cute outfit.

How is she so oblivious?

“We just can't.” Lucy sighed, resisting the urge to wipe under her eyes which would smudge her make-up.

“But why?” They said at the same time, which made her both grin and high five. Lucy smiled at their maturity before brushing past them, glancing at the clock as she walked past.

Almost seven which is when Gray had planned to pick her up.

They followed Lucy noisily, complaining and demanding a reason when she grabbed her handbag from her bed.

Lisanna stopped her rant about the duties of being somebodies best friend and something she saw must have finally clicked.

“You are going out?” She asked Lucy who grinned cheerfully, “Yes, I am.”

“Cobra is giving you another chance?” Natsu gawked, as if efficiently surprised Lucy even got a second date. She had to agree with him there, despite it not being her fault at all, Lucy had a feeling Erik would be avoiding her for a long time.

“Actually, no. I'm going out with someone different tonight.”

The doorbell rang which made Lisanna and Natsu jump, Lucy just continued to smile and pointed to the stairs, “That would be him now.”

They glanced at each other before rushing, missing Lucy’s smile that quickly turned into a cheeky little smirk.

Once Lucy got to hallway just as Natsu ripped the door open, hearing his threatening bellow.

“Who dares take our Lucy out- Gray?” His voice lost its loudness and Lucy turned the corner to find Lisanna and Natsu gaping at the dark haired man in the door.

“I'm almost ready Gray.” She sung, smile innocently when they turned to her with wide eyes. Gray’s eyes held amusement and the tiniest smudge of a smirk.

“Sure. Take your time.”

“What exactly is this?” Lisanna found her voice as Lucy grabbed her purse from the side table, stuffing it into her bag.

“I'm taking Lucy out.” Gray stared at Lucy while she wasn't looking, smiling when she fiddled with her hair.

Natsu noticed this and bristled, “No way. Lucy needs someone nice. Not an icy bastard like you.”

“Cold hands, warm heart.” Lucy stated as she yelled up the stairs, “Mom, I’m heading off now!”

“Okay darling, have fun! Hi Gray!”

Lucy bit her lip at her Mom’s response and Gray stepped past the Cerberus , choosing to shout back, “Hello Mrs Heartfilia!”

Gray had been introduced to Lucy’s mom at the multiple sporting events they attended, since the Heartfilia’s were trustees on the school board.

“Layla, are you really going to let her go out with this guy?”

“Gray’s a sweetheart Natsu. I'll leave the growling to you.”

Natsu, true to Layla’s words, growled and eyed Gray suspiciously.

Lucy smiled.

“I don't like this. How are we going to scare Gray off?” Lisanna protested as Lucy slipped her hand into Gray’s, a silent urge to move before they decided to join them spontaneously.

Gray followed behind with a smirk, “You don't. I'm taking Lucy out, end of story.”

“But why him?” Natsu groaned, looking torn between shaking Lucy and throttling Gray. Lucy smiled at him innocently, blinking, “He’s got nice fingers.”

They both wore a face of pure bewilderment which made Gray chuckle. Once they got outside, Lucy glanced back and smiled, “Don't follow us.”

“You can if you want, won't make a difference.” Gray smirked as Lucy shook her head, continuing to pull him towards the street.

The door swung closed and they listened to the hushed argument.

“Do you think we spooked them?”

Lucy giggled as he lead her to his car, “I think Natsu was about to have an aneurysm where he stood.”

He opened the door for her and she smiled, placing a hand on his upper arm with a twinkle in her eyes, “Thank you.”

He smirked, leaning closer, “You are very welcome.”

Their lips brushed gently and the sound of a crash made Lucy jump, looking towards her house. She winced.

“Let's get out of here.”

“That's an excellent idea.” She climbed into the car as Gray saluted her house with his rude finger. She laughed at Natsu’s face which was smashed against the glass, glaring at them both. 

fin.

[jessflewitt]

NOOSA -31st Jan- 15th Feb

NOOSA 30th-15th February

Can’t even explain how much we loved this place - definitely our favourite beach bum places on the east coast so far! We saw the most stunning coastline , wild dolphins- wild koala , canoed the Everglades and Fraser island was definitely a highlight of our lives, life memories and friends made there for sure. Noosa is a bit less hippie than Byron ( more up our street) and just beautiful everywhere. Apparently it’s where a lot of ozzies travel for a summer holiday. We didn’t want to leave…

When we arrived we had about 3 days to chill out before our first tour. It was baking hot so we spend most of time beach buming and trying to find water to swim in to cool down. The main beach was just stunning - we were playing in the waves on the first day and Oli shouted ‘Jess watch out!’ Then a wave tumbled over our heads before I got chance to hear what he said so I was freaking out thinking it was a shark or something! Turns out a swarm of blue bottle jelly fish had floated in - managed to get out without being stung but called it a day after that. Ended up going to Noosa spit - noosa is lined with beautiful houses along rivers ( boats parked outside like Miami) and they each have a little beach opposite where you can swim. Spent an afternoon there lounging in the water - we were sat still for too long though and both got bitten by fish!

Locals in noosa are just awesome and friendly- no different to anywhere else. We had just come off the beach and were chilling in the van having a coffee and a local came up to us giving us some shit about the crack in the window screen! English mindsets we first thought he was trying to sell us a screen or something but turns out he was just being friendly - introduced us to his daughter and we ended up chatting for about 40 minutes.

We visited the famous ’ Eumundi Market’ the next day - it was way better than we expected and we completely blew the travel budget… Oppsie. It was absolutely huge! We had to park so far away and walk in because there was just hundred of cars. Tried tapioca for the first time - great for me as I’m now GF. Grown in Brazil. Ol got a sexy new rucksack :)

Next day we did the coastal noosa national park walk and it was just stunning!

The gagaju bush camp took the next three days. 3 days canoeing the Everglades- awesome. We met the group and our leader at the supermarkets and brought all the food and drink ect we’d need , a couple of German lads we’d met the night before in a camp site were on the same trip so that was cool- drove in convoy to the camp - got shown around the hilariously shocking accommodation - (we were last dibs too because we were chatting too much - they were like handmade bamboo bunk beds with a bit of mesh hanging down you were supposed to sleep on - no mattress or anything - and Olis bit of mesh was ripped so he’d basically we sleeping on the floor haha - we ended up sleeping in the van). Did a small hike that night and saw about 10 kangaroos - two were mummies with baby Roos in their pouches was amazing too see. They let us watch standing quite close - and then the ( we assume daddy) got a bit wary and stood up towering over us on his tail so we backed off after that! Had a swim in the river when we got back and Had a fun night playing drinking games and getting to know our team for the next day.

We were up and ready to go canoeing at 7am - canoes were Canadian style with the single sided oar - and had three people in each. We were given a barrel to put our lunch and bits in - awesome day! Luckily the current was on our side so it wasn’t too difficult. The day before they had been fighting the current for the whole 16k and they looked absolutely jaded! There was some lads that were just hanging out their arses and Henry was still smashed singing the whole way so it was hilarious. We stopped off at this rope swing into the river- all the lads were doing it ( it was actually quite high and scary when you got up the ladder) I was all confident until I got up there but too late to turn back at that stage with everyone watching so just went for it! Only girl to do it though 💪. We carried on up the river to this little beach where we had lunch which was cool and then made it back for about 4pm. I learned how to steer ( the posh way by dragging the oar in the water ) by copying the Canadian guy Joe on the way back - life skillsss.

Got accidentally drunk that night on goon for the first time with this awesome German girl Kim. Never again. The next morning was a struggle but we made it out again- ( about 10 people didn’t!) shorter trip up the Everglades the opposite way. We were fighting the current day two so was much harder - half way we left the canoes on the sand and went swimming in a water hole for about an hour until we were all shaking we got got so cold!

We left that day and headed back to Noosa- found a cute little campsite close to the beach and had another few days buming round Noosa. We did the national park walk again (once wasn’t enough) and we were lucky enough to see our first wild koala and a whole pod of dolphins playing in the surf! Amazing. We got the long baords out and went all around the coast too which was cool.

Fraser Island filled our next few days and it was just UNREAL. We got a free nights stay in noomads hostel the night before and the night after the trip … So we went there on the 8th for our first briefing. Got shown lots of boring videos about how to drive safely on sand. There was about 100 girls and 4 lads so that worried us a bit - didn’t want to be stuck in a car full of girls. So we went to the bar that night will full intentions of making a bline for all the lads - that didn’t happen and we ended up spending the night talking to this Irish couple that weren't even going on our tour 🙈but just before we went to bed we bumped into nick! Got on like a house on fire & instantly decided to team up:) next morning ( our 5 year anniversary what a way to spend it !) we got the two hour bus to rainbow beach where we picked the jeeps. Met Bailey ( Canadian girl) who was ace - then two more people , Olivia ( German but South American parents and spoke Spanish) and Andreas ( from Chile). We all just clicked - spent three days tearing around the beaches with all the windows down singing our hearts out. Ace! All the stop offs were just dreamy - lake McKenzie the water is so clear you can drink it - so we did , sand is so fine you can brush you teeth with so we did, exfoliated our skin- played volley ball , made a human pyramid in the sand, Eli Creek - was like a natural lazy river and the water was ice cold ( the boys have about an hour footage of trying to feed the fish with horse flies they caught 🙈) the champagne pools were awesome- were really rough , we got hit by a wave that dragged most of us across the coral into the next pool - Lucy and I have the scars to prove it! And a fish took a chunk out of Lucys bum which was hilarious! Indian head was a small cliff we climbed up for the view - saw a stingray from the top which was cool . Saw a ship wreck and on the last day we stopped off at lake wabi which was actually my favourite of the whole lot - we hiked through the sand dunes ( which was a killer for me who was dying off a goon hangover again!) and then there was this awesome lake in the middle of the dunes - absolutely stunning. You can see turtles there so we spent a while looking for them but didn’t see any, they have the fish that eat your dead skin so we all sat in a line with the fish eating our dead skin, then our guide said he would give $50 to anyone who could catch a catfish with their bare hands so we had a go! Obviously failed but we fed them flies haha.

We named are car Toni-( before we found out the name of our guide which was Tony lol!) he made our trip he was just fantastic. Really got involved with us , full of awesome stories and knew everything there was to know about Fraser- he caught a sea snake - told us all about it and released it - even drank with us at night and chased a dingo down the beach ( such a good Australian) he catches sharks in his spare time- once caught a tiger shark - took him 16 hours - he was harnessed to his truck and he made beans on toast twice durning the time- awesome!

We were all fighting for the drivers seat but split it fairly- it was just amazing bombing along next to the sea- our hostel was pretty basic but there was a pool we could use in our down time which was cool. Would recommend it to anybody- best trip ever. We came close with a few girls from the uk in a different car too- Lucy, little and Emma.

(We attempted to GoPro video the entire canoe Everglades tour and it was ok but the videos were too short to clip- so we did it again for Fraser - literally had about 60 videos and some of them are class! So really excited to made a Fraser video whenever we get a rainy day) Slept the entire way back to Noosa and the hostel put on an after party- free pizza and drinks which was cool of them. Some pretty dire games that we got involved in accidentally that might have been funny if we were 18 ha but we didn’t care we were still so hyped from the trip.

Next day we we returned to our baby Hayley and drove up the coast to Rainbow Beach ( Again) probably would have been better to drive up and meet the guys there but then we might not have met the gang and had such a good car so hey) rainbow beach is another beach with 4x4's racing down it - it’s like a beach highway - so cool. And Its surrounded by this awesome cliff face that is actually all different colours. Walked the length of it had a coffee then drove up north again until it got dark - parked up in this really creepy campsite with only one other car ( met this German girl who was a complete drag but had dinner with her) then next day headed to Hervey Bay - this is usually a whale watching town but it’s not the season for it so there wasn’t a huge amount to sea. It’s a marine national park so you can see manatees and sea turtles and everything if your there at the right time. We walked the pier and met a fisherman who told us a spot to sea two huge sea turtles ( which we did- was cool) and then that night we had the most amazing experience. Paid $12 each to watch baby turtles hatch and run into the sea for the first time. Mon Repos is a turtle breeding beach that is patrolled every night by Rangers. As the turtles are so endangered they have a special tagging system for the ones that are high priority and the ones that return so they can track numbers - there was videos and presentations about the guy behind the whole conversation programme and it was pretty amazing listening to all the work they have done over the years. When turtles hatch they join the south east Australian current ( finding nemo lol) and they go all the way to South America - eating things like plankton and jelly fish - they are more protected from predators in the current. They don’t return until they are about 16 years old and then they stay put as they are big enough to not be a prey target form bigger fish and sharks. They only go on land to lay - and they return to the same beach they were born on ( they know where to go because when they run from the nest to the sea for the first time they made a magnetic imprint that they remember ( amazing) and they can lay up to 500 eggs at one time. The estimate is that only 1 in a 1000 make it back to the same beach! So when you see a big one it’s pretty amazing. When the female lays she does so at night and goes straight back to the sea and has nothing more to do with them- so the conservation team patrol - and when the eggs are laid they build a cage around it to stop foxes and birds of prey taking the eggs - when the baby turtles climb up through the sand they take 10 ( out of about 70 usually) if it’s us a priority mother ( so endangered or local or retuning mother ) weigh and tag the babies - and then release them. The rest in the nest are realised straight away.

When the babes are doing their run to the sea they make sure no crabs or anything take them and make sure they all reach the sea! Some get tired and need a helping hand - we got to see a priority nest being released after they had been to the lab- your not allowed to use lights are anything they are guided to the sea by natural light . They were all so tired it was so cute and when they reached the sea it took them about 6 attempted each because the waves kept washing them in - then we stayed late ( most people went home ) and we got to see another nest running to the sea - these were not priority so there was tons of them and they had loads of energy and were running to the sea - amazing. And then the conservation team dig up the nests 24 hours after the turtles climb up to check that none have been left behind - because if one gets trapped for some reason they are not able to climb on their own so they die. So we watched a ranger dig up a nest and we rescued 2! So we released them into the sea - they also count how many eggs don’t develop and check what stage of development the eggs are at so they can monitor it. Amazing experience.

The next day we drove up to 1770 - there wasn’t too much going on but had had a small Fraser reunion and also bumped into some friends from the canoeing tour. We’d planned to go surfing the next day but the conditions weren't great- also found out we can’t go inland to do the national parks up here because you need a 4x4 - still have about 10 days to kill till Whitsundays so we’re going to try and find some casual work ( fruit picking or something ) for a week.

Day of the Everglades trip - we arranged some farm work - living with a family in cairns and learning how to run their farm for the first month-12 cows- few pigs - chickens - 2 dogs and the second month we’d be running it on our own while they went on holiday to Scotland- would get accommodation - food - live in the house and 2 months of our farming signed off so we could extend our visa) we weren’t going to be earning much money but thought it would be worth it to get a chunk of our farming signed off for a good experience. Found out today that we don’t think they can provide us with all the credentials we need for it to be legal - which we’re gutted about because we were really excited- still waiting to here but pretty sure it’s not going to happen. New plan is probably try to find a small farm and suck it up for 3 months- you can earn a ton of money and means we can extend our visas if we want to once we get to Melbourne- so that’s all ongoing - bit up in the air for now.

Currently just entered croc zone! So no swimming in rivers anymore. It’s dark so about to pull up to crash. It’s the 15th Feb …. Up to date woop!