#even if it had been a courtroom wedding I wouldn’t want to put her through that stress
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Requests are open! Here's some Prompts!
Angst Prompts
“This will be the last time you lie to me.”
“You know it’s not like that.”
“How could you think this wouldn’t hurt me?”
“You’re never going to be the same after this.”
“I just think it’d be best if we never met.”
“I can’t believe you would even think to leave me like this.”
“You never loved me, did you?”
“It didn’t have to be like this, but now you’ve ruined everything.”
“I hope you’re happy.”
“If you had have kept your mouth shut, then he’d still- he’d still be here!”
“What did you want once this was all through? Tell me!”
“Now I have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Thanks, it means a lot.”
“You could’ve- could’ve stayed. You could’ve helped me fix things.”
“I knew she’d never change, she was too stubborn, too similar to me.”
“This isn’t going to be fixed. You’ve ruined this for good now.”
“I hope I’m not put in the same part of hell as you.”
“When did you think you could hurt me again? Today? Tomorrow?”
“You’re back in my life and I want to die again.”
“You only ever brought me pain and I’m sick of it.”
“I hope you got what you wanted.”
“You made me miserable and I still loved you.”
“When you die, I’ll be the first to dance on your grave.”
“Don’t underestimate me, I have more power than you can even comprehend.”
“If only you knew what you’d brought upon yourself.”
“We’re never going to have a happy ending, just remember that.”
“Everytime something goes well, I momentarily forget how much I despise you.”
“Don’t pretend like you’re not happy to see me like this.”
“There is nothing worse than seeing you get what you want.”
“Your mind must be a horrible place.”
“You can cut me, bruise me and skin me alive, but you will not take her from me.”
“How is it that we always end up in this predicament?”
“I want to wipe that grin of your face with my sword, but my mother taught me to play nicely.”
“Did anyone ever tell you how pathetic you are? It’s incredible how low my standards are for you.”
“Ah, well if you want them back alive, I suggest you lay down your own life.”
“Don’t be ‘smart’. The battlefield is no place for Math Scholars.”
“You shouldn’t have come. You can’t be-”
“Stop talking or tomorrow won’t come.”
“Hand me the gun and I’ll kill him myself.”
“I shouldn’t care for your life, but I’m starting to and it’s becoming an inconvenience.”
“If you live to see her, please send my best regards and this box of her father’s ashes.”
“It would’ve been nice to get to know you better, but I’m afraid I don’t care.”
“I can’t help but think you’re a terrible person.”
“Seeing your face has unconventionally made me want to die. I wasn’t quite prepared for this feeling.”
“You could have loved me, I’m quite good at seducing, but you’re actually vile.”
“I hope I see you in a bodybag sometime.”
“Let’s pretend you didn’t cheat on me with my sister and be good people for a few minutes.”
“We should probably stop talking forever.”
“If I hated you anymore, I think I’d probably be crowned as satan’s right-hand man.”
“To say I ‘tolerate you’ is a vast overstatement.”
“You broke her heart and came back for more, you bastard.”
“This isn’t fifth grade, this is a courtroom, you whore.”
“I think you’d be the perfect match for my ex-husband. He loved to sleep with multiple people.”
“I’m not coming home, don’t look for me.”
“Time was always a measurement of this relationship and we finally ran out.”
“Please don’t look at me with such hatred.”
“I could’ve died and you couldn’t have cared less.”
“Just get out. I- I don’t want you here, just leave.”
“You’re not the same person I married, don’t tell me I’m wrong.”
“I wish you wouldn’t beg for forgiveness, it has the opposite effect of what you want.”
“Don’t hate me for this. You would’ve done the same.”
“This could’ve been the end and you were ready to let me go.”
“You should’ve left me, you could never deserve the person I’ve become.”
“Hate me all you want. I know I’m right.”
“Today you broke my arm, I hope tomorrow it’s not my heart.”
“Nothing can justify this, you’ve ruined him.”
“You live with so much guilt, I hope it drives you mad one of these days.”
“My life was ruined because of one mistake. You were that mistake.”
“You are everything I hate, don’t ever come back.”
“Evil doesn’t come close.”
“Your wrongdoings are becoming your pastimes.”
“I wish you had of just done it for the thrill of it, but now you’re in deep shit.”
“Next time, I won’t be here to salvage your wreckage. This is the last time.”
“You should have ruined me when you had the chance.”
“No one will keep your name alive. Once you’re gone, everything you once stood for disappears too.”
“Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about your life without me.”
“This is always how it ends.”
“Break my heart once more, I dare you.”
“Forget how you loved me once, I mean nothing now.”
“This isn’t Romeo and Juliet, this is real life and I can go on without you.”
“You don’t own me, I don’t belong to you.”
“I should’ve died. That would’ve made you happy.”
“Are we going to carry on like this or are you going to give him back to me.”
“She drowned and he lost his mind.”
“We shouldn’t. You’re married and I’m pregnant.”
“You’ve never been loved, I can tell.”
“Who told you I needed fixing and what made you believe them?”
“You’re almost as far-gone as I am.”
“Maybe it’s best that we don’t go home.”
“Roaming the streets was never safe for her. What makes you think it’s different for you?”
“I think you’re going to ruin me. Am I right?”
“Do you remember our last feud? I wouldn’t want someone to lose their life again, would you?”
“Kiss me quick and leave them be.”
“I hate seeing you so sad. It’s just so dramatic how humans show emotions and being sad is such a boring one.”
“Will you ever forget my number? No? Ah, because you still love me.”
“After the funeral, let’s surrender.”
“What made you think I cared for you?”
“It’ll be fun explaining this to your sister. I hope she likes horror stories.”
“Don’t act as if we’re friends. I know how much you want to slit my throat.”
“Let’s not get angry. Let’s calmly and sensibly take this outside so I can ruin your face.”
“Please ruin yourself for me and I’ll watch in adoration as I fall apart as well.”
Fluff Prompts
“I missed being with you like this,”
“I’ve been excited to see you all day.”
“You’re my perfect match,”
“No one else can compare to your loveliness,”
“The way you smile like that always turns me on,”
“Can I at least shut the door before you decide to pounce on me the moment I come home,”
“I know you said you didn’t want to be late, but you look amazing, and I’m trying not to kiss you senseless right now,”
“I’ll keep you warm. Hold me closer.”
“Kiss me again, like you mean it.”
“Can I have a message?”
“Truth or Dare?” “Dare”
“Move away if you don’t want this kiss.”
“If you keep kissing my face like that I’ll have to retaliate.”
“Are you my secret admirer, the one that’s been sending me all the flowers and notes?”
“Does this kiss tickle~? Haha. Why are you laughing so much?”
“You’re supposed to be washing my hair, but this feels more like a massage.”
“Hold my hand tight. I’ll protect you.”
“When do you think help will come?” “Not for a while, I guess we’re stranded here alone for the time being.”
“Can you pretend to be my partner for my friend’s wedding? I told them I’d have a plus one.”
“I’m in love with you.” “Are you finally confessing to me? Because I feel the same way.”
“Apparently all our friends have a bet going that we end up together.”
"I want you back."
"You need to stop calling me that."
"You did not just boop me."
"You lost me in a crowd once!" "It's not my fault you're so short!"
"We should get a puppy."
“Hurry up! It has eight legs and therefore will crawl faster than normal!"
"Kiss me." "Not with that morning breath."
"So, will you marry me?"
"How'd you do that?" "Magic."
"It's my happy juice."
"You did not just mimic me."
"I'm on my period and I want chocolate. Now go."
"I left you for five minutes."
"Tell me why I deal with you again?"
"Kiss it better. Please.”
Smut Prompts
“Try to stay quiet for me. Can you do that?”
“Spread your legs. I want to feel how turned on I made you.”
“You can add another finger. I’m ready,”
“I want to watch you take off your clothes.”
“You’re so turned on already? That was fast,”
“Lay back and touch yourself. I want to watch.”
“You want to do this right now? Even though we could get caught?”
“You’re nipples are so sensitive today,”
“Do you want to continue this in the shower?”
“You look so beautiful tied up to my bed,”
“I want you to be rough with me, please leave marks on my skin,”
“Say my name,” “Louder,”
“You say you want me, but your body seems to like it when I tease you,”
“Call me ‘Sir’ when we’re alone like this,”
“No, I’m the one that’s supposed to be making you feel good,”
“Don’t stop, whatever you do. I like that, a lot.”
“I love hearing you moan,”
“Blindfolds heighten your senses, maybe that’s why you’re whimpering louder than usual.”
“I was wondering how long you two were going to make out like that before you realize you weren’t alone.”
“Sorry, did that hurt?” “No, I’m just a little sore from last night.”
“I want to hear you beg for it.”
“I’m not wearing any panties,”
“I want to kiss every inch of your body before I fuck you,”
“I don’t have the patience to remove your clothes right now,”
“Your pussy tastes so sweet,”
“I can’t wait until we’re alone. There are so many things I want to do to you right now.”
“Bite me,” “Where?”
“Were you just touching yourself?”
“What do you want for breakfast?” “Why are you asking me that at 10 o’clock at night-OH.”
“The game is, either of us is only allowed to touch the other with their mouth.”
“I love how your body loses control when you cum.”
“Fuck me like a starved animal or leave.”
“Spank me,”
“Show me how you like to be touched.”
“Harder, Deeper…”
“I want to fulfill that fantasy you’ve always wanted.”
#arrow#arrowverse#criminal minds#fear the walking dead#good trouble#harry potter#riverdale#the 100#the chilling adventures of sabrina#the flash#the fosters#the walking dead
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dance with me | b.b.
pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader
au: modern, non-avengers!au
word count: 3.2k
warnings: mentions of alcohol/drinking
a/n: hello friends! i know i've been a bit inactive but inspiration struck for bucky so here is fluff with my actual baby
summary: Bucky is the best man at Steve and Peggy's wedding, and he's dreading giving the best man speech. All seems to be going incredibly well until Bucky sets his eyes on the most beautiful woman he's ever seen among the crowd of wedding guests.
Bucky was nervous; how could he not be when in a few short moments he would have to make a speech in front of hundreds of people? Most of them were strangers which brought him a sliver of comfort, but there were still far too many familiar eyes at this massive wedding.
He had made it down the aisle by sheer, dumb luck, and thankfully stood at Steve’s side unwavering throughout the entire ceremony.
It was beautiful and surprisingly shorter than expected, but Bucky had little time to relish in that because the sooner everyone got to the reception, the sooner it would be time for him to make the best man speech.
As everyone piled out of their respective modes of transportation in front of the reception venue, Bucky felt a hand clap against his back and he lurched forward.
“Ready for your big moment, Barnes?”
Bucky rolled his eyes and turned to face his fellow groomsman Sam Wilson, a friend he made reluctantly through Steve, and brushed Sam’s arm off of his shoulder.
“You know, I think you’d be much better suited to make a speech. Your charisma, that effortless charm…tell me you don’t agree.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Barnes, and besides, I have my video camera fully charged and ready to record you. Might even put it on YouTube.”
Sam gave Bucky another pat on the back and walked briskly towards the reception, shamelessly flirting with every single female guest he passed by.
He figured there was no use in waiting, and Bucky quickly followed Sam towards the wedding party table. Bucky let out a sigh of relief when he saw that his nametag was placed between Steve’s and Thor’s; if he was sat next to Sam or Tony he might have run out of the ballroom before anyone had a chance to hand him a mic.
The celebration was already in full swing; Tony was on stage introducing the band and reminding everyone that the reception was fully equipped with an open bar, courtesy of Stark Industries as one of many wedding gifts to Steve and Peggy. Almost immediately, a server with a tray of champagne approached Bucky and held out a flute.
Bucky took it eagerly, downing one and grabbing another before the server made his way to others standing nearby. As the cool, sparkling liquid swished around in his mouth, Bucky caught Steve’s eye and walked quickly to catch up with him.
“I’ve barely seen you all day, how you holding up, Stevie?”
“It’s the happiest day of my life, Buck, I’m absolutely perfect. Peggy was looking for you, I told her I would find you with a champagne glass in hand. There’s nothing to be nervous about, Buck, hell, you can just make a toast and sit down in 30 seconds if you want.”
“No, no, I have notecards and everything. I vow that this will be the best, best man speech in history, even if Sam thinks I’m bound to screw up.”
“Yeah, I saw he brought a video camera,” Steve chuckled, his eyes scanning the crowd for Sam’s tall stature. “I still don’t understand how you can command a courtroom but you’re afraid of making the best man’s speech.”
“Simple; law is facts, best man speech is emotion. I’m great at facts, not so great at emotion. Case dismissed.”
Steve shook his head and laughed at his best friend’s corny sense of humor that permeated most of Bucky’s words. It was one of the reasons people were so drawn to him, but Bucky didn’t always feel the same pull towards other people.
“Well, it’s almost time for dinner, I’m off to get back to my wife,” Steve sighed adoringly. “My wife, can you believe that?”
“Yes, I’ve known this day would come since the moment you two met. I’ll see you at the table, punk.”
Bucky weaved his way through the crowds of people back to the wedding party table and wasn’t surprised to find that Sam had switched the name plates so that he was now in Thor’s seat. If he wasn’t so nervous, he might have even laughed, but Sam’s video camera peeking out from under the table brought a sickly feeling back to Bucky’s stomach. He quickly summoned a server and plucked another flute of champagne from the serving tray, quelling his nerves by finishing the glass in one gulp.
Soon enough, everyone was seated and plates were served. Despite the fact that there were hundreds of people in the room, it felt homey. Everyone was chattering lively and Bucky found himself doubled over when Sam choked on a green bean and launched it halfway across the room when he coughed it up.
Halfway through dessert, Bucky felt Steve rise from his seat and then heard the faint tapping of silverware on Steve’s wine glass.
“Peggy and I are unbelievably blessed to have you all here with us today. We couldn’t be happier than to share and celebrate our love with all of you, our friends and family.”
“You wouldn’t know it, because I kept it very well hidden, but I knew there was something special about Steve from the moment I met him, and I had always dreamed that one day we would be here,” Peggy spoke assuredly. “I’d love to take the next few hours to talk about Steve, but my cousin and my maid of honor, Sharon, would like to make a toast.”
In all honesty, Bucky couldn’t hear a word of Sharon’s speech. His heart rate was impossibly high, high enough for his smart watch to notify him that he seemed to be in distress, and he stared blankly ahead until he felt Steve stand up again.
“And now, my best man, my best friend, my brother, Bucky, also has a few words he would like to share.”
It happened in slow motion; Steve sitting down and Bucky rising simultaneously. He pulled his notecards from his jacket pocket, while Sam slipped the video camera out from under the table, and took a deep breath, hoping to calm his heartbeat.
“The night Steve and Peggy met, way back when we were freshmen in college, I told Steve that he was going to marry her. I know he didn’t believe me because, believe it or not, he wasn’t always the buff, handsome guy you see before you. But, Steve’s always had a heart of gold, and I know that Peggy saw his heart that night. For those that know how they met, you know what I’m talking about, and for those that don’t, well, I’ll save Steve the embarrassment since it is his wedding day and I’m supposed to be nice to him.”
Bucky heard laughter across the room, and he stood a little taller and raised his gaze to look into the crowd as he flipped to his next notecard.
“When I think about true love, I think about the perseverance that one half of this perfect couple portrayed just to get a first date. I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t Steve. It was brutal watching Peggy flirt with this man and Steve never realized until one day Peg just planted one right on him, signature red lipstick and all. I’ll tell ya, I’ve never seen Stevie smile bigger in his life, except for maybe earlier today when Tony, ordained minister for the day, pronounced him and Peg husband and wife.”
The laughter continued and Bucky let his eyes wander across the room before they landed on a table not too far from his own, where a woman sat with her legs crossed and a dreamy smile on her perfect face.
Bucky quickly looked away before she noticed his staring, and flipped another card.
“It’s been many years since those puppy-love college days, but through every trial, every hardship, I’ve only seen their love grow infinitely stronger. It is a true – ”
Bucky’s voice cut off as his eyes landed once again on the captivating stranger; his eyes fixated on the curve of her lip and the way her eyelashes fluttered gently across her cheekbones as she blinked.
He cleared his throat and began again.
“It is a true…a true…please forgive me, but I can’t focus on this speech when the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is sitting right in this room.”
Sam clapped a hand over his mouth, stifling his own laughter so that he didn’t mess up the sound on the recording.
“Table…ten? I think that’s table ten. The Y/H/C woman in the pale blue dress, please, please allow me the pleasure of knowing your name.”
The mystery woman straightened up immediately, a look of embarrassment crossing her face as she looked around her to see if there was, by chance, another Y/H/C woman wearing a blue dress, but of course there wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to yell, I’ll be right there,” Bucky spoke into the mic before hopping over the table and hastening towards table ten.
Sam could no longer contain his laughter, and Peggy stared at Steve in bewilderment, shocked at Bucky’s actions. She hadn’t known him to act like this in years, ever since Dot broke his heart their senior year of college he’d lost that romantic and spontaneous side to him.
Bucky settled in the empty seat next to the stranger and flashed her a boyish, charming smile; extending his hand out for her to shake.
“My name is James Buchanan Barnes, but you can call me Bucky.”
“Y/N Y/L/N,” she spoke as she took Bucky’s hand gently. “It’s, uh, it’s nice to meet you, but don’t you have a speech to get back to?”
“You’re absolutely right, I’ll find you later.”
Bucky gingerly lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, watching as her Y/E/C eyes grew wide in shock. He quickly ran off before she had time to say another word and made his way back to the wedding party table with a skip in his step.
Sam handed Bucky back his mic, offering him a wink and a sly smile.
“I apologize for the brief interruption,” Bucky breathed out, “but I had to know her name. It’s Y/N, by the way, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Before I laid eyes on her I was about to tell you all how Peggy and Steve will make it through everything, because their love is the truest love I’ve ever seen. They build each other up, love each other through faults and mistakes, and the way they look at each other is truly sickening in the most heartwarming of ways. I love you both more than anything. Congratulations to my favorite people in the world!”
Bucky lifted his glass and encouraged the guests to lift theirs as well, toasting to the newlywed couple in unison. Once he had taken a sip and everyone set their glasses down on their respective tables, Bucky sat down in his seat and let out a dramatic sigh.
“Man, you were better than I could have ever hoped for,” Sam snickered as he replayed the footage to see Bucky catapult himself over the table one more time. But, Bucky was paying him no attention.
“Steve, do you know her? Why haven’t you ever introduced me?” Bucky hounded his best friend as Steve tried his best to keep a straight face.
“I have no idea who she is, Buck. Peg, do you know her?”
“She looks familiar but I can’t put my finger on it…maybe she’s someone’s plus one?”
Bucky’s shoulders slumped in defeat, of course she had come here with someone, and he had made a fool of himself in front of the entire reception.
A snort of laughter could be heard from over Peggy’s shoulder and Sharon leaned forward trying to repress her giggles.
“Y/N came with me! That guy I’ve been seeing, he got called on a last minute business trip and couldn’t come but I’d already RSVP’d as two plates, so I asked Peggy if it was ok if I brought someone else. Y/N works with me at the hospital, she’s a peds nurse and the sweetest person in the world.”
Bucky sat up straight almost instantly, a giddy smile crossing his face.
“So, she’s single?”
“I mean, I think so, she’s never mentioned anyone – ”
“Great, thank you, Sharon, I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.”
Once again, Bucky ran across the room and found himself at table ten. This time, there was no empty seat next to Y/N, so Bucky kneeled on the floor in front of her and watched her eyes grow wide as they did before.
“Bucky,” she whispered, “what are you doing?”
“Will you dance with me?”
“There’s no music, everyone is still finishing up dessert, plus Peggy and Steve haven’t had their first dance and…you’re not going to leave until I say yes, are you?”
“No, you can say no. I just have this feeling that you don’t want to.”
Y/N smiled at the handsome man kneeling before her; his bright blue eyes fixed on her face as he awaited her answer with baited breath.
“Yes, I’ll dance with you. But not until Steve and Peggy have their first dance.”
“Of course, Y/N, I’m not a heathen, I know how wedding customs work.”
Bucky held out a hand and helped Y/N to her feet. She expected him to drop it once she was standing, but his sweaty palm, which she found adorable, stayed clasped in her own as he turned towards the table at the front of the room.
“HEY STEVE,” Bucky shouted. “Y/N WON’T DANCE WITH ME UNTIL YOU AND PEG HAVE YOUR FIRST DANCE, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THAT’S SCHEDULED TO HAPPEN?”
Y/N watched as Steve helped Peggy from her seat and they glided towards the dance floor, their eyes never leaving one another.
The dulcet tones of Frank Sinatra rang through the speakers in the ballroom; a fitting choice for Steve and Peggy as they had always been sort of old fashioned. Their love was timeless, ageless, and seemed to be from a different era.
Bucky watched Y/N’s eyes as they followed Steve and Peggy sway across the dance floor, their smiles and gazes only for each other. After a few seconds, Bucky saw Steve look away from Peggy and search the crowd. Finally, Steve’s gaze landed on Bucky and he gave him a nod, asking him to join him on the dance floor.
He tightened his grip on Y/N’s hand and urged her towards the open space in the middle of the massive room.
“Bucky, I’m nervous, are you sure this ok?”
“Lovely, never, never change,” Bucky sang along to the music as they continued walking towards the dance floor.
“Seriously, Bucky, no one else is out here except for the bridge and groom!”
“…Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight,” Bucky continued singing.
Y/N looked over at Steve and Peggy to see them smiling at her, encouraging her to take her place on the floor with Bucky, so she moved just a bit faster and pulled Bucky as close to her as possible while the light baritone voice of Sinatra faded out.
“Are you ready, doll?”
“For what?”
A familiar opening guitar riff replaced the jazz from before and Y/N laughed as Bucky adjusted his stance and gripped her hands tightly.
“For this crazy little thing called love.”
Within seconds, Bucky was swinging Y/N around the dance floor and their laughter filled the air.
More guests started raiding the dance floor, but all Y/N could see was Bucky’s smiling face as they twirled around the dance floor in the most rudimentary version of a swing dance the world had ever seen.
All too fast, the song began to end and an upbeat, modern pop song took over the Queen classic. Instead of pulling him towards the mosh pit quickly forming in the middle of the dance floor, orchestrated by Sam no doubt, Y/N headed towards the nearest exit with Bucky in tow.
They stepped out into the cool night air in some sort of patio garden, and Y/N groaned at how perfect the setting was as her night had already played out akin to a cheesy romance movie.
“What are we doing out here, doll?”
“I just wanted a moment alone with the man who embarrassed me in front of hundreds of people at my best friend’s cousin’s wedding.”
“Y/N, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have been so – ”
“Relax, Bucky,” she giggled as she placed a hand on his cheek. “I’m just messing with you. But, I would like to know what this whole stunt is about, however sweet it may be.”
“Stunt? Honestly, I’m not sure, I just know that I saw you and couldn’t form any coherent thoughts afterwards. I still can’t.”
“So this was all spur of the moment, on a whim, trying to impress the pretty stranger at your best friend’s wedding?”
“That about sums it up, trying to impress the stunning stranger at my best friend’s wedding.”
“Bucky Barnes, you are so corny.”
“Only for you, doll, I haven’t felt this way in so long. What are you doing tomorrow night? Sharon said you work with her at the hospital, I don’t know your schedule or, or if you even want to go out with me but, God, I’d love to take you out.”
Y/N looked at the hopeful look on Bucky’s face, at the sparkle in his eyes, and she felt her heart lurch inside her chest. Whatever feeling Bucky was describing, she could only dream that it was the same way she was feeling right now.
“I’m sort of tied up every night this week…but I’m free next weekend? If you don’t mind waiting that long.”
“I would wait forever if I had to,” Bucky grinned as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Y/N’s cheek.
She grabbed his hand once more and they walked back into the reception hall, acutely aware that many pairs of eyes were watching them as they crossed the room.
“I’ve got to go ask Sharon to introduce me to Peggy, I actually haven’t officially met her yet but,” Y/N paused and her gaze fell to the ground, a sudden nervousness overcoming her. “I’ll come find you later? Maybe? If you’d like to dance with me again?”
“I’ll save all my dances for you, angel, don’t you worry.”
Y/N smiled so brightly at Bucky he swore his heart might stop, and he watched her walk away in a trance-like state until an arm being slung around his shoulders broke him out of it.
“I think you’re going to marry her,” Steve said mockingly, recalling the memory of a situation reversed so many years ago.
“Unlike you,” Bucky teased, “I’m not in denial. I know I’m going to marry her.”
marvel/bucky taglist: @weelittleweasley @gredmforge @vogueweasley @kaye-lantern @emeraldbears20 @barnesjamcs @thisuserlovesyouandyouandyou @fallingforyou123 @vivacesole@raiaurii @phoenixes-and-wizards @gloryekaterina @hannahmeyer1999 @belladonnabarnes @beautyschoo1dropout @loonylovegood13 @saara-sanders @le-weasley-simp @swiftss@omghufflepuff (if your URL has strikethrough, i was unable to tag you!)
#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes au#bucky barnes fluff#bucky barnes x fem!reader#bucky barnes#marvel au
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the fairytale she never had (will you believe again?)
when sol is invited to a wedding, sol doesn’t think her best friend would follow her.
aka: solhwi attending a wedding
notes: it just struck me one day, and i really wanted them to see each other outside of the law school moments! while law school defines them, they are certainly people with social activities.
i adapted this from a similar prompt i saw from a fic many years ago for a separate fandom, and i always wanted to write something similar. this was honestly not met to be multi-part, but i write too much anyways. so multi-part it will be.
also, it might sound depressing in the initial part where sol is talking about the wedding invitation, but it gets explained later on.
as always, enjoy! any grammar mistakes and all will be taken fully responsible by me!
ao3 link
words: 4135 words
I: 我愿变成童话里, 你爱的那个天使 (i am willing to be the angel of that fairytale you love)
--title inspired by fairytale (童话) by Michael Wong!--
Sol absolutely hates weddings.
She hated the big social crowds, the way drunk men in tuxedos staggered around with women in one arm and a drink in another. She found no purpose in dressing in lavish gowns, then eating dinner for the next two hours without even feeling full.
Sol couldn’t blame anyone but herself for this. She can’t help but remember her mother’s failed marriages. The way her biological father left them in the middle of the night, with all their hard earned savings. The way her stepfather, Byeol’s father, would come home drunk and violent towards her mother. It was a memory she couldn’t erase. More than a decade later, she still wakes up in a cold sweat, worrying for her mother and small Byeol’s life.
She long ago gave up on the concept of love back then. She wasn’t opposed to anyone dating or talking about it, and she certainly didn’t mind short flings. But marriage? Eternal love? The fairytale that everyone hopes to achieve? Sol threw those ideas out of the window.
So when Sol received a thick, cream-coloured card and envelope, embossed with rose gold foil and flowers, a pretty silver wax seal and her name written in careful strokes of a calligraphy brush, she was stumped.
Her friend, Im Jiyoon, was getting married. Jiyoon was a good friend of Sol’s, and they occasionally met up for quick meals. Jiyoon was an accountant and climbing the ranks in her company. They lost contact for a period when Sol was in juvie, but they reconnected when Sol was just starting law school. It was only polite that Jiyoon extended invitations to her high school classmate.
Sol had mixed feelings. The wedding was on a Friday night, which made things good since she didn’t have to wake up early, fitting her schedule properly. But she had nothing to wear. She could borrow a dress and shoes from Yeseul, but the last time she borrowed a shoe from Yeseul, she almost broke her ankle. And she had so much work to catch up on. Yet, not showing up felt rude of her.
Jiyoon was nice, don’t get her wrong. She was smart, resourceful and lovely to be with in high school. Sol wanted nothing more than for her high school friend to marry the love of her life. But she hasn't been to such social events in years, and being so focussed on school, the legal clinic and contributing to her family, she found it difficult to understand why she needed to go, besides doing it out of courtesy.
“What’s that?” A familiar voice pipes from behind, drawing her out of her thoughts. There’s the familiar shuffling of several pairs of feet as Sol turns her attention to the one who spoke. Behind her, was Han Joon Hwi with his bag just being set on the table. The rest of the group was just settling in for another study session.
“Ah, nothing important.” She monotonously says before sliding the card in her files. Joon Hwi’s hands catch the card before she can slide it fully and stop her from hiding it from him, or the rest of the group. The rest draw their attention to the expensive card and Sol only stays silent.
“A wedding? Your friend’s?” Yeseul asks as she picks the card up with perfectly manicured fingers. Turning and feeling the thick paper between her fingers, Yeseul knew it was no cheap manufactured paper. This was expensive, premium, and each card looked handmade from the brush calligraphy.
“Yeah. But I don’t think I’m going.” Sol says as Yeseul returns her the card and successfully stores it away in her bag.
“Why not? Don’t you want to be there?” Joon Hwi asks, cocking his head to the side in utter confusion.
“There isn’t much point, is there? I have school and the legal clinic and things to revise for. And besides, I don't have anything to attend in. I just rather send her a gift and treat her a meal.” Sol simply explains. Everyone bombards her with more questions, but she diverts their attention to her paper and the cases they are reviewing today.
Joon Hwi, however, couldn’t get Sol’s reasoning out of his head. He knew Sol well enough to know how much she values her friends, and that she would be willing to drop everything for a friend. Her loyalty was unmatched. It didn’t make sense that she would be held back by her vanity or school work that caused her to not attend such a joyous occasion.
When everyone is done reviewing the cases and the session ends, Sol is the only one who has her books and papers still scattered all over the table. She still has to review her notes and catch up on a few lectures before she can officially end her day. Joon Hwi was long done, but he stayed put, bringing out a past report he’s done and glancing through it, hopeful to catch any mistakes. The others have headed back or gone to the cafeteria for a meal.
“Han Joon Hwi, you don’t have to stay for me, you know?” Sol says, her eyes not once looking up as she stays concentrated highlighting her book with a fluorescent orange highlight. She sticks it in her hair when she’s done, raising her head to meet Joon Hwi’s eyes. Joon Hwi only smiles, letting his eyes crinkle.
“Why don’t you want to attend the wedding?” Joon Hwi asks, still smiling. Sol scoffs.
“I already said. I’m too busy-” Sol is cut off by Joon Hwi with his teasing.
“You sure? I think it’s about the groom, though.” Joon Hwi smiles brightly, earning an irritated series of clicks of her tongue from Sol, clearly successful in being teased.
“None of that sort! Who do you think I am, Han Joon Hwi?” Sol rebuts back, throwing her eraser across to him in annoyance.
Joon Hwi catches it with a laugh, but doesn’t lose eye contact with Sol. A few moments of silence follow, as she looks at the file with the card. Slowly, she draws the card from her file, holding it carefully between her fingers.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be there. I… it’s my first time going to such a social event in such a long time. And the last time I met Jiyoon was a year ago, back in our 1L.” She says softly, letting her fingers brush her calligraphed name.
“I just… rather not go, you know? Treat her to a nice meal somewhere, maybe a couple drinks. Besides, I’m sure she’s just doing it out of courtesy.” She lets out a light laugh.
Joon Hwi’s heart softens. He’s witnessed Sol in her different elements. The courtroom, where she’s a powerful woman in command, dressed professionally in a suit and hair in a perfect ponytail. The day-to-day her, where she’s comfortably dressed in jeans and her tanned coat, hair in a bun and post it notes on her jacket. She was always so bold, so confident and so full of fire. It never occurred to him that she would be uncomfortable in social events. She was always the life during dinners, with Bokgi. She laughed loudly, engaged in conversations and seemed so comfortable. He remembers how she would help out the old halmeonis with her neighbourhood on some days when he sent her home, or the times she bought ice creams for Byeol’s classmates. She seemed so extroverted, yet so closed off. Eying her, Joon Hwi reaches out and clasps his hand over hers in an attempt to comfort.
“I never went to school events, you know? Especially since juvie made me miss it. When I redid my high school year, I didn’t go too. There wasn’t much of a point, since I didn’t have a date or many friends to begin with. If it was Dan, she would have gone, being the popular girl she was back then.” Sol softly says, a small smile ghosting her face.
She remembers the day prom arrived for her school. She was expectant, hoping that the boy she liked would invite her. Or maybe the girls that she occasionally had lunch with will invite her to hang out. But all she got was a stone cold silence the weeks leading up to prom. When everyone buzzed on what they were wearing to prom night, she silently put on her headphones, drilling herself into her science assignments. Of course, she wouldn’t be invited.
She knew the rumours floating in school. How Dan was the perfect one, how she was the failed one. She knew everyone knew she went to juvie. She knows how the boys snicker at her when she walks past them, or how the girls gossip and whisper when she’s eating her lunch. Besides, it didn't help that she was poor. She can’t even afford a dress of her own, let alone go to the event.
Realising what she’s said, Sol quickly draws her hand away along with the card and slots it away in her file.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to blabber on. You must think it’s stupid, I think so too. Anyways, do you have the notes Professor Kim...” Sol quickly apologises and diverts her attention to her notes. But Joon Hwi was no longer listening. He was shattered by how the woman sitting in front of him has never been treated like how she should be treated. It was no secret to Joon Hwi that he cared for his friends, but cared a little more for Sol. He was the one that left post-it notes on her table and pretended he didn't. She was the only one that he would let steal a mouth or two from his ramyeon. He could read her moods just from her eyes. He wonders sometimes, if he sees her more than a friend.
He won’t hide that she’s beautiful. The way her eyes slant in an elegant fashion, her smooth, slightly tanned skin, and her winning smile that he always found his heart beating faster for. He loves the way she smiles at her extra pickles, the way her eyes light up when she sees Byeol, or the way she argues and practices. The tenacity and desire she has to improve inspires him to work as hard as her.
This is why when Sol spilled the beans, he couldn't help but feel all sorts of emotions. Anger, towards the people in her school, for not realising such a wonderful student. Anger towards her for degrading herself. Sadness, for her not being able to experience such events.
As Joon Hwi ended the session with her and returned to his room, he made a promise to Sol. He’s convinced it will work, and he begins planning in his head.
He will show her the fairytale.
-----
A week passed.
Sol had to give a reply in a few days and she has not figured out what to say. The wedding was in a month. She knew Jiyoon would be busy... Sol figures that she should just treat Jiyoon after her honeymoon, knowing how she would be away with her husband as newlyweds later on.
“Still thinking about the wedding?” Joon Hwi nods at her, her head in her hands. Sol, looking defeated, nods. So much for trying to hide. They were at their pantry area of their dorms, Sol stirring her ramyeon, as Joon Hwi slurps his. It was 3am, and they just finished studying. The next day was a weekend, so it didn’t really matter if they slept late, since they got the privilege of sleeping in.
“What do I tell Jiyoon? I don’t want to sound rude.” Sol mumbles, lazily stirring her soggy noodles.
“Go to the wedding.” Joon Hwi says suddenly, continuously slurping.
“What?!”
“Sol, how many weddings can you even go to in your life? Are you sure you want to miss this one? Besides, you said you haven’t been to social events. Don’t you want to experience it?” Joon Hwi says, adrenaline building in his voice.
Sol falls silent. She can’t deny that she wants to experience the feeling of being dolled up, the fun that everyone talks about, and the enjoyment that everyone goes through. And Joon Hwi is right; she wants to celebrate with Jiyoon. But her fear of social events and the past was holding her back.
Joon Hwi could tell the change in her eyes. He gives a sweet smile, knowing that he said enough to change her mind.
“Joon Hwi, but what if she doesn’t even-” Sol begins doubting herself as she shoots off her doubts and worries. Joon Hwi calms her down with logical reasons, calming her nerves in between his mouths of ramyeon.
“But... I’ll be alone there, right?” Sol asks, her voice so soft, Joon Hwi barely picks it up. Her ramyeon is still untouched, and the noodles have gotten soggy and cold. Sol is silent for a moment, as she realises how right she is, for once. It wasn’t like she could ask a date, she doesn’t even have one. And her friends from the study group were out of the question. They don’t even know Jiyoon. Joon Hwi quickly brings up his bowl to his face, hopefully covering it as he feels the heat rising to his face.
“I’ll be your plus-one.”
Sol’s eyes light up and her head rises. Did she hear that right? Han Joon Hwi, her plus-one?
“Oh, no! No, I didn’t mean it like that! Joon Hwi, no, I can’t-” Sol can’t find the right words to say. He can't? He shouldn’t? He doesn't need to? Sol can’t deduce her own reasonings for this argument. She knows her roommate likes him, and she definitely doesn’t want to be the target of her roommate’s stares if she catches wind of this. Besides, Joon Hwi doesn’t like her. She knows, and she doesn’t want him to get any wrong ideas. He’s her best friend, and confidante. She knows, deep down, his heart is someone else's.
“I want to.”
Sol freezes as Joon Hwi finishes drinking his soup. Placing the bowl down, he does as best as he can to lock eyes with Sol seriously, showing her he wasn’t teasing. No, this was out of his sincere heart. He knows how nervous she gets in a new environment, and him being next to her was bound to calm her nerves just a little more.
Sol could see the genuine care and want in his eyes. She knows this isn’t one of his jokes or teases. For a split second, she catches herself thinking if he meant something more. That going as a date, was more than just keeping her company, but for something to develop…
Her face is flushed red as she looks at her puffed noodles and lukewarm soup. She picks her chopsticks up but is stopped by Joon Hwi’s hand as he shifts the bowl toward him, away from her.
“Get yourself a fresh one. This is the first meal all day, isn’t it?” Joon Hwi calls her out, covering her noodles. Sol wants to argue for her soggy noodles, but she falls silent knowing how he revealed her secret. She hasn’t eaten all day after running reports and studying. Grumbling, she does as instructed and boils another bowl of ramyeon. When she’s back at the table with a fresh, hot, spicy and red bowl, she dives into it, wondering how she managed to survive the whole day.
Joon Hwi only gives a small smile looking at the girl slurping her noodles with delight and looking at her. Joon Hwi wasn’t lying. He did want to be her plus-one for the wedding. He knew that more than just being a comfort for Sol, he wanted to make this one day a day she could look back and smile at. That she could be pretty, relaxed and happy instead of stressing over her grades, exams and family.
“Fine.” Sol says as she continues slurping the spicy noodles. She blesses the spiciness of the noodles, such that she could blame her pink blush on it. Joon Hwi, clearing the cold noodles and getting water for both of them tilts his head in confusion.
“Come with me to the wedding, if you want to.” She mutters softly, almost shy to let him know. To hide her blush and hide her confusion, she lifts the still hot bowl to her face. She drinks the soup, but chokes on the spiciness. Joon Hwi lets out a light chuckle before passing her a bottle of cold water. Sol looks at him with narrowed eyes of annoyance, but graciously takes the water.
As he watches Sol eat her first bowl, then a second, as Joon Hwi munches on some crackers, he only smiles and laughs at whatever Sol was complaining about her reports and her frustrations at her cases that she picked. He lets out comforting words, but is rebutted back with Sol saying he will never get it because he’s smart unlike her.
As he went to bed that night, he only gave a giddy smile, burying his face in his sheets. He scored his point of taking Sol out on a date, and was already counting down. He officially succeeded in the first step of his plan.
The rest of it required a little bit of help. But he knew who to ask.
-----
“Yeseul! What is it that you need to wake me up on a weekend? I was up until 4am last night!” Sol grumbles as she places her phone on speaker, rubbing her eyes. It was 8am, way too early for Sol to process any emergencies. Well, if it was Yeseul, she would do it any time.
“Sorry, unnie. But it’s urgent. Could you meet me in 10 minutes at the lobby?” Yeseul’s bright voice echos. Sol notices her roomie’s bed made, pillows nicely fluffed and sheets tucked in neatly in pure perfection. She isn’t surprised, considering how she gets up early anyways.
“Fine.” Sol says and hangs up, getting a fresh change of clothes and heading to the bathroom to wash up. She throws on a hoodie, grabbing her only tanned ochre coat and grabs her bag, before jogging downstairs to the lobby. There, Yeseul is standing there, with a sling black bag and with one of the many nude heels she has, hair styled to perfection.
“Unnie!” Yeseul waves her hand over. Walking closer, Sol notices two other familiar friends behind as she scoffs.
“Joonhwi? Bokgi? What are you doing here?” She asks, her hand playing with the strap of her bag unconsciously. She was surprised to see Joonhwi, but even more Bokgi, who usually spends mornings sleeping in. Joonhwi only gives his usual cheeky smile and drags a drowsy Bokgi with him out towards to the main entrance of the school. Dumbfounded, Yeseul takes this moment to link her arm with Sol’s as she leads her out and catch Sol up to their agenda today.
“What?! You’re bringing me where?” Sol exclaims, her voice echoing throughout the lobby. Yeseul shushes her as she drags a shocked Sol out of school. Yeseul didn't need the whole school to know where Sol was going.
“Unnie, please? You need a dress for the wedding, and don’t think you are going to go in one of mine or your old ones! Besides, you promised to go shopping with me one day, right?” Yeseul defends herself as Sol sighs.
Yeseul wasn’t wrong. The wedding was just a week away and she had absolutely nothing to wear. She owned a couple pairs of flats, but they were so old, it would be embarrassing to attend with those. And her dresses were either too big or too small. She was so caught up with school after submitting her reply to Jiyoon, that she would have forgotten about the wedding if it wasn’t for the post-it on her bedside wall.
“But...but...” Sol couldn’t find any reasons to counter. She knew Yeseul was right. Besides, it’s a weekend. And they had no upcoming tests or projects, so there was no harm in doing something besides studying in the copy room. She nods, defeated, earning a smile from Yeseul.
“Wait, then why is Joonhwi and- Who’s car is that?!” Sol’s thoughts are cut off when she sees a familiar black sedan waiting by the entrance as Sol and Yeseul just exit. In the car, she manages to see a Joonhwi in the driver’s seat and Bokgi riding shotgun.
“Yah! Han Joon Hwi! Isn’t this my roomie’s car?” She shouts as she strides a couple of steps when Joonhwi rolls the window down.
“She loaned me the car for today. Don’t want you carrying so many things back from shopping today.” He replies curtly. Bokgi opens his passenger side door on the right.
“Bokgi-”
“Noona, sit in front. I’m too tired to watch Joonhwi-hyung drive.” Bokgi mutters before he climbs into the backseat with Yeseul. Sol wordlessly settles into the seat next to Joonhwi, who only looks at her with a smile. Sol catches his odd looks and pauses.
“What?”
“Ready for shopping?” He has his cheeky smile on again. Sol glares in annoyance before turning behind to Yeseul.
“Did you make him drive?” Yeseul shakes her head and spills out her defensive explanation.
“Oppa called me up yesterday! He just said he needed my help to accompany you shopping for a dress!”
“Then, why is Bokgi here? Trying on dresses too?”
“Noona! I’m listening!” Joonhwi only laughs and shakes his head.
“He’s just accompanying me.” Joonhwi says as he begins to drive off.
Well, Joonhwi wasn't lying. He waited till their quizzes and projects were over before executing this. He knew Sol was busy, and had waited for the busy season to pass before calling Yeseul. He explained that he knew Sol would not go shop for a dress, and he needs her help to accompany him and her. She willingly, too willingly, agreed.
Next, he asked Sol B if he could borrow her car, knowing how Sol was not going to go home with just one dress and one pair of shoes when Yeseul was involved. Sol B was skeptical, but just passed the keys over to him. Besides, she was going to be in school studying all day; she didn’t need the car. Bokgi joined in, as Joonhwi couldn’t spend hours on end waiting for the ladies to shop. On further thought, Bokgi just might help him out with something.
“I could go myself with Yeseul. You didn’t have to wake up for this.” Sol mutters just loud enough for him to hear, fiddling with her fingers. Joonhwi returns with a light scoff.
“As if you’ll do it.” Sol glares at him from the side and is ready to punch him, but retracts her hand, knowing she might literally kill everyone in the car. The ride from the school to the bustling heart of Seoul is a rough twenty minute ride. Bokgi takes this time to catch a wink and Sol does the same, but she can't seem to do it.
Something about Joonhwi bringing her out to buy a dress specially made her heart flutter a bit more than usual. She knew that Joonhwi cared for her. The ways that he left rolls of gimbaps and energy drinks as opposed to coffee on her table during her tough days. The moments when he would offer his jacket as a pillow wordlessly when she wanted to rest her head after hours of studying. The unspoken synchronisation between them was just a showing of how they understood each other inside and out.
Sol thought nothing of it. She knew him as long as she stepped into school when he saved her from Professor Yang. They spent almost everyday studying, having classes and eating together. After all, they are best friends, and don’t best friends do this? They look out for each other, right?
He is going to be my plus-one at Jiyoon’s wedding. He’s taking me to shop for a dress.
Sol wonders, truly for the car ride as she stares outside at the blue skies and empty streets of Seoul, if Han Joonhwi meant more than friends to her. If… she wanted more.
Deep down, she couldn’t deny hoping for more. She liked the way he looked at her, eyes crinkled and smiling in half moons, the sweet smile that she couldn’t help but return. She has never had many relationships, considering her experience in school and afterwards. She was just too busy; too focussed. Seeing how this man cared for her just made her feel so… special.
She has never felt that way.
#original by akinosakiya#jtbc law school#law school#jtbc drama#jtbc#joonsola#kang sol a#kang sol a x han joon hwi#solhwi#han joon hwi#netflix#kdrama#wedding#ryu hye young#kim beom#kim bum
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Hurt You Just Before You Go
- The one where Y/n picks a date for her divorce with Harry
Part 1
Masterlist
-
“You know what we should do?”
It was the third night of their honeymoon and they had just got done with a particularly passionate round of love making — leaving them bare and breathless upon the heart-shaped bed, illuminating in the moon’s wake, burning in their desire.
“Hmm... what, baby?” Harry hummed against the crook of Y/n’s neck — which still smelled like cherry vanilla despite his lips making a home out of it not just thirty minutes prior — pulling her body closer to his because he longed for her even when she was as close as could be.
“When your contract is over and it’s just you and me… we should go somewhere — somewhere far away from everything we’ve ever known, somewhere nobody else knows.”
Just the sound of it made Harry’s heart wither and clench, his bones shiver, his muscles ache with temptation because he couldn’t think of a single thing he wanted more than Y/n to consume his life whole — leave behind the life he’d made for himself because none of it meant half as much as she did.
“We could be those people who just up and leave; raise a family, adopt a kitten or two, drink wine on a hammock while the kids are asleep.”
And he was convinced Y/n shared all the same visions he had — all the same hopes and all the same dreams. Because when he pictured his life after his fame faded to nothing but a distant memory, all he saw was her — there was nothing else or nobody else, just her.
But to know he couldn’t have that for another five years made his heart heavy in his chest.
“Don’t tempt me. Please, don’t tempt me.” He begged with his hungry lips — sprawling kisses along her body, anywhere they could touch. “Would do it right this second if I could. Would give everything up to just have you.”
Y/n would kill for it, would sacrifice anything and everything to spend the rest of her life exactly how she was spending it then — the world unturning as she lay helplessly in her husband’s arms.
But it couldn’t always stop for them no matter how badly they wanted it to. Life had to move on, they just hoped they could keep up with it.
“But you’ve got a whole lot of love from a whole lot of people. The world would crumble without you, Harry Styles.”
“Let it.” He asserted without hesitation, his lips against her inner thigh, spreading her open, all for him. “Mine would crumble without you.”
-
“Our anniversary?”
Y/n can hardly believe the sight in front of her.
She had seen Harry at all his darkest and most vulnerable moments — seen him through all his breakdowns, all his blackouts, all his downfalls — but nothing compares to the broken mess of a man standing at her front door trying desperately to hold himself together.
He’s falling apart at the seams, broken on his feet — his eyes bloodshot and swollen, hair abused, his skin pale and sunken and tearstained — and Y/n has this bloodcurdling feeling swelling in her veins that Harry has completely lost touch with himself.
“You decided to get divorced on our wedding anniversary?”
The words get caught in his throat and knot with each breath he takes, his stomach churning on its own bile because every single part of him is so incurably empty.
Never, in a million years, would he have expected his life to take this sharp of a turn and leave him hanging on the edge without Y/n’s hand to hold. How he’s been breathing and getting through each day is completely beyond himself because he would have never guessed he’d make it that far without her.
But this… this will end him.
Because their wedding anniversary isn’t just another day to make it through, or another plan to make in his already booked-up schedule... it’s the one day Harry looks forward to within his mess of a life — the one day Harry can be unconditionally and unapologetically himself, the one day he feels genuine happiness and fulfillment — because he spends every millisecond of it with Y/n, with nobody’s eyes on them, except for each other’s.
And to lose that would make every other day of his life an absolute living nightmare.
“Baby, please tell me this is some sick joke. You can’t be doing this to me.”
Y/n, now, almost wishes it was, because seeing Harry like this is horrendously unbearable. He is drowning, sinking, falling into the depths of his own hell and she knows she’s the only one that can save him from himself.
But she can’t. No matter how much her hands are shaking and aching to reach out for him, she knows he’s going to find a way to let go again, and she just can’t risk herself for him anymore.
“It’s going to be easier this way.” Y/n whispers beneath the trembling of her frowned lips, because even though she was once so convinced that this was the only way to save themselves from this loss, she’s now having a hard time believing herself.
How is any of this going to be easy?
“If we got divorced any other day, it would —” she chokes out a noise that Harry can only describe to be complete and utter agony, “Harry, it would ruin us. That’s two days, forty-eight full hours of thinking about everything we could have been and everything we’ve lost, and that’s not counting all the time we’ll spend in between thinking about how much we’re going to dread the next date before it even comes.
“We can’t handle that, Harry. Have you seen us? From the second we started dating, the more time we spent with one another — the more time we even thought of one another — made every second apart feel like the end of the world. Imagine feeling that way when we can’t even have each other… it’ll kill us both.”
And despite how badly he wants her to be wrong, deep down, he knows she’s right.
What they have — the feelings they share and the love that’s rooted between them — is unnatural. It runs so deep that it seems to defy all laws of time and space. They become convinced that the world revolves only around each other — that nothing else has a purpose, or a belonging, in their lives.
One look is all it takes for time to falter, for the universe to pause, only for them.
But as years passed by and times started changing, they also became convinced that every problem in their relationship wasn’t a matter of lost feelings or unfaithful love, it was a matter of loving each other too much. So much, that they couldn’t survive on their own.
It was too dangerous and too toxic, but in the most innocent of ways.
“It’ll only kill us if we don’t want it.” Harry croaks out, his tired eyes helpless and vulnerable as they stare into hers, which are just as sad and void as his. “And it is so clear to the both of us that we don’t want this. We can have each other again if you just — please, just let me fight for you.”
He takes a step closer to her, tentatively, because he wouldn’t know how to handle himself if she were to walk away from him again.
“I can’t lose you, baby. I can’t. The second we walk out of that courtroom we — I’ll never be able to see you again, or talk to you again, or touch you. The only thing I’ll have left of you is Topher and I swear to god, every time I look at him it’s going to take everything in me not to run to you, wherever you end up, and I can’t live like that. I can’t fathom the idea of being so fucking far away from you and not having a single clue where you are or what you’re doing — not knowing if you’re safe, if you’re crying, if you need a hand to hold, if you... if you need me… if you hate me.”
It didn’t hit him until now — the possibility of Y/n curing his name and wishing nothing but death upon him, feeling like she’s wasted so much of her life on someone she wished she had ever even met. And that tears him apart from the inside out, his insides twisting and throat pulsing just at the thought of it.
And how could he do anything when all he wants is her?
“All of this started because I couldn’t be your first, and all of this ended because I chose to put you last even though that’s the farthest place you’ll ever be to me. And the thought of you —”
He chokes on his words, his hand reaching up towards his chest to rest upon his hollowed heart, heaving back sobs that are on the verge of crashing over him. And Y/n can’t bear to watch it.
“The thought of not having you, Y/n. I can’t stomach it. It’s just not possible. I can’t.”
He’s not holding anything back, now. He’s falling apart and drowning in the pit of sadness he has yet to escape — his body so desperate for relief it can hardly keep itself up anymore. And the only thing that keeps him from collapsing on the concrete is Y/n’s shaking hand upon his shoulder.
He lets out yet another cry, hunched over, his own hand reaching up to grab ahold of hers. He’d know the feeling of her hand no matter what the circumstances — when she’d surprise him on tour and he’d know it was her hand that touched on his neck before he even heard her voice, or when they were being swarmed by fans and he knew when it was Y/n grabbing his arm and not some random stranger trying to get the best of him.
And how could he find any other pair that could ever come close to holding himself together the way hers does?
Y/n pulls him into her as he weeps his sorrows against her shoulder, hoping that just the hold of her arms are enough to keep him steady… at least for a little while.
But when he lifts his head from her soaked t-shirt to look into her eyes with pure desperation and despair, she knows that it’s not.
“Please baby, let me fix this. Let me be everything you need me to be.. I can do it, all for you. Just, please, let me make it right.”
His breath falters when his eyes make their way to her lips — god, what he’d do to those lips — and his mouth waters at the urge to pull her in and give her everything he has to offer.
She’s right there, so close he can feel her breath on his, and all he has to do is just pull her in until her lips fall right into his —
and they do.
They’re exactly how he remembers them to be — soft and warm, light and sweet — and he whimpers into her mouth, his hands cradling her cheeks as their tongues dance in harmony.
Y/n pulls him backwards and though he is so swooned and out of his damn mind in ecstasy, he follows her movements like a lost puppy because god forbid he pulls himself away from her ever again. He doesn’t even open his eyes because if this is a dream, it’s one he doesn’t want to wake up from.
And what was once so delicate and raw became hot and heavy — their mouths all over each other’s, hands wandering underneath clothes, moans of temptation dripping from their tongues as they make their way to her bedroom.
And they should stop. God, every bit of them should stop but they can’t because how they have shamelessly missed this, and how badly do they want it back.
So they don’t.
-
2 hours later.
“Where were you thinking?”
Y/n was half asleep as she nested herself against Harry’s naked body — her legs trembling from her previous finish, her red, swollen lips parted around tired breaths, eyes shut around a daydream. She looked beautiful — so beautiful, Harry almost didn’t have the heart to keep her awake any longer.
But he couldn’t help himself… he needed to know before the night took her away from him, because when she fell to her slumber and dreamt of their future together — swinging on a hammock with a bottle of wine, the world fading until all that was left was themselves, surrounded by kids and kittens — he wanted to dream it with her, too.
“Hm?”
Her eyes were still closed, body unmoving, refusing to wake from her slumbered state but also refusing to miss a single word Harry had to say.
“Earlier you said that when my contract is over, we can go somewhere only we know.”
She hummed again, this time, with a warm smile painted on her lips.
It was her favorite thought — really, her one and only thought — and it was the only dream of hers that she ever really, truly believed in. Everything else, to her, was uncertain, but her life Harry was unquestionable and undeniable. They were meant solely for each other.
“Where are we, when you think that?”
She craned her neck against his chest so her lips could peck at his skin, softly, and only once before she rested her head right back to where it laid before.
“Alaska.”
“Alaska?”
Harry pulled slightly away from Y/n with furrowed eyebrows and confused eyes, looking down at her as if to assure himself that he heard her correctly.
He was in disbelief. Not because it was unlike her to think of such peculiar things, but because it really was so far away from everything they had ever known, and one of the only places Harry has yet to see.
How she even thought of it, he’d never understand. But he could never question her dreams or make her feel as though he didn’t want them the same way she did. He only wanted what she wanted.
And as he looked down at her, with her eyes still closed and face still soft, her lips turning upwards, he knew how much it meant to her.
“We don’t have to.” Y/n slurred sheepishly. “Just a thought.”
“No, baby. No, of course I want it, it’s just —” he tucked her in closer to his chest again, afraid he just ruined everything she had been looking forward to. “I’d freeze my balls off, love. We wouldn’t be able to make any babies.”
She giggled, shaking her head softly.
“It’s not cold all the time, y’know. And I don’t know… I just fell in love with the idea of us living without any neighbors or any distractions. We could be by the water, have a view of the mountains, have enough land for our kids to wander off and play. And even if it’s not what we imagined it to be… we don’t need anything outside of us. It’ll still be the happiest we’ve ever been because it’ll be you and me. Just you and me.”
And as she spoke the thoughts that have been floating in her pretty little head, Harry closed his eyes and saw it, too — clear as day, as if his mind had met halfway with hers and went to a universe that was only made for them.
It was then, he knew, that that’s where they belonged.
-
It shouldn’t feel this way — this ghostly and empty, like being trapped in a room haunted by everything that once was.
Y/n shouldn’t be looking at Harry beside her, naked, with a clench of regret straining in her heart, but that’s the only thing she feels.
Why? She curses herself. Why does he have to make me so weak? Why does he keep doing this to me?
She shouldn’t be loving him like this — like she’d cut herself open just to please him, like she’d ruin herself just to make him feel better — but she is, just as hard and selflessly as before. And the sad part is… she’s never stopped loving him this way, she wouldn’t even know how to.
“You should go home, Harry.” Y/n speaks through the words she feels so heartbroken to say, because she shouldn’t even be saying them at all. “I don’t want to keep you from your day.”
And Harry feels it all again.
The twist in his stomach, the pulsing of his throat, the hallowing of his heart — all surfacing once again even though he thought it was safe to bury away.
“You’re kicking me out?”
He whispers it with a crack in his voice and Y/n wants to take back everything she’s done — letting him beg for her love back, letting him cry on her, letting him love on her. Because now look at where they’ve ended up — naked and broken on a bed that didn’t belong to them, wishing reality could let them stay, hoping this wasn’t goodbye.
But it is. It is goodbye and the last time they could ever be this close again.
“Yeah, Harry. I’m kicking you out.”
She doesn’t want to sound so heartless and cruel but she’s been left with no other choice, she has to walk away from this on her own without finding her way back to him. And she’s learned by now that she’s too damn weak when it comes to his pain — she’d give into him if she were to break.
“This wasn’t my way of coming back to you.”
But, oh, how Harry thought it was.
Sex was never just sex to Y/n — it wasn’t just sex to either of them — especially when it happened with each other. Sure, it got messy, and sloppy, and rough on most nights, but neither of them would have enjoyed it nearly as much if they weren’t so in love.
So why would this time be any different? Why is it that now, so suddenly, it was her way of seeking revenge?
A fresh new wave of tears flood to his eyes, scrunching his face because he refuses to do this again — let her witness another cry, have her bring him to his knees, allow her to watch him break his own bones. The more he does it, the more power he gives her to treat him like this — like a one-night stand unworthy of her days, like a fuck she can only give when it’s convenient for her.
These past two hours have been a whirlwind of emotions for him, yet somehow, they were all too hopeful — thoughts of spending the night together, making love past dawn, playing hide and seek beneath the covers.
And here she is, throwing words around that crush all the rest of his hopes and dreams.
He hits his hand against the mattress, betrayal and deceit coursing so ruthlessly through his veins he feels his skin burn with each beat of his heart — leaving him damned in their nakedness.
“So, what?! You decided to screw me just to even the score?! Get me all over you just to push me away?!”
Y/n flinches from where she lays, her eyes still empty and sunken as she watches Harry hurl himself from her bed and as far away from her as possible. He had hardly ever raised his voice at her, even when she was most deserving of it, and it leaves her gutted and bruised in her wake.
“It’s not like that.” She whispers, though she knows it doesn’t really matter if she says it at all — he’s never going to let this go. “You were so hurt and I couldn’t —” she flutters her eyes shut, “I can’t control myself around you.”
He shakes his head and spits out a laugh so dark it sends a shiver down her spine, his eyes looking anywhere but at her, stepping into the leg of his pants like he couldn’t have been covered fast enough.
He’s angry, so angry and so hurt his hands and legs are numb and the backs of his eyes are stained red, and he’s at a loss of what to do. He’s done everything to deserve feeling this way yet something inside of him is bursting at the seams, desperate to extinguish it.
“So you decide to hurt me more?”
His chest aches and shivers, eyes shut and weep, now wondering if this dream is now a nightmare he’s going to be stuck in for the rest of his life.
And Y/n’s eyes fall to his empty side of the bed, wondering how she’s going to sleep here at night — wondering how she’s going to possibly live through this — after she had just done what she did.
“It wasn’t right, I know that, but I swear it —”
“No, it wasn’t right!” Harry fights back, though it’ll only risk losing her more. “I’m not perfect in this marriage but never once have I used you just to give you a taste of your own medicine! I don’t get you all weak and vulnerable just to spit it in your face later!”
He’s right, he hasn’t, but what an unfair statement to throw at the mess he’s already made of her.
He’s done worse — so much worse — such unspeakable and disloyal things that have left her alone to rot, decompose right in his own two hands until she perished in his ruin, and never once had he gone back on his mistakes. He just left her there, hopeless and afraid.
And she wants to scream it at him — wants to give it all right back to him, make him feel so small for what he’s done, break him down over, and over, and over again just to make him see that her moment of weakness was nothing compared to his moments of truth.
But she’s so much better than that.
“You think you don’t use me?” She breathes out in disbelief, sitting up upon the mattress now, holding the blanket up to her bare chest. “You use me every day. You’ve been using me as an option for the past year because you can’t handle doing your shit on your own!”
He’s still now, letting her words soak and seep into him as she picks and pries at his biggest weaknesses. And he is left defenseless.
“You don’t want this divorce because the second we sign our names on that contract, you’ll be alone just like you were before we met! And you’re going to be terrified looking for somebody else to replace this because nobody has been able to convince you that they love you for you and not for your money, except for me.”
God, why does she have to know him so well? Because even though that wasn’t even close to being the reason as to why Harry refused to pick a date, it was one of his greatest fears.
“So you just keep finding your way back to me because I’m the only love you’ve ever known, and if you lose it, you’re not going to know where to find it again.”
He can’t find it again and he won’t find it again, he knows it’s true. Everything in his life had led him to her, which is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
His world begins and ends with her, rises and falls next to her and there isn’t anybody else that could offer him that much. He doesn’t have to go looking to know that.
“I can only find it in you, you know that.” Harry whimpers out, fingers shaking as he places his hand on the corner of the bed, still reaching for her even in their worst moments. “But you’ve proven to me time and time again that you can throw it all away so easily, like it's meant nothing to you.”
His fingers fist at the duvet, praying for something to save him now.
“So open to dating other guys and make me watch you as you do it, so ready to fuck me just to kick me out at my lowest. And I am so low, Y/n, the lowest I have ever been, but you’ve stooped even lower.”
And he really can’t believe he’s doing this — walking away when he just gave her all the love he could give, saying goodbye when they were just saying how much they loved and missed each other not just two hours ago — but this is what she wants. This is the version of himself she’s created.
And he should really curse her for it, scream and cry and kick and yell, dig her six feet under for messing with him like this. But he’s too betrayed and in too much pain to do anything but run away and find a place for himself to be torn limb from limb until he’s a pile of waste that can no longer be found.
He lets one last sob rip out of him before he looks at her one last time, knowing this is it.
“I’ll see you in fifteen days.”
-
They should be by the ocean, watching the sunrise from their hotel balcony with a morning drink strong enough to take them both under while they cheers to the three years they’ve lived so happily together as husband and wife.
Topher should be asleep in his grandparents’ bed, getting lost in lullabies, dreaming of his parents’ return. And they should be dancing after breakfast in bed, laughing at the memories that haven’t let them go, singing the songs he wrote just for her.
They shouldn’t be here — sitting in a courtroom drowning in tears they are so worthless at holding back, listening to strangers discuss all the logistics and terms of a broken marriage they know nothing about.
How they have ended up somewhere so dark and deadly is beyond them. This is so unlike them — to willingly sign their names to be free of one another, to allow themselves to move onto other people who weren’t meant for them, to leave behind the life they’ve made for themselves — but this isn’t a matter of whether they want to anymore.
There has been so much damage done to the both of them that staying in this marriage, at this point, would just be cruel and spiteful and selfish. No matter how many sleepless nights they spend craving each other’s hold, wanting to climb out of their own beds and into the one they once shared so nobly, they have to let it all go.
And neither of them can breathe or bear to listen to these lawyers go on and on about what happens now — what will happen when they walk out of the courtroom, how their lives are going to be split, how they’re going to have to take turns spending time with the son they should be raising together as a family.
They don’t care about their lives after this moment in time because it will no longer be lived alongside one another, and that ensured a lifetime of misery for the both of them.
And they can’t even find the heart to look at each other. One look and who knows what decisions they’d make in their fragility. Who knows how far their love could take them to do such nonsense, such childish things.
One look and it’s over for the both of them.
“Mrs. Styles,” Y/n flinches at the name he so pathetically decided to refer to her as. “Your husband has left you with everything. This would mean that custody of Topher, the money, your home in both London and Alaska would be fully held in your possession.”
And suddenly, the room that was once so still and so lifeless begins to spin before her very eyes. The world is spiraling out of her control and her body is in so much shock, the only thing she can manage to do is grip at the edge of the table so tight, her fingers and knuckles turn white.
“Can you repeat that?”
Her eyes are wet, wide, and unblinking as she looks back up at Harry’s lawyer she hasn’t even bothered remembering the name to.
“That last bit. I need you to repeat it for me.”
He coughs awkwardly, his eyes drifting between Harry and Y/n before they finally settle back down to his paper. “Yes, ma’am. Uh, in your possession would be full custody of Topher, the seventeen million euros under Mr. Styles’ name, and your home in both London and Alaska.”
Alaska.
The word strikes her so deep and so unexpectedly, her breath halts in her chest and every muscle in her body buckles against each other.
And how could one word have so much power over her? How could one word make her feel a million different things all at once — leaving her so confused yet so hopeful, so heartbroken yet so fulfilled?
“Our home in Alaska?”
Her eyes are no longer trained on the man who just spoke that very word to her — no, they are now looking directly at the man who seems even more beaten and broken than the last time she saw him, the same man who shared all her wildest dreams.
And though she barely had any composure as it was, the parts of herself that were patched together with needle and thread are rupturing and bleeding out. And Harry has to so helplessly watch as the love of his life starts to crack and shatter at his feet.
“You didn’t, Harry! No you fucking didn’t!”
She punches at the table before holding her head in her hands, sobbing and choking and wailing in her palms. She can’t even imagine how pathetic she looks to lawyers around her but she doesn’t find it in herself to care.
They’ll never understand what that house in Alaska truly means to her, what it’s gotten her through and how much it’s kept her fighting through it all. They don’t know that living in that house with Harry — spending her days and her nights there, by his side until her dying day there — was her one and only dream.
And she had no idea it could have been her reality, until now.
“Of course I did, Y/n.” Harry whispers, his wrists wiping harshly at his red and swollen eyes. “I bought it that night.”
“No. No, no, no, no, no.” Y/n pleads under her hysterics.
“Twenty acres, right by the water, across from the mountains, just like you talked about.”
Her cries only get stronger as she thinks about it all over again. And normally when she thought of it, it warmed her heart and filled her bones up with so much anticipation and impatience she could hardly contain herself.
But now, when she thinks of it, it leaves her cold and empty because it was right there — it was theirs and it was going to happen and they could be there right now and it’s all too much for her to handle.
She’s practically screaming between her hiccups and mewls now, really trying to breathe through the clenching in her chest and the quivering in her lungs but she can’t. And she is so lightheaded she swears she’s going to pass out right then and there, especially now that she’s sobbing so hard her throat pulses around a cry she can’t breathe it out.
And she’s going to die, she’s absolutely sure of it. Her entire body is flushed and shaking and her face is nearly blue — her lungs are collapsing and her heart is failing and she’s crashing out without warning.
And the sight alone brings Harry to his knees, hunched over the floor as he nearly hurls up the bile rumbling in his stomach.
He did this to her — did this to them. He is the only one to blame and that’s what devours him the most.
They could be at that Alaskan house right now, on that stupid fucking hammock drinking wine and making out like two lovestruck teenagers still learning how to be the best versions of themselves for each other. And they could be so drunk they fall to grass below them, dazed in their fits of laughter, falling in love all over again.
But instead they have fallen to the ground in a courtroom so willing to burn them out, wrecked and broken in each other’s arms, trying to remember what it feels like to have a heartbeat.
And all that remains are the two piles of divorce papers that they still have yet to sign.
#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles one shot#harry styles imagines#harry styles imagine#harry styles preference#harry styles preferences
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Riptide
Chapter 3 - The End
Words: 7k
Rating: Mature. Major character death. Mentions of canon typical violence.
Read over on ao3 via this link, or below the cut!
Please let me know what you think.
July 2026
Her mother convinces her to go for dinner. Emily had put her off for months, not wanting to try and hold herself together like she usually did in front of Elizabeth. The ex-ambassador may have been well into her 80s now, but she was still formidable. Aaron had always been good at being their go between. At stopping Emily from getting so riled up by her mother that she would react.
She knows he would want her to go, which is how she finds herself sitting opposite her mother in a restaurant, not making much conversation and pushing her food around her plate.
“The trial is next week isn’t it?” Elizabeth asks, making Emily freeze. “I read about it online.”
Emily looks up at her mother and puts down her fork, reaching for her glass of wine instead. “Yes, it’s next week.” She clears her throat. “The prosecutors seem to think they have a very solid case.”
“That’s good. I’m glad. He deserves to go away for the rest of his life.”
Emily nods in response. The idea of being in the room with the person who had taken Aaron from her was sitting on her chest, pressing down and making it hard to breathe. “I’ll be glad when it’s over.” She admits.
“You do know it’s not your fault, don’t you?”
Emily looks up at her, and her mother is looking at her firmly despite the kindness to her tone. She isn’t even sure where that has come from, why her mother seems to know exactly what she’s been thinking for so long. Aaron did always say they were more similar than Emily would care to admit.
Emily opens her mouth to answer but no words come out. So she shrugs, and the stern look on Elizabeth’s face sets harder.
“Emily. It was completely random. There was nothing you could have done.”
“He was there because of me.” She finally says, a hoarseness in her voice that had settled there months ago and just wouldn’t leave. “If I had just…he was there because of me.”
Her mother puts her hand over hers on the table. “He loved you. The way a mother always hopes their daughter will be loved. And he was a good man.” Elizabeth pauses, a crack in her own voice Emily wasn’t expecting. “He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself for this. There was nothing you could do, and it certainly wasn’t your fault. Ok?”
Emily looks at her mother, sees the certainty in her eyes and for the first time since she found out Aaron was dead she feels something unfurl in her chest. A small release of pressure that finally created some room in her lungs for a slightly deeper breath. She lets her mother’s fingers link with hers and she squeezes them, giving her a slight nod.
“Do you want me to come with you to the trial?”
Emily shakes her head, a smile on her face. “No, it's ok. Penelope is coming with me.” She looks at her mother for a second, and thinks that somehow Aaron was still managing to repair their relationship even though he wasn’t around anymore. “Thank you, Mother.”
“Anytime, Emily. I do love you, even if I haven’t always gone about it in the right way.”
“I love you too.”
_________
Emily has lost count of the number of times she has been in a courtroom. Giving evidence in the cases they had solved, dealing with defence attorneys who belittle their work, tried to make them sound like they didn’t know what they were talking about.
This was different. She was sitting in the gallery, Penelope sat next to her, and there was nothing she could do here. She couldn’t influence the outcome. All she could do was listen as both sides recounted different versions of the same day, the same hour, that had changed her life forever.
She sees Jack and Jessica arrive. They sit in a row behind her, Jessica leans over the seat and gives her a tight hug. Jack sends her a smile, the unanswered texts she had sent him hanging between them in a way that felt stifling.
Emily sits there, day after day, listening to details of how Aaron, and the other victims, had died that day. Details she knew off by heart, things she would never allow herself to forget. Penelope sat by her the entire time, despite how affected she was by it - not able to cover her own emotions as crime scene photos were displayed for everyone to see. It had been her job for many years, and Penelope had seen worse, but this was her friend. Someone she had loved, and she struggled. Emily remained stoic, holding herself together as if she was fractured glass as she focused on the outcome she hoped they would get.
On the third day of the trial the prosecution shows the CCTV of what happened. Emily hadn’t been prepared to see it, to watch Aaron get shot by a man who didn’t even give him time to put his hands up. She jumps in her seat when it happens, despite there being no audio. Penelope grabs her hand between both of hers and squeezes tightly. Emily is grateful for it, using her friend as something to keep her present.
The jury is only adjourned for four hours before the verdict comes in. Emily feels like her chest cracks open when the guilty verdict is read out. She hears Penelope and Jessica cry, turns to see a look of relief on Jack’s face with tears running down his cheeks.
She keeps her own emotions back until she’s outside, telling Penelope she needs a moment. As soon as the fresh air hits her the tears come. Relief, devastation and just about everything else pouring out of her as she finds a bench outside the courthouse to sit on. She sits with her head in her hands and sobs. The sounds tearing out of her are completely unbidden, something she cannot control.
“Emily?”
She looks up to see Jack standing next to the bench, an unsure look on his face. She tries to wipe her tears away but they are immediately replaced. “Jack. Are you ok?”
He gives her a half smile and shrugs, and he looks so much like Aaron it breaks her heart even more. “Can I sit?” Emily nods and turns her body towards him as he sits next to her on the bench. “I...I wanted to apologise.”
Emily furrows her brows at him, wiping at her cheeks again. “What for?”
“For blaming you.” Jack says, looking at her sheepishly. “I always knew it wasn’t your fault, that the only person to blame was the guy who did it, but I was just so angry.”
“Jack.” She sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s ok.”
“It isn’t.” He says, shaking his head at himself. “You love him too.”
Emily nods at that, her chin wobbling as she tries to stave off another round of tears. “Yeah, I do.”
They sit in silence for a couple of minutes before he clears his throat. “I was thinking, next time I’m in town we should go for dinner or something?”
She smiles at him, a genuine smile that feels foreign to her. “I’d like that.”
_________
A naive part of her expected it to get better after that, that the trial being behind her and Jack speaking to her again would make her feel better. Some days were easier, the pain was still there, the gap she felt in her chest very present, but she could make it through. She could laugh at Tara’s jokes at work and not feel guilty. She could go for a drink with the team and feel like she was living again.
But then other days she’d wake up and it would feel fresh. Like she was right back at the beginning. She’d find something of his she hadn’t seen since before he died, and it would feel like any progress she made turned to dust.
Emily doesn’t go into their shared office often. It was, besides their bedroom, the place she felt him the most. She’s doing paperwork at the dining room table when her pen runs out, and she finds herself rooting through the drawers of his desk for another one, because she only had specific types of pens she liked to write in and she knows he liked them too. Her hand touches an envelope and she frowns as she pulls it out.
The envelope itself is unmarked, but there is a piece of paper in there that she can see his familiar scrawl on. She settles into his desk chair, curls into it like she used to curl into his lap, and she pulls the paper out. A quick scan of it tells her it’s the speech he intended to give at their wedding, and she feels her chest tighten as she reads his words. She tries to imagine his voice, to picture him saying it infront of their loved ones, a shy look on his face as he told everyone they cared about just how much he loved her.
I’ll keep this very brief, because Dave has already embarrassed me and my wife enough.
Anyone who knows Emily and I will say that this has been a long time coming, and not just because it took me three years to ask her to marry me. Since she first walked into my office, now her office, almost 20 years ago there were many times when it felt like we were heading towards something. Things kept getting in our way, and I gave up hope that we’d get the chance. Then I saw her almost 4 years ago and took a gamble. I called her.
She was so mad. She yelled at me - a lot. She cursed at me too, but I managed to get her to agree to go to dinner with me and we never looked back.
I have some thank yous I’d like to say on behalf of my wife and I. Firstly to my son Jack, for being the most patient 20 year old on the planet, and for pushing me to propose when I asked if you thought it was a good idea.
I’d like to thank Elizabeth for raising such an amazing woman, and for bringing the love of my life into this world.
To the BAU both new and old, I thank you for being family to both of us. For helping us through the tough times as well as helping us celebrate the good.
And finally, to my wife, Emily, thank you for being you. For loving me, and for making me feel that love every day.
Emily only realises she is crying when a tear falls onto the paper, blurring a word Aaron had written. She wipes her face quickly and puts the paper away into its envelope. She places it in her nightstand, a little piece of him that she can keep.
_________
JJ invites her around for dinner. It feels almost like a pity invite, and it falls on a day Emily could do without it. When she wakes that morning it’s a bad day, the pain of losing the man she loves as sharp as it was the day it happened. She considers cancelling, but JJ looks so worried when they are at work that day she realises she can’t.
So she forces herself to go, smiles tightly through dinner with Will and the boys. Will takes them to bed and leaves her and JJ to it, sensing that they need some time. They make small talk, both carefully avoiding the elephant in the room, the tension that had existed since Aaron had died.
“Have you thought about dating?” JJ asks, seemingly out of nowhere. “Nothing serious of course.” She adds when she sees the look on Emily’s face. “Just, you know. Put yourself out there. He wouldn’t want you to be alone.”
Emily knows JJ just wants her to be better, to allow herself to have happiness in her life again, so she takes a deep breath to calm herself before answering. “No, I haven’t thought about dating.”
“Em-”
“I tried...hooking up with some guy a few months ago and it was awful.” She averts her eyes from her friend, embarrassment flooding through her. She laughs wryly at herself. “We didn’t get any further than his hand up the back of my shirt and I froze. I walked away crying.”
“It will get better, Emily.”
“This is never going to get better JJ.” Emily says, her voice unwavering as she reminds herself there are children upstairs, that she shouldn’t shout. “There is no end to how I feel about this. He’s been gone almost a year, and some mornings when I wake up it still takes me a moment to remember. And for those few seconds I’m actually happy. Because he could just be downstairs making me my morning coffee. But he isn’t.”
JJ tries to grab her hand on the table but she pulls it away. “I’m sorry.”
“I can’t move on from this. I am doing my best to rebuild my fucking life around this mess. To be able to get up and live because I know he would have wanted that for me. Do you really think I don’t know that? How disappointed he would be if he was somewhere where he could see this?” Emily shakes her head at herself. “You have to let me deal with this in my own way, ok? Please. I am doing my best. And this might be as good as it ever gets.”
JJ nods, tears gathered in her own eyes. “Ok.” She wipes a tear from her face. “But please speak to us if you need to. We love you, and we care about you. We want to help you where we can.”
“Ok. I will.” Emily says, and for the first time since Aaron died, she means it.
_________
She sits on the ground in front of his grave, she blows out a breath as she gently rearranges the other flowers there, emotions welling in her chest when she sees cards from the rest of the team. Emily places her own flowers down and puts her palm on the headstone, fingers tracing the granite that held his name in the way she used to trace his skin.
“Hi honey.” She says. “I can’t believe it's been a year.” Emily doesn’t try to stop the tears, knows it’s pointless. “I’d give anything to change what happened that day, I miss you so much. It’s not really getting any easier.”
She looks around the graveyard, feels the wind pick up some of her hair until she tucks it behind her eyes. “Jack and I are going for dinner later, it was his idea. You’d be proud of him. He was on the dean's list again.”
“I hope you’d be proud of me.” She sobs. “I know I haven’t really held it together, but I am trying so hard.” Emily wipes her face. “I don’t really know what I believe in, where I think you are or if there is anything after all of this. But if there is something, you wait for me ok? Because one year without you has been torture, I can’t imagine an eternity.”
She leans forward and presses her forehead against the headstone. “I love you.”
The wind catches in her hair again, and for a moment she lets herself believe it’s him saying it back.
_________
December 2021
Six months later and they still haven’t found a house and it’s his fault. Aaron knows he is driving her crazy. Emily and Jack both told him as much every time he rejected a house for the tiniest reason. His son asked him what his problem was, taking Emily’s side easily as he often did.
He turns down the idea of a 3 bed in Arlington. It was admittedly a beautiful house, but it just didn’t feel right. Something about it that just didn’t seem like them. He turns his nose up at it, claiming he didn’t like the kitchen, and he sees her face fall as she sighs, sending an apologetic look to their increasingly haggard looking real estate agent.
Aaron can tell she is pissed at him as they settle into bed in his apartment that night, her back turned to him as she lays down, fury rolling off of her in waves.
“Em.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
He winces at the anger in her voice, the clipped tone rarely used on him these days “Sweetheart.”
She sits up, turning to look at him. Her eyes are swimming with tears and it feels like a physical ache in his chest to see her upset, especially when he’s sure it’s his fault. He reaches for her but she shakes him off. “Do you even want to live with me, Aaron?”
He frowns at that, confused by the question. He opens his mouth to speak, to reassure her, but she speaks again, cutting him off before he gets the chance.
“Because you asked me. You said you wanted to live together, and you keep finding things wrong with every place we look at. And I don’t know why.” She looks away from him, and he watches as she wipes her fingers over her cheeks, the tears she was failing to hide from him falling down her face. “All I can think is that you regret asking, and you don’t know how to tell me.”
“That’s not true, love.” He says, stopping her before she can spiral any further. “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” She asks, throwing her hands up in the air. “Because that place we saw today was fine, Aaron.”
“I don’t want somewhere that is just fine.” Aaron says, reaching out to put a hand on her sheet covered thigh, squeezing the muscle when she doesn’t shy away from his touch. “I want somewhere we love as much as we love each other.”
Emily’s frown falls away, her face softening as she listens. “You’re an idiot.” She smiles at him and reaches out to cup his cheek. “You’re my idiot.” She strokes a thumb over his cheekbone. “But an idiot nonetheless.”
Aaron drags her into his arms, wrapping her in his affection easily like he always did. “We’re going to live wherever it is forever, Em. It’s where we’re going to grow old together. I want it to be perfect.”
She kisses his neck and buries herself further into him. “It’s not the house that matters, Aaron. It’s us being there. Together. So please, for the sake of my fucking sanity, stop rejecting places over things we can fix.”
He laughs and nods, running his hand up and down her back. “Ok, sweetheart.”
They find a place two months later, and it’s perfect. Three beds, one for them, one for Jack and a spare for a shared office. A garden they can sit in on warm summer nights, and a porch swing they can cuddle up in under a blanket on chilly fall evenings. He can picture their life there. Her planting vegetables and him secretly replanting them correctly, and never telling her so he can see the joy radiate off of her face when they grow. The two of them growing old, playing with any children Jack might have in the future. It all flicks across his brain like a memory, like he’s watching a movie of everything that is to come. Something he knows they’ll have because they’ve fought through so much to get here.
They move in on their second anniversary, Emily insisting she drives them to their new home, not wanting a repeat of the car accident they were in the year before. Aaron mentions, again, that it wasn’t his fault and she smiles at him, kissing him as she takes the car keys from his hand.
As Aaron watches her help Jack carry his boxes into their new home, despite the fact he’s only months away from moving out for college, laughter coming from both of them he doesn’t think he’s ever been happier.
_________
July 2022
He’s not sure what makes him think of it, what makes the idea nest in his brain. When it’s there, taking up every thought he has when he looks at her, he wonders what took him so long. Why they had been together over three years before he even thought about it.
The idea spills out of him one night when they are laid in bed. She is fresh back from a case, something about it haunting her, a look in her eyes he knows all too well. He doesn’t push her on it, knows she will tell him when she is ready, and he simply gathers her in his arms. Holding her close in a way he knows gives them both comfort. That's when it happens, when the words he’s been thinking for weeks are finally said out loud.
“Have you ever thought about getting married?” He asks into her hair, his hand running up and down her back.
She snuggles deeper into him, wraps herself tighter around him as if he was the only thing keeping her grounded. “That depends. Is it you I’m marrying in this scenario?”
Aaron smiles into the top of her head, she’s half asleep, her words blending together as her voice gets thicker. He knows he’s being unfair, he knows from all their time together that this is when all of her defences are down, when she’ll answer a question without hesitation. “Yes. Unless you have someone else in mind.”
The hand she has on his chest moves upwards, her fingers drifting under the neckline of the soft pyjama top he was wearing, her thumb lazily tracing over his collarbone. “You’ll do, I suppose.” She says, as if they aren’t curled around each other in their bed, in the house they bought together.
He kisses the top of her head and they lay in silence, and he thinks she’s fallen asleep until she speaks again. “You have to ask properly.” She slurs into his chest. “I’ll say yes, but don’t think I’m accepting this half assed attempt.”
“Ok, sweetheart.” He smiles, plans already forming in his head. “Go to sleep.”
He buys a ring the next day.
_________
Two months later and they haven’t mentioned it since. He sometimes wonders if she even remembers the conversation, if she was too close to sleep to know what was being said. If some part of her thought it had been a dream. But then she’ll make a comment, mention something about a good wedding venue, or that she wouldn’t serve something as boring as grilled chicken at her wedding, and she has a glint in her eye that tells him she remembers and she’s waiting on him.
Aaron wants it to mean something. For the proposal to be something they can both remember fondly for the rest of their lives. He eventually decides to take her back to the restaurant he had taken her to when he first came back to DC, but he doesn’t want the crowd. Doesn’t want a restaurant full of people applauding as he struggles to get up off of his knees after she hopefully says yes. He knows she would want the sentiment, but not the spectacle. Both of them were private people at the very core of it, their relationship something precious to them both.
He offhandedly mentions it to Dave over a drink one night, eyes fixed on Emily as she laughs with Tara and JJ, a glass of wine each as they laugh at Spencer’s expense over something Aaron isn’t a part of. Within ten minutes he has a day the following week when he can have the restaurant to just the two of them, because of course Dave knows the owner and pulls in a favour.
Emily is immediately suspicious when he suddenly announces they are having dinner the following Wednesday. She narrows her eyes at him, but lets it slide, an adoring smile on her face.
He walks into the restaurant behind her, and watches as she stops. Recognition that they are the only ones there seeping in. Candles everywhere, Aaron briefly thinks he’s going to owe Dave a lifetime of cigars for this, and soft music playing in the background.
She turns and looks at him, eyes shimmering with tears he knows she will shed as soon as he speaks. “Aaron.”
“I had this whole speech planned.” He says, pulling the ring box out of his pocket. “But it all feels pointless now.” He steps towards her since she seems frozen on the spot. “I’d get down on one knee but I don’t think I would get back up again.”
Emily laughs at that. It’s shaky, choked up around tears that are already falling down her face.
“I just know I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.” He opens the box, revealing the white gold ring with a singular princess cut diamond. “Will you marry me?”
She closes the space between them, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling her to him. She kisses him fiercely, holding him to her as he wraps his arms around her back, ring box still in hand. When they pull away, slightly breathless he rests his forehead against hers.
“Is that a yes?”
Emily laughs, her hands tightening on his jacket. “Of course it’s a yes.” She kisses him again but he only allows it to be brief before he takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto her finger. He rests his forehead against hers again and whispers that he loves her.
Their moment is brought to an end by a flash of a camera and a squeal. They break apart to see Penelope standing there, her phone in her hand and tears on her face. Aaron groans and presses a kiss to the side of Emily’s head. “Dave is here. He’s cooking for us. Apparently he brought Penelope along as tech support.”
Emily laughs and turns back to him and kisses him, her hands on either side of his face as she pours as much love as she can into it. She pulls away and walks over to Penelope, and is in a bone crushing hug before she knows what's happening.
Penelope sends them the photo. They get it printed and put it on their living room wall.
_________
“We should just elope.” Emily says, as she looked around the ballroom of the Four Seasons in DC. “It’s either that or I’m committing matricide.” She grumbles, but melts into his side when he wraps an arm around her and kisses the side of her head. “Aaron, if this is the engagement party, imagine what the wedding will look like.”
Aaron had to admit, when they agreed to let Elizabeth throw an engagement party for them he hadn’t quite been anticipating this. There were flowers everywhere. Adoring the walls the tables set up. Champagne being poured by waiters like it was water, and canapes that Aaron would bet money on being more expensive than what he used to earn a month as Unit Chief.
It was extravagant, over the top in every way and very much not them. But Elizabeth had been so genuinely pleased for them, so delighted to see her daughter so happy that he had convinced Emily this was a good idea.
“Em, sweetheart, it's fine. We handled the guest list. There shouldn’t be any surprise senators or ex-presidents making an appearance.”
“That's what you think.” Emily mutters under her breath.
“Emily, Aaron.” Elizabeth says walking over. “What do you think?” She says looking around, a proud smile on her face.
“It's really something, Mother.” Emily says, a smile on her face that Aaron knew wasn’t real.
“I’m glad you like it.” She loops her arm through her daughters. “Now, I’m going to steal you away from Aaron for a moment and introduce you to an old friend of mine. He was a Senator of California for many years.”
Aaron can’t control his smirk when Emily looks back over her shoulder at him, a look on her face that screamed I told you so as she was dragged away.
_________
“One month to go.” Aaron says into the top of her hair as she settles into bed. He gathers her into his arms, her back against his chest.
“Thank God.” She replies, lifting his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. “I don’t know how much longer I can deal with my mother and Penelope and their plans. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put the two of them together is insane.”
He smothers a smile into her hair, chokes back the comment that it was her idea, knowing it wasn’t worth being right over. “Soon enough it will just be you and me, travelling Europe.”
“Then it’s the rest of our lives. I can’t wait to marry you.” She whispers into the darkness of their room.
He tightens his hold on her, pulls her closer to his chest. “I can’t wait to marry you either.”
A week later it all comes to an end.
_________
October 2022
Aaron smiles when he sees her name appear on his phone screen. Her contact picture is of the two of them, a photo JJ had taken at the engagement party. He’s standing behind her, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arms around her waist. She has her hand over his arm, fingers gripping at his bicep. They are both laughing at whatever Dave was saying in this speech that he all but invited himself to make.
He answers the phone. “Hi sweetheart, what did the doctor say?”
Emily groans. “You were right, it’s a sinus infection.”
Aaron can’t help but smile slightly at just how miserable she sounded. Emily was a terrible sick person and had spent the last several days insisting she was ok, even though she clearly wasn’t. He’d eventually managed to trick her into going to the doctor by saying she was really doing it for him because he was so worried about her.
“Did they give you any meds?”
She sniffs and he can hear her car door slam in the background as she gets into it. “Yeah, some antibiotics. I’ve got a meeting I have to get back to but I’ll go to the pharmacy on the way home.”
“I’ll go get it, love. You just go to your meeting and come straight home.”
“Aaron, I can’t ask you to do that.”
He already has his car keys in his hand and he shakes his head despite the fact she can’t see him. “You’re not asking. I’m offering. Just get home as soon as you can and I’ll look after you.”
“You’re too good to me.”
“Well, I love you. And in three weeks you’ll be my wife. It’s kind of my job to look after you.”
“I love you too.” She says, and he can picture the smile on her face. “See you soon.”
“See you soon, sweetheart.”
_________
He’s holding her prescription in his hand, and he’s about to walk out of CVS when he turns back. Emily always liked chocolate when she felt under the weather. An indulgence she always gladly took part in. Aaron walks to the chocolate aisle, picking up packets of peanut butter cups and caramel M&Ms when he hears it.
There is shouting at the front of the store, fear laced through some of the voices and fury in others. He hears a shout at the end of the aisle, and he turns. See a man with a gun at the end of it, his hands shaking.
He doesn’t even warn Aaron before he shoots. It feels like it happens in slow motion, like time slows down as the bullet leaves the barrel and flies towards him, but he can’t move. Can’t get out of the way.
As he lays on the floor, coldness seeping in as he loses blood and consciousness, he thinks of his son. Of how Jack will now be parentless, barely twenty and hardly any family left.
His last thought, as the darkness seeps in and he’s vaguely aware of sirens outside, is of Emily. Of how much he loves her, how he wished he could have given her the forever he had promised.
He thinks of her smile, and it’s the last thing he sees.
_________
The knock on the door almost as soon as she gets home surprises her. She checks her watch as she wonders where Aaron is, knowing he should have made it home just before her. Her sinuses felt like they were about to burst and she wanted to get started on the antibiotics as soon as she could.
She opens the door to see who police officers stood on her porch. “Hi, we’re here to speak to Ms Emily Prentiss?”
Emily’s throat goes dry. “That’s me.” She makes no move to let them in. “How can I help?”
“I think it’s best we come in ma’am, and that you sit down.” The female officer says, a smile on her face that seemed fake.
Emily nods and lets them past her, closing the door behind them. She doesn’t sit, instead she crosses her arms across her chest and clears her throat. “What’s going on?”
“Ma’am-”
“Please.” She says, fear she doesn’t fully understand filling her chest. “Just tell me.”
The officers exchange a look before the male one looks back at her. “We believe Aaron Hotchner lives here?”
“Yes he does.” She stutters out. “He’s my fiance.”
“I’m sorry to inform you ma’am that he was killed earlier this evening in an attempted robbery of the CVS on Columbia Pike,”
It was news she’d delivered countless times. To victims' families, to the loved ones of team members she had failed to protect. Being on the other side of this made her entire body freeze, disbelief scratching up her spine. She looks at the two officers standing in her living room, sympathy she hated on both their faces.
“You’re wrong.” She choked out. “I only spoke to him just over an hour ago.”
“He did have his driving license with him.” The female officer says. “But we do need a formal identification.”
Emily nods, hearing the unasked question. They need her to go with them, to identify whether the man who died at their local pharmacy was the man she loved.
They were wrong, she knew it.
_________
She calls JJ and immediately forgets what she has said when she hangs up, unsure why she’d called in the first place. Her friend agrees to meet her at the morgue, her assurances over the phone that everything would be ok.
Emily repeatedly tries to call him, to yell at him for scaring her like this. Her calls go straight through to voicemail. He never missed her calls. She tells herself he could have lost his phone, that he might already be back at their house wondering where on earth she had gone.
JJ walks over to her immediately when she arrives, trying to envelop her in a hug that she shrugs herself out of. Emily tries to call him again, presses Aaron’s number on her phone screen. It goes straight to voicemail.
“Emily?”
“They’re wrong.” She says, swallowing against the lump in her throat. The bitter taste of denial in her mouth. “They have to be wrong.”
“Em.”
“Right this way, Ms Prentiss.” A voice says, interrupting them. Emily and JJ turn to see a kind looking medical examiner looking at them. They are led into a small room, a body on a gurney covered by a sheet in the centre of it. Emily couldn’t take her eyes off of it, trying to ignore that it looked the perfect size for it to be Aaron.
The medical examiner pulls the sheet back and time slows down for Emily almost to a stop as she takes in Aaron’s face. He almost looks like he’s sleeping, a peaceful look on his face that she has admired countless times before when insomnia plagued her, but he looks so pale. Emily doesn’t make a noise, she just stares at his body.
“Ma’am.” The medical examiner says, her voice full of sympathy. “Can you provide a positive ID?”
Emily doesn’t say anything, she just takes a step towards him. Tries to blink away the image in front of her, everything in her brain screaming for her to wake up so she could be in bed next to him, this fading into just another nightmare he would help draw her out of.
“Ma’am?”
“It’s him.” JJ says from behind her, her own voice thick with tears. “It’s Aaron Hotchner.”
“I have some paperwork that needs filling out if you can come with me?”
“Em, is that ok with you?” JJ asks tentatively, eyeing her friend who hadn’t moved, or spoken. Her eyes still fixed on Aaron.
“Can I have some time alone?” Emily says, looking at JJ and the medical examiner. “Please.”
JJ places a hand on her arm, squeezing the muscle, as she walks past. “I’ll wait for you just outside ok?”
Emily doesn’t acknowledge her, doesn’t move until she hears the door click behind them. She raises her hand, only realising it was shaking when she moves it, and touches his cheek. The coldness of his skin shocks her.
She had never associated Aaron with the cold. He was always burning hot. The heat she sought out in the middle of the night, rolling towards him and his embrace when a chill in the air surrounded her. His touch had always burned her, taking her apart again and again until she’d laugh and ask him to stop, breathless between their sheets. His love warmed her from the inside out, making something bloom in her chest that she had never expected could happen for her, that all consuming love she thought was simply the stuff of books and terrible Lifetime movies.
He was so cold. She leans down and presses her forehead against his, tears finally coming now she can no longer avoid the truth.
He was gone.
She strokes his hair back and kisses his cold cheek, his lips. “I’m so sorry.” She says not recognising her own voice. “I love you so much.”
Emily makes no move to leave, not wanting to leave him alone. She’s not sure how much time has passed when JJ walks back in and tries to coax her out.
“Emily, we should get you home.”
She sniffs, not acknowledging her friend, and she feels a fresh wave of grief roll over her. Pulling her under in a way she cannot, and doesn’t want to, control. Their future, everything they had planned was gone. The wedding, the honeymoon around Europe he had talked her into, convincing her he needed to be shown around by her because she’d lived in so many parts of it. Their house, their plans to grow old there together.
Emily runs her hand through his hair again, tears blurring her sight until she can’t see him. “He was my home.”
As they leave, the medical examiner hands her a plastic bag full of Aaron’s things. It has his cellphone and his wallet in it.
All she can focus on is her bottle of pills, the white label stained with his blood.
_________
His funeral is organised for a week before when they should have got married. She sits in the house they bought together as the wake happens around her, words of sympathy passing through the room like cold rain. Sending shivers throughout her body as she tries to reconcile the fact she will never see him again.
She sees her mother out of the corner of her eye and she leaves the living room quickly, unable to cope with Elizabeth on today of all days.
Emily goes upstairs and sneaks into the home office, the smell of him hitting her the moment she walks in.
For a moment, it gives her peace, then all too soon it’s gone. Washed away by the sound of the door opening behind her, someone seeking her out to provide comfort that won’t help, won’t ease the burden of grief and guilt that have already consumed her.
_________
She remembers the first time he called her when he came back. Righteous anger flooding through her veins when he casually asked her how she was. The charming bastard made her forget why she was mad at him in the first place, years of silence forgotten in an instant as soon as he asked her to dinner. He had given her hope, something she hadn’t truly felt in a long time.
He had given her love. Stupid, beautiful, all consuming love that she had wanted to bask in for the rest of her life.
Despite the heartache, the pain. She knew she would do it all again. Go through every single moment from that first day she walked into his office all those years ago, to now. All the pain they had suffered together and apart, just so she could experience their little taste of eternity again. So she could tell him she loves him one more time, and that she always would. So she could remember the warmth of his skin, and replace the final memories she had of him when he was so cold.
It was worth it, the way she felt now, for the time they had. If grief was her penance for loving him, for being loved by him, she would gladly pay it for the rest of her life.
_________
“Grief is the price we pay for love.” - Queen Elizabeth II
_________
#Hotchniss#Hotchniss fan fic#Hotchniss fanfiction#aaron hotchner#emily prentiss#aaron hotchner x emily prentiss#cm fanfic#just so much angst#angst#major character death#Riptide
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Grow As We Go - loose ends
word count: 1,937
tying up loose ends :)
ONE ; TWO ; THREE ; FOUR ; FIVE
Read on AO3
Read on Wattpad
"Dad!" Dean flinched as Jack came sprinting into the garage, out of breath with red cheeks. Dean nearly knocked himself out on the hood of a vintage corvette he was rebuilding.
"Jack!" He attempted to match his enthusiasm but failed as he stood up straight, his back popping.
"Dad said we could go to the aquarium!" He said with a wide smile.
"I said we could go this weekend," Castiel corrected, appering behind Jack with a fond roll of his eyes.
"Why can't we go today?" Jack frowned, blinking up at Cas.
"Jack, you have visitation with your mom today," Castiel pointed out gently, laying his hand on the eleven year olds shoulder. Jack's face fell, he settled his eyes back on Dean with a frown.
"Do I have to go?" He asked.
"It's only for a few hours and Mrs. Talbot will be there the whole time," Dean said, dropping the rag in his hand so he could nudge Jack's chin.
"I'd rather stay home with you," Jack mumbled, turning back to Cas, wrapping his arms around him waist and burying his face in his stomach. Cas pressed his hands to Jack's back and rubbed it softly.
"We know buddy, but it'll be good for you to have a relationship with your mom," Cas said, catching Dean's eye roll and giving him a pointed look while Jack wasn't looking.
"She spends half of our visitation on her phone or talking about her real kids," Jack said.
"Jack, you are her real kid," Dean said.
"No," Jack pulled his face away from Cas' stomach and looked back at Dean. "I'm your kid," he looked up at Cas and repeated, "I'm your kid. I have two dads and no mom, and I like it that way," he said.
"I'm sorry, buddy," Cas smiled tightly, his eyebrows furrowed down with soft sympathy. "Why don't you talk to Mrs. Talbot about it, maybe she'll have some advice for you."
"Whatever," Jack pulled away and stomped back into the house. Castiel sighed heavil, taking the few steps towards Dean until he could wrap his arms around his husbands shoulders.
"I hate sending him to her," he whispered even though Jack had slammed the garage door.
"Me too," Dean shook his head, placing his hands on Castiel's hips, holding his husband close. "But we have no choice. Until our next court date when they let Jack tesifty, we just have to show that we're cooperating. Plus, she's missed three visits and Bela started supervising again because she kept him longer than she was allowed. It doesn't look good and Sam is really confident that they'll give us full custody," Dean said, rubbing his thumbs in comforting circles at Cas' hips.
"Sam's biased," Cas mumbled. "I'm just worried that they'll take the woeful mother bit," he said.
"Let's not think about it, okay? Come on, lets go take Jack out for breakfast before he has to go," Dean leaned in to kiss Castiel's lip, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Okay," Cas sighed, reeling in his emotions before they went inside.
They go to court two months later, on a rainy tuesday afternoon. Jack wears a button up that Castiel had ironed with trembling hands. Kayla shows up with her mother, who had actually been very adamant that she had no knowledge of Jack's existence and wanted to be present in his life. She was very reassuring from the beginning that she wouldn't dare fight them for custody because of what good parents they seem to be.
Kayla had smirked their way and they avoided her gaze at all costs. The judge allowed Jack to testify and the boy did so with a calm, even voice. He read from a piece of paper that he spent three weeks perfecting.
"When I was nine years old, I asked my dad, Castiel, why I didn't have a mother like some of my other friends had. He explained to me that when I was a baby, my mother was not ready to have a baby, so she gave me to my dad, Dean. He told me that it wasn't my fault that I didn't have a mother, and it wasn't her fault either, it was just the way life worked out sometimes. When my mother, Kayla, came back, a part of me was excited, because if like happened the way it does for a reason, then maybe I would be lucky enough to have two dads plus a mom. I never thought that I would be sitting here, fighting to stay with my parents. That is what they are. Dean and cas are my dads, that's what they have always been. Kayla has never been my mom, and she hasn't acted like one up to this point. She speaks poorly of my dads, even though I've told her that it makes me upset, she makes homophobic remarks, she took me to a mans house that she claimed was her boyfriend and I sat in a stuffy living room for two hours while she spent time in the bedroom with him," Castiel had to squeeze Dean's hand hand so he wouldn't be tempted to jump out of his seat. Deans jaw nearly popped with how hard he pressed his teeth together.
"I sent picture to my caseworker, Mrs. Talbot," Jack smiled proudly as Bela passed around the evidence. Kaylas eyes had widened and her attorney had objected. Cas stared wide eyed as their attorney assured Kaylas that the new evidence was submitted well before court started. Dean smiled proudly at Jack, and the boy beamed.
"I'd like to say one more thing if I may?" Jack asked the judge, the man gesturing for him to continue, his face was steel but his eyes were soft. Jack smiled at him, then looked towards his parents. "For what it's worth, you'll never meet better parents than my dads. I could list a hundred things that makes them amazing parents, but all I really have to say, is I have never once questioned their love for me. I might be young, but I know what love, and support, and stability means, because I have really good dads. I won't get that with Kayla, and I'd much rather stay in my loving home. Thank you," Jack nodded his head once and threw a questioning look at Bela. She nodded for him to get off of the stand and he did so quickly. He ran across the courtroom and threw his arms around both Dean and Cas' shoulders. They hugged him back tightly, both of them trying to hold back tears.
When the judge awarded them full custody, they cried. They cried right there in the middle of the court room until their attorney guided them out. Sam and his wife, Eileen, and kaylas mother, Judy, met them outside of the courtroom and they took turns hugging Jack.
-
"Dad, look!" Jack held up a new pair of drumsticks, and Dean looked at Sam with a sarcastically wide smile.
"Jee, Sam, how nice of you," he said through gritted teeth. Sam smiled innocently, then pretended like someone called him. Dean rolled his eyes and looked back to Jack as he opened another Christmas present. He couldn't lie, the sixteen year old was surprisingly good at the drums, Dean likes to take credit for it because of all the classic rock he played when Jack was a kid.
"Daddy, look what grandma Judy bought for me!" Dean looked down at Claire, five years old with the biggest smile on her face as she stood beside a giant box that contained a Princess vanity.
"Oh my, Judy!" Dean looked up at the woman with wide eyes.
"Hush, they're my grandkids, you got to let me spoil them," she said as she passed him. He smiled fondly, watching her plop herself onto the recliner that she always occupies when she visits. One of Dean's favorite outcome from Kayla popping up five year old, is Judy. Once the woman found out about Jack, she'd been a prominent figure in his life. Then they adopted Claire, at two years old after her parents died in a plane crash, and she treated Claire as if she were her blood.
Dean left Judy and the kids in the living room once all of the presents were opened, and he stopped Cas from leaving the kitchen when he tried to pass Dean. Cas gave him a questioning look, but Dean hushed him and guided him into the garage.
"What are you doing?" Cas asked with a small laugh.
"I have one more present for you, but I wanted to give it to you in private, mostly because it's really fucking cheesy," he explained as he walked to his toolbox. He pulled out a square shaped present, wrapped in newspaper because Dean is simple like that. He handed it to cas with red cheeks and stood back with his arms crossed as Cas eyed it. He had a soft smile on his face as he unwrapped it and his cautious smile turned to soft awe as the newspaper fell.
"It's stupid and cheesy but I thought you'd like it," Dean shrugged as Cas started flipping through the photo album Dean put together. It went in order of the years. The first few pages were in their shitty one bedroom apartment, early years of their first dates, the first night Castiel stayed over, and Cas' pride week outfits. Then Jack appeared, laying on Castiel's chest fast asleep, cas smiling wide as his hands hovered over where Jack was taking his first steps, first days of school, arts and crafts gone wrong when everything got covered in glitter, the first time Sam met Jack. Then it was middle childhood, soccer games and school plays, their wedding, in front of the courthouse when they won full custody. Then high school, the first time they took Jack to Pride, that time Cas broke his leg and they mistakingly gave him a bell to ring when he needed them, adopting Claire. Family trips, small moments, days spent at the park, random little things that made their life so worth living, they were all interspersed in there. Some of the notes that Dean kept from the lunches Castiel packed him, pictures the kids drew, notes Dean left for Cas on days he woke up first, copies of their wedding vows. They were all in there. Cas was crying when he finally finished flipping through, and he couldn't speak, so he threw his arms around deans shoulders and cried softly into his husbands neck.
"I take it you hate it?" Dean teased, even though his heart has never felt lighter.
"I love it, you asshole," Cas said, voice shaky. Dean chuckled, wrapping his arms around Castiel's waist, holding him tightly. "I love it so much, and I love you," cas pulled his head back so he could press his lips to Dean's, kissing him hard and passionately.
"I love you too, Cas," Dean whispered between breathless kisses. Castiel sniffled as he pulled away, holding the photo album tightly against his chest.
"Let's go inside, I can feel Claire bargaining with Judy for another slice of pie," Castiel laughed softly to cover up how much he wanted to cry out of pure joy.
"Just let me kiss you for a little longer," Dean said, holding his hips close. Cas smiled, settling into Dean's arms and allowing himself to stand there, in the garage that Dean built, with their family safe and happy inside, and kiss his husband.
#Dean winchester#castiel winchester#destiel#destiel fluff#destiel fanfic#deancas#destiel au#modern setting#jack winchester#jack kline#claire novak#claire winchester
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Fanfiction
And so it is Christmas
Part 3
Elijah Mikaelson x reader
ft. Klaroline, Kennett and tvd lot
_human_no vampires
a/n:There will be great mad Mikaelson chaos and lots of love… i.e. Elijah falling for Y/N...cookie baking, etc.
well, actually_absolute christmas fluff... ho-ho-ho
_also this just blew into such a long ch_ thanks for reading. xoxo
🎅
A week after Thanksgiving Ball
New York
Elijah went through the fundraising proposal Y/N had sent him a few times just to make sure everything was all right. He added a couple of suggestions and and now sent it to her. There was a tone of work to do, but he now opened the mail his sister sent with all the photographs from the Ball. In one of them was him and her standing together.
He now sighed looking at the photo with Y/N and him on, and now flashed back to a conversation he had with his sister Rebekah after the Ball.
Flashback
Exiting Kol's room, he now bumped into Rebekah.
"So, when is this girlfriend of yours coming?" the blonde asked as they walked down.
"She should arrive here later this afternoon." Elijah replied.
"So, is this serious?" Rebekah looked at her brother curiously.
"I don't know." Elijah replied.
"You don't know? Klaus said that you've been dating her for the last three months. And you have invited her doqn to meet us all - what is going on, Elijah?"
"What should be going on?" Elijah said looking at his sister somewhat puzzled.
"There is someone else- I know that look." Rebekah was like a detective, especially when Elijah was concerned.
"What look? You talk daft." Elijah tried to sway her from the subject saying, "Why are you rushing with the wedding? Are you pregnant?"
"No, I am not. Not don't sway from the subject. I so you last night when you get back from the shelter and talked to mother about the fundraiser for the Whitmore Medical Center," the blonde stopped there like she had an epiphany as she now remembeted Y/N being mentioned, "Oh, no. You are doing this because of Y/L/N!?"
"I am not doing it because of Y/N- Dr Y/L/N" Elijah said, "I am doing it because it is a good cause and mother needs help"
"Yeah, right. Suddenly mother needs help- please, Elijah, who are you kidding. You got that same look, this pensive look, you had when you fell in love with Rayna in your Freshman year."
"Please - stop now."
"I will. There is something you should know- she and Klaus hooked up this summer at the Lake Festival thing."
"What? She is - with Klaus?"
"No. They just hooked up. He is into her, but so far she is - not giving him the time of the day. She went through a messy break up. That's why she moved back here from New York. I think she is not ready to start a relationship of any kind." Rebekah explained.
"She lived in New York?" Elijah said.
"Yes, in a hospital. She quit her job as a resident cardiac surgeon." Rebekah said.
"Really?" Elijah couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, Stefan said that she wanted a fresh start, but also go back to herself, whatever that means"
Elijah understood what it meant. He knew how busy and all-consuming New York could be.
"Poor Caroline" Rebekah said.
Elijah now looked at his sister even more puzzled at his sister's remark-
"Why would you say that?"
"You are not in love with her?! I can see it, Elijah."
Elijah gulped a bit. That much was true. He liked Caroline a lot. She was sweet and great to be round with, but he had not felt the quiver, like he did when he saw Y/N in the boutique.
Now, Elijah, drew a deep breath. He was not in love with Caroline. He liked her, yes, and he found her attractive, but, no matter how much he tried, he never passed over just caring for her. The truth was also that, the kisses they shared didn't provoke his insides start to ruffle any kind of remote butterflies in his stomach. Whereas Y/N - she had his whole being move with just one look beamed up at him. He gulped remembering her entering the Historical Society Ball.
She was a vision of beauty. It's been forever since he felt anything like that. His phone rang and it was Rebekah. Elijah picked the phone up.
"So, I hear from Klaus that you will be here this weekend, too?!"
"I am "Elijah replied.
"Don't tell me you will be here to bake the cookies for the Christmas Medical Fundraiser thing that Y/N is doing?" Rebekah was always straight to the point.
"Cookies?" Elijah said now caught by the news.
"Yes. Mother called her for a cup of tea and they were talking and they got this idea, and now we are all to bake cookies. I don't bake. And now I promised I will do it. Klaus and Hope are doing cookies, too. I can't believe this is happening."
"But this will not raise much money" Elijah said.
"No, but it is Y/N's idea to raise awareness. And so we have become one giant cookie bakery." Rebekah said.
"Klaus didn't mention anything about baking cookies" Elijah said.
"If you want to ask if they were together or if anything is happening there- I can tell you - yes. He took her home because her car wouldn't start. And he didn't return home till two in the morning."
"Why would I ask - Rebekah- I have a girlfriend if you have forgotten" Elijah now said like this additional news didn't matter, but he felt like someone had kicked him pretty hard in the gut.
He chatted some more about other insignificant family stuff and hung up.
It was obvious that she was with his brother, and now he thought that all he was starting to feel should be shut down. He returned to his work, concentrating now solely on it.
💘
Elsewhere
Courthouse
Caroline just walked out of the courtroom and now looked at her watch. It was lunch time, and she thought of ringing Elijah to meet her, but then, put her phone away in her bag. Her mind now flew back to the Thanksgiving Ball. And Klaus.
Flashback
"Did my brother leave you stranded?" Klaus said as he came to the blonde.
"What? No. I just - came out for some fresh air. It is a bit hot in there." Caroline replied.
"Yes, it is rather - hot" Klaus said.
Caroline now patted the horse on the head.
"He is a beauty. And he likes you" Klaus remarked as the horse moved with his head towards Caroline obviously enjoying her brushing her hand down his head.
"I had a horse when I was a teenager. But then he broke his leg and -"
"I am sorry"
"Yes - ahm- he is beautiful." Caroline said moving away a bit.
"Yes- so beautiful" Klaus said directing his look at Caroline. It was obvious that the comment was not for the horse, but ti her. She gulped, caught by the moment, by the way Klaus looked at her.
Now, Caroline gulped again as her heartbeats accelerated. OMG. What was happening to her. She was with Elijah. Though not really with him, but he had introduced her to his family as his girfriend, a now all she could think about as she returned from Mystic Falls was his brother Klaus.
*
In New York later that evening
Caroline knocked at the door of Elijah's office before she entered.
"Hey" Caroline said.
"You are still here" Elijah said as he now looked up.
"I am, but not for long”, Caroline said," and you?"
"I am - actually done." Elijah nodded a little.
"Can we talk?"
"Of course." Elijah said getting up from the chair. "What is it?"
Caroline smiled a little and then went up to Elijah and kissed him.
⛄
Meanwhile in Mystic Falls
Bonnie finished grading and she now took her phone opening the contact list. She scrolled down to Kol's number.
She sighed, hovering over the call button. She swallowed hard putting the phone down, getting up now, going over to the kitchen getting a bottle of water out of the fridge. The unexpected knock at the back door now startled her and she nearly dropped the bottle. There was another knock and she now went to the door asking who it was.
"Kol"
Bonnie's heart raced up. Taking a deep sigh, she now unlocked the door.
"Hey -what are you doing here?"
"I - come to see you - can we talk- because - I know - why you broke up with me"
"What?"
"I heard Klaus talk to Elijah on the phone" Kol said.
Bonnie swallowed hard now, feeling her stomach flip.
"I - it's for the best"
"Why is it -? I have never felt about anyone like I do for you."
"Kol - please -"
"I love you," Kol now said, "and you may think that I am not mature enough-"
Bonnie now cut the young Mikaelson off in the middle of the sentence moving over to him, pressing her lips on his.
At the same time in New York
Breaking up from the kiss, both Elijah and Caroline looked at one another, with a bit of an awkward look. Elijah stepped back from the blonde and said
"I am sorry -I "
"Yeah - I am sorry, too- ahm- huh- this is weirder than weird - but - I haven't got - like the fire - you know- and - this is not working- right?!"
"No, it isn't - huh - I am - don't get me wrong- you are so sweet and nice" Elijah said.
"Yeah -sweet and nice- but there is not fire- something inside you that makes you go all fuzzy and crazy and you lose your mind and forget about the world and just want him to kiss you "
Elijah now looked at Caroline somewhat puzzled. "Him?"
"Ahm- what?- yes - you know- I am talking about that magical moment- a situation - we - like you said- I also think that you are sweet and nice - but I just - I am sorry if I have been stringing you along- I really didn't mean to-" Caroline rambled.
"You haven't really. We just said we will take it slow and see where this is going- and it seems like this is - not going "
"No. Huh - I am so glad that you are not making a big deal out of it. And I am so sorry that you have now introduced me to your family as your girlfriend and everyone was so nice. If things were different, I would so love to be part of your family. Your sister and your mom were so nice to me." Caroline omitted 'and your brother'
"Hey - we still can - be friends? And you still are welcome to come to Mystic Falls whenever you wish to." Elijah said.
"Yes?"
"Yes, of course. Just because things didn't go anywhere with us - it does not mean that you can't come down. I saw that you really got on well with Rebekah."
"Yes. She has already called me and asked me if we are going to do lunch when she comes up tomorrow" Caroline said.
"Right. That's great." Elijah said continuing now, with a mental sigh of relief, "Want to go out for a drink?"
"To celebrate our weird break up and beginning of a new friendship"
"Yes." Elijah said.
Caroline nodded with a great mental sigh of relief.
🎄🎄🎄
Mystic Falls
In the morning
Bonnie and Kol where awaken by the buzzing of the alarm on Bonnie's phone. She opened her eyes, reaching for it on the nightstand, switching it off.
"What time is it?" Kol muttered not opening his eyes.
"Six." Bonnie replied.
"Oh -" he moaned a tad bit annoyingly and now pulled Bonnie to him,"Don't get up yet."
"I don't want to, but I have to." Bonnie said as she placed a kiss on his lips.
Brushing his fingers over her cheek he now said, "Last night was so good."
"It was" Bonnie said looking at the man dreamily. Her mind was telling her not go into it, byut her heart was refusing to let him go. She had missed him terribly since she broke up with him. She never thought she could fall so deep. But it happened. Now, even she wanted to run, she couldn't. Her heart was not letting her.
"I am really sorry about the way I treated you -believe it or not - I did it - partly because I got scared"
"Got scared of what?" Kol didn't quite understand.
"My own feelings." Bonnie admitted.
Kol' s eyes now shone with happiness, the kind he had only experienced once before, with his first girlfriend Davina, back in New Orleans.
"So, you -have feelings for me?" Kol’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah- totally " Bonnie admitted. She knew that this was not the smartest thing to do and everything she tried to keep him away, now fell through. She thought that she was being terribly irresponsible, but she now just wanted to be kissed by him and forget about the world. She now shifted, straddling him, kissing him. Kol drew her to him and they both now got lost in one another.
🎄
And as Bonnie and Kol continued to make up, in the other part of Mystic Falls, Y/N was drinking her morning coffee, being busy writing an e-mail to Elijah about the fundraiser. As she sent it, just a few minutes later, her phone rang and she looked amazed at the display. It was Elijah.
"Hello-" Y/N said as she picked up the call, biting a gulp back.
"Good morning. I am sorry to bother you so early, but I have just seen your e-mail and I thought that instead of writing to you, it is much easier if I give you a call. Your ideas is fine, but I still think that a fundraiser on a bigger scale would be much more fruitful" Elijah said.
"Well, yes, but I haven't got the resources and the time to organise something in such a short amount of time."
"My mother will be more than willing to offer to organise a Ball or something. This is a great opportunity to acquire this building. It will be perfect for the Medical Centre." Elijah said.
"This is great, but I cannot bother her to get into this. She is already very busy with organising your sister's wedding. I can't bother her to take this on as well." Y/N sighed a little.
"I do understand. I will talk to her and I will see if we can employ someone that can take care of it."
"Professional Fundraiser? That costs money, which I don't have-"
"Leave it to me." Elijah now said. "I am really sorry that I have to go- I got another call coming through. I am coming down to Mystic Falls this weekend and we can talk more about this."
"All right." Y/N slipped and hung up
Putting the phone down, she sipped a bit of her coffee and tried to get her head around it all, especially why Elijah was so involved in the fundraiser that much. Her heart ticked giddily at the prospect that she would see him. Picking her car keys up, she strolled out of the house, ready for a new working day.
🎄🎄🎄
Days passed by like the summer's breeze. And besides everything else that was going on in their lives, most of the talk revolved around Christmas and all that pre-christmas activities.
Friday evening found Bonnie arrive at Y/N's house with a bottle of red wine. She was on cloud nine now sharing all, well nearly all about her and Kol making up.
Checking the pizza that had just arrived, Y/N turned to her friend, "I am happy for you. I am sure you will find a way to make this work."
Pouring the wine, Bonnie was still a tad bit unsure how this will go on, but she now said, "I just want to be with him. Besides being sexy, he is has got the sweetest, kindest soul."
"You are so in love. From what I heard of Klaus, Kol was sa bad boy reincarnated." Y/N said.
"He told me all about his mad teenage years, but he has so matured - since he lost Davina."
"He talked to you about it?"
"Yes. That comics book and the story he wrote was about it- he opened his soul in it." Bonnie said.
"I need to read it."
"You still didn't?" Bonnie raised an eye brow at her friend as they now walked in the living room.
"I really didn't get the time. I have taken all Jo's patients, I volunteer at the homeless shelter in Whitmore, got myself into that fundraiser- oh - and I got roped into doing- helping with the school board Christmas show." Y/N reminded her friend of her busy schedule, now adding, "and tomorrow I have to bake cookies and sweet potatoe pies"
"Oh, about the cookies and the baking- I have invited Kol to come here- I hope you are not mad. You can invite Klaus or I can tell him to bring Klaus along"
"No, don't tell him to bring Klaus."
"I thought you liked him? Maybe you two could- start phase two"
"I cleared things with Klaus. I told him that I don't want anything- and we both decided to be friends." Y/N said.
"Really? You didn't tell me anything."
"Because there is nothing to tell really. We just had this one night stand, and I was drunk. He is a good guy, but I just don't feel - that something- you know." Y/N explained.
"That something that makes you go- hmmm- hmmm"
"Exactly. I just got out of a long term relationship and I just- don't want to jump into something-ok - enough about boyfriends- one night stands- which movie are we going to watch- something new or something old?" Y/N now pulled a few movies she has already narrowed down."Sleepless in Seattle, Family Stone, or Christmas at Pemberly Manor or It's a Wonderful Life"
"Christmas at Pemberly Manor- seriously- another remake of Pride and Predjudice- "
"Yep." Y/N said. "Oh, come on. We watched the others like a million times and I am really in the mood for something totally cheesy and - let's see if this Mr Darcy is - something - or nothing."
"Oh, God remember that actor that played Mr Wickham in Bride and Predjudice- he could so be Mr Darcy- real Mr Darcy. You were always so into Mr Darcy." Bonnie said.
"Yeah, I saw him in that medical drama - he played Dr Joel Goran- I so had - #imagines."
"What- imagining Damon was Dr Fun-?"
"Please don't"
"Sorry. No mention of Damon. I forgot." Bonnie apologized.
"Hey- it's no big. There is no need to tiptoe around it."
"You know what- talking about Dr Joel Goran- Elijah reminds me of him-"
"Elijah?" Y/N now looked kind of taken in at her friend.
"Yeah. If you put Dr Goran in a 1000 dollar suit and have him clean-shaven- he would be spitting image of Elijah." Bonnie now said.
"Yeah, I think he would." Y/N smiled, biting her lip unconsciously.
"There, you have Mr Darcy on your doorstep- shame he has got a girlfriend."
"Yeah." Y/N said with a little sigh and now pressed play for the movie to start, her mind floating away for a moment imagining Elijah as Mr Darcy in an unsual remake.
🎄🎄🎄
_to be continued
#elijah mikaelson#elijah mikaelson x reader#kol mikaelson#caroline forbes#klaus mikaelson#kennett#klaroline#the originals#the originals imagine#the originals christmas#fanfiction
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Old Habits Die Hard | Part Seven: Backseat
SYNOPSIS | PART ONE: DAYS BEFORE | PART TWO: JUST BE GOOD TO ME | PART THREE: RECOGNIZE THE BUTTERFLIES | PART FOUR: DOWN THE STAIRS AND TO YOUR LEFT| PART FIVE: JUST KNOW | PART SIX: JUST & RIGHTEOUS
Warnings: Language, mentions of sexual situations
Peace, loves! We’re back. Thank you to all who hit me up about this story. My laptop died back in July so I’ve been trying to write on a tablet which…yeah. A struggle is a nice way to put it lol😔. Go ahead and catch the vibes and thank you for the reads, likes, comments and follows. Y'all are the realest.
“I thought you didn’t smoke”
“I don’t. Doesn’t mean I haven’t…”
You take a strong pull of Dave’s blunt in conjunction with heavy breathing caused by his right hand causing a madness in the between. The cracked window of your car brings enough of a cool down so that the both of you won’t pass out from the nighttime haze and the heat travelling from your bodies. Finally, after two weeks, Dave understands your love language; he can’t keep his hands off of you even as you try to take a break from him. He lifts up your left leg with ease, draping your thickness over his right toned, tatted up thigh. The madness is now turning into magic.
“Dave…let me ch-chill. Shit.” He immediately relents, pinching your quivering thigh with that same right hand while grabbing his dutch away from you.. As you sit in puddles of sweat and Dave’s ruins, you stare at the stars above you. It’s the clearest night you’ve seen since you arrived in the city. It just so happens to be your last.
Dave catches your gaze at the night sky through the skylight above you. “You good, shorty?”
“Yeah, I just…” a slight chuckle escapes your lips. “…I can’t believe I’m smoking blunts and fucking in a backseat like high school.”
Dave feels the ping of your words. It’s the first time in the two weeks of your summertime escapade that he’s reminded of how different you two are.
He felt the slight of your words. You and his relationship always reminded Dave that he had some growing up to do. Because of his lack of a place – and the privacy that comes along with it – you two got it in whenever and wherever you could; after his brother went to work in the AM hours, when Aunt Jerri left the house for bingo, in the backseat of your car. Your surroundings would never get in the way of what you two were there for.
Just like Dave wouldn’t let anything stop him from getting at you the day you met. It was an unseasonably cool day for a block party. He and his boys were on the stoop, shooting the shit as always, when Dave saw you walk outside of Aunt’s Jerri’s house carrying trays of food. He knew all the girls from the neighborhood but he never laid eyes on you before. Your cut off shorts toed the line between modest and disrespectful. A white crop top tee and Air Max 90s sandwiched your goodness in the booty shorts you bought with the intention of showing off.
You turned around to see this caramel-covered king, 6’5, tatted from root to tip, body sweating through a white tank top inquiring if you needed any help. You froze like the bucket of ice Aunt Jerri laid down in front of you. He caught you by surprise. You didn’t remember boys from this part of town looking this damn fine. Dave was beyond that. The man you were supposed to be in the Bahamas with didn’t look like him either. Suddenly you were happy he bailed on you.
“Oh. My bad. I didn’t see you there…” You acknowledged Dave’s reach around you to grab a bottle of water from the same ice bucket that mimicked your gaze.
“Yeah, you bad…” Your right eyebrow never arched so high. It wasn’t the only body part that moved. You didn’t know how to respond to Dave’s street-laced flirtation, only to let your tongue peek out the side of your mouth, leaving Dave no choice but to stare at your lips. Dave’s stare and loitering in your presence caught the attention of your Uncle Trace. As Trace schemed Dave down to the basement to grab more lawn chairs, Aunt Jerri gleefully tapped you on the shoulder to remind you that what happens in Philly, stays in Philly. Trace told Dave to not let anything happen.
But as you kept talking, Dave slowly fell into your grooves. Dave didn’t know that you fit in so well because of your summers visiting Aunt Jerri, Uncle Terrence and the rest of the characters that made up your Dad’s side of the family. You acclimated to the energy. Half of your DNA was Reed Street, North Philly; the same as Dave. You two fit especially well in the spare rooms, backseats and basement meetups to you hid from Trace and the rest of the world that thought you had no business together.
But after this last backseat episode, you would be going back to the place that made you so different; to your senior grant writing job, your townhouse and your Roth IRA. Dave was just months into an overnight warehouse job that paid just enough to give him some change to save money to move out of the spare bedroom of Pardi’s already packed rowhouse. He was a work in progress while some would look at Dave as a sign of regression.
But for you, in that moment, nothing – and no one – would or could be better than Dave.
Until he disappeared and you met Yahya.
Right now, you hate Yahya’s guts. It’s been weeks since he told you that he’s taking on Dave’s case on a pro bono basis as a favor to Aunt Jerri. Still seething as you tried on wedding dresses, you kept your cool just enough to keep peace between your mother and her arch nemesis. This time you sided with your mother.
Yahya caught the rest of your static. He caught the silent treatment all weekend, the AM news radio station being the only background noise as you and him drove Aunt Jerri to Union Station. Once her and her hot pink suitcase rolled out of view, you went at Yahya’s neck. You never called Yahya so many words for “inconsiderate”, your Masters in Communication coming in way too clutch. But Yahya passed the bar, so his combative energy matched your loquaciousness. Onlookers got a good look at you two spar as he weaved through Beltway traffic.
To say that you were mad that Yahya took a case this close to the wedding would be a lie. You knew him to have a kind and caring heart, a heart that wouldn’t let injustice slip by. If this was anyone else’s plight, you’d be all for Yahya’s gracious spirit. But it was Dave. Dave who ignored you not once but twice. Dave who, in the very backseat of the car you’re yelling at Yahya in, told you to give him a few weeks and he’d be down to see you. The same Dave who defied all of the rules – and Uncle Trace’s threats– to get at you. Only to leave you. Dave needed to reap that.
But the Dave you knew – despite what others thought – wouldn’t hurt anyone. He was just a hair over eighteen when he caught the gun charge that sent him to prison. A gun he carried because he witnessed his brother die in front of him. He kept it on the straight ever since. Dave was saving up money for his own place, you understood the grind. He was a stone-cold sweetheart covered in a North Philly veneer. He didn’t sow a seed worth anything for this to happen.
Despite the battle on the Capitol Beltway, Yahya and you came home to convene the most obnoxious session of make up sex known to man. Damn the celibacy. Y’all needed to be on good terms and he needed to get Dave out of jail.
—
“How it’s going, love?” Your dining room is becoming Yahya’s makeshift work office. You couldn’t help to sneak down at night to read some of what Yahya’s been putting together for the case. Seeing Dave’s name all over his papers remind you of how many times Dave’s name escaped from your lips.
“Man, it’s good. We got enough for this bail hearing. I think we can secure a bail low enough that his family and the local justice coalition can afford.”
“Good. Let’s get him home…”
Yahya smiles at your enthusiasm toward Dave’s case. Despite the ninth-circle-of-Hell type of sex you two had in the aftermath of that fight, Yahya knew you steamed from him taking a case just mere months before the wedding. Yet your insistence to know details – like spotting you reading his notes – remind him of why he wants to marry you in the first place. “What date is the hearing?”
“The sixth of next month. You should come up with me. Watch me in action…”
“I can’t. I can’t be in that courtroom. I’d make you nervous.” And make yourself nervous to see Dave.
“You make me nervous regardless, Y/N. But I was thinking you’d want to see your friend get out of jail…”
Your breath stops dead in its tracks.
“My friend? Dave isn’t my friend.”
“That’s not what Jerri told me…”
Although you support Yahya, you still kept you and Dave’s past relationship a secret. Knowing Aunt Jerri, keeping secrets ain’t in her resume. You grip the kitchen counter to brace yourself for Yahya’s inquisition. He passed the bar on his first try; you got some work to do.
“Yeah, about that, I … didn’t think it was relevant.”
“Of course some puppy love shit ain’t relevant. It’s cute, actually.”
Nothing about what Yahya is saying to you makes sense like it does to him. As Aunt Jerri told Yahya about Dave’s case, she slipped in a farce that you and Dave “dated” when you both were kids, Dave buying you water ices and shrimp egg rolls from the “chinese store” whenever you asked. You two allegedly fell out once puberty hit the both of you like a ton of bricks.
So when Yahya peeped Dave staring at you from across the living room of Aunt Jerri’s house, he knew that as the look of a man who now knew he let something good get away. He knew Dave ventured down to the basement not to grab a bottle for Trace but to rspit game at you. Yahya knew you would turn him down, having seen it before. When Dave grabbed your hand , Yahya wasn’t jealous nor hurt: you were set to be his wife. He won. The baddest girl in the world belonged to him.
You start breathing again as Yahya explains Aunt Jerri’s novella of you and Dave’s teenage love affair. In her own twisted, demented yet genius way, Aunt Jerri covered for you. She knew that if she gave Yahya the honest details, he would – as a man –hesitate to help Dave. Apparently you both thought Yahya wasn’t mature enough to handle the truth.
Aunt Jerri’s lie is broken up by the high pitch screeching of your cell phone. You run to answer.
“You have a collect call from PICC. Do you accept the charges? …”
How many times can you stop breathing in one night?
“Hello?”
“Hey, yo… it’s Dave. I hope ain’t hitting you up at a bad time. Ms. Jerri gave me your number…”
“Oh, no … it-it’s cool. I, uh… how are you holding up?”
Dave couldn’t believe that you asked your fiance to help him get out of jail. At least, that’s the narrative that Aunt Jerri sold Dave on as she and Dave’s mother sat in front of him during their biweekly visits. Dave’s face, once pretty-boy and perfect, carried more wear. His jaw slipped when he talked, causing him a pain sometimes much worse than what happened that night in the store.
“This bail hearing is in two weeks.”
“Yeah, Yahya just tol-” You didn’t want to keep bringing up Yahya’s name. Though that man is Dave’s savior, he’s still the one that’s in the way of a final go around with Dave. “…the 6th, yeah.”
“I want you there.”
“You do?” Your aversion toward sitting in the courtroom subsides as Dave’s voice – sexy as ever, even through a prison phone – calls for you to be there for him.
“Yeah. If I get out, I got a chance. Especially with your dude as my lawyer. Thank you for that, for real. That’s why I’m calling, to be real. And I want you to be one of the first people I see when I get out..”
You wonder what story Aunt Jerri told Dave but you can’t take any more of her creativity. “So you comin’…?”
“…you have less than fifteen seconds left on this call…”
“I’ll…”
“…this call has ended. Goodbye…”
“…be there, Dave.”
Taglist: @yoursoulstea @harleycativy @twistedcharismaaa @dorkskinneded @need-my-fics @ghostfacekill-monger @writerbee-ffs @chaneajoyyy @amyhennessyhouse
#dave east#yahya abdul mateen ii#yahya abdul-mateen ii#yahya abdul-mateen ii x reader#dave east x reader#old habits die hard
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Trial of Fire
Summary: After Tony’s trial, him and Michelle are given a couple hours to be alone.
Word Count: 4,611
Today was the day that would determine their future, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all though of course she had barely gotten any sleep since his arrest. She didn’t even flinch when her alarm went off at six, she reluctantly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the long day ahead. The trial started at nine o’clock sharp.
After getting out of the shower, she took care of her hair so it wouldn’t be as crazy as it usually is, letting a few strands fall to frame her face. For her makeup, she went for an all natural look and waterproof mascara. She chose a black pencil skirt and a scarlet red blouse, red represented courage and if she ever needed courage, it was definitely today.
She was ready by a quarter till eight and went downstairs to find something to eat, not that she was hungry but because she hadn’t been able to eat either since his arrest. Not that she was even able to cook something without the risk of burning it. She was a shell of the woman she used to be and it had been less than a month since he’s been gone.
She visited him every weekend on Saturday’s at eight o’clock. She never missed one visit, it was the only time she was able to see him and it was through a glass, but it was something. Tony also took notice of the bags under her eyes and although she had always been petite, he could tell she was losing weight.
She finally decided on half a banana and a piece of toast before going to let their dog, Major, out to use the bathroom. The German Shepherd was a Christmas gift to Michelle for their one year wedding anniversary. At the time, Tony was working more than normal and he wanted Michelle to have someone with her while he was gone and so he went to the animal shelter, finding a puppy that he knew would be perfect for her.
After eating and giving the dog food and water, she was on her way out the door. She pulled into the parking lot ten minutes before the trial and taking deep breaths, she willed herself to go inside. Tony needed her and she could do this for him especially after he risked everything to save her, something she blamed herself for, but she couldn’t dwell on that right now.
She was surprised to find Jack, Kim, Chase, Adam, and even Chloe waiting inside. Jack was the first to approach her, giving her a gentle hug.
“You ready?”
No. “Yeah,” she gave him a small smile as they all walked through the doors to take a seat on the wooden benches. The judge walked in a few minutes after them followed by the prosecution and then Tony and his lawyer. He was dressed in clothes she had never seen before, but he was still her Tony.
The bailiff started to speak, “please rise. The Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, Criminal Division, is now in session, the honorable Judge Taylor presiding.”
They met eyes and time slowed down just for a second, it was just the two of them before the judge banged his gavel. The bailiff swore in the jury before the start of the trial.
“Members of the jury, your duty today will be to determine whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty based only on facts and evidence provided in this case. The prosecution has the burden of proving the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. This burden remains on the prosecution through the trial. The prosecution must prove that a crime was committed and that the defendant is the person who committed the crime. However, if you are not satisfied of the defendant’s guilt to that extent, then reasonable doubt exists and the defendant must be found not guilty.” Judge Taylor explained. “Mr. Anderson, what is today’s case?” He asked the bailiff.
“Your Honor, today’s case is The State of California versus Anthony Almeida,”he replied.
“How does the defendant plead?”
“Not guilty, your honor.”
“Is the prosecution ready?”
“Yes, your Honor,” the prosecutor stood up before taking his seat once more.
“Is the defense ready?”
“Yes, your Honor,” Tony’s lawyer replied.
After opening statements were made, it was time to call witnesses for each side.
“The prosecution would like to call Brad Hammond to the stand.”
Michelle turned around to see Brad strolling through the doors, a smirk plastered across his face.
The bailiff swore him in before the examination started. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
Brad replied with, “I do.”
“You have evidence that the defendant, Anthony Almeida, committed treason against the United States of America to save his wife, correct?”
“Yes. We found out after Jane Saunders had been taken out of CTU and later found to be with Agent Almeida. We also had Stephen Saunders surrounded until Tony called the field teams to tell them to move positions to give Saunders a chance to escape. We took him into custody after Jack Bauer headed up teams to capture Saunders.”
“And he put millions of lives at risk in order to save one by doing so.”
“Correct, Division had always been weary of inter office relationships, but when Tony and Michelle came to us saying they had been in a relationship and said they would be able to keep their personal and professional lives separate, we believed them, I believed them and that was my mistake.”
“That’s all I have for this witness.”
Tony’s lawyer was next. “Are you married Mr. Hammond?”
“Objection!” The prosecution called out.
“It goes to show my clients thoughts.”
“Overruled, but tread carefully Mr. Wilson.”
“Yes, I’m married.” Hammond replied.
“And you love your wife?”
“Of course I love my wife.”
“Would it be safe to say that you would do anything you could to keep her safe?”
“I- yeah, I suppose.”
“That’s exactly what Mr. Almeida did that day. He did what any person would do for the person they loved. He acted as any husband would act in a situation like that and he shouldn’t be blamed or be put in jail for being human.”
“But he put millions of people at risk by doing that!”
“No one died. No one was hurt in the process and that’s what matters. Not what could’ve happened.”
“But-” he tried to say something, anything else to help the prosecution.
“No further questions.”
“The defense calls Jack Bauer to the stand.” Jack squeezed Michelle’s shoulder before going up to take a seat.
The bailiff swore him in before the examination started. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do,” Jack said.
“You and Mr. Almeida have worked together for some time, would you consider him a friend?”
“Yeah, we both went through a lot and he was there after my wife died. Our jobs are extremely stressful and dangerous and it’s nice to have friends who can understand that.”
“I’m sorry about your wife, but speaking of her, didn’t you too have to put your wife above other people?”
“Yes.”
“And you think what Mr. Almeida did is justified?”
“I do. No one got hurt by his actions, he was trying to protect his wife and I would’ve done the same thing if I was in his shoes.
“Thank you, no further questions.”
The prosecutor stood up, taking a minute to think of his next questions. “You agree with everything Agent Almeida did? What if innocent lives had been lost?”
“I can’t answer that seeing as it didn’t happen.”
“What if it had?”
“It’s a hypothetical question to which I have no answer for,” Jack said, holding his ground.
“No further questions.”
Each party called more witnesses: analysts, techs, anyone they could think of to improve their case. The judge called a recess around lunch time and Michelle reluctantly followed the others out to go eat somewhere even though she wasn’t hungry. She locked eyes with Tony until the guards pulled him away.
“It’s going pretty good, right?” Kim asked and everyone agreed, but Michelle couldn’t shake this gut feeling she had. It felt like even as good as they think things were going, it wouldn’t be good enough.
She had ordered a salad and she was pushing it around with her fork while the others were eating and Jack noticed. When they finished eating and started to head back to the courthouse, Jack pulled her aside for a minute.
“Are you okay?” He asked after hesitating.
“I just… I have a bad feeling about today. If he goes to prison… it’ll be all my fault and I don’t know if I could live knowing I put my husband in there. Out of everyone, Tony doesn’t deserve this. He’s spent his life putting away terrorists and protecting his country and this is how they repay him? It’s not fair.”
“I know, trust me I know, but Tony needs you to be strong for him right now and that means we can’t be thinking about what will happen if he’s convicted, we have to hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I know, I feel so helpless though, Jack. I want to help him but how?”
“You can testify on his behalf, tell them what an amazing husband he is and how much he loves his job. Are you ready to beat this thing?”
That sinking feeling came back, but she pushed it away and plastered a smile on, “yeah, I’m ready.”
Back in the courtroom, it was her turn to take the stand. When the prosecution called her name, she stood up on wobbly knees and tried to get her nerves under control to no avail.
The bailiff swore her in before the examination started. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do,” the two words tasting bitter on her tongue at the moment. Two words that once meant a promise to each other were now being used against them.
“Miss Dessler-“
“It’s Mrs. Almeida, I keep Dessler at work to avoid confusion between me and Tony.”
“Mrs. Almeida,” he started again, “how long have you and Mr. Almeida been married?”
“Three years, but we’ve been together just a little over four years.”
“And during that time have you and Mr. Almeida ever been put into a situation where one of you is in danger?”
“Yeah.”
“But both of you were always fine, minor injuries if anything so why was the day in question any different? You’re sitting here in front of the court today with no physical injuries shown. I’m trying to understand why your husband had to put millions of lives at stake, people in this very room could’ve died because of his actions, but you were his priority. He ignored the oath he took to protect this country and its people to save you. Do you see the problem?” He asked as if she was a child.
“Tony did what he thought was right at the time, he did what anyone would do for the person they love. It was an unprecedented situation. Take his job, make sure he never works for the government again, but don’t take his life away. He’s done so much for this country, he was a marine, he fights to protect this country every day from terrorists and the one time he does something wrong, he’s threatened with prison. I’ll say it again, no one was hurt by his actions, not one person was even put in danger.”
“You say this was an unprecedented situation, but aren't unprecedented situations a part of your jobs? Can you pinpoint when the next terrorist attack is going to be? Are you going to immediately know how to deal with the next attack? Let’s take the Cordilla virus as an example, that was unprecedented and you led the team inside that hotel. You set up command and took charge, you reassured the guests, you got them suicide pills to end their suffering, you shot a man who was trying to leave the premises. All of that was unprecedented and yet, you were able to deal with it.”
“I wasn’t threatened with the idea of my husband having his eye cut out. I can’t speak to what Tony was feeling or what was going through his head, but I know how scared he must’ve been, how scared anyone would’ve been in that situation.”
“You can be scared without putting lives at risk, agent. People doubted your ability to work with your husband and keep your professional and personal lives separate and maybe if you had listened to them, you or Tony wouldn’t be here right now. So who’s fault is it really?” He mumbled the last sentence for only her to hear.
“Objection, badgering the witness.” The defense called out.
“Withdrawn. No further questions.” He said before the judge could say anything. “Your witness.”
“Mrs. Almeida, it’s obvious you love your husband smd that he loves you. How do you feel about his actions?”
No one had asked her that and she was thrown off guard for a split second. “He saved my life,” she met his eyes as she spoke. “I’m eternally grateful for him and if I ever had any doubts about how much he loved me, I would look back at what he did.”
“No further questions.” He gave her a small smile to put her at ease, but her eyes were still locked on Tony’s.
“The next person we call to the stand is Anthony Almeida.
The bailiff swore him in before the examination started. “Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do.” He responded firmly.
“It’s been made clear how much you love your wife, it’s admirable really. You hear how people say they will do anything for the person they love, but a lot of the time they can’t prove it but you’re one of the few who did. Would you do it again?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “She’s my whole world and as long as she’s safe, I don’t care what happens to me. I’m glad no one got hurt by what I did but it doesn’t change the fact I’d do it all over again if I had to.”
A few more questions later after the defense was satisfied with his answers, it was the prosecution's turn.
“You love your wife, correct?”
“Yes.”
“At any point while she was inside the Chandler Plaza Hotel did you ever tell her you loved her?”
“No, it was implied through every conversation we had. Michelle knows I love her, if I say it or not but at work we keep it professional.”
“Professional? You call kidnapping Jane Saunders in order to trade her for your wife professional behavior? You didn’t tell your wife you loved her after claiming that you do and on top of all that, you said you would do it all again.”
“Stop right there. You can question my loyalty, you can put me in prison for the rest of my life, you can do whatever the hell you want, but don’t ever question my love for my wife. She has been through hell and back and she’s saved me in more ways than one. She is the only thing I look forward to after a twenty four hour shift when we’re both on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion but she’ll smile at me and everything is okay again. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. I would do anything to keep her safe even if it meant putting myself in danger. She is my life and you can take me away from her, but it won’t change a damn thing.”
“No further questions, the prosecution rests, your Honor.”
“The defense also rests, your Honor.”
“Members of the jury, you have heard all of the testimony concerning this case. It is now up to you to determine the facts. You and you alone, are the judges of the fact. Once you decide what facts the evidence proves, you must then apply the law as I give it to you to the facts as you find them,” the judge said, his attention directed to the jurors.
Tony went back to his seat, anger evident in his body language. After closing statements, it was time for the jury to deliberate. His fate was now in the hands of complete strangers.
A long two hours later, they came back with a verdict.
“Have you reached a verdict?” The judge asked.
“We have, your Honor,” the jury foreperson responded.
“What say you?”
“We the jury, in the case of The State of California versus Anthony Almeida find the defendant guilty of the charge of treason against the United States of America.”
She swore she felt her heart stop once the words left her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes which she refused to let fall in front of everyone.
“Thank you, jury, for your service today. Court is adjourned.”
“No, no you can’t do this,” she shouted before realizing what she was doing. Jack gently grabbed her and guided her out into the hall where she let her tears fall freely.
“They can’t… they can’t do this Jack, not after everything he’s done. I can't… I can’t breathe,” her chest was rising up and down rapidly, her breathing heavy. The signs of a beginning panic attack.
“Breath with me, Michelle,” he took deep breaths and she followed his lead until her breathing went back to normal.
“I need to see him,” she started to head back through the doors before he stopped her.
“They’re not going to let you see him right now, they have to book him and in a couple hours they’ll let you but until then, we have to wait,” he explained calmly.
“This is bullshit and you know it. They’re not even going to let us be alone and twenty years, Jack, twenty fucking years. That’s how long they’re taking him away for. It’s not right, it’s not fair.”
“I know Michelle, but Tony needs you right now and you need him. You can still visit and trust me, I know it’s not the same but it’s something and that’s what you have to remember.”
“What do we do now?”
“We wait, I’ll try talking to some guards I know to see if the two of you can have some privacy, but I’m not promising anything.”
“Okay, thank you Jack.”
He shot her a smile, “it’s the least I can do, until then, just try to relax.”
Jack drove them to Federal Correctional Institute where his sentence was to be held out. The building looming in the distance reminded her of everything they were going to lose in a few short minutes.
“I’m gonna go talk to my friend inside and I’ll come get you when I’m done.”
She nodded her head while looking blankly ahead. This didn’t feel real, she wanted to wake up from whatever nightmare she was currently in. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she saw Jack heading back towards the SUV.
“You have three hours, it’s all I could get and I convinced them to give you privacy and I’ll be right outside the door if you need anything.”
“Does he know?”
“No, I think he’d like to hear it from you more.”
“Thank you Jack.”
He smiled in response. They headed inside the building and passed through security. Jack led her down a hall lined with cells on either side until arriving in front of a holding cell that provided privacy.
“He’s in there?” She asked nervously.
“Yeah.”
Jack opened the door to reveal Tony in an orange jumpsuit. “Jack, how’s Miche- Michelle?” Shock was etched in his voice at seeing her in front of him.
“Hi,” she smiled, the first real smile he’s seen.
“Hey.” They stood there staring at each other until the initial shock wore off and in the next second, he was wrapping his arms around her. Tears flowed down over her cheeks, the feeling of his arms around her was comforting, something she would never take for granted again.
“What are you doing here, sweetheart?”
“I needed to see you. I can’t believe this is all happening and it’s all my fault and I’m sorry, Tony, I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, Michelle, I don’t blame you. Like I told you earlier, you’re alive and I can live with that. Promise me that you won’t blame yourself?”
“I promise,” her voice slightly wavered.
“How did you manage to get back here?”
“Jack, he talked to some friends he had inside and he got us three hours alone and I know it’s not a lot but-”
He cut her off. “It’s perfect.”
He led her over to one of the chairs in the room and sat down, pulling her onto his lap.
“I missed you,” he said, burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her scent in as to memorize it.
“I’m so, so sorry, Tony,” she cried softly. “This is all my fault, you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me or if I had waited for the hazmat suits and all those people… those agents… Gael… are dead because of me. I shouldn’t have listened to Jack when he told me to go back. We were so close.”
“You can’t think like that, Michelle. I meant what I said in court, I would choose you over and over because I love you and I am incredibly grateful that no one was hurt by my actions. You made all the right decisions today and I know you don’t think so, but you helped so many people today and the people who died today, Gael, they will be remembered as heros. You saved even more lives today by listening to Jack. I can live here knowing that you’re safe and alive. I almost lost you twice today and you’re still here which is more than I could ask for. And Michelle-”
“Don’t, please,” she begged, cutting him off because she knew him well enough to know what he was going to say next.
“I just want you to be happy, even if you find that it’s not with me in five, ten years. You deserve nothing but the best and I won’t be able to offer you that and I just want you to have that option, if you ever need it and I want you to know that you don’t have to feel bad if that moment ever comes.” he finished.
“Tony, please, I can’t… I can’t talk about that right now. We don’t have long and I don’t want to spend that time talking about-”
“I know, sweetheart. I have so much to say and I just- I thought I had forever to say it, but now,” he glanced at the clock, “I have two and a half hours.”
They spent the next couple hours talking about anything and everything that came to mind: their wedding day, visits with each of their families, all the different things they loved about each other, the day they met, their first date, the night he proposed, the might he brought Major home, holidays they spent together, the day they moved into their house, memories that they only knew and treasured.
But time was quickly running out.
The guard had come to notify them that they only had thirty minutes left.
They spent a few minutes sitting in silence, soaking in each other's warmth and closeness.
“I don’t know how to do this without you, I can’t go home knowing that you’re here and-”
“You’re going to go home and do the best you can, alright? I know it won’t be easy, but you have to try to eat and get some sleep. It’ll be hard for awhile, for both of us, but we’ll get through it. We survived a bomb, a nuclear bomb, World War Three, a virus, and we’re still here. A twenty year sentence doesn’t seem too bad after that,” he said jokingly and when it seemed impossible, she started to laugh.
“We have survived far worse.”
Two guards walked in after that and all hints of smiling and laughter were now gone.
Time was up.
Tears started to form in her hazel eyes and his chest tightened. “We’re gonna get through this.”
“I know,” she replied. “This is hard.” she choked out, her voice breaking.
“I know, baby. I know.” He helped her stand up before getting up himself and wrapped his arms around her, placing kisses on the top of her head. “I love you so much.”
“I love you so much, Tony.”
He pulled back, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, pouring out his emotions. After the kiss ended, he reluctantly let her go and a guard came up behind him.
He walked him out and with one last glance at her, he disappeared from her view.
“I’m sorry,” the other guard offered apologetically and she knew it wasn’t just because their time was up. She just nodded at him in response, talking right now was too hard. He led her out to the parking lot where she met Jack in his SUV.
He didn’t say anything, not like he had to, he could only imagine what she was feeling right now. They spent the twenty minute drive to their house in complete silence and when he pulled into their driveway, she thanked him quietly before getting out.
“Hey,” he called after her softly. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Jack,” she offered a small smile before heading inside and the first thing she noticed was the quietness. Her and Tony would always walk through the door smiling and laughing, even after a tough day. Even if one of them got home first, it was never quiet. Family and friends would come over on their days off or on the weekends. The house was always filled with love and happiness, but now… but now it was completely silent.
The silence was going to be the hardest part of coming home. She walked up the stairs leading to their bedroom to find Major asleep in the middle of the bed.
She undressed and put on one of his shirts and a pair of his sweatpants that engulfed her small frame. The lingering smell of his cologne relaxed her a little bit and she climbed into the bed that was way too big for one person. Major woke up and moved his head to lick her face. He was a baby when it came to Michelle and every night, he was snuggled up behind her and tonight was no different.
She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, she would try to get some sleep like she promised and would go back to the prison to visit him as soon as possible. The time they had together earlier was enough for now and she drifted off into the first real sleep she’s had in a month.
There was still hope and until there wasn’t any left, she wasn’t going to give up on him.
#24 the show#24 fanfiction#tony almeida#michelle dessler#Tony x Michelle#24#tony almeida x michelle dessler
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Chapter Fifteen
*Fake It Until You Make It Real*
The closer they got to the fifteenth the more Louis noticed how nervous Harry became and how stressed he seemed. Louis also noticed Harry's lawyer calling more often which seemed to only stress Harry out more. Louis did everything he could to calm me down and comfort him, but he didn't exactly know what to do or say so he didn't know if he was much help. Despite Harry reassuring him he was helping plenty. When the morning of the fifteen arrived Louis had made sure he and Freddie had been excused so they were there for Harry.
"You really didn't have to be here but I'm glad you are. I told my family not to come, but they never listen to me. They've been to each one so far." Harry said as they entered the courthouse, Harrying holding Louis' and Freddie's hands as he was between them.
"Of course, I was going to be here." Louis said gently, "we're in this together after all remember." Harry kissed his hand before he pushed open the door that led to a waiting area where Harry's family and his lawyer.
"Good morning." Anne said walking over to them and each of them tightly, "how's my baby doing?" She asked rubbing Harry's arm.
"He's been extremely nervous the past two weeks." Louis told her as he snuggled into him, "I don't think I've been much help."
"Oh, hush you've been great." Harry said kissing his temple, "have you seen Maddie yet?"
"Very briefly. We're actually about to go talk to her, me and Johnathan." Gregory said as he checked his watch, "there's absolutely no way you won't get at least scheduled visitations."
"I know I've just lost a lot of these."
"I know but this year is different."
No one mentioned why exactly this year was different and Harry for a moment felt weird about how he had found Louis. Not that he regretted it, but he just wished it were true, that they had met normally and been together for a year and were in love and getting married for the right reasons. Not he needed a husband to see his daughter. He looked over at Louis as he talked with his mother, Freddie sitting on his lap. Was it too soon to be in love? Was it too soon to actually marry him because he wanted to keep him at his side forever? Harry didn't know but he did know that his crinkly eye smile made his heart race and his sass made him laugh harder than he ever remembered laughing. He knew that Freddie had a special place in his heart just like Maddie did and he knew that he wanted to see Louis round bellied full of a child Harry had given him. He knew he wanted to wake up at three in the morning to see Louis feeding their baby either by nipple or bottle, he didn't care. He knew he wanted to see Louis covered with kids...grandkids even...maybe a few great grandkids if they were lucky enough. Harry knew he wanted to see Louis every morning for the rest of his life. Yes, here he was worried that being in love with him was too soon. He scoffed at himself and pulled himself from his thoughts noticing Louis was now standing upfront of him looking amused.
"Sorry I was lost in thought."
"I could tell. What were you thinking about?"
"How lucky I am to be able to spend every day of my life with you." Harry said honestly watching as Louis looked shocked for a split second before he grinned as he stared at him.
"Every day huh?"
"Every single one."
"Even the bad ones?"
"Especially the bad ones." Harry said leaning in to kiss him sweetly, "I'm very lucky you know."
"Well so am I and so is Freddie. He's really...grown a lot this past month and it's all because of you. So independent compared to two months ago. I hate and love it at the same time."
"You think so?"
"I know. He's very lucky to have such a great man to look up to...after me of course." Harry grinned as he looked at him a little teary eyed, "oh darling come here. Darling you are such a great man and such a wonderful dad to Maddie." Louis said gently as he pulled Harry down to hold him.
Harry wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face into his neck holding him tightly as his shoulders shook lightly. Louis vowed to tell him every day how great of a father and man he was from now on as he rubbed his back. When they pulled away Louis wiped the left-over tears away and smiled up at him. Louis knew he should say those words, should say them for multiple reasons, but he also knew that it was too soon. It was much too soon and damn him he wouldn't tell him those words to comfort him because them Harry may not believe them. So instead, he put those words into a loving kiss that he pressed to Harry's lips, because that was the best he could do at the moment.
***
Louis sat beside Anne and held her hand with Freddie on his lap once they entered the courtroom. Louis would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but he was also very confident that Harry would be able to see Maddison regularly. Even if it were just every other weekend for now, he was confident Harry would be able to see her. He also knew Harry would do everything he could at work to be able to spend at much time with her when he did have her even if it meant more nightshifts. Louis would miss him at night, but he also knew that it would be worth it and a tiny sacrifice he would have to make. Harry would work nights, sleep while they were gone, then be up for after school hours before going to work before or after dinner. Well Louis assumed that's how that would work, and Louis would be okay with that, would be willingly to lose Harry at night so Harry had Maddie during the day. He'd miss him and it'd be hard, but it'd be okay.
"We are going to start with the dates Mr. Styles has asked for first which are either the twenty third, fourth, fifth, or sixth of December. Reason being he has not seen his daughter at all during the holidays for three years. Is that true Miss Carpenter?"
"Yes, because hasn't asked in advance. You see we have so many families that they each want to see Maddison and of course I want her for Christmas, so Harry just usually drops a handful of presents off at the apartment. Small things really nothing worth going over to his place with." Hannah said evenly as if it made perfect sense.
"That is because Harry keeps the bigger things at his house because he knows space is limited and he wanted to have toys for Maddison there for when she visits. I have pictures and receipts of everything he bought her for holidays and birthdays over the last three years." Gregory interjected.
"Yeah, because that's not suspicious." Hannah mumbled getting a look from her lawyer.
"Can I see those?" The judge asked. A thick file was handed over to the court officer who then handed it to the judge. The judge looked through the pictures and receipts, screenshots of text messages from him and Harry of what Harry sent over to Hannah's place for Maddison.
"And this room is a toy room correct?" The judge asked showing a picture of the playroom.
"Yes. That is the newest picture with my stepson’s- um soon to be stepson’s toys in them as well. It's why those aren't listed." Harry explained and Louis couldn't help the small smile that spread on his face hearing Harry say it so casually.
"And that is that little boy?"
"Yes Freddie. They just moved in."
"Is there a reason you didn't send the fire tablet over to Miss Carpenter's place this year like you have the previous years?"
"I felt like it was being used too much over there, so I made the decision to keep it at my place. Maddison would come over and sit on the couch playing her tablet and if I took it from her, she would throw a huge tantrum. I didn't want her obsessed with the thing, so she has it very rarely and with Freddie over now she hardly asks for it."
"Miss Carpenter any comment?"
"I gave her the tablet whenever she was bored. That's why I asked Harry to buy it so she wouldn't be bored. It entertained her."
"Why was she bored? Didn't she have toys to play with?"
"Of course, she did she just didn't want to, or she wanted me to play with her and I couldn't so to compromise I gave her the tablet."
"How old was she at this time?"
"I don't know like four?"
"She was three and four." Harry offered.
"Thank you, Mr. Styles. I am going to grant you the afternoon of the twenty third through the morning of the twenty fifth. Miss Carpenter you will see you daughter the afternoon of the twenty fifth. The twenty third Maddison will be dropped off at Mr. Styles' location at two in the afternoon. Thirty minutes late will be a penalty against you Miss Carpenter. Mr. Styles you will drop Maddison off at Miss Carpenter's location at two in the afternoon the afternoon of the twenty fifth. Thirty minutes late will be a penalty against you. That thirty-minute window is not an invitation to be late. It is me being nice considering the weather and traffic. If you do get stuck in traffic you are to record it until you get to the location. Am I clear?"
"Yes ma'am." Louis didn't need to see Harry to know he was grinning; he could hear it in his voice and could feel it on his own face. Anne squeezed his hand and he looked over saw she was already crying as quietly as she could.
"The second set of dates are January seventeenth through February fourth. "
"Absolutely not!"
"REASON being is his wedding and instead of going on a honeymoon Mr. Styles and his husband will be taking the kids on a family trip. They will leave the twenty first and will return the second and the extra few days will help her adjust to the time zone. I am granting this request and Mr. Styles will drop her off at Miss Carpenter's location at four in the afternoon on the fourth which is a Monday. If she goes to school that day, then Miss Carpenter can pick her up after school." Hannah huffed but wisely didn't say anything, "now on to visitation. What are you two thinking?"
"I think it should be up to me like it has been the last three years." Hannah said, "Harry's job is too unpredictable and changed too much to be reliable."
"While that is true and I can understand where you and the everyone from the past is coming from, I disagree with their decisions. That doesn't matter anyway, Mr. Styles now has a much more flexible hour schedule due to a number of coworkers agreeing to take his place if he needed them too. Also Mr. Styles' fiancé works at the same school your daughter attends therefore is able to take her home and drive her to school as well as be there during the hours Mr. Styles can't. Maddison has expressed great comfort and a great relation with Mr. Tomlinson so I see no reason why he can't be a guardian for her while in the care of her father's. Mr. Tomlinson has a son and has experience raising little girls from his young siblings, and Maddison talks very highly of him. By my accounts they are more than capable and responsible enough therefore Mr. Styles did you have a specific schedule you were thinking?"
"Honestly, every other weekend is fine. I just wanted to see her."
"You act like you never see her." Harry ignored her and the judge raised an eyebrow at her, "he just seen her for Halloween."
"Yes, and he was supposed to have her longer, but you changed your mind and tried to accused him of parental kidnapping. I've seen both videos, I'm not impressed. Mr. Styles will have Maddison every other week Monday to Monday starting this Monday. Monday when Maddison arrives at school, she will be in Mr. Styles' care until Monday when he or Mr. Tomlinson drops her off then she will be in Miss. Carpenter's care. Then it will repeat the only exception will be the scheduled days I've granted. Following that schedule Mr. Styles you will have your daughter the week of her birthday which falls on a Friday, so we do not need to schedule a time for you to see her. On the matter of custody Mr. Styles gets shared custody rights and Mr. Lambert is denied the adoption request again. Anything else?"
"You're just giving my daughter to him?"
"No, I'm letting a father see his daughter more than two times a year as well as during a time a major change will be happening that will affect not only his life, but hers as well." Hannah huffed but remained silent.
"My client is also asking for more child support to help support her learning disability." Hannah's lawyer said making Louis' eyes widen as he looked at them.
"Mr. Styles is paying four thousand a month in child support to Miss. Carpenter."
"Yes, but that was three years ago, he's making more money now and there's another income in the house now. Miss Carpenter is finding it hard to buy her child what they need with how little she is receiving."
"Mr. Styles I will be reducing your child support payments from four thousand to one thousand a month. Not only will you be having her half of the time now you are also paying for a tutor as well as even though it falls under Miss Carpenter's responsibility. Now is there anything else we need to discuss? No? Good. In six months, we will hold another court date and follow up on the visitation and custody arrangement. We will also discuss America and what is best for Maddison. Child Protective Services will be in and out of your homes at random. They will be looking for various things however I will not divulge that to you. They will also be at the school and will be taking with her teacher and discussing her education and what she talks about. Please stay to collect your schedules and packets. Have a good day." Louis grinned standing up and opening his arms out for Harry who immediately ran into them.
"Every other week. Lou I'm getting her every other week."
"I know Darling, and you have her for the holidays and her birthday and the wedding. See you should never doubt me I told you it would all be okay." Harry laughed as he pulled away.
"Of course, you turn this into an I'm right you’re wrong situation." Harry said though he was grinning as he cupped Louis' face before he kissed his forehead. Then he turned and hugged Anne then Gemma and Robin. They headed back to the side room while Gregory headed to a different room with Hannah's lawyer. They sat there for an hour before Gregory came back with files, one of them he handed to Harry.
"That is your schedule, the days in red are your days and the days in blue are Hannah's. The school holidays are divided equally and there is also a paper for the school to inform them whatever they tell Hannah they also must call you. So, if she's hurt, needs clothes, or needs picked up you'll get a call. It now goes Hannah, you, Louis, and then Daniel. Hannah is definitely not happy about that."
"Thank you." Harry said as he looked over the papers, "when does the child support change?"
"Next month. Two hundred and fifty will be taken out every week from your pay. So, these next two weeks you will still lose one thousand each pay, but next month it'll only be two fifty. Honestly, them asking for more even though you pay for everything was just ridiculous. No judge would have raised that four thousand for one child is insane. This was a relatively easy win for us, fighting for custody shouldn't be too hard especially since she doesn't know you want to. She won't be expecting it until they tell her lawyer closer to the court date, which is May twenty-third, I think her lawyer will be informed in March, she will probably lash out so be prepared for that and they will start to focus on Louis and Freddie. It'll get extremely messy in April."
"Thank you."
"Come on let's go out for lunch. My treat." Robin said, "we can talk about when we can take Maddie for a few hours over food."
#fake marriage#larry stylinson fanfiction#larry fanfiction#larry fake marraige au#nonfamous au#parents au#Wattpad#teacher louis#New Chapter#doctor harry styles
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Summary: Detective Killian Jones took an indefinite leave of absence from SBPD after his brother was murdered in the Line of Duty. Bitter and broken, he resides in a cottage on the beach when his brother's former partner, David Nolan brings him a case he knows the vengeful detective won’t be able to resist. A case involving Liam's killer.
Dr. Emma Swan makes all of her decisions like she operates on her patients—with care, competence and compassion. But when her colleague, Graham Humbert, is murdered in cold blood by the man who was freed because of a decision she made as a juror, she starts second-guessing herself. To make matters worse, her squeaky clean reputation is being questioned when she becomes a suspect for Graham’s murder.
There is one detective who believes she’s innocent, and he has a plan to protect Emma and find his brother's killer at the same time. When Killian finds himself caught between his duties to the SBPD and his need for vengeance, matters are only complicated by the feelings he develops for the woman he's supposed to protect.
He's impulsive and hot-tempered, and she's methodical and cool under pressure. Despite their differences, can they work together to bring the murderer to justice, or will the murderer get to them first?
A/N: Many thanks go to @ultraluckycatnd for her wonderful beta-ing skills and @onceuponaprincessworld as always for her encouragement and letting me bounce ideas off of her.
Rated: Explicit due to mature language, character death, violence, murder and smut. The scenes won’t be too graphic, but I’d rather overrate than underrate it.
Catch up: Pro I Ch 1
Chapter 2
Five days later...
Her eyes sting painfully as she stares at the folded scrub cap printed with green shamrocks one last time before she places it on the metal casket that holds her colleague. She sets a red rose on top of the cap and steps back, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hand before someone hands her a tissue.
She turns to her head and smiles at an elderly lady who had earlier told her she’d been one of his patients. “Thank you.”
Emma had retrieved the scrub cap when she’d gathered the strength to clean out his locker yesterday. She got it for him a few years ago as a gag gift at the hospital’s annual Christmas party. Knowing Graham's sense of humor fairly well, she had strategically chosen the one with green shamrocks because she knew he would get a kick out of it, rather than take offense. She was right, and not only did he get a good laugh, but he also claimed it as his lucky scrub cap.
Cleaning out his locker was one of the most difficult things she’s ever had to do, and that’s saying something since she'd performed many surgeries and occasionally has to deliver grievous news to the family of her patients.
Wiping her tears with the tissue, she catches a glimpse of the bootlace she’d unlaced from one of his boots and tied around her wrist. While most of the surgeons at the hospital wore clogs, he preferred boots because he said the operating room was a battlefield so he wanted to be prepared for the guts and gore that sometimes escaped during surgery.
Emma still can’t believe he’s gone. No more friendly sparring, no more friendly bickering about who’s the better surgeon, no more trying to mock his accent, but miserably failing. No more Graham Humbert.
His death was not only shocking but came way too soon. He was too young. Way too young. He was only thirty-eight. And on top of that, he was murdered in cold blood. Someone showed up to Storybrooke General, snuck past the security and drove a blade into Graham’s heart.
The last time she saw him was the night he was murdered, when they were standing outside the bar, when he kissed her cheek. She had no idea when she said goodbye to him that night, she was saying goodbye to him for the last time.
She returns to the hospital for her post-op patients after the funeral, relieved to replace her high heels for crocs, but unfortunately doesn’t have time to change out of her dress. She hates dressing up, and even though she wore a skirt every day in the courtroom, she couldn’t justify throwing on something casual, and instead wanted to put some effort into her attire for her friend, so she wore a dress to the funeral.
Emma is still reeling from his death, as is everyone who knew him. There was a large turnout at his funeral. He was well-liked and highly respected. And he was good at what he did. He wouldn't have been appointed Chief of Surgery if he weren't. After checking on her post-op patients, she briefs three others for their surgeries tomorrow morning.
The sky is pitch black when she finally leaves the hospital and strides across the parking lot to her car. She continuously peeks over her shoulder with an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach. She glances over at the guard on duty, but it doesn't make her feel any more at ease considering a murder took place five days ago even though a different guard had been keeping a vigilant eye out. She’d heard he took some time off after he found Graham dead in the parking lot. The reminder of that horrible tragedy fills Emma with dread.
After safely making it inside her car, she releases a breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. She has crossed this parking lot hundreds, probably thousands of times and never once has she ever looked over her shoulder… until she found out Graham was murdered in this same parking lot.
By the time she pulls into her garage that night, she’s bone-tired after a long, emotionally draining day. She’d performed her morning rounds and two surgeries before the funeral that thankfully went smoothly. She’s so glad she didn’t have to break any bad news to anyone today because that would’ve made the funeral much more difficult to handle. In hindsight, she probably should’ve moved each surgery to a future date, but she’d already rescheduled them once before because of the ten days she served as a juror and didn’t want to further inconvenience her patients. She knew Graham would have understood.
Emma trudges through the kitchen door from the garage, scanning the mail she’d retrieved from her mailbox before she’d pulled into her driveway. She’s ready to crawl into bed after a long, dreary day—no, after the long, dreary few weeks she’s had—but first, she needs to wind down. She could definitely use a hot cup of cocoa. So as soon as she deposits her bag and mail on the table, she makes a cup of hot cocoa, but not from the powdered stuff.
She boils fresh ingredients on the stove and adds some milk to the pot before removing it from the heat and adding vanilla extract. She whisks the mixture until it’s frothy and pours the beverage into a mug, but she purposely doesn’t choose her World’s Best Surgeon mug she received from Graham on her thirty-eighth birthday. It’s her favorite mug, but it’s too soon. Maybe after the shock of his death wanes, she’ll be able to use it again without breaking down into tears, but right now she just can’t. She turns the mug around so the words are facing the back of the cabinet, and she grabs a mug with kittens printed on it instead.
After adding cinnamon and whipped cream, she grabs her phone from her purse, sipping her delicious beverage as she checks her notifications, one being a reminder for Anna and Kristoff’s wedding. It’s next Saturday evening, which is doable, but having to dress up is just one of the many reasons why she doesn’t enjoy going to weddings.
Everyone’s always ragging on her about never accepting invitations to social gatherings though, especially her cousins, Anna and Elsa. Despite living with the sisters for five years, she became estranged from them after she went off to college. Now she barely sees them at all because she’s always working. She’s missed so many Thanksgivings and Christmases, it would be odd to show up to one of their family gatherings now. But they’re right. She should get out more.
Hard work and no play, topped with the trial and her colleague’s death has pretty much drained all the life out of her, and she could use an escape. Actually, what she could use is some time on her ranch with her horses. Her home away from home is an hour outside of Storybrooke where Kristoff owns a neighboring ranch, and he and his fiance take care of Emma's horses when she’s in Storybrooke. That’s about the only interaction she has with Anna these days—when she calls to ask about her horses and the ranch. She hasn’t even told her cousins about the trial she was a juror on.
Emma grumbles under her breath when she listens to a voice message from Detective Nolan who’d questioned her and everyone Graham worked with attending the celebration at the bar the night he was murdered. The detective got her number from the hospital, which she is not happy about. Now he wants to meet with her to discuss Graham’s murder, even after she told him everything she knows, so it’s a complete waste of his time. And hers.
After finding no urgent messages or calls, she goes to her living room and looks up from her phone screen. Her heart leaps out of her chest and the air leaves her lungs so quickly, the mug falls from her hands, and the ceramic breaks into pieces when it crashes to the hardwood floor. She clutches the phone to her chest after almost dropping it as well. Normally she'd be quick to clean up the mess; she’d hate the idea of leaving her floor sticky for the housekeeper to clean up and have her shoes stained from hot chocolate as the dark brown liquid pools around her feet, but she’s too focused on what's on her coffee table to peel her eyes away.
An enormous bouquet of long-stemmed red roses in a crystal glass vase.
“What the fuck?”
She’s frozen in place, her face draining of color. Not only is it a very rare occurrence for her to receive roses or romantic gifts of any kind, but someone has broken into her home to give them to her. Her heart is pounding as she scans the room. Nothing else in the living room is amiss, but the thought of someone breaking into her home makes her skin crawl.
She stares at the fifty roses for a long time, her mind reeling with how or why someone broke into her home to deliver the flowers. It’s not her birthday, and even if it were, no one else has a key to her home, except for her housekeeper. Perhaps Johanna was here when the roses were delivered and brought them in. Yes, that’s a perfectly reasonable explanation of how the roses ended up on her coffee table.
Except her housekeeper would have mentioned it to her or sent a text or something so Emma would not be freaked out like she is right now. And it still doesn’t explain the reason for the roses in the first place. The roses look expensive; the vase looks expensive. Someone went all out just to gain her attention, but who? And why? She’s currently single, very single , and hasn’t had so much as a one-night stand or a dalliance in a very long time.
Perhaps the roses are from a grateful patient? But no one except family and a few friends know her home address. If this were five days prior, she would've suspected Graham after he'd kissed her cheek. He's one of the few people who knew her address. But he never would've broken into her home to give them to her.
After recovering from the initial shock, she’s able to move again, willing her feet to step forward and warily make the trek around her couch to the coffee table. There’s a silk red ribbon wrapped around the top of the vase, tied into a large, perfect bow. The sight of a blank, white envelope tucked into the foliage behind the bow catches her eye.
Hoping there’s a reasonable explanation for the roses and possible break-in, she reaches for the envelope, and with trembling hands—hands that have worked miracles and saved lives, hands that are normally steady under intense pressure—she removes a card from the envelope and reads the fancy calligraphy used on six typed words.
I’ve got a crush on you.
Goosebumps cover her skin and she shivers, almost dropping the card.
Who the hell would be sending her flowers and an anonymous note, declaring their affection for her?
She calls Johanna, desperately hoping the roses were delivered and that her housekeeper is the one who brought them into her home and not some psycho who broke in.
“Hi, Johanna, sorry to call so late,” Emma mumbles through the phone, her voice shaking slightly. She’s normally cool under pressure, but the roses and card have certainly gotten under her skin, which she’s guessing was the intention behind the gifts.
“It’s no problem. I haven’t made it to bed yet. What can I do for you?”
“Did I receive a delivery while you were here today?”
“No, ma’am. Were you expecting something?”
Fuck.
Then who the hell broke into her house?
“Um… yes,” she lies, not wanting to concern her housekeeper. “I was on the lookout for a small package I ordered a couple weeks ago.”
“Did you track the package?”
“Yes, it's due to arrive soon.”
“Well, if it arrives while I’m here, I’ll be sure to bring it in and leave it on the kitchen table so you’ll see it when you come home.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“No problem. How are you doing? The funeral was today, wasn’t it?”
Emma closes her eyes, breathing slowly, her heart cracking at the mention of Graham’s funeral. “Yes, it was. I’m doing okay, I suppose. It was all just very shocking.”
“I can imagine. You shouldn’t stay at home alone after losing a friend, you know? You should stay with someone, at least for a few days.”
Emma smiles faintly at her housekeeper’s concern. “I’ll be okay. Just need some sleep is all.”
“Make sure you eat something first. You shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach. But I don’t have to tell you that, you’re the doctor,” she teases.
“You know me too well, Johanna,” Emma remarks with a small laugh.
“I’ve known you to miss a meal or two,” Johanna points out in a motherly tone. She’s not wrong. Working as much as she does, Emma tends to forget to eat.
“I’m actually about to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich,” she lies again. Though toasted bread and gooey cheese in the middle does sound appealing, her stomach’s all twisted in knots. She’s too freaked out to even shove anything into her mouth right now.
“Good, I’ll let you get to it then. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Emma.”
“Thanks, you too.”
Emma ends the call and stares at the note again for a good five minutes. Then she searches her house for any more unwanted gifts but finds nothing. She examines her front and back door and all the windows for any signs of forcible entry, but there are none. She even checks the closets, under her bed and in her bathtub to see if whoever broke in is still there; but even after she finds no one, she still has an uneasy feeling in her gut. Whoever broke in could very well do it again.
She briefly wonders if she should call the police, but what would she even tell them—someone broke into my house just to give me flowers and leave a note to tell me they have a crush on me? It sounds too ridiculous, they’d probably laugh in her face. Though the gifts and the fact that this person found out where she lives are probably grounds for having a stalker, it could also be a practical joke. But the only person she can think of who would pull such an awful prank on her is… well, he’s dead.
She disposes of the roses in the trash, but stores the vase in the cupboard and places the card in her nightstand drawer in case she needs to present the items as evidence for having a stalker on her hands. But she's not sure how helpful the items would be considering the words were typed and the card was unsigned with no name or any other indication of whom the flowers or card came from.
Still on edge, Emma cleans the mess she'd made. Then she takes a shower, changes into her nightgown and slips into bed. But she highly doubts she’s getting any sleep tonight.
~*~
“On the night Dr. Humbert was murdered, you were at the Rabbit Hole with him, correct?”
“Along with several other people there that night, yes,” Emma replies in a narked tone. She came here to the police station after her morning surgeries because Detective Nolan insisted on interviewing her even though he'd already questioned her after Graham's death.
“Have you questioned them to this extent?” her lawyer, Mr. Hopper chimes in.
“I’ve questioned them, yes,” Detective Nolan answers without confirming exactly who he questioned and to what extent. “Did you go to the Rabbit Hole alone?”
Emma nods. “That’s right.”
“I understand there was a celebration at the bar that night. What was the reason for the celebration?”
“We were celebrating Graham’s promotion to chief of surgery.”
“And how did you feel about his promotion?”
“I was happy for him,” Emma replies sincerely, though it's delivered in a flat, emotionless tone due to her lack of patience and because she's not happy about the insinuations of the question.
“Mhmm,” Detective Nolan hums before taking a sip of his coffee. “You were also under consideration for that position, weren’t you, Dr. Swan?”
“I was. And I deserved to get it.”
Mr. Nolan's brows climb his forehead, his eyes flashing with intrigue. “More than Dr. Humbert did?”
“In my opinion, yes,” she replies calmly. “He deserved the position as well, but I deserved it more.”
Mr. Hopper raises a cautionary hand to stop her from continuing. “Dr. Swan, I highly—”
“I’m only telling the truth,” she states, cutting him off as she crosses her arms over her chest and glares at the detective. “But I’m sure you regard being denied a job promotion as a motive for murder, don’t you Detective Nolan?”
He looks her dead in the eye. “I don’t believe you killed anyone, Dr. Swan.”
“Then why did you request this interview?”
“Because you failed to mention the promotion when I first questioned you.”
“It was irrelevant.”
“Maybe so, but it doesn't hurt to go over anything I might have missed the first time around. You also failed to tell me you left with Dr. Humbert that night. Is that true?”
“I didn’t leave with him,” she states defensively. “He walked me to my car and then went back inside.”
“And that was it? He only walked you to your car? Were there any words exchanged?”
“I congratulated him and we hugged,” Emma tells him. She doesn’t deem it necessary to mention the kiss on the cheek, but in case someone had witnessed the kiss, she doesn’t want the detective to think she’s withholding any other information. “He also kissed me on the cheek and we said goodnight. Then I got in my car, watched him walk into the bar and drove away.”
“Was there anything romantic going on between you and Dr. Humbert, casual or otherwise?”
She shakes her head. “No, there was not. We were friends who’ve known each other since we were residents, that was it.”
He nods, seeming to accept her answer and moves on to the next question. “Did you go home immediately after you left?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anyone to corroborate that?”
“No.”
“Did you go anywhere else that evening?”
“No, I had to work the next morning, so I went straight to bed. And no, no one can corroborate that either.”
The detective throws her a few more questions before bringing up the trial she served as a juror on, which infuriates her because the trial had nothing to do with Graham’s murder.
“Yes, I served on the jury that acquitted Mr. Gold.”
“And were you or were you not the forewoman?”
“I was,” she replies with a tight smile. “But you already knew that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked.”
He nods. “That’s correct. I’ve already interviewed the other eleven jurors.”
“Why?”
“Because I believe Dr. Humbert’s killer was hired. He wasn’t robbed, and he has no known adversaries… other than you, Dr. Swan.”
His remark rattles her, not only because the detective is accusing her of being Graham’s adversary or because of the implications his statement carries, but because he believes someone was hired to murder Graham.
She explains she made a decision after exploring every facet of the case. The evidence was entirely circumstantial, the defendant could not be placed at the scene of the crime and he had an alibi. She also has to elucidate to Detective Nolan she doesn’t believe the defendant was innocent, only that she was not convinced he was guilty. And yes, she had persuaded the other eleven jurors to vote for the acquittal, but after two days of deliberation, each juror voted according to his or her own conscience.
After everyone in the interrogation room agrees there is nothing further to ask, Emma heads back to the hospital, still reeling from what David had said about Graham’s murder being a contract kill.
Her mind drifts to the roses and the card she’d received the night prior. She thinks about how the defendant—an accused contract killer—kept staring at her in the courtroom. It was creepy, disturbing, just as breaking into her home to leave roses and a note that says, I’ve got a crush on you was creepy and disturbing.
Could Neal Gold be the one who broke in and left the roses and card?
The thought makes Emma physically ill.
Once Emma returns to the hospital, she trades in her red blazer for a white lab coat and checks on her post-op patients. Tired of wearing skirts and dresses, she put on her red, two-piece suit of amour for her interview that morning.
She's called on to perform three emergency procedures, which include treating an intestinal obstruction, a strangulated hernia and a perforated ulcer. Immediately following each procedure, she speaks with the patient’s loved ones to report on the condition of the patient and to explain the procedure she’d done. She makes notations in the charts of her post-op patients.
When she’s done, she returns the charts to Tamara, the nurse on duty. “Please page me if any of these patients take a downward turn.”
“Certainly, Dr. Swan,” she says with a smile. “So, has the board made you Chief yet?”
The question takes Emma off guard. The last thing on her mind is a promotion. “Um… no, but even if they offered me the position, I couldn’t possibly take it. It would just feel wrong to benefit from Dr. Humbert’s death.”
Tamara nods. “That’s very noble of you. But even so, I hope you get it, Dr. Swan. You deserve it.”
Emma is stunned by Tamara’s words. She had no idea the nurse had thought so highly of her. “Thank you,” she says with a tired smile. “Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Emma turns around and heads for the elevator. As she leaves the building, the buzz from her phone breaks through the ominous silence of the night. She grabs the device from her purse, seeing it’s from a restricted number. Reluctantly she answers the phone, bringing it to her ear with furrowed brows. “Hello?”
There’s silence on the other end as Emma makes her way across the parking lot, but then she can hear someone breathing heavily into the phone.
“Hi, Emma.”
She halts in her tracks, wild-eyed at the whispered voice on the other line. “Who is this?”
“Oh, come now, Ems, don't you recognize my voice?” he says, as though they’re best friends. “We spent almost two weeks in the same room together.”
Emma sucks in a sharp breath and frantically searches the parking lot for any signs of him, heart pounding in her ear. Spotting her car several feet ahead, she bolts for it while trying not to draw too much attention from the guard. When she gets in her car and locks the doors, she manages a faint whisper. “Gold?”
He chuckles. “So, you do remember me? I knew you would.”
Of course she does. She’d recognized his voice immediately but was desperately hoping it wasn’t true. The way his dark eyes connected with hers in court made her skin crawl. How could anyone forget him?
“And baby doll, please, call me Neal.”
Emma cringes and her stomach turns. “How did you get my number?”
“Let’s just say I have connections. Did you like the roses?”
Her heart skips several beats, then restarts, pounding double-time. Now that she knows the roses were from him, she wants to pretend she doesn't know what he's talking about, but since he had placed them inside her house, there’s no way she hadn’t seen them. “How the hell did you get into my house?”
Gold laughs, this time more loudly, more sinister-like. “Please, Ems, getting into your house was child’s play to me.”
“And why’s that?” she challenges, even knowing he won’t take the bait. He’s incredibly clever and resourceful, otherwise he couldn’t have escaped prosecution for all his misdeeds, including the most recent murder he’d been tried for.
“I thought you’d like red roses, baby doll, since you wore red lipstick every day of the trial,” he comments, completely evading her question. “I like your red suit by the way, the color compliments your complexion.”
Emma clenches her jaw, and her fingers grip around the steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles turn white. She scans the parking lot from her car. Not only did he break into her house but he's following her too? What the actual fuck. “Stop calling me baby doll. Or Ems. In fact, stop calling me at all. I’m hanging up now, Mr. Gold.”
“Wait, please don’t. I only wanted to thank you,” he says in a gentle voice, bordering on sweet, but she won’t go so far to admit that.
“Thank me? For what?” she demands, growing agitated. No, she’s beyond agitated. Ever since this fucker showed up in her life, her world has been in complete disarray, from the trial to Graham's murder to the unwanted gifts to the scrutiny from the police department and now this.
“I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”
“I didn’t save your life,” Emma snaps.
“Oh, you did, baby doll. If it weren’t for you, I’d be on death row.”
“I did nothing. A jury of twelve made the verdict,” she clarifies. It feels like she’s had to clarify that a lot lately.
“Maybe so, but one of your fellow jurors said you led the campaign for my acquittal. She said you argued for my side and that your arguments were inspired and… passionate,” he says as though he’s speaking to a lover. “You have no idea how badly I want to touch you… thank you properly.”
Emma’s pretty sure she’s going to vomit all over her front seats. “In your dreams, you creep. Now fuck off.” She ends the call and throws her phone into the passenger seat like it had burned her.
She squirms and flails her arms as though large, disgusting rats are crawling all over her, and she gags. She wants to go home as quickly as possible so she can strip off her clothes and burn them. She feels sick, beads of sweat dotting her forehead, heart pounding erratically as she starts her car and takes a deep breath like she’s preparing for an intricate, life-threatening surgery.
Now she’s glad she didn’t report the break-in to the police because if they find out Neal is her secret admirer, it might raise red flags; it might be just another reason for the detectives to point a finger at her for the involvement of Graham’s murder.
Oh god.
Something occurs to her, hitting her like a brick. Gold said one of the jurors told him how passionately Emma argued his side. Which means she probably told Nolan the same thing when he interviewed her.
Even though Archie had tried to assure her the detective’s insinuations and persistence were standard police tactics, there are two questions that have been gnawing at her since the interview, other than whether or not it was Gold who broke into her house. Questions that make her skin crawl.
Does Detective Nolan actually consider her a suspect? And does he think she hired Gold to murder Graham Humbert?
A/N: For those of you who are wondering when Killian will appear, he's introduced in the next chapter, so sit tight. I will be posting chapter 3 next week. Thanks for reading!
Take a peek at the next chapter: Chapter 3 Sneak Peek
Tagging some people who have shown interest so far. If you would like to be tagged or untagged, please let me know.
@itsfabianadocarmo @snowbellewells @ilovemesomekillianjones @nikkiemms @teamhook @xhookswenchx @nikkiemms @xsajx @julesep3026 @hookedmom @biefaless @cluttermind @yasbio2015 @kmomof4 @lfh1226-linda @harshini01 @noensnaringnet @xarandomdreamx @onceuponaprincessworld @annastasiarinaldiva @royalswan @brustudyblog @officerrogers @gingerchangeling @melly326 @singersdd @mzbossyboots @unworried-corsair @iamemmaswanjones @authorarsinoe @kingofmyheart14 @nightskylover @jamif @resident-of-storybrooke @iam2307 @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @chinawoodfan @mormonkryptonite @ultraluckycatnd @captainswan-shipper88 @killianswanjones @bethdacattfm @andiirivera
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The Best Medicine
Fluff for White Day! Come get your fluff -- hot off the presses! As promised, a continuation of Fluff Prompt 26 (but you don’t need to have read that to follow along).
No warnings -- appropriate for general audiences.
Tagging: @dangerouspompadour, @umacaking, @lemonlushff, @clearwillow, @sarah-writes-stories, @disgruntledbeast, @superpixie42, @meggz0rz (I thiiiink this is everyone who wanted tags; yell at me if I missed you)
Kagome knew it was all about to come crashing down. If she was honest with herself, she’d known since yesterday when her throat started to get a bit scratchy. Daring to hope, she’d written it off as the result of lots of talking combined with mild dehydration.
And then she woke up with a full-blown sore throat and mild congestion.
She checked the time – 7:00 AM. She would need to meet Inuyasha in an hour to head to the airport and he would flip out if he knew she was sick. He’d always been protective of her, and it certainly intensified when they started dating a few weeks ago.
He just won’t know, then, Kagome decided as she rolled out of bed to dig up a decongestant pill from her medicine cabinet and prepare a saltwater solution for her throat.
There’s no way I’m going to let him make me miss this for anything.
Not that she was worried he would. She knew he would never fly off to Los Angeles, leaving her home alone and sick – he always made sure to check on her when she’d fallen ill in the past, and that was long before they got together. Years, even.
Anyway, the wedding wasn’t for another week – they were just flying in early to help Sango and Miroku set things up. It was the least they could do as the best man and maid of honor. She’d kick this measly cold in a few days and be healthy in time for the wedding.
She just didn’t need Inuyasha breathing down her neck about it. She’d take the medication and power through.
Easy.
~~~~~~~~~
Kagome started to drag as she stood in the security line -- why was the wait so long? Where did all these people come from? It was the middle of the morning on a Saturday!
Things got worse as she pulled her suitcase through the terminal, struggling to keep up with Inuyasha as they made their way to the gate. Fatigue was setting in way sooner than it should have and her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
You just need to sit for a few moments, Kagome decided as she slumped into a chair in the waiting area, closing her eyes for a moment.
“You okay there?”
Kagome jumped as she opened her eyes to find Inuyasha’s face maybe an inch from her own.
“Y-yep, fine. Just resting!”
Was she sweating now? Had the walk from security been that exhausting?
Oh no.
“Resting, huh? Well, I’m going to go get coffee. You just… keep resting,” came the reply as he patted her head, not-so-subtly taking a second to rest his hand on her forehead. He winced slightly, undoubtedly feeling the heat radiating from her.
He knows, oh god; he KNOWS. Just keep your shit together; you’ll sleep on the plane and it’ll be fine.
Then you can let the warm weather do its thing and you’ll be good in no time.
~~~~~~~~
Kagome did sleep on the plane – the whole three-hour flight, in fact, wrapped in a blanket and Inuyasha’s sweatshirt -- and woke up feeling better.
Not that Inuyasha would hear her protests that she was on the mend.
Carrying all of the luggage (and looking completely ridiculous but ignoring any offers to help), he ushered her through the airport to a coffee stand for tea and into the rental car in near-record time.
“Dinner is cancelled,” he stated as Kagome settled into the passenger seat, her tea in hand.
“What? No, I’m feeling better! I can meet Sango and Miroku!”
“And get them sick the week of their wedding? Nope. We’re going to the hotel and you’re getting in bed.”
“But… it’s pool weather…” Kagome wanted to cry. It had been so cold at home and the thought of sitting by a pool in March (in March!!!) was one of the only things keeping her sane at work these days.
“Okay, if you’re getting teary over that, you’re definitely sick. I’ve seen you get slapped by your own client and not even cry.”
Kagome frowned, recalling that day. She was defending a repeat offender who had apparent… issues with being represented by a woman, and he slapped her, completely unprompted, midway through his competency hearing.
Kagome remembered being too shocked to cry (though she had later that night, once she was home and the day’s events sank in). She also remembered Inuyasha launching himself across the courtroom to get to her as the bailiffs descended.
It was the week before she and Inuyasha had gone out for that (fateful) pizza dinner. It was also the day she started reconsidering her career choice.
I don’t want to think about job stuff now, Kagome thought, unable to stop a few tears from falling. This is so embarrassing – I’m so off my game right now!
“Ugh, fine,” Inuyasha conceded. “If your fever breaks tomorrow, you can sit next to the pool.”
Kagome beamed.
“For ten minutes.”
She slumped down in her seat as they pulled out of the lot.
~~~~~~~
“You need to dry your hair.”
Kagome wanted to cry again. The burst of energy she’d experienced after the flight was short-lived. She made it through a shower okay, but it had been a struggle to get her pajamas on. She was so tired and bed was so close.
So close.
“I don’t need to; I’m sure I’m not going anywhere tomorrow. I’ll just pull it up,” she whined, grabbing a hair tie from the counter.
“You’ll stay sick if you sit with wet hair all night. It’ll make you too cold. Bad for your immune system.”
“That’s not real. What are you, my grandmother?”
“You’re sick, so I’m choosing not to hold that against you. Come on,” Inuyasha replied, pulling the towel from Kagome’s head and tossing it on the bathroom floor. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the desk in the corner of the hotel room, setting her gently in the chair.
“Stay there,” he told her as he walked back to the bathroom.
Kagome rested her head on the table, using her arms as a pillow. He wasn’t gone long, but she began to drift off nonetheless.
She was startled by the sound of a hairdryer but found herself quickly steadied by a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t jump – you’ll fall out of the chair.”
Am I just that small, or is his hand really that big?
Kagome found it hilarious. It was probably the fever.
“I’m just going to get it dry enough so you can get in bed, okay?”
“Okay.”
She started to drift off again as Inuyasha dried her hair, his firm but gentle grasp keeping her upright. Kagome couldn’t say that she’d ever expected to see this side of him – she was so sure that he would be frazzled by her illness throwing off the pre-wedding week with Sango and Miroku, but here he was, he was caring for her so patiently.
And he always had, hadn’t he? That dinner a few weeks ago, that time in the courtroom, and so many moments before then…
He adores you. He is soul-crushingly, disgustingly in love with you.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, yet at the same time she was completely unable to process it. It just stayed there at the front of her mind as Inuyasha finished drying her hair and helped her into the bed. It remained as he propped her up on a couple of pillows and tucked her in before heading back to the bathroom.
Kagome started to drift again. She thought she heard him mention something about stepping out as he set a glass of water on the nightstand and gave her a kiss on the forehead, but she wasn’t really sure.
~~~~~~~
Kagome wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The last thing she remembered was being tucked in and vaguely hearing the room door close, and here she was now, waking up to the feeling of the bed shifting as someone sat down on the other side and gently shook her shoulder.
“Do you think you can eat?” Inuyasha asked as she opened her eyes, frowning when she shook her head no. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast,” he chided gently.
Kagome sat up and reached for the glass of water only to have her hand moved away.
“Wait,” Inuyasha murmured before shoving a thermometer in her mouth. “You can drink water in a minute.”
Kagome wrinkled her nose in displeasure but didn’t fight it, instead focusing on the warm hand stroking her hair.
He’s babying you.
She couldn’t say she minded that much. She snuggled up to him as much as she could, given that she was still tucked in and he was sitting atop the covers.
Inuyasha frowned slightly as the thermometer beeped and he read the result.
“102? No wonder you were struggling. I’m honestly impressed you hid it as long as you did. Do you think you can eat?”
“I’m not hungry.” Inuyasha frowned as Kagome shook her head.
“You need to eat. I picked up a pizza when I went out to get the thermometer,” he gestured to the desk where a small pizza box sat next to a plastic shopping bag.
“Pizza?” She wasn’t hungry, but she supposed she could try to eat a little to make him happy.
“Don’t get used to it. If we weren’t stuck in a hotel room, you’d be eating something actually good for you.”
Kagome wrinkled her nose and he tapped it teasingly in response.
“That said, I thought you might be willing to try to eat if it was something you liked… even if it isn’t all that healthy.”
Kagome still wasn’t sure. The thought of food wasn’t revolting to her; it just… wasn’t really motivating in any way.
“I’ll try to eat a slice,” she conceded. Inuyasha beamed as he got up to grab a box from the shopping bag as well as the pizza before sliding back onto the bed.
Kagome couldn’t help but smile at him as he put on a show of things to keep her spirits up. She liked this side of him – she knew she was perhaps one of only a few people would had ever seen it.
She wanted to protect it at all costs.
~~~~~~
“Come on, just a little more? You can’t go to bed having eaten a muffin and a half of a slice of pizza.”
“I had a coffee too,” Kagome grumbled.
“Black coffee has 0 calories. That doesn’t help your argument, counsel,” he took the remainder of the slice and held it toward her face. “Eat. I’ll feed you if I have to.”
Kagome sighed but made no effort to take the slice back.
“Fine, you leave me no choice then. Here comes the airplane, Ka-go-me.”
“Oh my god,” Kagome moaned.
It’s unfair! I can’t even fight back because my brain is all mush and my skin hurts.
“The airplane, Kagome! It’s circling the airport. The people are getting restless – they want to go home.” He held up the pizza to emphasize his point.
He’s mocking you, Kagome realized fuzzily. Still though, she didn’t feel attacked, just… aggressively cared for.
Still nice, even if it was excessively silly. And mushy. So mushy she was embarrassed.
“I’m an attorney. I don’t have to put up with being treated like this.” She grabbed the pizza from his hand and shoved half of it in her mouth, glaring at him as she chewed deliberately.
“I knew it.”
“What?” Kagome swallowed and took a bite of the remainder of the slice.
“I knew I could goad you into eating.”
“No you didn’t.”
“True, but the alternative was hand-feeding you -- which wouldn’t have been so bad either.”
“You need to stop talking to Miroku.”
Inuyasha blushed. Kagome squeezed his hand and tried to wink.
She thought she was successful, but she wasn’t sure.
~~~~~~~
Less than an hour later, Kagome found herself settled back into bed after a brief adventure to brush her teeth, snuggled up to Inuyasha’s shoulder.
“You should go to sleep,” he murmured.
“No, it’s only 8 PM. That’s too early.”
“You’re sick. There’s no such thing as ‘too early’.”
“I like this movie though,” Kagome countered sleepily.
“Fine,” Inuyasha replied, ruffling her hair. “We can watch.”
They stayed like that for another half hour, watching the movie silently as Kagome’s eyelids started to get heavier and heavier.
“Inuyasha?” She was barely awake by this point, but Kagome’s earlier realization just would not leave her alone.
“Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
He leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of her head.
“Go to sleep,” he muttered, his face still buried in her hair. Kagome could have sworn she felt him grin as she drifted off.
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Chapter 19
A/N: I have just posted Chapter 18 (Click HERE for the chapter) so make sure you read that one first before starting Chapter 19
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"May the court hear from Mrs. Bowman''s social worker, Miss Grey." The family court judge called upon Alexa to stand and speak her recommendation on her client, Leanna Bowman's custody of her son Eddie Bowman. This had been an ongoing battle since Eddie's biological father had re-appeared into the picture and had tried to gain custody of him, which the judge had denied.
Alexa took in a deep breath and sighed heavily while she stood up and straightened her dark navy suit. "You may proceed, Miss Grey."
"Your honour. It is my recommendation as Leanne Bowman's case social worker that her child, Eddie Bowman, is to remain under her full custody." Alexa took in another breath. This was the part of her job that she did not enjoy, but due to her work with Guardian and their close contact with the domestic abuse survivors, Alexa was often called in to family court to give recommendations on custody status.
"Leanne Bowman has made tremendous strides the past five months at Guardian. She started out using our shelter services for herself and her son and has now found a safe affordable home in the local council housing inclusive of the necessities for taking care of Eddie. Leanne has continued to attend Guardian for our therapy, financial and social services which she plans to remain attending in the future. Mrs. Bowman has found a local daycare and employment within walking distance of her home." Alexa lowered her head briefly, feeling everyone in the court's eyes on her.
"Despite, Mrs. Bowman's domestic history with her ex-partner. I do recommend that Eddie continues to stay with his mother and the trial period of custody be moved to a permanent decision given that she abides by the no contact order with Mr. Turner." Alexa looked the judge in the eyes showing her confidence with the recommendation to the court.
The judge slowly nodded her head as Alexa took her seat beside The Bowman's lawyer. Alexa turned her head towards Leanne who was displaying a grateful expression towards her. She simply smiled and turned her attention back towards the judge as she deliberated.
Alexa felt a light tap on her shoulder from behind. She angled her body to find Eddie being his adorable self dressed in a little suit with a green polka dotted bow tie. His little contagious smile was beaming up at her. "Do I get to stay with my mommy?" He whispered to Alexa.
Her heart sank in his chest seeing his chocolate brown hopeful eyes staring up at her waiting for a reply. "I don't know yet, hun. We have to wait for the nice lady up at the front to tell us." Alexa noticed that he started to get worried that he would not be able to go home with his mom today. Even though he was quite young, he understood what was going on as this was not his first time being in a courtroom like this. Alexa suddenly felt a healthy level of doubt in her suggestion. Was it really the right decision for Eddie? Or was it the right decision for Leanne?
"Want me to come back and sit with you while we wait?" Alexa shook the thought from her mind and focused on Eddie.
He did not waste a second in replying. "Yes please!" Eddie politely asked Alexa and she immediately stood up and snuck around to sit next to him.
The judge had returned to the courtroom after a short recess to deliberate her decision. The deafening silence in the courtroom was profound as nearly everyone was on the edge of their seats awaiting the verdict on the custody of Eddie Bowman.
Alexa closed her eyes as the judge started to speak. There was a gut feeling that had grown inside of her at the last minute that Eddie should not be with his mother. The problem was it was only a gut feeling and she racked her mind searching and searching for any little doubt in her mind that matched this innate feeling.
"Congratulations Leanne Bowman. You have full custody of your son Edward Bowman. There will be a review period in six months to ensure that you are adhering to the set out rules of this custody agreement including the no contact order with Mr. Turner." The judge disclosed her ruling and everyone in the courtroom was happy with the outcome, except for Alexa. But, she stood up and displayed a soft smile watching Eddie run to his mom and give her a big hug.
Leanne turned around to face Alexa and opened her arms to pull her into a tight embrace. "Thank you Alexa. This wouldn't have happened without you." She gratefully thanked Alexa for her help, but those words felt heavy in her mind as she repeated them.
"You are welcome. Please take care of him." Alexa softly encouraged Leanne to remain true to her promise.
Alexa exited the courthouse walking out of the main entrance down the steps when all of a sudden she was ambushed by a few paparazzi that had gotten wind that she was appearing in court today. The ambush startled her and pulled her from her deep internal debate.
"You are one hard person to find Miss Grey." One of the men shouted as they continued to photograph her down the steps of the courthouse.
The blonde remained silent, giving them no response as she continued to look to the ground and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, being careful not to get pictured falling down these stairs in her heels.
Alexa had been quite clever recently in avoiding the paparazzi thanks to tips from her boyfriend, Harry. But, she figured they would find her again eventually only wishing that it wasn't today. She dug in deep and found a source of courage to get through the next few minutes until she could escape them. One thing that Harry had taught Alexa to get away from them was to quickly get into a taxi even if only for a few minutes away to get some distance between the paps and her.
The blonde spotted a taxi stand nearby and purposefully stepped towards it. She motioned to the man standing in front of the black taxi that she wanted a ride.
"Alexa can you tell us who will be your plus one to Princess Eugenie's wedding?!" They shouted at Alexa as she climbed into the back seat and closed the door. But, a hand grabbed the door frame stopping it from closing.
Alexa glanced up at the man attempting to stop her from getting away from them. Her green eyes glared up at him as they locked into his gaze. "Let go of the door now. Or you will be hearing from my lawyers." She threatened him in hopes that he would remove his hand.
He slowly removed his hand and Alexa slammed the door shut. She drew in a shaky breath, feeling like she had been holding her breath for a long time. Closing her eyes she told the taxi driver her destination, deciding to take the full ride over to meet her friend for afternoon tea.
"Can you take me to Fortnum and Mason please."
--------------------------------
"Hello ma'am. Do you have a booking with us for tea this afternoon?"
Alexa was greeted at the front entrance to the tea room at Fortnum and Mason. "Yes, I believe it is under Victoria Sutton." She was meeting Victoria, a friend of hers from Alexa's past relationship with Reese Kellington.
"Right this way." Alexa followed the hostess into the tea room towards an awaiting Victoria.
Victoria spotted Alexa in her line of vision making her face light up with a beaming grin as she stood to greet Alexa. "Ah! Lexi!" The blonde pulled Alexa in to greet her with a traditional kiss on the cheek before hugging her small frame.
"Hi, Victoria. How are you?!" Alexa matched her friend's beaming smile. She pulled out the chair from her spot and took her seat while the hostess handed them their menus.
"I am well, how are you? It has been so long since I have last seen you!" Victoria locked in Alexa's green eyed gaze.
Alexa had met the Sutton Hotel heiress through her ex Reese. She had become close with the blue blooded aristo even though she initially thought it would be an unlikely friendship. But, when Alexa and Reese ended their relationship, Alexa distanced herself from nearly everyone associated with Reese including the friends she had made during that time. A part of her felt guilty for simply disappearing but at the time, it was what she needed to do for herself.
"I know it's been so long. I was really happy to hear from you last week." Alexa smiled genuinely. "I am sorry for just disappearing after everything." She began to apologize. "I know there is no explanation that justifies that... but I had to do -"
"You had to do it in order to survive." Victoria nodded displaying a genuine expression of understanding. "I heard what Reese had done... I don't blame you at all or harbor any ill will towards you at all. That is why I reached out to you. I missed you and our friendship." Victoria reached her hand out and squeezed Alexa's in a gesture of reassurance.
"Thank you, Vic." Alexa was feeling extremely guilty over her past decision. But, she desperately wanted to catch up with Victoria.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that bastard." Victoria waved the subject off. "Let's enjoy our afternoon tea and you can tell me all about your life! I hear you are going to be in a royal wedding this summer?! That is so exciting!"
Alexa giggled lightly. "Yeah, I am and everyone knows it. I even nearly got followed here by the paps!" She sighed heavily remembering the man trying to stop her taxi moments before she arrived.
"Oh god! They can be absolutely horrendous Lex!" Victoria's posh British accent came forth. "You have to be careful. I can give you some tips on how to deal with them if you want?" Alexa's friend kindly offered to her as she had her fair share of experiences with them due to her family's standing.
"Awe, thank you Vic. I appreciate that." Alexa started to scan the menu. "But, my boyfriend has been helping me handle them."
"Ooooh! Your boyfriend?" Victoria lifted her head up from the menu. "Who is it?! You have to tell me everything."
Alexa had put her foot in her mouth not realizing the extent to what she had just revealed. She started to backtrack and down played the whole thing. "I meant he is just making sure I don't come home crying every night!" She tossed her head back with nervous laughter.
"Are you ladies ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" The waiter came at the perfect time to interrupt their conversation.
"I think we are ready?" Victoria lifted her head to make brief eye contact with Alexa and saw her nodding a response. "Go ahead Lex."
"Uh, I am going to get the Champagne Afternoon tea with the mable peach tea." Alexa lifted her head to glance up at the waiter then to Victoria.
"That is a perfect choice ma'am." He turned towards Victoria. "Ma'am what can I get for you?"
Victoria flipped through the tea choices one more time. "I will also get the Champagne Afternoon tea with the Rose Pouchong tea."
"Great ladies. I will be back shortly with your orders." The waiter took his leave.
"So... tell me about this boy!" Victoria was grinning from ear to ear as she brought back the subject Alexa was desperately trying to avoid.
Alexa squirmed in her spot unsure of whether to divulge the fact that Victoria already knew her boyfriend, Prince Harry. In fact, she was one of his childhood friends and knew him quite well according to Harry, but they lost touch after he left Eton. She had talked with Harry late last night as she laid awake in bed nervous about today's court appearance and told him she had plans to go have tea with Victoria Sutton afterwards.
The prince was quite taken back to find out that she was friends with Victoria, but he was also supportive of her to go to the tea and reconnect with one of her friends. Especially someone he knew who was known to keep her intentions true.
"Well, he is pretty great actually." Alexa was now beaming remembering last night's conversation with him. "He has really taught that it is ok to take a chance at love again and that not all men are like Reese." She confessed to Victoria.
"Awe." Victoria was taking in Alexa's expression in front of her knowing that it was one of true happiness. She had become quite worried about Alexa when she quite literally fell off the face of the earth after Reese and Alexa ended their relationship. The problem was that Victoria had been friends with both of them and quite frankly did not know who to be supportive of. But, when she found out more about what Reese had done to Alexa, she immediately took a step back from her friendship with him. Victoria had attempted to contact Alexa, but she simply did not reply until now. She never held any ill will towards the blonde beauty for doing this and simply wanted to be there for her friend who she knew was going through a very difficult time.
"I love to see you so happy again, Alexa. You can really tell that you are with whoever this man is." Victoria watched Alexa's smile grow even wider at her comment. "How long have you two been together?"
"We were friends at first, but have been dating since May." Alexa was starting to find that comfortable trusting feeling that she had initially shared with Victoria and what had drawn Alexa to her in the first place. Despite Victoria's aristocratic status with her father owning a major international hotel corporation and her mother being a daughter of the current Duke of Somerset, she never did flaunt her status like most aritos did. She even started her own fashion line that had been receiving raving reviews and even has a few store fronts on the major streets of London.
"That is seriously so great. I cannot wait to meet him!" Victoria excitedly clapped her hands.
The two of them were enjoying their afternoon tea, catching up as if no time had lapsed between the last time they had seen each other. Victoria took a bite of her clotted cream and strawberry jam topped scone before leading the conversation down to a place Alexa did not want to go to. "You know, I am seriously so happy to see that you have moved on too like Reese has done." It was an innocent comment, but one that made Alexa quite curious.
Alexa was hesitant to ask, not entirely wanting to know more details about Reese's current relationship, but curiosity got the best of her. "Reese has moved on too?" She probed a bit wondering if she could get it out of Victoria who he was currently with though Alexa had a good guess who it was.
"Yeah, he's been with Gemma Andrews for a while now."
Alexa dropped her knife as it clattered against her plate.
Gemma Andrews. The name repeated in her mind.
Reese had admitted that he had cheated on Alexa with Gemma not once, but multiple times in their relationship. Gemma was often the one at the forefront of his group of friends belittling her every chance she could get. Alexa was hit with a wave of emotions that nearly knocked the wind right out of her. Those same soul crushing emotions that shook her to her core. How could he do that to her? Did Reese have no respect whatsoever towards her? But, then again he never truly did care about her like she had him.
Victoria had realized what she may have done. "Oh, Lex. I shouldn't have said anything..." She bore witness to the pain etched across Alexa's face that replaced the happy expression she held moments prior.
"No, I needed to know." Alexa shook her head and bit her lips to hold back her tears. "Gemma was the woman he repeatedly cheated on me with, Victoria." She admitted with tears brimming over her eyes.
"I am so sorry..." Victoria felt awful for bringing this up to Alexa. "I - I didn't know that." She closed her eyes and shook her head at Reese. "She was always so vile towards you."
Alexa swallowed the lump in her throat and held back her tears not wanting to ruin her time with Victoria. "Let's just move on from it and have fun."
"Yes, let's." Victoria waved over a waiter. "Can we have another bottle of Champagne please?"
---------------------------------
Alexa had found herself walking aimlessly around Hyde Park being trapped deep into her thoughts about everything that had happened today and everything that she had been struggling with as of late. She was supposed to be home by now and spending time with Harry who had come up for the weekend to stay at her place. Pulling out her phone she had several missed calls and voicemails from Harry and she knew that her late return would only worry him further. To be fair, she had no idea it had gotten this late.
She listened to the last voicemail he had sent her.
"Alexa. Where are you? You are really starting to worry me. It's nearly 8pm and you should have been home hours ago... I took Peanut for a walk and fed her." He sighed deeply as his voice trailed off. "Love, let me know you are ok and where you are. I can come get you." The concern laced in his voice was evident and Alexa felt guilty for making him feel that way.
She immediately brought up his number and started to call him. The phone only rang once before he answered it like he had been waiting for her call.
"Alexa?" His deep voice sounded over the other line.
The mere sound of his voice was enough for Alexa to nearly break. She closed her eyes and felt tears starting to stream down her cheek while she breathed in a strangled breath. "Can you come get me?" She sniffled and wiped her tears away.
"Where are you?" He did not hesitate after hearing her cries over the phone.
Alexa glanced around. "I am in Hyde Park by the Serpentine I think..." She released a sob.
"I'm coming."
Alexa was sitting on a park bench when she lifted her head and saw a man walking towards her wearing a cap. She breathed out and stood up slowly knowing that it was Harry attempting to disguise his identity in such a public space.
"Alexa." He closed in the rest of the distance between them and pulled her into a hug feeling her clinging tightly to him. The immediate security that Harry gave her in that moment was something she held onto, not wanting to let go of him and that feeling that surrounded her. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and released a heavy sigh as he gently stroked his fingers through her blonde locks.
She lifted her head up and locked in the prince's concerned gaze. His brow was furrowed and his deep blue eyes were filled with worry. Harry had no idea what was going on with her, yet here he was. He lifted his hand and cupped her cool cheek to tenderly stroke it. "Are you ok?" His voice broke through her thoughts and pulled her out from the depths of his deep blue eyes.
She struggled to answer his question not wanting to lie to Harry, but also not wanting to cause more concern for him. Alexa felt her tears betray her as they trickled down her cheek giving Harry his answer. "I am now." She whispered quietly to him. "Will you take me home?"
Harry brushed away her tears and nodded silently. "I'm parked a short walk from here. Let's get you home." He grasped her hand and clasped their fingers together interlocking them as they made their way to Harry's car. The prince led Alexa out of Hyde Park being careful to avoid contact with others hoping that his cap would hide his identity.
He opened the back car door and motioned for Alexa to crawl in first to which he quickly followed suit. Sitting down next to his girlfriend he looked up in the drivers mirror at Magnus, his protection officer, giving him a quick nod that they were ready to leave.
The prince felt Alexa snuggle in beside him and grasp his arm before laying her head to rest on his shoulder. He placed a comforting touch on her knee being finally able to take her all in. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips seeing how sexy she was in her suit she had picked for her court appearance today.
"You look beautiful today." He leaned in and pressed his lips softly to her temple. An adorable smile formed on her lips, one that he knew himself placed there.
"Thanks baby." Alexa peaked up at him, staring into his eyes. "Thank you for coming to get me. I didn't mean to worry you..." She gave him a peck on the lips.
"You did really worry me, love." His brow furrowed with concern, but this only caused Alexa to turn her head away from him and avert her gaze. Clearly she was not ready to talk to him about what happened today.
"Hey... hey." He coaxed Alexa's attention back on him. "You don't need to tell me what happened until you want to ok?" Harry watched a silent Alexa nod her head. "Why don't we pick up some take out and just throw on a movie at your place and cuddle? How does that sound?"
Alexa's lips pulled into a soft smile. "That sounds perfect, Harry. What do you want to pick up?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "You choose, babe. Doesn't matter to me."
She shook her head no. "I want you to get something you enjoy. You don't really get to when you are in Suffolk."
"Alright..." Harry pondered for a moment. "Shall we get take out from that Greek place from down the street from your flat?"
"Oh, yes!" Alexa was thrilled with Harry's choice. "Can we get a side of pita and tzatziki sauce?!"
"Anything you want!"
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Harry shifted into a comfortable position and helped Alexa crawl into the same space he created for her on the sofa. They had picked out a movie together and cuddled up into each other with a cozy blanket covering them.
He would occasionally glance down at Alexa and notice that even though she was staring straight ahead at the TV, she wasn't actually watching the movie. Rather that she was caught in an internal debate in her own mind. The prince leant down and kissed her exposed shoulder wanting her to know that he was here for her. Alexa's response was cuddling back further into him.
A few minutes later, Alexa suddenly sat up and turned around to face Harry. She held her head down low and started to fidget with her hands nervously. "I'm sorry about today...." Alexa quietly whispered. "I -" She breathed out deeply. "I have been struggling lately Harry..." Alexa's confession caused Harry to sit up straight and reach across her to grab the remote and pause the movie.
"Talk to me love." He gave Alexa his full attention.
"I don't even know where to begin." She softly whispered as she felt the weight of her confession slowly consume her as if the revelation was taking control of her body and finally seeping out of her from holding in for so long. Her head lifted to glance up at Harry showing a wounded expression.
The prince's heart dropped in his chest seeing the visible pain etched across her face. This was not the woman he had come to know. All he could do was listen to Alexa and try to help her in any way he could. "Just start somewhere and go from there, babe. We have all night and I am all yours for the weekend." He grasped her hand and squeezed in reassuringly. A tiny smile peaked through her wounded expression giving Harry a bit of hope.
"Well, today I just had an awful day really and it was sort of my tipping point." Alexa began. "First, at court I read my recommendation for Eddie's custody hearing and I thought what I recommended was right... but then I had this awful sinking feeling that he should not be with his mother." Alexa was clearly bearing the weight of this decision. "I couldn't find a reason why all that it was just a gut feeling that I had. I never wish to take a child away from their mother, but I can't help but feel something is going to happen, Henry, and I feel sick about it. If anything happens to Eddie..." She choked out tears and nearly broke down in front of Harry right there.
Harry grabbed her shaking body and enveloped his arms around her. "Lex. You weren't the only one saying Eddie was ok to stay with his mom. The judge would have decided based on all the information she was given and though your recommendation had a part, it was not the only part to play." He tried his best to comfort her, but he knew that she was only getting started.
"What if something happens Harry?" She lifted her head and looked away from her boyfriend with tear stained cheeks.
"I can't tell you it won't, but for now you know he is safe. She has to check in at Guardian weekly doesn't she?" Harry tried to provide her with some reassurance.
"Yeah... I guess." She nodded her head, but she still would not look at him as her mind drifted towards the conversation with Victoria earlier that afternoon. How was she going to tell Harry about Reese?
"What else?" He encouraged Alexa to keep talking.
How do you talk to your current boyfriend about your ex and how much he has hurt you and apparently still is hurting you? Alexa desperately wanted to avoid it, but she knew she had to tell Harry.
"Please don't be mad... or get angry." Alexa swiveled her head to lock in her boyfriend's gaze.
"Alexa, why would I be angry with you? You are just telling me what you are dealing with and I hope that I can somehow help you." Harry was a bit taken back.
"You might not like what is bothering me..." She led on.
"Babe, come on just tell me. I promise you I won't." Harry tried to reassure her.
Alexa bit down on her bottom lip nervously. "I went for afternoon tea with Victoria and we started talking about how I have moved on with you from my past relationship." She paused for a moment to clarify. "Vic doesn't know you are my boyfriend, I kept that from her." Alexa wanted to make sure Harry knew that. "But, she told me that Reese had also moved on and well the person that he is with now is the same woman who he admitted to cheating on me with numerous times..." She let the words sink in again while Harry remained silent.
His girlfriend took in a shaky breath. "Hearing that he is with Gemma really threw me into the deep end again this afternoon. It's like it brought up that day all over again and somehow even though I haven't seen him for a long time, he was still able to elicit such pain and hurt from me today and I hated that." Alexa cried out with a hint of anger. "He has no right to make me feel that way anymore, but he did. You really do not understand how much he hurt me Harry..." She shook her head in shame. "Even though I am falling for you so hard for you right now. It's still so painful at times to remember." She shook her head. "I didn't want you to be angry with how he made me feel... and sometimes still makes me feel."
"Babe." He lifted her chin delicately with his finger to make Alexa look into his eyes. "I will never be angry or mad at how you feel, even if it is about what your piece of shit of an ex did to you. You have every right to feel whatever you feel and I want you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me and tell me about everything like this, not keep it inside to struggle on your own." Harry watched her eyes well up with another flood of tears. "Is this why you were walking around Hyde Park so late?"
Alexa nodded her head slowly. "I needed some time to just clear my head, but it really didn't help and then when I looked at my phone I didn't realize how late it was and that I kept you waiting for me." She wiped away a stray tear that trickled down her cheek with a balled up piece of his sweater she wore. "Then all I wanted was you..."
The prince tucked a stray piece of her blonde locks behind her ear and gently bent her forehead down towards him to place a soft kiss there. "I'm always going to be here for you, Lex."
"I know, babe."
"I just don't want to see you like this. I want to help you in any way I can." The sincerity in his voice was genuine. "Let me grab a bottle of wine and we can just sit and talk tonight instead. What do you think?"
Alexa nodded her head without a second thought. "Yah, I'd like that."
--------------------------------
Harry had his girlfriend in stitches of laughter, holding her belly and being careful not to spill her glass of wine. He was telling Alexa a story of him and his army pal Connor that he knew would make his girl fall into fits of laughter. Hearing her laughter and seeing that elated smile graced on her face was something he had missed seeing as of late. Their time together was limited and he wanted to make every second of it count.
"Oh, Harry." Alexa leaned her head back against the frame of the couch and simply took the view of him all in. How did she become so lucky and find someone like Harry to be in her life? "I am so lucky to have you in my life, babe. You literally are the best thing that has ever happened to me." Alexa closed in the distance between them and captured his wine soaked lips in a passionate, but soft kiss. "I'm happy you decided to stay here with me this weekend."
The prince smiled out of the kiss and nodded in agreement. "It worked out well that Alice is with Jay in Germany this week and I get you all to myself." He gently grabbed Alexa and pulled his girlfriend into his lap to sneak another kiss in before finding a comfortable position to cuddle with her in.
"What else is on your pretty little mind, love?" He smothered her head with a series of sweet kisses that brought a smile to her face.
"Mmmm...." Alexa giggled with a sultry look on her face.
"Oh!" Harry laughed knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"Tonight. I get you." Alexa informed Harry that he had no choice in the matter and he was completely ok with that. "But, I like sitting here talking with you like this. Can we stay here a bit longer?" She started to play with the tufts of Harry's ginger hair while he stared up at Alexa.
"Mmmm hmmm... that feels nice." He closed his eyes and sighed deeply angling his head to give her more access to play with his hair. A comfortable silence fell between them as they relished in the presence of the other's company. It was moments like this, private moments that Harry loved spending with Alexa and getting to know her better. But, he knew that there was much more on her mind that she wanted to share with Harry. "What's on your mind?" He gently coaxed it out of Alexa.
She took a healthy sip of her wine and sat back into his lap. "Eugenie." Alexa spoke his cousin's name.
"I thought so..." Harry nodded his head. "When was the last time you saw her?"
"Harry, it's been weeks." The blonde beauty sighed with a light head shake. "It is really eating me up from the inside. I don't know what to do. Have you talked to her at all?"
"No." He took a sip of his wine. "I think she is avoiding me honestly."
"I have wanted to reach out to her, Harry. I miss her in my life, she is one of my best friends. But, she makes me feel like I can't have you and be her friend when she was even the one to tell me to go out with you." Alexa took another sip of her wine. "Like I said before, I want both of you and I don't think that is being selfish, is it? My other friends have never even asked me to make that choice, ever."
"No, not at all." Harry agreed with his girlfriend. "Look, I can tell how much Eugenie means to you and she means alot to me too, love. But, this is not a one way street she also has to be the one to want this. She has to put in the effort too."
"I know love." Alexa looked down to the floor briefly then back at him. "I just miss my friend."
"She chose you to be there by her side for one the most important days of her life, Alexa." Harry sat up straighter. "I know for a fact that she still cares about you the way you care about her. I hate that I am the one thing that has put a wedge between you two. But, I am not willing to give you up so easily..." He freely spoke his mind. "I can't do that..."
"The problem though Harry is Eugenie cannot accept that I want both of you in my life. For some reason, she wants me to choose her over you... I want to be there for her in August. I really do, but I am starting to think that maybe I am not the right person and it nearly breaks me admitting that." Alexa released a heavy sigh. "That thought has been creeping up into my mind lately and I don't want to think about it, but it has. I am just at a loss of what to do..." She trailed off and became quiet. "I don't want another fight like that night... I don't want you two at each other's throats."
"Do you want to invite her over tomorrow?" Harry was willing to give up his precious time with his girlfriend to help her re-connect and fix her relationship with his cousin, Eugenie. "I am happy to leave for a few hours and see a mate or something if you want some time alone with her."
Harry was giving Alexa a very feasible option, but she didn't want that option to include having less time with him. "No... I want to spend time with you. You drove all the way from Suffolk and changed your schedule around to be with me." Alexa was extremely touched by the selfless offer Harry had given her. "Thank you though for trying to help. I know you want to make me happy."
"You have to talk to Eugenie, Alexa. One way or another."
"I know, I just don't know how to..." Her mind drifted off and so did their conversation about Eugenie.
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"Damn I missed that." Alexa giggled happily as she nestled her naked body beside the prince. The two of them had just finished being intimate with one another and it was something that they both needed. Needing it so much that they had already finished round two.
Harry's chest rumbled with laughter while Alexa rested her head on it and started to run her fingers over the contour of his abdominal muscles. He gently rubbed up and down the side of her arm finding it comforting to have Alexa next to him like this.
A smile crept up on his lips at the simple thought of how much he loved having this woman in his life. There was just something about Alexa that he was innately drawn to. He felt her take in a deep breath and sigh as her mind travelled elsewhere knowing that she was probably thinking about Eugenie.
When Alexa had come up to the Lake District and spent the weekend meeting his friends, he felt their relationship progress on to a deeper level. When he was away from her, he missed her terribly and his thoughts were never far from her. They made an effort to talk daily to one another and ensure this semi long distance relationship was going to work. He was the one that often came back on his free days to London mainly because of his commitments to his patronage and his family, but he always made time to see her. Alexa would take a Monday or Friday off and drive up to Suffolk for the weekend occasionally. The prince would let her use his office space in his home for the times she was able to stay longer into the week with him and work from home. He loved how everything was progressing in their relationship and he truly wanted Alexa to be his date to Eugenie's wedding. But, in doing so would put their relationship out there for the world to see. He was not entirely sure that Alexa was ready for that yet having admitted that she was struggling lately. Harry needed to fix something in her life this weekend and he knew exactly what he needed to do.
"Lex, I have to make a phone call I forgot to do on the way down today." He got out of bed and slipped away from her.
"At this time of night?" Alexa glanced to the clock sitting on her bedside table before getting a great view of the prince's naked ass. She leaned forward and gave it a little smack as the prince bent over to pull on his boxers that were tossed on her floor.
Harry glanced back over his shoulder at Alexa displaying a mischievous grin before a light giggle escaped her lips. "Get your hot ass back here quick."
"Yes ma'am." Harry offered her a wink before grabbing his phone off the bedside table. He took one step then turned back around to place a soft kiss to Alexa's lips.
The prince snuck out into her living room and ensured he closed the bedroom door. He sat down on a chair by the window and glanced out at the dimly lit quiet streets while he waited and continued to hear the phone ringing.
"Hello?" A tired voice answered on the other line.
"Eugenie?" Harry closed his eyes knowing that he had probably woken her up, but he had to talk to his cousin.
"Harry? It's late..." She slightly scolded him.
"I know. I know it is, but this can't wait." Harry released a deep breath. "Just give me a few minutes please."
There was a long drawn out pause on the other side of the line.
"Ok. What is it Harry?" Eugenie spoke. "I think I already know..."
"I think you do." Harry nodded slowly and then began. "She misses you Eugenie. Alexa misses having her best friend in her life. She was in near tears about it tonight and she doesn't know what to do because she feels absolutely torn between you and I."
"I miss her too..." Eugenie quietly confessed. "I miss not seeing her."
"Then call her and tell her that." Harry softly encouraged his cousin. "Can you put the past aside and accept that Alexa and I are together?" He sighed. "This fight between you and me has to end. We both want what is best for her in the end and that is her having both of us in her life. But, we can never put her in that spot again where she has to choose between you and me or we'll both lose her... and I can't..." Harry trailed off.
"I don't want her to choose between us. I only want to spend more time with her and you two are always together." Eugenie spoke freely. "There never seems to be time for me and her."
"Genie... I am only ever here on the weekends and not every weekend. We aren't even together half the time. So I don't know where you got this idea from." Harry was starting to get frustrated that her excuse was of course because of him.
"Look. I am tired of Alexa being so upset about this." Harry was firm. "Call her tonight and set up a time to see her. I'm here this weekend, but if you want to see Lex now I am fine with that."
"Is she not asleep?" Eugenie enquired.
"No... we have been up."
Eugenie laughed in response. "You two have been having sex, that is why you are up this time of night." She continued to giggle. "Ok, fine. I will call her."
"Yes, ok but can you wait like fifteen minutes so she doesn't think I had anything to do with this?" Harry pleaded.
"You really care about her, don't you?" Eugenie's voice became soft.
"More than you know, Eugenie. I have fallen hard for her." Harry confessed. "I only want her to be happy and I know she won't fully be until she has you back in her life. I am willing to do whatever it takes and if that means having to swallow my pride with you, then I am happy to."
"Let's put this to bed then. I miss having my ginger cousin around and maybe we can do some double dates?" Eugenie happily suggested.
"I am sure Lex would be fine with that." Harry giggled lightly. "Ok, I have to go. But, please wait a little bit."
"I will, Harry. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Eugenie."
Harry tiptoed back into Alexa's room to find her head on his pillow with her eyes closed. She lifted her head having heard his footsteps approach the bed. "Sorry... it couldn't wait." He pulled back the covers and Alexa shifted back onto her side of the bed until Harry got in.
They found themselves in small talk, discussing what the rest of their weekend was going to look like. She was hoping that Harry would be ok helping her fix a few things around the flat she promised Alice that she would get sorted.
Alexa's phone suddenly rang interrupting her conversation with Harry. A small questioning scowl formed on her face, wondering who was calling this late at night. "Who is calling me this late at night?" She reached over top of Harry and grabbed her phone.
"Eugenie..." Alexa sat up in bed cross legged and whispered her friend's name as she let the phone continue to ring. Her head slowly lifted to look up at Harry wondering what she should do.
"Well answer it, babe." He softly smiled.
"H- Hello?" Alexa answered her friend's call.
"Alexa? Hey, it's Eugenie. I am sorry it's late, but I was wondering if we could talk for a few minutes?" Eugenie cut straight to the point.
"Yeah, sure." A small smile appeared on Alexa's lips. "How are you?" Harry watched Alexa quietly listen to Eugenie's response. He shifted his body closer to his girlfriend and placed a hand on her thigh to gently rub.
"I am good. Been keeping busy." Alexa locked eyes with Harry. "Eugenie... I miss you. I miss my best friend." She freely admitted, but the smile that graced her lips when Eugenie confessed the same thing was one that Harry would never forget. It was one filled with pure hope, that kind of hope that you made you feel everything was going to be ok.
"I am sorry for not calling you. I didn't know what to do, but I am really happy to hear from you." Alexa tossed her head back in laughter hearing something Eugenie had said. "Yeah! Let's do that. Off the top of my head, I am pretty sure that I am free Tuesday evening."
"That sounds perfect, Eugenie. I can't wait to see you." Alexa was quite literally beaming. "Ok, goodnight. Have a good sleep." She hung up the phone and angled her head towards Harry with a bright smile.
"So?" He asked innocently.
"Eugenie and I are going to go shopping on Tuesday then for dinner." Alexa rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. "It was really good to hear from her and hear that she was feeling the same way as me."
Alexa crawled over to Harry and sat in front of him before cupping his cheeks with both of her hands. She gazed into his deep blue eyes as if she was searching for something, but was content quietly sitting there for a moment to get lost in the depths of them. "I know this was your doing. I know you left to call Eugenie." Alexa caressed his cheek and watched a guilty smile form on his lips. "She didn't tell me, but it was not hard to figure out Henry."
"Guilty." Harry smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
She leaned in and captured Harry's lips gently as they fell into a passionate kiss that sparked that inner flame of desire once again. But, this time Alexa was in control as she reluctantly broke her lips off of her boyfriends. "Thank you for all you do for me."
"You always give me more than I deserve. I only want you to be happy and will do anything to make that happen for you." He nudged his nose against Alexa's. A gesture she always did to him.
"Why don't we just have fun for the rest of the weekend and focus on us. I love where this is going." Alexa admitted and Harry was quick to agree with her.
"Does fun include more amazing sex?" He raised his eyebrow suggestively.
"Yeah... if you can keep up." Alexa teased Harry before feeling him grasp her hips and swing her around so she was lying flat on her back on the bed.
Alexa bit down on her bottom lips feeling Harry's lips trail down her body knowing that they were going to get very little sleep this weekend.
#prince harry#prince harry fanfic#fanfic#phff#prince harry fanfiction#chapters#chapter19#harryandalexa#forevermyalwaysphff
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I Think I Want to Marry You (Arthur Fleck x Reader)
Prompt: You and Arthur are getting married. Angsty-ish with a happy ending.
For @rise-like-the-phoenix. Sorry there’s not many wedding feels.
I don’t know what’s going on with me, but this is not my best work. It felt forced in areas, and I apologize.
A/N: The reader is a female because I mention “wife” twice or so, but can be gender neutral otherwise.
Warnings: Thoughts on forced relationships, descriptions and mentions of Arthur’s thoughts as well as coping mechanisms.
__
Clothes? Check.
Vows? Check.
Ring? Check.
You went over the list a few more times because surely you forgot something. Today was such an important day, one you thought may never come—your wedding.
Before you met Arthur, you weren’t sure what to think about the man. You had heard rumors floating around his apartment complex, and through the city of Gotham, but when you had asked a few people, many denied they even knew him.
It took a while for you both to develop a friendship, and even longer for it to move to the next level. The more you learned about Arthur, the less you wanted to overwhelm him with your feelings. Little did you know, he was already falling too.
There were times in the relationship where you questioned if you were right for one another. Although you loved him deeply, so profoundly it threatened to swallow you at times, you occasionally worried that your love was not enough to overcome the affliction of society.
This was the one time when you were grateful to be wrong.
As soon as Arthur proposed, and by ‘proposed,’ you mean he accidentally said, 'if you were my wife’ in a conversation. You both had a long and grueling talk that consisted of rambling, nervous laughter, and repetitions of 'you don’t ever have to be my wife.’ An hour of reassurance, a declaration of love, and a cuddling session later, you were engaged to Arthur Fleck.
You both agreed that it was best to 'get it over with’ per-say—not that you would ever actually mean that. With money being tight, and Arthur’s mother needing treatment for her deteriorating health, it just wasn’t practical for you to go all out for a wedding party. When Arthur timidly suggested a courthouse 'elopement’ so-to-speak, you were all on board as long as you got to spend the rest of your life with him.
After checking the list of items—clothes, vows, ring—once again for good measure, you make your way to the courthouse. You and Arthur agreed to meet there instead of arriving together because you wanted to follow the traditional rule of not seeing each other before the wedding.
The skies of Gotham are sunny, and the residents are unusually adherent to your body pushing through them on the sidewalk. You definitely miss the annoyed glances and scowls as you nearly run to the courthouse, excited to see the man who’s about to be your husband.
When you get to city hall, you meet with a judge who brings you into the courtroom. It looks no different than a room in which you’d be convicted for a crime, but it was perfect for you and Arthur to make your partnership official.
“Y/N, I have the marriage licenses here,” the judge tells you. “When your fiancé gets here, we will start the ceremony. If both of you have prepared vows, you may read them after I’m done speaking. Then, we’ll present the rings, and you’ll be hitched in no time.”
Your heart beats wildly in your chest at that notion. Married. You and Arthur were going to get married. You still couldn’t believe it. You glance at the clock above the entranceway and frown.
“Arthur should have been here by now,” you say more to yourself than anyone else.
“I’m sure he will be,” the judge replies, startling you out of your thoughts. “It’s normal for people to run late on their wedding days; most people are just trying to work up the courage. It can be a lot of pressure.”
You shake your head absentmindedly. “He wouldn’t be late to something like this for no reason. That’s not- he’s not like that.”
The room falls silent as you chew on your bottom lip, worriedly. There’s no need to panic over nothing, you tell yourself. He will be here.
You’re not sure how much time passes—an hour, maybe two— before you feel a small touch on your skin. You jump slightly at the brush, turning to see the older judge place—what you assume is supposed to be a comforting hand—on your shoulder.
“Are you alright?”
You don’t answer right away. Instead, you look back up at the clock, the hands moving slowly as if to taunt you with Arthur’s absence.
“No,” you mutter, trying to fight the urge to cry that’s building up behind your eyelids. “He’s not here.”
“He could still come,” the judge tries to reassure you, but his words fall flat. You know Arthur. You have spent the last year of your life trying to learn every detail about the man you’re so desperately in love with. His life fascinates you; he fascinates you. Getting to know him was like reading a really good, but challenging book. You never quite catch every detail, so you just want to keep reading and reading until you understand it better.
Arthur never misses a chance to tell you that he loves you, so it always felt quite apparent to you that he felt the same way. But did he?
You think back over your year together, trying to pinpoint a moment when you may have upset him—any reason to explain his absence—but you can’t find one.
“He’s not going to come,” you finally let the tears fall down your cheeks. You hope that you’re wrong, but you know you’re not. You’re not sure why he’s not here, but it had to be real—final. Arthur would never leave you waiting for no reason. He either had trouble getting here, or he realized proposing to you was a mistake.
That’s when it hit you. Arthur hadn’t actually proposed to you, not really. He slipped up; he made a mistake. You had been the one to initiate the conversation afterward. Did you trick him into marrying you? You couldn’t remember him ever once telling you that he wanted to get married; you only assumed after he called you his wife.
Panic and guilt arose in you at the idea of pushing Arthur into this. Your brain started to run a mile a minute as you tried to recall the events leading up to this moment. Did Arthur even want to be with you in the first place? Surely, he would have said something if he didn’t. At the same time, you knew he was often shy and reserved about certain emotions, especially in the beginning. It’s possible he didn’t want to upset you with rejection. Or because he lacked experience in dating, maybe he believed you were the best choice for him, even if it wasn’t true.
“Here,” the judge says, holding out a tissue. Your eyebrows scrunch up before he nods towards your wet cheeks. You take the tissue, drying the tears that you failed to realize were still spilling down your face.
“I guess I’ll go,” you chuckle humorlessly. You turn away quickly, not wanting to see the pity in the judges’ eyes. He still proceeds to follow you out, trying to console you with empty promises, and 'it’s his loss’ bullshit.
You push open the door of city hall, only to be met with hard raindrops hitting you like a punch in the face. You watch as Gotham’s people rush to cover, and umbrellas are flung open as the puddles grow increasingly heavy.
“Fucking great,” you scoff, not bothering to run for cover yourself. Instead, you put one foot in front of the other, only hoping to make it home before the lighting removes you from this godforsaken day. “Sunny earlier, and raining now. How ironic.”
This time, you let people hit into you as they push their way through the city streets. When you arrive at the apartment, you can’t tell if the lines running down your face are drops of rain or your own reminder of this evening.
You slowly trudge up the stairs, avoiding the elevator to make time. You’re not sure what you expect to find at the home you share with Arthur. You halfway anticipate a note explaining his whereabouts and why he has decided to leave you. On the other hand, you briefly consider the idea that he may still be there. 'I got caught up at work,’ he’ll say, apologizing profusely. You’ll cry tears of joy, and he’ll kiss you so passionately your heart will threaten to burst.
But as your hand wraps around the doorknob, and you walk into the apartment, you’re not met with either of those options. Your eyes float around the room, landing on Arthur’s items that are carelessly tossed on the floor. Remnants of his Carnival makeup lay splattered on the table, along with a sweater, his medication, and an old cigarette butt.
You make your way across the room and drop yourself onto the couch with a sigh. “Arthur, what is going on?”
A world without the man you love is a world you can’t conceive of. If he has left—vanished without so much as a word—you genuinely don’t believe your heart could mend from such a devastating blow. The emptiness settling in your stomach already was enough to drag you down; you couldn’t imagine having to carry out the rest of your life like this.
Your head shoots up when you hear a small knocking sound coming from the kitchen. You almost stay put, fearing it’s a figment of your imagination due to overstimulated emotions. When the knocking gets louder, you pull yourself off the couch and walk towards the disturbance.
“Arthur?”
You swing around the corner, only to find the kitchen empty. Probably the stupid rats, you think to yourself. As soon as you turn to exit the room, a small whimper comes from behind you, one loud enough to echo through the quiet room.
You follow the noise, dreading the worst once you find the source of it—the refrigerator. You can recall the many times you’ve found your fiancé (ex-fiancé?) in the colder appliance. When you both decided the relationship between you was serious, he had confessed to you the strain his mental illnesses put him under, and you, in turn, had been willing to listen to every word.
You tug open the refrigerator door, hoping to find the rats you were previously expecting. But just as the day has shown you, you don’t always get what you predict. Arthur sat inside, knees bunched up to his body, and still wearing his wedding suit.
“Arthur, sweetheart. Can you hear me?”
You didn’t know how long he had been in there, and that made worry bubble up in your chest. Arthur didn’t move from his position or acknowledge your presence; he just continued to knock his head slightly against the refrigerator back.
The knocking sound was amplified in the otherwise noiseless room. You could hear the faint tick of the clock on the wall, but it did nothing to soothe your increasing heart rate.
“Arthur,” you repeated. “Can I touch you?”
Another minute goes by with no response, but you keep your eyes trained on the man you love, hoping to see any sign that means he’s come back to the material world. The tension in his shoulders was obvious, and his nose twitched slightly with every shift in his body.
You raked your eyes over his suit jacket and down to his dress pants. The thoughts from earlier forced themselves back into your head as you took in his tormented state. If he was in his wedding attire, chances are he was planning on meeting you there like planned. Was it possible he was experiencing this episode because he felt obligated to 'tie the knot’ today?
The rattling of the fridge fell on deaf ears as you thought about the likelihood of that being the case. You reached out with a trembling hand and placed it on Arthur’s arm, careful not to startle the man. At the small touch, he finally seems to notice you beside him. He blinks his eyes slowly as if he’s awakening from a dream. Probably a nightmare, you think to yourself.
His eyes focus on your hand, and his next words are uttered so softly, you had to lean in to hear them.
“I’m sorry.”
You’re not sure what he is apologizing for—missing the wedding, his current state, or both. Either way, you can’t find it in you to be upset. You only want to know why this is all happening.
“Why?”
He doesn’t ask what you’re referring to, and you don’t have to tell him. He finally meets your eyes, and the wholly destroyed look in his irises nearly forces a sob to escape your lips.
“I couldn’t do it to you,” he says, not moving from his spot.
“You mean, marry me?”
He shakes his head. “No, I- I mean, I couldn’t keep you here.”
“What are you talking about, baby?”
“Gotham. You- you said you wanted to move last week, but we were getting married.”
You exhale, moving your other hand into the small fridge to place on his knee.
“Sure, I want to move. But Arthur, I want to move with you. If we never have enough money, then so be it. We’ll stay here. I want to get out of Gotham, but I want to take my husband with me.”
“But if we never leave, you’ll be held back because of me. You want a home somewhere else.”
“No, I want a house somewhere else,” you say before moving your finger to his heart and pointing. “My home’s right here.”
A few chuckles escape his mouth, and you tense up, prepared to comfort him if he’s pushed into an attack. Instead, he falls quiet, presumably thinking over your words.
“What about Ma’? She can’t move, and- and we have to stay with her. People who are married don’t live with their parents.”
“Arthur,” you start, but he continues on.
“If you only stay here because of me, you will end up regretting it later.”
“Arthur,” you say again.
“If you regret marrying me later, then—”
His words halt when he sees you stand up and walk out of the room. He nearly jumps up in a rush to stop you, but his body won’t let him move from his position in the fridge. Within seconds, you are back in front of him with a crumbled piece of paper in your hands. You don’t wait for Arthur to ask you what it is. Instead, you just start reading.
“I wish I could explain to you the depth of my feelings. I wish even more that you would believe me if I could. It would be easy to tell you that I get butterflies in my stomach, or my heart nearly bursts from my chest, but it’s not so easy to explain all the other ways I feel you. Ever since I met you, it’s like your soul has been intertwined with mine. I fear that I can never express to you the love I feel for you because words aren’t enough. For so long, you’ve been my biggest supporter. You’re not afraid to tell me when I’m mistreating myself, and you’re even more willing to acknowledge my strengths.”
You take a shaky breath in before continuing. “It feels like you celebrate me every day, and today I want to celebrate you. You’re so kind, so funny, and so beautiful Artie. I love you, and I love Penny. I am honored to spend the rest of my life with a man who’s willing to care for his mother. You are my home, and you will always be the person my soul seeks out. I vow to choose you every single day because I can’t imagine choosing anybody else.”
By the time you’re finished, your cheeks are stained with tears, and Arthur is no better. His lips are pursed together tightly, and you can see the emotions playing out in his eyes.
"Was- was that your vows?”
“It was,” you say. “I know we’re not at the courthouse, but I figured you could use to hear them.”
He nodded. “Beautiful.”
“Thank you. I was just speaking the truth, though.”
“I meant you.”
You ducked your head, a small smile tugging at your lips. “Oh.”
You glance back up when you feel him nudging you to stand. You follow his lead, and he moves to exit his spot in the refrigerator.
“I’m sorry I left you there today,” he says while pulling you into a hug. You bury your head into his cold chest, breathing in the cologne he must have applied just after putting on the suit.
“It’s okay. I was just worried,” you mumble. “I thought maybe I forced you into this too quickly. Then, of course, I wondered if you ever actually wanted to date me at all—which I know is silly.”
“You wondered if I wanted to date you? Do you need to hear my vows too?“
You chuckle. "Let me just hear them at the city hall, Art.”
You stand there in his arms, allowing the feeling of his body pushed against yours to comfort you. Seconds later, you pull away, cursing yourself over what you just said to him.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I keep assuming you want to get married. There I go again.”
“Stop saying that,” he says, pulling you in to kiss your forehead. “You have never made me do anything that I didn’t want to do.”
“So, you still want to get married?”
“I do,” he emphasizes, letting out a small snicker at his own joke.
You shake your head, smiling. “Let’s get down to the courthouse then. We should still have the time slot reserved.”
You link your left hand with his and keep your vows tucked away in your other one. “Arthur?”
He looks over at you. “Yeah?”
“Are you okay? After,” you nod towards the refrigerator. “Seeing you like that is always—”
“I’m okay. I was in my head, but I got back home,” he offers you a smile, and you return it immediately. It seems you’re Arthur’s home, just as much as he is yours.
On your way to the courtroom, you run through the streets, trying to dodge the ongoing rain like they’re bullets coming from the sky. Of course, neither of you succeed in doing so, and by the time you sprint into city hall, your dress clothes are soaked from head to toe.
The same judge from before shuffles you into the same mundane room, but this time it’s full of new beginnings. As you both stand up in from of the older man, and he reads the typical wedding discourse, you can’t help but be struck with the realization that loving Arthur is nothing like being in this dull, ordinary setting. This morning, when the skies of Gotham were sunny and bright, it wasn’t the city at all that made it the case. It was Arthur.
The courtroom you were in surely wasn’t magical. But as you gazed into Arthur’s emerald eyes, his dripping hair stuck around his face, and his suit making puddles on the floor, you thought the world around you has never felt so perfect.
“Arthur, do you have vows prepared?”
He nods and pulls out a wrinkly sheet of paper from his jacket pocket—one that most likely was ripped from his journal.
“Y/N, I am not always good with words, but I will do my best for you. I promise to try and be the best husband I can be. I- I want to make you as happy as you make me. I will always save up extra money, so I can buy you flowers because you deserve them. You’re so strong, and you work really hard. I’m sorry my vows aren’t as good as yours, but I want to say one thing. All my life, I was nervous about doing my stand-up routine in front of people; I know how awful they can be. But you have never laughed at me, only with me. You’re the one I want to tell jokes to forever. Thank you for loving me.”
You suddenly feel his hand on your cheek, wiping away the tears you didn’t even know were falling. You fight the urge to pull him into a kiss right then and there because you know that is coming shortly.
“Your vows were perfect,” you speak softly, hoping he believes you. “You’re perfect.”
He blushes, and your heart swells at the notion of him still getting flustered by you. Before Arthur can reply, the judge is speaking out again.
“Y/N, do you have vows prepared?”
“I already read them,” you chuckle, but Arthur asks you to say them once more. You don’t want to deprive your soon-to-be husband of a single wish, so you comply and read them again.
As you fly through the words scribbled on the sheet of paper, Arthur’s smile is enough to make it seem like he’s hearing them for the first time. When you utter the last words about ‘choosing him always,’ he brings your hands to his lips, placing a kiss on each one.
“Rings will now be exchanged.”
You both pull out the individual rings, ready to gift them to the other. Neither band was spectacular, considering you both had bigger things to worry about than spending money on jewelry. However, you know Arthur spent a lot of time picking out a ring he felt you deserved, and you did the same for him.
“Arthur, if you wish to take Y/N to be your life partner in sickness and in health, you may present the ring and say 'I do,’” the judge says.
Arthur delicately slides the ring onto your finger, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. His lips curve upwards into a brighter smile as he holds your eyes. “I do.”
“Y/N, if you wish to take Arthur to be your life partner in sickness and in health, you may present the ring and say 'I do.’”
You mirror Arthur’s actions, sliding the ring you picked out onto his finger. “I do.”
Arthur stares at the ring in awe, almost like he doesn’t believe this is happening. Which, very well could be true. So you reach out and cup his face before pulling him into a kiss.
“I didn’t say you could kiss yet,” the judge says, chuckling. “Okay, okay. I now pronounce you—”
He doesn’t get to finish before your pulling away from Arthur, laughing.
“So, hubby, want to go make this marriage official?”
You wink at Arthur, and his cheeks heat up again as he nods rapidly. “I would very much like that.”
You pull him by the hand down the aisle towards the entrance, ignoring the judge’s calls through his laughter.
“I’ll just mail you the marriage certificate,” the judge shouts as you push through the city hall doors.
“Do you think we can get your mom out of the apartment for a while?”
“Actually, I was thinking we could get out of the apartment for a while,” he says, holding up his last paycheck from HaHa’s. “To Gotham’s finest motel, we go.”
Your eyes widen, and you latch onto him as you both stumble down the wet sidewalk. “Motel? Am I going to get breakfast in bed too?”
Arthur glances at you with a playful glint in his eyes. “Is it too late to get a refund on the marriage?”
“Oh, ha-ha. You’re such a comedian,” you gently hit him on the shoulder. “Now, you owe me.”
“I’m sure I can make it up to you.”
“I’m sure you can.”
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Can I Steal You For A Second Chapter 36
Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.
AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.
Read on AO3
Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3
Welcome to the end everybody!!
Six Months Later
Marinette was walking home from the grocery store when her phone rang. Checking out the caller ID, she quickly answered.
“Papa! I already told you that we’ll be at your house promptly at 5:30 tonight!” Marinette sighed into the phone as her father went off, just reminding Marinette of the precautions her and Adrien needed to take as they traveled throughout the city. Marinette hummed and replied generally where needed, knowing her Papa was just going to continue on.
Marinette was fully aware of the precautions she needed to take, her whole family been dealing with crazy fans and excited viewers for almost six weeks now. Someone had made the connection between Marinette and the Dupain-Cheng Bakery soon after the first episode premiered. Business had been booming, and crazy fans would find Marinette in the street, pledging their loyalty to her and some even saying she needed to find a better person than Adrien. Marinette had been able to connect with all of the girls involved in the show through social media except Lila, who refused to acknowledge any of them. The other girls, especially the ones who made it far like Juliette, and Lucie, had been dealing with similar situations in their hometowns as well.
Thankfully, Adrien was steadily by her side, even if they couldn’t be in public together. After the first incident with people surrounding her on the street, Marinette had broken down crying in their apartment, and Adrien had built her up and talked with her about similar experiences he had been through, as well as what to do about it in the future. Marinette had been cheating slightly, travelling more as Ladybug than she had in her daily life before the show.
Hometowns were airing tonight, and with that meant even more press for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and even more attention on Marinette. Adrien and Marinette always had dinner before the Bachelor shows started airing because her parents wanted to know everything that went down that week before they watched the edited version, and so there wouldn’t be any surprises for them.
“Papa, I promise that Adrien and I will be careful, I really have to go now, I’m almost to the apartment.” Marinette and her father said their goodbyes before she ended the phone call. The doorman, who smiled sweetly and tipped his hat at her as she neared, opened the door for her and she quickly rushed into the elevator and up to her floor.
Living with Adrien was a dream. They just fit so well into each other’s lives and it made the transition to living together easy. Adrien had just finished converting the extra bedroom into a design space/office for the two to share, and it was perfect and convenient. Adrien had been forced to work from home since the show started airing, only leaving the apartment for important business meetings that never took place at Gabriel’s offices. Too many people knew where to find Adrien on a daily basis, so Adrien’s security team thought it was too dangerous to go to that building. And Marinette was inclined to agree.
If Marinette had it bad, Adrien had it worse. There were adoring fans, begging him to consider them, angry fans, demanding to know why their favorites went home, and even the crazy ones, wanting to just be near him and breathe the same air as him, but those were no different from his model days, just older than before. Adrien never let them bother him, and he has also taken to travelling more as Chat Noir, who at the moment seemed less famous than his alter ego, and was able to get from place to place safely.
As Marinette unlocked their door, she felt herself relax. No one had found their apartment yet, but Marinette had a feeling it was just a matter of time. Thankfully, she knew that all of the locations for shooting, unless specifically chosen for brand purposes, were kept secret and edited out of the show. Which meant that no one could find the mansion, nor more importantly, the apartment she was currently in.
“Adrien?” she called as she placed her keys in the bowl by the door, the one grocery bag she had on the counter next to it, and hung her coat up on the rack. She was just slipping her shoes off as she heard footsteps approach, and a smile spread across her face.
“Welcome home, beautiful,” Adrien said as he pulled her into a hug. She relaxed into the embrace and a feeling of home settled over her. It didn’t matter where she lived, if Adrien was by her side, she would be home.
“How was your day?” Marinette asked, moving to unpack the groceries and put them away. Adrien followed her into the kitchen, not really letting go of her waist.
“Ugh it was long. Who knew rebranding would be so crazy difficult! The paperwork is horrible, as well as the physical part of rebranding.”
“It would be easier if you weren’t doing the rebranding in secret, and your father wasn’t causing so much trouble about it.”
Adrien finally let go of Marinette and plopped down on a stool that was positioned at the end of the counter. “You think he would just accept the fact that this was happening and move on. He’s not going to involve a courtroom because he knows they would side with me. But it’s not like I’m changing the brand dramatically! It’s going from ‘Gabriel’ to ‘Agreste!’ It’s still his name! It just makes more sense that when we’re running the company we aren’t running a company named after someone who retired unpeacefully.” Adrien groaned again as he ran his hand along his face. “I’m sorry, I probably sound like a broken record. We’ve had this conversation before. Tell me about your day.”
Marinette smiled and gently placed her hand on top of Adrien’s. “I will happily listen to the events of your day every day, even if that means I get to hear the same stuff. Whatever bothers you I want to hear about it every time.” Adrien smiled and flipped his hand over to give hers a squeeze. “Anyway, you asked about my day. Well, Papa called me twice today, determined to make sure I didn’t forget what time we are supposed to be at their house. I think he’s nervous about what this episode is going to do to the bakery.”
“If it’s anything like what’s happening to Gabriel’s, he should be pleased with the results.” Business had been booming since the show aired. Everyone was dying to wear whatever the beautiful girls that were fighting for Adrien’s heart were wearing.
“He figures as much, he’s just worried about the extra workload that it’s going to put on them. They’ve already hired three new employees just to brace themselves for the impact.”
“They sound very well prepared though, and that’s half the battle.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling them!” Marinette interjected exasperatedly.
There was a pause where Marinette, still thinking about her parents, had zoned out into her own world. “Is that all that happened in your day today, love?” Adrien asked sweetly, squeezing her hand gently.
She snapped out of her daze and blushed. “No! Today was good. We started working on the new designs for the spring and I’m really excited. Especially considering my name will actually be on those designs since I’ll have publicly begun working at Gabriel by then.” Marinette paused once more, racking her brain for anything else that had happened today when she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. “Oh my gosh! I completely forgot to tell you! I saw my wedding dress this morning before work!”
Adrien beamed and his eyes glazed over like he did every time he was proud of her. “How amazing was it?”
“Oh, Adrien, it’s everything I ever dreamed it would be! I know I designed it and everything, but I was blown away when I actually got to see it in person. Maman and Alya both cried too.”
“And you’re sure you won’t let me see even the designs for this amazing piece of art you created?” A playful tone had colored his voice and Marinette felt her heartbeat quicken.
“You know the rules. No peeking until the day of the wedding, as I’m walking down the aisle.”
“Not even if I gave you a little something in return?” Adrien purred as a smirk spread across his face. He leaned towards her, and Marinette almost forgot how to breathe. She loved this man with every fiber of her being, and yet he would do something seductive like that and she would pause, thinking, Is this real? Does he really love me as much as I love him? And he showed her all the time, through his actions and words alike, that he really did.
Their lips met in a rough way and Marinette felt the fire in her gut heat up in response to Adrien. She leaned in closer, parting their lips and deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer than they had been a moment before. Marinette’s hands were tangling themselves in Adrien’s hair and she was just about to ask to take this to the bedroom when her phone rang.
The two jumped apart and Marinette quickly answered, trying to keep her heart rate down and her breathing steady.
“Hey Alya, what’s up?”
“We’re still invited tonight, correct? Because if I calculated correctly, I’m in this episode, which makes it automatically the best,” Alya asked, the city loud in the background of the call.
“Of course. You know that if Adrien doesn’t see Nino at least once a week, he’ll keel over and die of heartbreak.” Marinette joked. Both her and Alya laughed as Adrien let out a defensive, “Hey!” which caused the two girls to laugh even more.
“Oh well, we can’t let Sunshine’s heart break.” Alya responded, specifically using the nickname that she knew Adrien hated. Alya claimed that between Adrien’s bright blonde hair and his constant positive disposition that he was more sunshine than human. Marinette found it very appropriate, however, Adrien thought it was too high of a compliment to be applied to him, the black cat and essence of bad luck. He never argued with Alya though, just rolled his eyes and let it be, like he did right then, causing Marinette to giggle once more.
“I’ll text you as we leave my parent’s house and we’ll meet you guys here. The doorman should let you guys in the building, he’s used to seeing you two by now.”
Alya agreed, and the two girls said their goodbyes. Marinette put her phone on the counter after checking the time. “That call was very well timed, we really should be heading out. If we’re late, I think my Papa might pop his top.”
Adrien sighed as well and went to straighten his hair that Marinette had just messed up, “This having to be at places on a timely manner really is ruining my love life,” to which Marinette just laughed.
----------------------------------------------------
The week after Hometowns was aired, Adrien was summoned to a television studio to do a live question and answer episode of the show called “Women Tell All.” All of the girls are invited back, except for Lucie and Marinette, to talk about various things that happened on the show and get the opinions of everyone after having watched it all back on their TVs.
Marinette was grateful Adrien had asked her to come with him. She wanted to see Hanna and Juliette so badly it physically hurt her. The producers had demanded that no one get together or see each other in person until this show, in order to keep the tensions and relationships fresh, even if it was filmed six months before.
She was wearing a casual outfit, and felt very out of place with everyone’s fancy cocktail party dresses. But she knew that the only people who would see her are the other contestants and the backstage crew that passed her hiding spot. She watched the whole thing on a television backstage, and was able to watch Chris Harrison interview and ask the girls what the viewers wanted to know.
As the show began filming, Marinette almost felt more like an outsider rather than a participant in the show. The audience was lively and excited to hear what everyone had to say. Chris started out by interviewing Adrien, asking him about the journey, the ups, the downs, the bloopers, everything. It was exciting to see Adrien relax with Chris and play up certain things to the audience. He was a hit.
Then, Chris brought out all of the girls except for Juliette, who would have her own grand entrance, and Lucie, who wasn’t present. The conversation got heated, especially when the topic of where most of the drama stemmed from came up and all fingers pointed to Lila. Lila, who was paid by the broadcasting station to show up, was there and was the center of almost all of the discussion, as Chris (and truthfully, the viewers) were dying to know what in the world was going through that girl’s head for most of the show. Lila tried to deny all of her involvement in the drama, but a good number of girls, Hanna in the lead, stood up for Marinette, which warmed her heart. It was nice knowing that even after winning, these girls still cared enough for her to defend her on live television.
After Chris reigned in the chaos that Lila had caused, once again, among the girls, they brought out Juliette and asked her about the heartbreaking goodbye that Adrien had given her after Fantasy Suites. Juliette was awesome and Marinette yearned to give her a hug, especially when she teared up remembering how much it hurt to watch that back and have people tell her they wanted her to win. Eventually they brought Adrien back out and he talked with Juliette for the first time since that break up. Juliette handled it like a pro, and Adrien was as gentlemanly as ever.
Finally, Chris was signing off and telling everyone to tune in next week for the dramatic finale and a special live episode called “After the Final Rose,” where all the secrets will be revealed. Marinette had to pause, freaked out that in a week she would be going public about her relationship with Adrien. And on such a grand stage. She heard one of the producers say that they were viewed in every city in France, most of Italy, Germany, and England as well as scattered broadcast throughout the rest of Europe. It was an impressively scary number to consider.
Marinette was broken out of her trance by an all-too-familiar squeal.
“Marinette!”
She whipped around to see both Hanna and Juliette standing together, both looking ecstatic to see her. She let out a squeal of her own and collided with the two of them.
“Oh my gosh I’ve missed you guys so much!” Marinette squealed into Juliette’s shoulder. The girls laughed and echoed her sentiment. As they pulled away, Hanna grabbed her left hand and brought it close to her face.
“Ooooh he did a wonderful job!” Hanna announced, pulled back to show Juliette. Marinette blushed slightly.
“Damn, I would have married him for that ring alone.” Juliette said in a mock serious tone, shooting Marinette a wink, who let out a giggle.
“Just because it isn’t big and magnificent doesn’t mean that it isn’t beautiful. Plus, the two of us know better than anyone else, Marinette isn’t marrying Adrien for his money, and that here is obvious,” Hanna added with a wink.
“Hey!” Marinette protested, cradling her left hand against her chest. “I think it’s perfect.”
The two girls laughed and pulled her in for another hug. “Of course, you do, sweetie, because you’re smitten, that’s just who you are,” Juliette teased with a child-like pat on the head. Marinette giggled against them once more before they dragged her out of her hiding spot and onto the staging area, where the rest of the girls (minus Lila) were waiting. They all cheered for Marinette as she walked out and she blushed an even deeper red than before. They took turns admiring the ring, giving their congratulations and just reminding each other how amazing it is to be together once more.
“Oh, this won’t be the last time you see each other,” Marinette announced over the general chatter, after Alice sighed about how they would never see each other again. After a dramatic pause, Marinette continued, “You’re all invited to our wedding, of course!” The girls laughed and squealed and made plans to meet up at a later time to prepare for the upcoming event.
----------------------------------------------------
Nearly a week later, the day before the “After the Final Rose” special, Marinette was sitting at a coffee shop, mid-morning, sketching absentmindedly in her notebook. She was so engrossed in her work, that she didn’t even notice when someone had walked up beside her until they spoke.
“Beautiful work, as always.” Marinette startled a little, almost spilling her coffee on the design. She whipped her head to find the person she was waiting on.
“Lucie, glad you could make it,” Marinette replied as she closed her sketchbook, hoping to prevent any more almost-spills.
“Of course,” Lucie sat across from her and there was a beat of awkward silence before she spoke again. “I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
“For what?”
“For... reaching out. I was struggling a lot with what happened, and talking real with you made it better.”
“Lucie,” Marinette started, smiling sweetly and gently placing her hand on Lucie’s. “The worst part of the aftermath of the show was knowing how much pain you had to be feeling. I know you felt strongly for Adrien, as much as I did, and I couldn’t imagine what you were going through.” Marinette paused, making sure Lucie was actually listening to her. She wanted her friend to know she meant it.
“Well, I appreciate it. A lot.” Lucie gave her a small smile, and Marinette gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then reached to take another sip of her coffee.
“I would have wanted the same, so it only felt fair.” Lucie gave another sad smile and nodded. Marinette took that as a good sign. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”
Lucie’s head dropped, but she let out a sigh and met Marinette’s eyes. “I am. I know it’s going to be hard, but seeing Adrien again will be nice, and it’ll be good to have everything out in the open once again.”
Marinette nodded, “I feel that. It’ll be good to not be holding in any more secrets.” Except for the other major secret I’ve been hiding almost my whole life. Marinette sighed, rubbing her face with her left hand as her eyes slipped closed. She heard a gasp and her eyes flew open. Glancing down at that hand, she realized that she had forgotten to take off her engagement ring before she left for this public outing. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly slipped it off.
“Is that it?” Lucie asked, snapping out of her funk in a blink of an eye. Marinette nodded and handed the ring over for a closer inspection. “Damn.”
“What?” Marinette asked, slightly alarmed by her reaction.
“It really has been you this whole time.”
“What do you mean?” Marinette whispered, severely confused as Lucie passed the ring back to her and she slipped it into her pocket.
“Watching the show has opened my eyes to the way that Adrien’s relationships existed outside of the bubble I had created for myself. I was beginning to see it, but the ring... that is hard to refute.”
“I—I still don’t get it,” Marinette stuttered, her cheeks turned red with the implication that was inevitably coming.
“You two are truly sole mates, aren’t you? He’s a completely different person with you, and it’s amazing to see how much more he opened up with you than with the others. Something clicked early on with the two of you, and truthfully, none of the rest of us stood a chance.”
“Now that’s not true—”
“No, Marinette, I’m not upset. It—I actually have some closure now that I didn’t before. Adrien tried very hard to truly consider his options, but he found his person. My aunt says that some American sitcom called that ‘finding your lobster.’ I don’t really get it, but she says it with such reverence that it must be what you two did. I respect that. It’s going to make interacting with Adrien tomorrow that much easier.” Lucie nodded like that was the end of the discussion, but Marinette was still trying to process what happened.
“What—wait so you aren’t upset? What just happened here?”
Lucie gave the first genuine smile of the meeting, “I found my peace.”
There was a thoughtful silence as Marinette tried to figure out what to do next. The original reason for their meeting popped into her head and she shook her head to clear it.
“Lucie, there was actually a very good reason for me to meet you here, that didn’t involve you finding peace, although I’m glad that happened, it’s going to make this next part much easier.” Marinette stopped, scrutinizing Lucie’s face to see how she would react. When no alarming emotion appeared, Marinette continued.
“What do you know about Gabriel?”
“Adrien’s father or the company?”
“Both.”
“Not much. The company is popular here in France and other places around the world, chic, and a little pricey. The man is stoic and doesn’t talk much.”
Marinette almost snorted at that last comment but continued on. “What if I told you that your aunt and Gabriel Agreste have had recent business contact?”
Lucie’s jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly, “I would say you’re crazy. My aunt would never be considering doing business with a random French fashion line, no matter how popular. She’s firm on her designs and styles, which are very different from Gabriel’s.”
Marinette felt a sly smile creep across her face as the perfect plan clicked together in her head. “Oh, do I have a story for you.”
Hours later, after eventually having lunch with Lucie as well, Marinette ran home to talk to Adrien. As usual, he was sitting in the kitchen, doing paperwork while eating a sandwich. When she burst through the door, he almost jumped out of his seat.
“Marinette! What are you doing home? Did something happen?”
“Adrien, I figured out how to fix the company’s legal problems with your father and get him off our backs.”
Adrien blanched, “Oh this I have to hear.”
----------------------------------------------------
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Marinette asked, hesitation ringing in her voice. Adrien took a deep breath but nodded. “It’s not too late, just keep that in mind.”
Adrien pulled Marinette closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I think this is the only option we have going forward. It’ll be easier though, with Lucie on our side.”
“She deserved to know. I’m just grateful she took it so well.”
“Mr. Agreste,” a stagehand interrupted and both Adrien and Marinette looked up. “We’re on air in 60.”
“Thanks,” Adrien responded while reluctantly letting go of his fiancée. She straightened his tie and smoothed out his suit as he heard Chris Harrison address the waiting crowd.
“Well, after tonight the secret is out. You will publicly be my fiancée.”
Marinette sighed, “I can’t wait.” She grabbed his head and pulled her down to her level in order for their lips to meet. From somewhere onstage, he heard a crew member countdown from ten and he reluctantly broke off the kiss and turned to face the door he was expected to walk through after being introduced.
“I’m Chris Harrison, and welcome to After the Final Rose Live TV special. Tonight is a night none of us will soon forget. Just prior to the show, we received late-breaking news from Adrien regarding his relationship with Marinette.” The crowd ooohed but Adrien had to try not to laugh at Marinette’s eye roll.
“Yes, because so much has happened between getting engaged and still being engaged.”
Adrien let out a breathy giggle, “It’s just to build the tension.”
“And Lucie, how has her life been after a tearful goodbye almost eight weeks ago. And if that’s not enough, we have an exciting surprise for you, yes you, the viewers.” The crowd broke out in cheers for that. After a beat, Chris continued, “So, where to start tonight? How about the man himself—Adrien Agreste!”
Adrien walked on to the cheers of the crowd. He smiled and waved good naturedly and played along exactly as he was supposed to.
“Adrien,” Chris reached out his hand to shake, which Adrien took.
“Long time no see, Chris.” the crowd laughed as Adrien sat down on the love seat across from him.
“Yes, it does feel like it’s been a while. But tell me, how does it feel, now that the whole world has seen it all?”
“Oh my,” Adrien sighed, “It’s so nice. Marinette and I have been hiding and secretly being together since I proposed and it is just so nice to know that I can walk down the street holding her hand without it making the papers.”
“Well I wouldn’t go that far—” Chris joked, and Adrien couldn’t help but laugh too. Marinette’s and his lives would never be without the press.
“You’re right, that’s more of a pipe dream.”
“Speaking of that proposal, oh my it was amazing.” Adrien was slightly taken aback by the applause that followed, and blushed against his will. “What are your emotions right now, after watching that play out on the screen last night?”
“Honestly, I’ve never been more in love with Marinette than I am right now. Getting to watch the show, our entire love story, played back was such a treat and allowed me to appreciate everything that Marinette went through even more. She is so strong and I meant everything I said and more.” The crowd awed, but Adrien just beamed. He could talk about Marinette for a lifetime.
“Wow, that was beautiful, Adrien. Are you always such a poet?”
Adrien let out a hearty chuckle, “What can I say, Marinette just brings out the best in me.” Another round of awes and applause.
“That’s sweet. I hate to burst your happy bubble, but let’s talk about Lucie.” There was a sudden hush among the crowd. Adrien made sure his expression turned solemn as well. “That was one of the tougher moments of the show, to say goodbye to her.”
“Yeah it really was. After those last dates, I spent some time thinking. I had two amazing girls, who are both beautiful and full of life and both could add such amazing things to my life after the show, but my heart had already made up my mind. I hated having to say goodbye to Lucie, but it just had to be done.”
“When was the last time you had felt emotions like that?”
Adrien paused, trying to remember what he had been feeling. All he can remember is the happiness that was finally proposing to Marinette. He would be expected to be sad, so he played along with it. “The last time I had felt that kind of heartbreak was on the first anniversary of my mother passing. This was a very similar hurt, but for this one I felt like I couldn’t break down and cry. I was the one doing the heart-breaking, so I tried to stay strong for Lucie.”
“But afterwards, did it hit you? That you had just let an amazing woman get away?”
“In a way. Those first couple of days, I would have moments of just pause. I would think about how she was doing and just hoping that she could still be that amazing person that I had the opportunity to meet so long ago.”
“As I’m sure you know, Lucie is backstage right now. Do you have any idea what you’re going to say to her?”
Oh, I have a whole script, “Not really. I’m hoping the words will come when I see her again.”
“Well on that note, please welcome Lucie!” Chris stood and Adrien followed suit as the crowd cheered for Lucie. She looked stunning, as ever and she smiled when she saw Adrien, which made him smile in return. She gave Adrien a hug and then sat down next to him.
“Welcome, Lucie. How are you feeling?”
“Honestly, Chris, I’ve been better. This is a lot to take in, but I’m doing okay considering.”
“What’s it like seeing Adrien again?”
“It’s easier than I thought it was going to be. I haven’t seen Adrien since that last day. I’ve been watching the episodes, and that last one was hard to see. I’ve mostly just wondered what happened between us.”
Adrien made eye contact with Chris, who gave him a small nod, which he took as a go ahead to answer her. “I wish I had a reason for you, I really do. You are an amazing girl, and we got along so well. But in the end, I fell in love with Marinette and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and there just wasn’t anything I could do after that. I hated having to say goodbye to you, especially without a proper answer, but I’m hoping we can still be on good terms.”
“It’s hard to be upset with someone as genuine as you, Adrien. I appreciate you sticking with your heart, and being honest with me here. That’s all I’ve ever asked of you, and I respect your decision. I’ve found my peace, and having watched the whole season back, I’m genuinely happy for you and Marinette.” The crowd applauded once more, and Adrien almost wanted to applaud himself. That had been very well said.
“Lucie, tell us how hard was it to watch all of the different moments you shared with Adrien on TV?”
Lucie laughed, “Funny that you would ask, my family actually was much more upset about the ending than I was. I treasure all of those moments where I got to see the real Adrien and even our last day, where we said goodbye, it was easier knowing that at least the girl he ended up with is amazing. She deserves my utmost respect, and I know that if the roles were reversed, she would have done the same for me.”
“Wait—wait. Back up. You said your family took the breakup harder than you?” Chris asked, shock easily read on his face.
Lucie laughed once more, “Yeah can you believe it? My parents adored Adrien and were already planning on taking him on our next family vacation and my aunt had even planned a trip for Adrien to come visit her in America. She had bought the plane ticket and everything.” Lucie laughed once more, and Adrien couldn’t help but blush.
“Wow, your family was dedicated.”
“Oh, that’s an understatement. I actually recently found out by accident that my aunt, who owns a fashion company in America, had actually been having secret business meetings with Gabriel Agreste. Apparently, when I won and Adrien and I became engaged, they were going to start a partnership and move towards merging the companies. So, as you can imagine, my breakup with Adrien threw a little snag in their plans.”
The entire studio audience broke into whispers and Chris’s jaw dropped. “Are you—are you serious? How in the world did you find that out?”
“Someone close to my aunt’s company approached me with their sympathies, and let slip about the deal going through.”
“Adrien did you know about this?”
“No, I had no idea.” He paused for a second and could feel his Father’s fury building from across the studio. “But, now that I think about it, it makes sense.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, my Father had always seemed to prefer Lucie over Marinette, or any of the girls for that matter. I never understood why. Right at the end, he encouraged me to propose to Lucie, and I just assumed it was because of her knowledge in the fashion industry. We both have been working in the business side of that world and on paper, she was the best fit for my life. I never would have thought that there was anything more.”
“Well, thank you Lucie, for joining us.” Chris said, rather abruptly.
Lucie looked slightly taken aback, but her smile returned quick enough that Adrien thought he was the only one to catch it. “Thank you for having me, this is exactly what I needed.”
Chris turned toward the camera, “You heard it here, Bachelor Nation. We’ll be right back with Adrien, and his new fiancée, Marinette!” The crowd cheered, but Adrien didn’t hear it, as Chris had leaned forward, turning away from the camera and whispered, “Adrien you are required offstage now.” Lucie and Adrien exchanged a look and as soon as time was called, they both went backstage, gathering Marinette on the way.
Gabriel was in a back room, sitting. Adrien couldn’t read his mood and approached him like he would a wild animal, slowly.
“You wanted to see me?”
“What have you done?” Gabriel hissed in response.
“Father—”
“Shut up! You got your little bitch, it wasn’t enough just to stop there? The company, I understand it was going to be yours soon enough anyway, but my credibility? My dignity? How did she find out?”
Lucie stepped forward and for what appeared to be the first time, Gabriel realized there were other people in the room. “You will not talk to Adrien right now. What you did was sick and conniving and despicable. How my aunt could have ever agreed to do business with you is beyond me. But as a mostly impartial outsider, if you don’t step down and get out of Adrien’s way, you won’t have a company to pass on. We may have done some damage, but we did the right thing. You cheated the system and you lost anyway. Just admit defeat, or we can go out and do even more. Marinette told me stories, and I know what else you’ve done. In my opinion you are getting off easy.” And with that, Lucie turned on her heel and stormed out.
Marinette stared baffled after her and, with a quick glance at Adrien, she handed him the file she had been holding and followed her out of the room.
Adrien stood before his Father, who for the first time in Adrien’s life looked disheveled, and felt nothing for this man. He was upset that he had given so much of his time and love to this statue who couldn’t even recognize when he’d been defeated. “Sign these papers. We’re changing the name. We’re changing the way things are done. And more importantly. we’re accepting Marinette with open arms. She is my Emile, and if for some ungodly reason I lose her before we’ve lived a full life, I hope I don’t ever become as loveless and as cold as you.”
Adrien left the papers on the table and followed the girls out the door.
He found them right off of the stage, where they could still hear the commercials coming through. Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lucie.
“I am so sorry, Adrien. I don’t know what came over me. I just got so fired up for everything he had done to you and to me and to this show. I bubbled over and I hope it didn’t do too much damage.”
Adrien couldn’t help but smile. “You were perfect. I think you got through him better than I ever could. Thank you for your kind words and for being so amazing about this.” Lucie attacked him with a hug and Adrien felt his heart swell.
“I hope I can find something like you two have,” Lucie announced when they broke apart.
“You will,” Marinette said, stepping up and giving Lucie a hug as well.
A loud voice called from onstage, effectively breaking up their huddle, “Ten seconds to live!”
“Please stay in touch!” Adrien called to Lucie as he was herded onto the set. She nodded and turned once again towards Marinette as Adrien plopped down onto the love seat. This second half should be easier.
----------------------------------------------------
“Welcome back Bachelor Nation! It has been a whirlwind of a night. We’ve checked in with our Bachelor, we’ve checked in with Lucie, and we’ve checked in with France’s hottest couple, Marinette and Adrien, but what is the big surprise? Let’s find out.”
“Marinette, Adrien, all of those in the studio audience and the viewers at home all around Europe have been on pins and needles—scratch that even I’ve been on pins and needles waiting to know what this big surprise is. Will you please tell us already!”
Adrien and Marinette laughed, “Okay okay, we’ll tell you.”
“So, as you all know,” Marinette started, “Adrien and I are getting married.” Cheers from the studio audience. “And you know that Adrien and I love each other and are just ready to start living our lives together.”
“And with that being said, we want to tell you that we are indeed getting married—” Adrien paused for dramatic effect.
“In a month!” The two said together. The crowd went wild.
“And the best part is,” Marinette shouted over the glee, “everyone’s invited!” The crowd went crazy again, and it took Chris a couple of minutes to calm it all down.
“How does that work, exactly?” Chris asked, once everyone could hear again.
“Our wedding is going to be aired, live on television!” Adrien announced. He sounded as giddy as a child on Christmas.
“All of the viewers have been a part of our love story for so long, we wanted to make sure no one got left out. The ceremony will be filmed with exclusive behind the scenes features that you wouldn’t be able to see in person and the reception will be aired as well! All of the girls will be there and my best gal, Alya is going to be my witness!”
“Well what a surprise that is!” Chris said amongst the cheers that would never end. “Congratulations, you two! Everyone is invited to a Bachelor Wedding, a month from today. We’ll release more info as the time draws near. Have a great night, Bachelor Nation!” The cheers and excitement of the crowd continued, even as the credits began to roll.
“Are you really watching that again?” A voice said from behind her, causing Alya to jump.
“Ahh! Nino! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Alya screamed as she clutched her heart and collapsed deeper into the couch.
“Babe, I’ve been in the house the whole time. At least I waited until the end to judge your 73rd watching of that episode. I learned my lesson.”
Alya flinched slightly, remembering how much she had yelled at Nino the last time he interrupted her mid-episode. “I said I was sorry.” All she got in return was a non-committal hum. “Look, our Marinette found the love of her life and we got to experience it with her the whole time, and then again as we watched the episodes. It’s beautiful, I love to be reminded of their true love.”
Nino just snorted. “More like you love you being on national television.”
“Hey now! They are starting to show our season in America as well, so it’s actually international television.” Nino just rolled his eyes.
“Whatever you say, babe. But if you don’t go get ready now, we’re going to miss the rehearsal dinner, and I heard a rumor there may be cameras there too.”
Nino had never seen Alya get ready so quickly.
~~~
This is the LAST CHAPTER and then the Epilogue! Hope you all enjoyed this story! We just wanted to say thanks for coming along with us!
There is an idea we have for a sequel, so let us know if you would like that to happen!!
@momor3202
@legendaryneckjudgestudent
@discoveringmiraculouswriters
@adrianarfox
@verooquieremimir
@jeminiikrystal
#can i steal you for a second#ml fanfic#ml fic#MLB#miraculous ladybug#Marinette Dupain-Cheng#Adrien Agreste#ml ladybug#ml ladynoir#Ayla Cesaire#ml bachlelor au#ml bachelor#ml au#The Bachelor#bachelor! Adrien#chat noir#plagg#ml tikki#tikki#tikki and plagg#ao3#ao3 work#original content#original characters#Chris Harrison#Lila Rossi#Gabriel Agreste
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Chapter 30
CAMILA
Today is my best friend's wedding. Jessica and Matthew are finally tying the knot. The first time she was with Matt I never got to meet him but Jess always spoke highly of him. When they announced that they were having a baby, I was shocked beyond belief. Matt proposed to her the first Christmas holiday that we all spent together so their love story is somewhat traditional. Which was all Jessica’s mother wanted for her. They chose to hold off on the wedding until their little girl was old enough to walk and talk. Now that the day has finally come everything is moving so fast.
I got the girls and the baby up kind of early because we needed to be at the beach house by a certain time. Matt and Andre are making last minute trips to the different venues we have reserved to ensure this day will be as hassle free as possible. Jessica and Matt didn’t want to spend a fortune on a location plus extra wedding costs so Andre and I offered them the beach house as an introduction to their wedding presents from us.
Although today is about celebrating the love of my best friend and future brother-in-law, it’s also another day of grieving for my family. Karissa passed away on January 2nd at the hands of Chris. After that fight between the guys, our relationship with Karissa was strained. She didn’t call as often as she used to but I know there were other reasons for that. There was tension coming from all sides but Zoe was the only person to keep us together as friends/co-parents. Chris filed charges against both Andre and I, and came at us hard but Paz managed to bypass jail time for Andre so I’m very relieved. Dre is never again allowed to purchase a weapon of any kind and that’s a court order. His gun license was revoked and shredded in front of everyone in the courtroom. Luckily for the safety of our family, I still have a few guns locked away.
Zoe went to stay with her mother for the remainder of the holidays and she was then able to meet Chris. Andre threw a huge fit and went off because he didn’t want Zoe breathing the same air that Chris did. However, Karissa really wanted to spend time with their daughter so Andre had no choice but to push aside his personal hatred for Chris to keep the peace. Zoe called home on her second day in Texas to tell me that Chris made her feel uncomfortable. She and I spoke thoroughly about her feelings towards him and once she felt a little more at ease, so did I.
Two days after that, Zoe called again saying that she hid from Chris when he stopped by her mom’s house. For three hours she hid in a closet so he wouldn’t find her. When she called later that same day once Kari had returned from work, she was really missing home. Zoe said she was so afraid of Chris that she didn’t want to be around him any longer. I had Zoe put her mom on the phone so I could talk to her directly about everything that happened so far. She kept saying that Zoe was just exaggerating but I knew better. I sensed a lot of fear and uncertainty in Karissa’s voice when we spoke. She tried and failed to pull the wool over my eyes regarding Zo’s feelings about her man.
I was mature and kept the conversation respectful because I didn’t want to offend Karissa or bring about unnecessary drama. Now the fourth time Zoe called me just in the first week of her being in Texas, I made Andre go and get her. He took the first flight out to Dallas at midnight to get our little girl. Zoe was a mess when she called me. She was crying so much and she sounded so broken. Lately I’ve been teaching the girls about their body and which parts do what, being as they’re growing up and their bodies are approaching the pubescent stage in life. They understand all of what I’ve taught them so far. They also understand that it’s not okay for anyone to touch them intimately for a long, long time.
Andre didn’t let me know when he landed in Dallas. I more so got that text the following night. He, as I, was enraged when Zoe told him what happened at her moms. He was so pissed that he beat the shit out Chris but didn’t kill him surprisingly. Andre and Karissa had an emotional blow out. Zoe called to talk to Kenja and I while the fight was happening and I couldn’t believe what I heard. Chris touching Zoe inappropriately introduced all of us to a new side of Andre that not even I knew he had. Andre filed for sole custody of Zoe being that he no longer felt she would be safe with Karissa. I stood by Andre through the whole ordeal for the sake of Zoe’s health, state of mind and safety.
When Dre and Zoe finally returned home, he didn’t let her out of his sight. Andre apologized every hour on the hour hoping to take Zo’s pain away and makeup for what happened. About a week later of being glued to her dad’s hip, Zoe eventually gravitated towards me. I was saddened that she was apologizing for such an event that she did not orchestrate nor deserve. She kept asking why Chris touched her in places she didn’t like and I couldn’t even answer. Me being the super emotional woman I am, I struggled with not having a breakdown over that whole situation. She and I had a lengthy and emotional discussion. I ensured her several times over that what Chris did was in no way her fault. No girl should feel ashamed for being touched in such a way they don’t agree to.
When news broke that Chris murdered Karissa, Dre went ape shit. He loved Karissa in a much different way that I was fine with. She’ll always be the mother of his first child so the value she held to his life is different from mine. Chris received a life sentence for first degree murder and child molestation with no chance of parole. When it came time for the funeral Andre and Zoe were a wreck. Kenja and I stepped back to give Andre and Zoe some time to grieve the way they needed to.
Zoe didn’t understand where her mom was going nor the purpose of death. Karissa didn’t want to be buried so we had her cremated like she wished to be. Her ashes are now at the house with us. Any time Dre goes to be with what’s left of her, he loses himself. He doesn’t cry nor does he speak. Instead he goes to a different place for at least an hour every other day.
Zoe has been dealing with her mother’s death in a very strange way. For some reason Zoe doesn’t like for Karissa to be addressed as her mother anymore. She’s mad and deeply hurt that Karissa didn’t believe her when she said Chris made her uncomfortable. I ask Zoe why she no longer wants ties to Kari and her reply always makes me tear up. “You’re my mommy. Not her..” are her exact words. Clearly, I’ve been a mother to her ever since Dre and I started raising the girls together but now it’s like I’m the only mother she’s ever had. She doesn’t even go near Karissa’s ashes. Instead she always tries to throw the urn away. Dre and Zoe have argued about what to do with Karissa’s remains. Zoe hates her mother for not believing in her. She’s so angry but when I remove her from around the urn, she settles down.
“Mamá,” Kenja announced.
Turning over on my side I removed my headphones as we made eye contact. “Sí bebé?”
“Jorden está llorando.” Kenja said, eating a sandwich that Jess made her.
Getting out of bed I went over to where Kenja sat and lifted Jorden out of his bassinet feeling bad that I wasn’t listening out for him. I changed him twice before putting him down to sleep so he must be ready to eat now. I walked over the bed, getting comfortable to feed him. Unbuttoning my jersey, I tossed my hair behind my back. Jorden found me before I had the chance to lift him higher up. His hand cupped my right shoulder as his fingers searched around for my hair. I think he’s starting to find comfort and enjoyment out of playing in my hair while he’s feasting. Airily I started giggling, presenting my unkempt hair to occupy his busy little hands.
“Oh Jorden Ali Maree, eres siempre jugando con mi cabello al igual que tu padre. Pero está bien.” I laughed some more at how excited Jo is to play with my hair.
“Camila! Something is wrong! It’s not fitting!” I heard Jess cry from upstairs.
Laughing at her struggles I got out of bed, pushing my feet into my slippers. “Vamos Kenja..” I called her. She and I reached the third floor finding Zoe laid out on the bed stuffing her face with bananas.
“Chica perezosa.” Kenja taunted her, going to snag a banana for herself.
“I am not.” Zoe retaliated after Kenja unpeeled her banana only to break off a piece and shove it in her mouth.
“Aren’t you supposed to be helping tia?” I asked, heading for the bathroom.
“I was but then I got hungry so she said I can have a break. Is he almost done? I want to play with him.” Zoe followed me into the bathroom trying to get a good look at the baby. He’s not worried about anything but my hair and left breast.
“Let him finish eating mi amor and then you can have him.” Pausing my steps I shook my head as Jessica tried to inch herself further into this slip that goes underneath her gown. “Wow, that slip cost an even two-fifty and you’re laying on the floor with it.” I muttered, lifting Jorden higher.
Jess rolled over on her stomach to scowl at me. “Don’t start with me bruja. I need the slip to fit and I need one now. You think maybe Matt will go and pick up another for me?”
Nodding assuringly I occupied space on the new rug Andre bought for this bathroom with Zoe next to me. The two of us occupied our time until I heard the door open. Having a strange feeling I pulled Jorden off my breast and fixed my appearance. He began to cry and fuss and while I hate to interrupt him I want to check out who's all here.
“Hold him for a minute, please.” With Jess keeping the kids I was able to sneak off downstairs to see who was here. I even managed to get my gun out of my purse just in case. I quietly crept down the stairs and up to the entrance of the kitchen. I can’t tell if the person was Andre or not based on the fact that I can’t see any tattoos.
The guy leaned over to set the bridesmaids gowns on the counter giving up his identity.
“Stop.” I demanded.
He turned around and when I locked eyes with Andre I took off my slippers to hurl them at his head.
“Aye girl, watch it.” He snickered, situating the gowns so they didn’t fall on the floor.
“What the hell did I tell you about sneaking around like that?! It’s not funny. I didn’t even know it was you.” I argued strongly.
“So you’re gonna shoot me? You’re like three years and many opportunities too late baby.” He joked, pushing his hat off and set his belongings on the counter.
“You can do better than that. Our kids and my best friend are upstairs, you could’ve been anybody so yeah I brought my gun.” I grumbled.
“Hey, I’m not knocking your instincts. I'll tell you how sexy you look holding a gun?” He smiled, standing right in front of me.
“All the time.” I nodded, tucking my gun in the back of my pants. With the safety still on I greeted Dre with the same amount of love I always do.
“You miss me?” He asked, kissing my cheek and resting his hands on my hips.
“Claro que si, amor. How did it go with the priest and the caterers?” Dre and I discussed little details of the wedding we are responsible for. “Does everyone have the address to get here? I don’t want anyone getting lost and being late or not showing up at all.”
“Everything is fine, Camila. I made some calls to make sure everyone knew to come here. Go get those dresses upstairs, the other ladies should be here soon.”
Getting out of his hold I went to grab the stack of dresses. I carried the gowns upstairs and into the room on the second floor. I hung the bags up in the closet, turning each one around so the name cards can be easily read. Dre met me upstairs and headed straight for the girls.
“Hi daddy.” They greeted at once jumping on his lap.
“What’s up little ones? Zo you have something on your face.” Andre picked at Zoe’s chin, wiping his hand on his favorite pocket square.
“It’s just a banana.” She mumbled laying on his chest.
Hearing the baby act up I went to the bathroom to find Jess and him on the floor. She was kissing his feet and playfully moving his legs about in the air. Sometimes Jo really is like his dad. He gets upset when I’m not around. Especially since I interrupted his fourth meal of the day.
“He acts just like his father, ay bendito! Moody and unpredictable.” Taking a seat opposite of Jess I finger brushed through his hair, rubbing his scalp simultaneously.
Jorden looked up at me blankly not realizing who I am being that I’m upside down.
“Mi angelito.” Bending over to kiss his lips I felt his hands attempt to grab onto my face. Deciding to play a little game with him, I leant forward to kiss different areas of his face and backed away before he could touch me. “You think this is funny don’t you?” I grinned, feeling someone touch my lower back. I looked back to see Dre removing the gun from my jeans to tuck it away in his own. “Sorry..I forgot to put it away.” After apologizing sincerely I returned to catering to my baby. “You kiss better than your daddy.” Turning the blanket around I held onto Jo’s hands and stood him up on his feet. Bringing him closer I hooked my hands beneath his underarms and laid him back on my legs.
“No he doesn’t.” Dre scoffed sitting on the floor beside me. Jorden looked over to Dre and giggled as loud as he could. “Yeah you know I’m right. But don’t you worry Imma teach you all my tricks when you get older. I’ma teach you how to be a man and how to pull all the ladies.” Dre toyed around with Jo leaving me to go help Jess with her hair and makeup.
As I was curling the front side of Jessica's hair I heard cars pulling up and people talking.
“Baby, go see who’s here so I can finish helping Jess. Please.” I plead kindly. Dre nodded and stood up from the floor with the baby in his arms. He walked out of the room and left Jo with the girls before jogging downstairs. “How are you feeling about all this? You’re getting married today. Are you excited?” I pressed on, pinning her curls up so the heat would set them well.
“I’m really excited. I never saw myself as the wife type, you know that. It’s scary though knowing the entire state of California will recognize us as husband and wife but I’m excited and I’m ready. This day seems unreal.” Jess spun the chair around so I could work on the back of her head.
--------- -------
All of the guests are here at the beach house now and it is hectic! People at every turn, kids running around like they have no common sense and the men making today all about them. Us girls are on the second floor getting hair and makeup done. The men are upstairs doing the same but with loud ass music seeping into the lower levels of the house. We had to close our door just to drown them all out. Everything for the ceremony is set up and the reception venue is prepped as well too. Jess and the stylist were prepping the bridesmaids’ hair and makeup. I moved over to the couch on the far wall to help my girls get ready. I tried to get the baby to spend some time with his grandparents but he didn’t want to leave me. So he’s up here with all of us ladies.
Some of the women have their bridesmaids robes on and some are testing out the bras Jess had specially made for us. The bras are beautiful and very expensive. I was the first to try mine on since I’m the maid of honor and I helped Jess pick out the color scheme for the bras. I’m scared mine is gonna break and I'll have to go braless because of how heavy my chest is now. After two babies and fully developing at a young age, I carry a lot of weight with these bad boys. The fabric is very lightweight and the material is sheer combined with lace detail. It’s a beautiful piece of lingerie but I’m just worried that I won’t be able to wear mine. A hard knock on the hard drew one of the woman's attention but most of us kept on with what we were doing.
“Mommy, it won’t tie.” Zoe whined, turning around so I could tie her bow.
I successfully made her a pretty bow and adjusted the flowers within her braid. The girls wanted their hair done too so I gave in. Kenja’s hair is straighter than you can imagine. Today was the first time she’s ever had heat pressed to her hair and I was a little nervous for the stylist to touch her hair. Kenja’s curl pattern is so pretty; I’m anxious to see how her hair will bounce back after today.
“Kenja, baby...come here. Your bow is messed up.” Motioning her over to me I turned her around to fix the bow so it was perfect.
“Mom, where’s papa?” Kenja asked, sitting down next to me and taking the baby to sit in her lap.
“Upstairs with the groomsmen getting ready.” I yawned.
“Your face is really fat Jorden. But it’s ok, you’re so cute.” Kenja giggled from beside me. I glanced at her funny only to find her squeezing Jorden’s cheeks like he was some kind of toy.
“Kenja be careful. He’s just a baby and his skin is a lot more sensitive than yours.” I warned defensively.
“Se pero le gusta esto.” Kenja defended pridefully. She continued to mess with her brother’s face, making the both of them laugh.
“Girl, why aren’t you dressed yet?” Tanya asked me suddenly. I looked to my right to see her slipping into her dress.
“I had to get my girls and the baby ready T. And besides I’m enjoying this time to sit back and relax.” I chuckled, throwing my body back on the couch.
“Well here..just in case someone has to come in.” Tanya handed me my robe and I graciously accepted it to warm myself up. This bra is not something you wear when your nipples are hard and you’re surrounded by so many people.
“Aw no, you can’t come in here. You see all these women getting dressed. Get out!” I heard Charise say loudly.
Looking up from Kenja’s lap I saw Charise and Andre going back and forth with laughter mixed into their conversation. Leaving the girls on the couch I politely walked through the women in the room and over to the door.
“I just wanted to talk to my lady. Why are you blocking Charise?” Andre argued with his hand over his heart.
“Thank you for handling his entry but I will take care of his exit.” Palming his chest I pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind me. “Que quieres, Andres?”
“I missed you. Let me see what you have on.” Andre pried his hands into my robe, fiddling with the bra clasp, and completely snapped both halves of it open. I quickly cupped my breasts to prevent them from spilling out of this bra.
“Thanks so much.” I muttered, closing my brassiere and adjusting the clasp.
“This bra is gorgeous. You gonna wear this for me someday?” He smiled, stepping closer to me.
Closing my robe I disagreed, “hell no. I cannot imagine the damage you would do to this bra in a private setting. Seriously, what did you want?”
“How’s Zo doing today?”
“Oh, um...she seems to be in good spirits. Kind of like nothing ever happened.” Looking him in the eye I felt my heart strings being tugged on. I know he hates when I give him that answer but it’s the truth and those are Zoe’s feelings. She’s a big girl now and she understands what it means to feel negatively towards a person, place, or object. Karissa hurt Zoe in an emotional sense and it’ll be a long time before Zo forgives her mother. If she even reaches that point.
“Really? She seems happy? I don’t think she’ll ever talk to me about what really happened. I don’t think she’ll ever trust me enough or feel comfortable enough to open up about any of it. Camila, I’m never going to be able to get over her dea-”
“Don’t go there right now. Today is not about us or our problems, you hear me?” Cupping his chin in my hand I lifted his face and searched his eyes. “As far as Zoe goes, you just have to be patient. I know it hurts that she hasn’t come to you about what she went through but remember that she’s just a little girl. She’s still feeling guilty and embarrassed. Zoe doesn’t know how to talk to you about this. Just give her time and don’t pressure her to open about it.” I advised.
He gave me a reluctant head nod and leaned down to kiss me. I don’t want to think about Chris, what he did to our daughter or Karissa no longer being with us. This day is about Matthew and Jessica solidifying their bond in front of our friends and family. There aren’t a whole lot of celebrations we partake in as a family. With that being said I want us to take full advantage of this day to smile, laugh, dance, and enjoy the moments that are on the horizon. In order to occupy his mind with happy thoughts I engulfed him in my arms, passionately displaying my love for him.
I quickly realized that we’re standing in the hallway and need to have more privacy. Pushing him off of me I checked to make sure no one was watching. I followed him into the room that was just across the hall. He swept me off my feet the second I crossed over the threshold. He carried me over to the chair gently setting me down. I’m not sure what Dre wanted to happen but like always I just let my mind float elsewhere. My robe came open in seconds, shorts came off in milliseconds and so he rightfully took his position in front of me.
Usually he likes to fuck around beforehand or talk to me while he warms me up. This is unlike the other times clearly. The strands of his hair nestled against my fingers tickled my hands just enough to force delicate laughter up my throat. Before I could open my mouth I heard rustling close by.
“Aw yes, Meah..”
Opening my eyes I looked over at the bathroom door and then down at Andre ready to question him. He’s still pursuing me with no regard to what’s happening up here. My thighs are fully covering his ears so he has no idea what I’m hearing. I softened at the awe-inspiring ability he has to blow my mind. My chest and legs quivered from his actions meanwhile my heart rate is steadily soaring to new heights. He’s developed a list of tricks that will surely cause one of many things to happen: I cry, convulse, shiver,or scream random shit that he likes to hear. In this case I opted for a faint cry and moan paired with some involuntary shivering. One of my favorites of his emergency traps is when he’ll encompass my clitoral hood with his mouth while dragging the pad of his thumb up my perineum down to my anus. His actions matched my thoughts, forcing me to forget about the noise I keep hearing. Careful not to rip this bra with my nails I squeezed and carressed various regions of my own body.
“Well Meah..I think I found your teacher. Or master I should say, demonstrating the greatest lesson of all time.”
Looking over at the bathroom door I saw Meah and NaTasha watching with proud smiles on their faces. Seeing as the flashbacks from the past are coming back I placed my hands on Dre’s head, trying and wanting him to stop. “Babe..stop.” I panicked.
“No.” Dre shot back with attitude, holding on tighter.
Trying to move back from him I found myself craving for him to finish me already. My cheeks were flushed with pleasure and embarrassment but as all times in the past and right now, he’s pleasing me just the way I like.
“Oh mierda..” I cried aloud. The conscious half of me wishes for him to cease this moment but the needy half of me is saying to just enjoy this before it ends. When he got the response from my mouth and body that we both love, I was quick to close my legs. My face contorted in all sorts of ways feeling my own cum rubbing all over my thighs. Sitting up in the chair I covered the top portion of my body with my robe. Some shield is better than none at all.
“You are a magnificent teacher.” Meah laughed, making me blush so much more.
Andre wiped his mouth, finally turning around only to blush at the sight of our audience.
“How long have y'all been standing there?” He asked not able to wipe the cheesy smile off of his face.
“Enough to realize I took some great advice. She tried to stop you twice but you just seemed like you were doing such a great job.” Meah teased leaning on Tasha’s body.
“How much did you two hear from us?” Tasha spoke up wrapping an arm around Meah’s waist.
“Not a whole lot but enough to know what was going on.” I shrugged innocently.
“Well this felt like an unplanned orgy. How long were y’all in there?” Andre rose to his feet, going to retrieve my shorts. I hurriedly accepted them and left the room to make myself decent.
“Oh my god.” I gasped quietly and to myself. Meah and her wife just witnessed Andre and I during a very private moment. Honestly, I’d rather relive today a hundred times over than the day my father barged in on us years ago. Upon leaving the bathroom I saw the three of them looking at me. I tried to leave but Andre wasn’t having it.
“Let me go. I have to go get ready.” I blushed, hiding my face.
“I know.” He laughed and kissed my forehead. The girls left us, providing us true privacy.
The flood of embarrassment hit me again prompting me to punch him in his chest, moderately rough.
“What did I do?” He scoffed.
“I tried pushing you off so you’d stop because they were watching but no..you were too focused.” I argued, tightening the robe strings once more.
He laughed and tried to kiss me but I blocked him.
“That was embarrassing. We’ve already had my dad walk in on us and now your assistant and her wife.” This is all fun and games for him. He’s still chalking up chuckles like I’m telling him a joke. “Stop laughing, it’s not funny!” Leaving him behind I locked myself in the room with the bridesmaids and the kids to focus on myself now. Now the time has come for us to get ready.
ANDRE
Tightening my tie I looked at myself in the mirror.
“How in the hell did you manage to mess these up?” Matt griped. Looking briefly to the side I shrugged like I’m clueless as to what he’s talking about. “I know you heard me speaking to you. What happened to my sweatpants man?”
“I doubt you really want to know.” I said plainly.
“I’m never again letting your nasty ass borrow my shit. You’re foul Dre, foul.” He shoved me to get past and continue getting ready.
Camila wound up in our room, keeping me company until it came time to begin the ceremony. Jorden coincidentally erupted in tears as it’s time for the bridesmaids and groosmen to line up. My mom was able to get Jo settled with a bottle and no Camila. The walk outside seemed to take a toll on me because as Cam and I went to our assigned places I felt myself missing her. Although she’s standing less than a hundred feet away from me, she feels so far away. I hope Cam and I can find the right time to get our wedding plans together soon because I’m ready. I’m so ready to take the next step in our relationship. I’ve come to terms that this woman is the best partner I’ve ever had without question.
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