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lunacat777 · 2 years

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Part 3/Final Mission: Songbird (Simon “Ghost” Riley)

Hello, hope everyone is enjoying the series, I just decided to repúlalos due to some HTLM issues and text but here it is. Warned you it was a slow burner but I think it’s worth it for the end.

Warning: 18+ only, mention of violence

Chapter 5:

Burning

The next morning we were ready to move out. Soap, Alejandro, and Rudy all head out to scope out the village to see if Alacranes are around. I stayed behind with Simon. I gave him back his cloak. He takes it and I see his arms. His veins are prominent, bulging out of his skin because of his muscles. On his left arm he has a tattoo sleeve. His arms are so attractive. They tense as he holds his rifle tight.

“You focused?” He breaks my thoughts.

“Yes,” I lied.

He stares at me. He knows. Shit.

Ghost gets terrifyingly close and I step back against the wall. He towers over me.

“I want to get you out of here alive. It’s more than just the mission now.”

“What?” I was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Before he answers, Soap appears at the door.

“The coast is clear. Everything alright?” He noticed that LT was towering over me.

“Yeah,” Ghost says. “Making sure she understands to stay low.”

We leave the distillery and climb into the very same small beat up Toyota truck from the gas station. Rudy is driving and Alejandro stays up front. Simon was on my left and Soap on my right. Simon’s thigh bumps into mine. I lean on him slightly. He doesn’t flinch or adjust, he lets me.

I’m tired. The last two nights have been restless and the constant need to move was catching up to me. I fall asleep.

The road started to feel bumpy and I awoke. My head was laying on Simon’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” I say standing up straight.

Simon didn’t say anything but Soap gave me a sly smile.

“Catching up on your beauty sleep?” Soap asked. “Ghost’s quite the softy, you’ll come to find out.”

We arrived at Alejandro’s home that night. It’s a one story home on a hill that overlooks farmland. It’s gated but hidden away by the large trees. It has red brick shingles and beige walls, covered by red vine-like flowers. It seems simple but it’s gorgeous and quent. A large wooden door leads into the parlor.

The room I’m staying in is a master room. A king sized bed stands tall against the wall. Lying against the headboard are mountains of the fluffiest pillows I’ve ever seen and covered satin sheets. Across the entrance stands two double french doors that lead into a balcony and I can see the canopy of the forest outside. A storm is rolling in. The sun’s rays peak through the cracks of the darkened clouds.

Alejandro, Rudy, and Soap decide that Simon should take the first watch. As they leave, Alejandro and Soap give Ghost a playful look.

Simon is standing outside of the bedroom door.

“I’m gonna shower,” I tell him.

“Alright, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t you need to have eyes on me at all times?”

“Guess I do.”

He follows me into the room and closes the door behind him. I walk into the bathroom through its arched entryway. It has no door. It’s a luxurious open bathroom with a glass box shower at the center. On the left side there’s a double sink and a large mirror that extends from one wall to another. I look at myself. My face looks a little puffy, my eyes are dark and heavy, and my skin looks greasy. This is what I’ve looked like all these days? I think.

A small crystal chandelier drapes over the ceiling. I opened the shower door and turned it on. I turned around to see Simon had situated himself on the lounge chair that sat right across the room. He was looking at me with exciting speculation, gripping the arms chairs tightly.

I began to undress slowly for his enjoyment. Who knows when the last time was when he had a little bit of fun. I take off the clip that holds up my hair, letting it cascade over my shoulders. I lift up my shirt exposing my bra. I slowly unravel my pants and kick them away. Maybe this is too much, I think.

“Keep going,” Simon says. His words ripple through the air and take hold of me. It ignites me in a way I’ve never been.

I unclip my bra, exposing my breasts. I can hear the arm chairs crunch from underneath his strong hands. I’m already wet thinking about what they feel like on my hips and neck. I bend over to take off my underwear. My spine tightens and I start feeling nervous. I ran away and hopped into the shower.

COWARD! I thought. How stupid! Why did I do that? This situation was moving faster than I had anticipated.

I move closer to the hot stream of water and let it run over my head. I wanted Simon more than ever and I could feel myself grow warm, aching.I hear the door open behind me. I don’t turn. His face! I was scared to turn around, finally revealing his secret. I could feel his naked body come closer to my own. His hands wrap around my waist pulling me into him. He begins to gingerly kiss my neck. I can feel him slowly thrust his hips into me, pressing his hard cock onto my backside. I hang onto his muscular arms and move with his rhythm. He continues blessing my skin with his lips. His left hand creeps up to my chest and begins to caress my breasts. The other hand finds my clit and begins to pleasure me.

I can’t help it anymore and I turn to face him.

He’s handsome. Early thirties and scruffed up. His hair is short military style, charcoal black,and disheveled from the long days of wearing his balaclava. Though he looked roughed up he was generously gorgeous. He had strong features which contemplated his eyes. I could see his arm tattoo on his left arm extended up his shoulder and into his chest. Veins peek through his chiseled muscles.

He leans in and begins to kiss me passionately, grabbing my face with his large rough hands. Instinctively, I grab his cock and stroke it. Simon groans. The black shadow washes off his eyes.

His voice becomes more baritone and gentle. His cock is long and thick. It’s dangerously ample. I could feel it pulse in my hands as I caress it. He slams me into the wall but not enough to hurt. He starts kissing me again, ravenously, all over and leads down to my chest. Simon wraps his mouth around my breast, using his tongue to play with my aerola. His other hand finds it’s way to my clit. I desperately reach out to something as great elation washes over me. I grab onto his back and feel his muscles flex.

“I want to taste you,” he says in my ear. He picks me up so effortlessly, wrapping my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck. We head over to the bed.

The storm has rolled in and the balcony doors are wide open. Booom! Thunder and the lights go out. But the full moon showers us with iridescent silver light. He sets me on the bed gently and starts kissing my neck and collarbone. electricity is running through me. He starts to go down when…

“Wait!” I panic. “I’ve never had collingus before.”

“I’ll be gentle,” his voice is deep.

Simon goes down on me. His tongue is magnificent! As his tongue explored the crevices of my cunt he caressed my breasts all at the same time. His scruff scrapes against the inner skin of my thighs.

“You taste like a peach, darling,” he stands up. He starts to crawl atop of me when I stop him.

“Lie down,” I demand. He’s stunned by the sudden order but follows willingly.

I climb between his legs, bring myself down onto his cock and begin to pleasure him with my mouth. He lets out a soft groan. I play with the shaft of his cock with the tip of my tongue.

“Bloody hell,” he gripes. I giggle.

Simon grabs a fistful of my hair and he thrusts himself into my throat. I take it and feel his large membrane pulsating.

“I have to be inside you,” He sits up and brings my face up to him for a kiss. I straddle him, letting his cock finally submerge inside me. I yelp.

“You okay?” Simon asked concerningly.

I nod. “It’s bigger than I thought.”

“Oh, just you wait.”

He grips my hips and begins to guide me up and down his cock. I straddle him faster. He moans. Oh god, his moans. We both speed up. I wrap my arms around his neck and he pulls me in close. We both catch fire, enjoying the pleasure from this forbidden copulation.

Simon uses his right arm to lift me up and lays me on my back. As he finds his way on top of me, he slips it back in so effortlessly.

“You feel fucking fantastic,” he grunts. “You’re my girl, alright? I'm gonna keep you safe.”

I can’t speak. The feeling is so gratifying and holds me tightly that words cannot formulate in my mind.

He goes slow at first but as soon as he feels my cunt dripping wet he starts to fuck me hard. The sound of heavy rain and thunder washes out our sounds of midnight passion. Simon is ravenous for me and rams me with his cock. I bounce underneath him with every thrust and breathing in the rapture. He has a tight grip on me as if I were to slip away. I run my fingers through his hair and he buries his face into my neck. His hot breath nuzzles my skin. I can’t help but dig into his skin. His arms, back, and thighs. His moans are a big turn on and a loud one escapes my lips. He covers my mouth as he continues plowing into me.

“Good girl. Sounds like you’re almost there.” He thrusts harder. “You have to be quiet, though. Don’t want to give us away, right?”

“No,” I exclaim.

He growls again and my moans threaten to escape from my lips.

“Are you going to cum for me, Rosie?” He whispers in my ear.

I nod.

“I want you to say it.”

“Yes,” I whimper.

“Yes, what?”

“Please make me cum.”

“Good girl.”

He goes harder. My eyes begin to water not from pain but from pleasure. My toes curl. I’ve never felt this before. I hold onto his arms for dear life as he fills me with ecstasy. He’s going fast and I feel myself being stretched out. He’s hitting my G-spot. I tense up as I feel myself coming closer and closer. A moan escapes my lips and it turns him on. I explode in euphoria. I quake underneath him.

“That’s my girl,” he goes harder.

The euphoria doesn’t stop, it stretches to each part of my body. I’m in heaven. I scratch at his arms. He grunts with each thrust until he stops. I am still shaking.

I’m out of breath and so is he. Simon looks into my eyes. All this time that I thought he looked at me with disdain, in actuality, he looked at me with admiration.

“Simon.” I say his name.

“Rosie.” He kisses me. “I’m not done with you, yet.”

“What?” I was aghast. How much more can this man have?

He stands at the edge of the bed. The 6’4” man gently wraps his hands around my ankles and tugs me toward him. He turns me over and has me lay on my stomach. Simon props me up in a way that I’m on all fours, aligning our his together. He plays with my cunt with his cock like a toy, smacking it against my ass.

“You’re drenching,” he slips it in.

He carefully grabs a fistful of hair and pulls it tight. With the other hand, he grabs my hip and begins to fuck me doggystyle. It feels so good that my arms give out and forces me to have my face buried into the sheets. He lets go of my hair and goes for my hips, fucking me harder, his fingers digging into my skin.

“I’ve been looking at this arse wondering what it would look like bouncing off my cock.”

“How does it look?” I sputtered out.

“Bloody beautiful,” he plunges deeper. I can feel my ass bounce as he pumps his cock into me. He’s growling again. I hide my yelps into the bed sheets. He knows what he’s doing, toying with me, wanting me to scream. Simon’s hands glide down toward my back and push me down, forcing myself into an arch. As I try to pry myself up on my hands, he takes advantage and grabs my arm, locking it behind me. This makes me twist, facing him. His eyebrows were furrowed as he focused on fucking me but all in the while trying not to cum.

“You want to cum inside me?” I asked shrewdly.

“You’d like that, sweetheart?” he moans.

“I know you want to. Look at you, you want to do it so badly.”

“Fucking bloody hell,” he’s getting close.

He quickly turns me over and fucks me missionary, his rough hands on my hips again. He’s using a different rhythm, hard but slow. His dark eyes are on fire, looking intensely at me. He slows down and he takes out his cock, it explodes on my stomach.

After retrieving a towel from the bathroom and discarding it, he lays in bed with me. We kiss passionately and I feel his scruff grate over my neck as he explores the creases of my chest. I fall asleep on his chest, put to sleep nothing but the storm, his heart, and breathing.

Chapter 6:

Goodbye

Later in the night, Simon and I made love numerous times. We stopped only until the sun peeked over the horizon and the storm had evaporated.

“I have to go check up on Soap,” Simon says as he begins to dress. “Make sure nothing is going to haywire.”

“Simon?” I call out for him.

He looks at me as he’s about to put back on the balaclava.

“Why’d you show me your face? I thought that was something you never did.”

“I want you to know who I am when I see you again.”

“Will you want to?”

“I have to.”

He finished getting ready, putting the mask back on, becoming Ghost once again.

He comes over and dips his forehead against my own. Gently, we tap our foreheads together. Finally, he leaves.

I lay in bed, engulfed in the aftermath of our nightly passion. I could smell the petrichor from the nighttime storm. Twirling in the sheets, I snuggled in the space he had occupied. Pine.

A few moments later, he came back and said that it was time to leave. I get dressed and he stays in the room with me.

“You smell like pine,” I tell him.

“You smell like strawberries,” he says.

He has his combat attire and I feel safe with him. Extremely safe. We walk out of the room and meet with Soap.

“You sleep alright,” he asks me. He’s smiling.

Awe, shit, I think. He knows.

“Johnny,” Simon corrects him.

“Sorry, sir,” Soap’s smile drops but returns again before continuing, “just thought with a bed that creaks that much it didn’t sound comfortable at all.”

“It was plenty comfortable, Soap,” I said. “Best nights rest I’ve ever had.”

Simon sighs and we walk out to the courtyard of the hacienda. Alejandro and Rudy await for us.

“Didn’t need much help taking watch last night, did you, Ghost?” Alejandro said.

“Enough,” Simon got serious.

The men were pulling his leg. It was fun to watch but Simon was getting serious. He was a private man and I could understand.

“My men said that they haven’t seen much movement around the area,” Alejandro said. “It’s safe to move her out now.”

We arrive at a desert location, away from the forest. It’s a warehouse and it has a helipad on the side. Inside, Soap and Simon had called Laswell to verify that I had arrived safely and ready for pick up.

“Laswell,” Simon says before the end of the communication.

“Yes, Ghost?”

“I’d like to request that Songbird be transferred from the U.S. to England.”

Laswell looked uneasy.

“Why?”

“I want to keep a closer eye on her.”

Laswell squinted at the both of us. She looked carefully, putting the pieces together in her head and understood.

“Congratulations, Riley,” Laswell said sarcastically. “You’ve earned yourself a liability. Regardless, we need her and if you compromise this, there will be consequences.”

“I know, ma’am.”

A helicopter arrived shortly after. Simon escorted me to it and put his hands around me to lift me inside. He didn’t let go of my hand and made me turn to him. He wasn’t coming. I brought my forehead to his and gently tapped. Simon squeezed my hand and let go. He stepped away enough for the helicopter to advance into the air. I looked at the window and he stood there watching me fly away. He became smaller as we descended over the hills until I could see him no more.

Months Later…

I hadn’t seen Simon for the last few months. His kisses scorched my skin. It’s like I dreamt of him. Simon’s wishes of me transferring to England had come true. I had been living in this hideaway home for some time now. Though I missed the people of Las Almas, the warm weather, and food; England was reminiscent of Simon.

I had begun getting ready for my day. I could've worn slacks because I had nowhere to go. All I could do is watch the tele, read books, garden, or some small pass time of the sorts. But I wanted to get ready. In case he ever came back. If ever.

I headed toward the bedroom door and I saw him. Standing at the entryway.

“Who are you getting ready for, miss?” Simon asks. He sports a black hoodie, trousers, and tennis shoes.

“Simon!” I rush over to him and jump into his arms.

We embrace. I couldn’t believe it. What if I was dreaming? He held onto me tightly, not budging, not even an inch. Pine.

“Missed you, Rosie,” he said. “Bring over that pretty neck of yours.”

He takes something out of his pocket. A dainty chain. I turn, lifting my hair and let him drape the chain around my neck. He clasps it and says “Just for you.”

I look down at the gold pendant which is in the shape of a heart. I open it and I see a small picture of my mother.

“Simon.”

“Took me a second to find,” he says. “That’s why I couldn’t come see you sooner.”

We kiss.

I don’t know what sort of life this is for me now but I didn’t care. As long as it was with Simon Riley. We both had sealed our fate when we decided to pursue something more. His job was dangerous and I was a danger to him. Enemies could use us to get to one another. Like Lawell said, we were liabilities. Simon deserved love and he knew that I did, too. We were both broken but we knew that we’d risk it all for one another. Whatever may happen to me or him, I believe we both are happy in this moment, and that’s all that mattered.

#simon ghost riley #ghost cod #ghostmw2 #ghost simon riley #simon riley #ghost fanfiction #smut #18+ content

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chrisevansszn · 3 years

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Valleys and Mountains Pt. 3 🏔

1.7 word count

18 and older ONLY ‼

You and Jason made out for a few minutes and then you climbed on top of him in the driver seat. You begin gyrating on this dick and you felt it grow. Is that what you want to do? If you do this….you aren’t any better than Chris.

Jason took out a condom and held it up. He gave you “are you sure?” look. You took the condom out of his hands and opened it. Jason sat up and slid his pants down, and then you took your pants off. You put the condom on Jason and sat down on his dick nice and slow.

There is no going back now!

Jason fucked you so good! It’s been weeks since you and Chris have had sex. It started with you riding Jason I the front seat but then you both got into the back seat. Jason kissed you all over your body and did everything to you. It didn’t last too long it was over within 30 minutes. You didn’t stay to chat either. You have Jason a kiss and got back into your car and drove off. The entire car ride home you couldn’t believe what just happened. You NEVER thought about cheating on Chris…ever. Until you know what. You pulled into the driveway and got out, walked into the house, and went straight upstairs for the shower. Chris was sitting in the dining room on his laptop. You ran the shower and jumped in letting the hot water cascade down your body, for some odd reason you are beginning to feel guilty. Tears begin to stream down your face. Get it together! You finished your shower and got yourself together emotionally.

You grabbed your phone and went to go lay in bed. Jason texted you the usual, but all of sudden you begin to have thoughts of Chris and his mistress having sex. These thoughts are just now hitting you. What was he saying to her while they were having sex? How many times did they have sex? Did he tell her he loved her?

Then a knock at the door. You had to once again gather yourself together.

“Come in.”

Chris opens the door softly, and peeked his head in.

“I just wanted to say goodnight.” He stepped in the doorway.

“Oh, goodnight.” He was fresh out of the shower, no shirt, gray joggers, and his hair was messy. Chris is literally a walking Picasso with all of his tattoos.

“Y/N, I was thinking about what you asked for earlier. It just caught me by surprise. If you want to speak or even meet up with her. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

You took a deep breath.

“Chris, I am not mentally prepared to do anything like that. I wouldn’t be able to contain myself emotionally. I would probably kill the bitch."

Chris went silent.

“You know….I haven’t asked why yet.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me.”

You could see the regret in his eyes. You aren’t sure if it’s because he was cheating or if it is because he got caught.

“Why did you cheat on me? We have sex at least four times a week. We take vacations. I cook. I clean. I love sports. I’m a total package. So…why did you cheat on me?”

“She made me feel young again….the thrill?”

“She made you feel young?? A thrill??”. You chuckled.

“Baby please. I know I fucked up and bad. I know this. I cannot live without. I’m being honest and upfront, and I want to make it right again.”

Chris has made his way into the room and about two feet from you. His ocean blue eyes seemed darker than normal.

“Chris. I am going to bed. Goodnight.”

You pulled your covers up and rolled over on your side. Chris walked up to you and put his hand on your arm.

You pull away.

“No sir. Goodnight Chris.”

He stepped back and made his way out of the room. You grabbed your phone and texted Jason goodnight.

You and Chris continued to sleep in separate rooms for the next month. Little conversation was made from time to time. You and Chris haven’t had sex since you found about his little whore, but you have been sneaking and seeing Jason. You finally told Jason you were married but was in a bad place. He seemed to not care one bit. You and Jason would meet a couple times a week for sex. Random places, hotels, and such. He never invited you to his home though.

You came home from work one evening and Chris was sitting at the kitchen table replying to some work emails. He smiled at you when you walked in. You smiled back. You were beginning to let down your guard a little with Chris.

“Y/N. Let’s go to dinner. Can I take you out?”

You hesitated. Can't seem too thirsty.

“Sure. Let’s go to dinner.”

Chris jumped up from the table with a huge smile on his face. He opened the front door.

“After you baby.”

It’s been a while since you’ve heard Chris say baby. You’re not going to lie; it gave you butterflies.

He opened the car door for you, and you got in. He jumped into the driver’s seat and started his truck.

“Where do you want to go?”, he said.

“Surprise me.”

“Deal.”

Chris backed out of the drive and headed down the street. The car ride was a little quiet, but you could see Chis smiling at you out of the corner of your eye.

“What is it?”, you asked lightly.

“I’m so happy you said yes to dinner.” He smiled at you.

Chris pulled up to the high-end restaurant Sorellina.

“Oh…is this what you’re doing?”, you asked.

“For you, absolutely.”

He pulled up to valet and jumped out the car to open the door for you again. He grabbed your hand and lead the way. Holding hands with Chris didn’t feel right for some reason, but you let it slide.

The waiter sat you both at a booth in a corner by yourselves. Chris sat across from you.

“You look so beautiful.”

You blushed. “Thank you.”

“Tell me about your day.”

You and Chris caught up on a lot. Remember you both have been distant for some time. You both ordered alcoholic drinks, appetizers, and dinner. You laughed with each other and got absolutely tipsy. Dinner lasted about two hours. Chris paid, and you packed up all of the left-over food and headed back home. Jason had been texting you, but you haven’t had time to reply.

Y’all finally arrived home and went inside. You headed straight for the primary room. Chris came in a few minutes later.

“I need to grab some clothes really quick.” He headed towards his walk-in closet. You sat on the bed taking off your heels. You stood up and walked behind him into his closet. He turned around and glared at you.

“Are you ok?”

You walked straight into Chris’ arms and kissed him life you’ve never had before. You don’t know if it’s the alcohol or if you wanted that thick dick?!

He kissed you back so passionately, from you lips, to your ears, and down to your neck. His hands are palming and squeezing your ass. Your pussy is throbbing! You reach down for Chris’ dick and it’s at full attention. He is ready for you!

Chris picks you up and carries you to the bed. He climbs on top and continues to kiss you. You lift up a little and take your shirt off. Chris unsnapped your bra with one hand. Your big juicy breast fall out your bra and Chris grab on with one hand and takes the other in his mouth. You let out a moan.

Chris continues work his way down gently kissing every inch of your body. You sit up for a quick second and pulled his sweater over his head. His gold chain falls onto his chest. The way that chain makes your kitty purrrrr! You lift your hips up so he can slide off your pants and panties. He drives into your walls and eat you like Thanksgiving dinner. His tongue CANNOT be touched! He was so close to make you orgasm when sat up and took off his pants and underwear and penetrated you.

You back arched up into his body.

“That’s right mama. Take all this dick.”

It’s been too long! Chris stroked you up, down, and all around! He sat up on his knee and you took all of his dick into your mouth. He stroked in and out of your mouth while holding the back of your head. His dick repeatedly hitting the back of your throat causing tears to stream down your face. He finally turned you over on your stomach and finished fucking the shit out of you. That man was puss hungry!

Chris ejaculated inside of you and held you close while kissing your back.

You missed his dick so much. You rolled over and looked Chris in his eyes and gave him another kiss. Does this mean everything is ok? Helll no!!

“I’m going to jump in the shower.”, you tell Chris.

“Ohhhh. I will be right there!”

You made your way into the shower. 10 minutes later Chris still hadn’t come into the shower. You didn’t think much of it. You finish showering, dry off, and throw on your robe. You walk out of the bathroom and Chris is standing there and he is not happy.

“What’s wrong?”

“Who the fuck is Jason and why is he calling your phone back-to-back to back at this hour?”

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!

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Hope this chapter is good!! 💛

#chris evans #chris jamal evans #cevans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #marvel

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lilyharvord · 3 years

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Omg describe the parent trap au pls I'm begging you

AH! Okay! I've got five requests... means I have to do it XDDD

(bear in mind I had this idea before broken throne came out and we knew Cori and Shade were a thing)

1. Mare and Cal are still young, they're dealing with the ramifications of everything. Mare gets pregnant, they have twins. Their relationship sort of falls apart... and they go their separate ways, each one taking a twin daughter. Mare to Montfort, Cal to the States

2. Some years later (11) the twin daughters both end up at the same sort of camp thing (not sure exactly what's going on there, but they do). They totally hijack each other and end up being forced into an isolation where they only have each other. Then they realized: HOLY SHIT YOUR MOM IS MY MON AND YOUR DAD IS MY DAD. Then they hatch their "master plan" to get Mare and Cal back together. One daughter Coriane (Cal's) and the other Avery (Mare's) switch places, going back to the opposite parent in hopes that they will have to come back together to switch them back.

3. Shenanigans obviously ensue. And Cori realizes horribly quickly that Mare is dating someone... and Avery kinda didn't know about it. The guy (who is not Tyton because I Would NEVER slander that boi like that) is an asshole period. So Cori has to be a snappy little shit and tries to break them up. I just have this one conversation in my head where the guy confronts her and is like: For your information, I adore your mother, she's exactly the kind of woman I always dreamed of marrying. And Cori just leans forward and goes: and my mother's political and military standing wouldn't have anything to do with that... would it? And he goes from being nice politician guy to straight dick in .2 seconds and leans forward to day: listen here puss, I'm marrying your mother in three weeks, whether you like it or not. Is that clear? And once I do, I'm shipping your ass off to the Lakelands. And that's when Cori sends emergency message number 1 to Avery in the States who has been busy ignoring her panic because she's having the time of her life with her dad.

4. Anyway, Julian is the one that figures it out, cause he follows Avery after she runs out to place an emergency call to Montfort to tell Cori to hang in there. He makes Avery tell Cal and we get the cute scene where she's in his office and she has a little suitcase with her, and he laughs and asks where she is going when she buries her face in his shirt. And all muffled says: I'm going to find Cori. And he laughs again and says: I see Cori, so where is she exactly? And she just kinda sniffles looks up at him and says: In Ascendant, with her mom Mare Barrow. And Cal just kinda of looks up at Julian who gives him that little smile. And then he cups Avery's face, lifts it up to look at her, and says: You're not Cori.... you're Avery? and then he puts it together. They decide to go to Ascendant to switch them back. Cal is low key a wreck all the way there, and Julian goes with them with Sara because he's low key gotta chaperone his stressed out nephew still. (Little does Cal know that Julian, Sara, Cori, and Avery all planned it so that they go to the place Mare/Fiance are looking at for their wedding, without Cal knowing what's happening, and without Mare knowing anything at all.)

5. They all end up there, They get separated from each other for a split second and when they happens, Cal ends up spotting Mare getting into an elevator with her asshole fiancé, and she literally almost falls over leaning to the side making sure she is actually seeing her ex-husband and not a ghost of him induced by her low key guilt over remarrying (especially since who she thinks is Avery has been so very opposed to it). Then Cal goes up (mind you, he may be slightly drunk cause... it's funny in the movie, so it works here) runs into both the girls, and finds out Mare is getting re-married, and they try to convince him to stop it, but he won't hear any of it, and tells them he is only there to switch them back.

6. Cal goes down ahead of the girls, and is in the bar trying to get something to deal with the raging headache he has, and who does he run into but Asshole Fiance who is so freaking excited to realize it's him because wow, political ambitions to the max there.

6. Anyway, they go down to a garden and the girls are sitting there with Julian and Sara, and Mare is literally on the HUNT for Cal. She's so confused why he's here, etc. etc. Then she spots him walking down the stairs of the garden (it can be in slow motion while he's adjusting his jacket if you like 😏) and she literally runs into someone, and ends up in a fountain. Cal pulls her out, and she's just looking up at him shocked and confused, and then the girls show up and explain what they did and Mare's just baffled until she laughs and hugs them both. They sit down, Cal gives her his jacket and they talk for a second and Mare just says: I can't believe this... seeing them together, seeing you again... I just-- And then asshole fiance shows up and is like: FINALLY! There you are! Oh um...oh good, you've met! Honey, I was just speaking with him in the bar and um, we were talking about some trade deals, and um wait, I dont understand how did you two meet? and Mare... why are you all wet? and Mare just looks at Cal and goes: you're doing a political trade deal with my fiancé? and Cal's like: i didn't know he was your fiancé? And then Mare's like hahahaha how did we meet? How did you two meet? And Fiance just goes: Am I missing something here? And Mare going: hahaha this is one small world. Cue Avery popping up near his elbow and saying: Hey. And then him sniffing and going: hello. And then Cori popping up and going: Hi, how's it going? And him having a small freak out before Mare sort of grimaces and says: Um... did I ever mention to you that Avery was a twin? And he's just totally put out and grumbles: you neglected to mention that little detail. And the girls are more than happy to introduce Cal as their dad, and fiancé just goes: well, this is a small world. And Mare just awkward grimaces and says: and getting smaller.

7. Anyway, the girls make them go on a cute little date, and they sort of talk about why they broke up and why she left, and we get my favorite dialogue exchange from any movie every made and Mare says: well, I got on an airship to Montfort, and... you didn't chase after me. And Cal just sort of leans forward and says quietly: I didn't know you wanted me to. Then we cut to the next day, they're agreeing to send the girls back and forth between them for certain things, and then low and behold their trouble making daughters show up wearing identical outfits, and the girls give them their proposal. They will tell them who is who after they go on the camping trip. (Aka the one Mare takes Avery on every year in Paradise Valley). Cal crouches down and says: This one is Cori, I'm sure of it. And the one he's point to who is actually Avery just smirks and says: Are you sure dad? You wouldn't want to take the wrong kid all the way back to Archeon would you? And then they're forced to agree to said camping trip.

8. Cue my absolute favorite part of the 1998 movie, where we cut to the fiancé going: AND WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO FOR FIVE DAYS? STAY HOME AND KNITT? And Mare just turns around and says: listen, we're in a bit of a situation here. And then Cal's coming down the stairs from the Barrow's town house with his backpack like: 🙃 I have such bad timing. And Fiancé turns around and says: hold on, why is he going? And mare's irritated as all get out so she just snorts and says: because it's part of the deal... we go on this trip... together. And then Cal walks up and being the little shit he is says: is there a problem? And the guys just looks him up and down and goes: Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm not so sure I'm okay with this. And Cal immediately knows how to make this man's life fucking miserable, so he says: Oh I completely understand. The ex in the next sleeping bag is just... so awkward. And Mare just puts her head in her hand and Cal gives this guy his best sympathetic grin and says: which is why I suggest you go with them. And the girls in the truck are like: DAD! NO! And Cal's just like: No I insist. And then the guy is walking down the stair, looking for all intents and purposely like a jackass, and Cal's behind him, already trying to contain his laughter. And the guy gets in the truck, looking annoyed as all get out, and the girls are pissed, and Mare's just looking at Cal like: I can't decide if I wanna kill you or laugh with you. And then Cal just pats the side of the truck and says: alright have fun. And the guy kinda leans across Mare and says: I mean on second thought, maybe this isn't the best idea... I mean... I"m not much a... nature person. And Cal's like mock horrified and says: No, no you really should. This is a great opportunity for you to spend time with the girls and get to know them. And then he gives that jack as his prize winning, shit eating grin and says: Cause starting next week, they're half yours. And Mare just sticks her tongue between her teeth with her smile and puts her shades on and drives away. Cue Kilorn coming up next to Cal and smirking with him and saying; Oh I would pay BIG money to see that man climb a mountain.

9. The camping trip goes miserable, they come back early cause the girls create chaos and the fiancé leaves. Delivering the key line: Once we're married, I'm shipping those BRATS off to Tiraxes. Got it? IT's me or them, take your pick.

They come up the stairs to the town house and Cal's there (wearing super comfy clothes) and is mock shocked when he says: what happened? And the Avery just goes: we've been grounded. and Corie comes up behind her saying until the end of the century. And Cal's just like: why? What happened? and Cori says: we played a couple harmless pranks, and [insert fiancé's name] got a little upset. And Mare storms up behind them and says: Upset? A little Upset? Then she glares at the girls and then at Cal and says: But like father like daughters. You're grounding starts now. And the girls go inside, and Mare just kinda stays out there, fiddling with the engagement ring she took off and says: One day I'm going to have to thank them for this. And then Mare and Cal kinda of have a cute little conversation and then that night, they have their little romantic moment where they almost kiss, but then Mare pulls back. The next day, they leave. (At this point they weren't in Ascendant, they were in a smaller Montfort city near Paradise Valley). So Mare goes home. And once she and Avery get there, they walk into their apartment, and Cori's sitting on the couch, and Mare's just like: oh... um hello. And Cori just smiles and says: it took us about two minutes after you left to realize we were never letting you go again. And Mare's like: us? And then Cal comes out, and is like: us. And Then we get my Second favorite dialogue exchange of all time where Mare goes: so what now? Am I supposed to... to say that we're going to work all this out, that we'll... fall in love again and raise out children together and cry hysterically? And Cal just pulls her close with a smile and says: Yes, to all of that. Only you dont have to cry hysterically.

Then we get happy ending cause YAY the girls won and their parents are back together. Anyway, as you can see I've thought about this AU for far too long and I actually came super close to writing it but then decided, eh better not.

#(*ask lily*)#(*shut up lily*)#red queen #glass sword #kings cage #maven calore #broken throne #post broken throne #marecal #the eternal ship #my writing #my fanfics #Parent Trap Au

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obnoxiouslylongandboring · 3 years

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My Tunnels Are Long and Dark These Days

Featuring snapshots of the three most important road trips in Zemo and John's journey of working together.

To love is to pretend, don't try to love yourself again That is the worst kind of pain We're not those kinds of freaks, amen We're a different sort of breed of men

KARAKORAM HIGHWAY, CHINA-PAKISTAN

Zemo sat slouching in his seat, one hand hanging out the window of the truck, another draped on the steering wheel. The road stretched out in front of them, disappearing into the shadows of the mountains and forests. The sun was not up yet, it was early morning. 5AM, where no one rose out of bed but the office workers, the labourers, the soldiers coming out of their blanket shells. And where no one entered into slumber but the gravediggers, the night-shifters, the soldiers retreating into their blanket shells. The truck had been trotting along the road for hours, a small brown beetle with its headlights shining pale yellow, framing the one-meter radius ahead of it. Twenty-four hours ago had been when they first kicked the ignition into its churn in the region of Kashgar (a former trading town along the Silk Road), and when the prospects of a proper ceramic toilet had bit the dust. Twenty-four hours come and gone, with Zemo quietly helming the operation.

From Kashgar, they had traveled to Karakul under the cover of night, a journey that had taken them six hours. There had been no scenery of note but white moonlight glinting off the peaks of the two tall snowy mountains, Muztagh Ata and Mount Kongur. The shimmering scales of the Karakul lake had enraptured Zemo for hours, greeting him whenever a sharp jolt in the road woke him from his slumber.

And now, after resting a few hours at a local abode, they continued on to Tashkurgan, where from there they would go right into the borders of Pakistan.

A small muffled sound came from the lump beside him. “What’s the situation?” John mumbled blearily, poking his head through the covers. Zemo cast him a sideline glance, frowning at his sleep-mussed hair and squinted eyes. “It’s not your turn yet.”

With a snort, John closed his eyes again and rolled over, facing away from Zemo. He settled into another deep sleep.

A big, military-looking truck drove by them, momentarily blinding Zemo with its headlights. Heartbeat quickened in his chest, Zemo sat up straighter and observed the truck through the rearview mirror, hoping for its retreat. He glanced quickly towards his small driving compartment, doing a mental catalog of the materials there: a driver’s license, a forged visa to pass the border customs, fake passports with cover identities for himself and Walker… good, very good. All according to plan. Zemo rolled down the windows of his truck slightly, listening intently. The roar of the military truck did not fade into a distant hum. Instead, there was the screech of tires and the sudden whirring which indicated only one thing- Walker had better practiced the cover story that Zemo told him to, or the ensuing events would be catastrophic.

The urgent, piercing honking behind them startled John into wakefulness. He bolted up, then as if realizing that there was nowhere to go, settled back gingerly into his seat. “Zemo…”

Zemo tightened his grip on the wheels. Flexed his knuckles once, twice. Gently, as if petting a startled cat, rolled the ball of his foot over the brakes. “Anderson, don’t panic,” he says with practiced calm. “Remember what we rehearsed?”

“Yeah, Niki,” John replies. Though his face was carefully composed, the telltale twitching of his leg told Zemo otherwise.

All John had to do as Anderson was play the part of a slightly confused USA diplomat, heading from China to Pakistan over some matters of a proposed trade deal. Niki was to be his driver and translator, a man who had been an exchange student in China briefly where he picked up some basic Mandarin. Zemo had learned barely enough to get the both of them through a ten, fifteen-minute exchange. For the rest of his persuasion, he’d have to rely on the forged documents and the facade of confidence. If all went well, they would be sent on their merry way very quickly, and deliver all eight billion dollars worth of SHIELD information straight into the hands of Contessa. Of course, Zemo had taken an innocent, ‘accidental’ look at the confidential information, and deemed it useless enough to give to the woman. If it were anything that he found potentially dangerous, he would dispose of it immediately. Dry kindling could turn into a wildfire in Contessa’s hands, and that was the kind of risk he would never take.

“Stay calm. I will settle it quickly. The officers don’t want to make a big deal out of this either- we will be on our way soon,” he hissed to John as soon as he heard the crunch of boots on the tarmac.

Zemo rolled his window down to the silhouette of a heavily-clad soldier, who was covered head to toe in military gear. His eyes seemed to be narrowed, whether it was from suspicion or simply fatigue.

“有签证吗？” (Do you have a visa?)

“有。” (Yes.) Zemo reached into the compartment and retrieved the documents. The soldier took a quick look at them via the torchlight and passed it back to him. Then, tipping his chin at John- “他是你的朋友？” (Is he your friend?)

“他是我的老板。” (He's my boss.) Zemo struggled to recall the words for a moment. “我帮他翻译。” (I help him to translate.)

“对于游客来说，这时间挺早的。你们从卡拉库尔来的？” (This time of day is quite early for a tourist to be travelling. Are you coming from Karakul?)

Zemo blinked, processing the words. “可以…重复吗？” (Can you... repeat that?)

The guard sighed, then said slowly- “你们从，卡拉库尔，来? ” (You came, from, Karakul?)

The pieces slot into place in his head. 卡拉库尔 - Karakul. You… from… you came from Karakul.

“对，对。抱歉，我的华文不好。” (Yes, yes. Apologies, my mandarin isn't good.)

The guard laughed, but there was no condescension or meanness in it. “对于老外来说，发音挺好。” (For a foreigner, your pronunciation is pretty good.)

He continues, “好，好，谢谢。打扰你了。不多说了，你们走吧。” (Yes, yes, thank you. Sorry for the disturbance, you can go.)

Zemo, displaying the kindest smile he could, nodded and bade the man farewell. He turned off the lights in the car and smirked, knowing John could see it- This is how a professional works.

Another voice rang out, different from the one earlier. “先别走。” (Don't go yet.)

Zemo’s foot froze at the pedal. John’s expression was one of pure confusion and panic, his calmness now barely held together. Through the conversation earlier, Zemo had already sensed him vibrating with stagnant energy, and now it was manifesting in dangerous, careless ways. Zemo quickly reached out to touch John shoulder and calm him down- he's learnt that the other man responded best to physical contact, something he himself detested.

John’s wild gaze lifted to a point above his shoulder and lingered there.

The sharp rapping at the glass behind him are like bullets to his ears.

Zemo turns around, “为何…” (Why...)

His voice died in his throat. Standing there outside the car, equally shocked- Karlen Constantine.

Zemo could recognize that face anywhere. The rounded jaw, the brittle mouth, and that hateful, hateful look in his eyes.

The same look he gave when Zemo framed him for murder and left a two-million-dollar bounty on his head in Madripoor. Eight years ago.

Zemo takes quick stock of the situation. Judging by Constantine’s badges- high ranking. Heavily armed. A long, long road ahead of them. Walker has no shield, not yet. That was still in the process of being manufactured in Romania. Car chases weren’t an option. Evasion wasn’t an option. Anything other than negotiation would lead to their death. Zemo swallowed the saliva that rested heavily on his tongue.

“Karlen, please,” he says. John inhaled loudly behind him, he ignored it.

“You son of a bitch,” Karlen laughed gleefully. “Oh, this has made my day. I’m going to enjoy this.”

“What the fuck is going on, Zemo?” John snarled, ditching the pseudonym. He knew the game was up, the only question was how they were going to get out of this situation.

“Karlen, I’m invaluable to you,” Zemo continues carefully. His heart is pounding wildly in his chest, and it’s taking every iota of energy in him to keep his voice steady, to prevent the wave of panic from engulfing his mind. Any wrong word, any wrong move, and he would be dead within minutes. The car was bulletproof, but at such close range… with a shotgun, no less… Zemo knew the specs of the glass well, but he loathed taking risks. “I can-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Karlen screamed, spittle hitting the glass. “Both of you, get the fuck out. Hands where I can see them. Slowly. Fucking do it slowly, or I’ll blow a hole in your leg.”

With steady breaths, Zemo complied. He could feel the adrenaline rushing up to his brain, reducing everything to a frantic pulsing in his muscles, the instinctual urge to run or fight. He got out of the car, hands raised to his shoulders, holding John’s gaze steady- don’t do anything rash. Follow my lead. And surprisingly, John did. He followed without a single word of protest, even though Zemo knew he was aching to throw a punch, to smash his fist into someone’s temple, or feel the satisfying recoil of a gun vibrating against his bones.

Zemo felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed between his eyes, at the same time that John jolted forward and cried, “No!”

“Don’t FUCKING move!” Karlen roared again, clicking off the safety. “Stay where you are or I’ll fucking kill him. Zemo, he answers to you, right? Tell him.”

Zemo glanced away to catch John’s horrified stare before his head was painfully yanked back by the roots of his hair. “Hey. Eyes on me. What did I say?”

“John, don’t move,” Zemo said slowly, grimacing as Karlen’s grip tightened.

“Now kneel.”

Zemo complied, breathing heavily. He could feel the fur of his jacket sticking to the back of his neck, and how hot his entire body felt, alight with energy. The aching of his scalp and knees had faded into a dull buzzing, overtaken by the hyperawareness of Karlen, his every movement, and Walker’s unyielding presence at his back.

As if sensing the same, Walker leaned forward carefully to place himself in Zemo's peripheral vision, discreet enough that Karlen wouldn't notice.

"Three years. Three years, I had to run and run and run. All because you stabbed me in the back, like the fucking coward you are. We were friends, but that didn't mean shit to you, did it? I'm glad your fucking wife and kids died. I hope they suffered. Oh yeah, I hope they screamed. I'm going to make this very painful for you too, Zemo."

Zemo's hands were trembling with the force of keeping them from Karlan's throat. It was taking everything he had to restrain himself. He tipped his chin up, looked straight into the matching pair of hateful eyes, and spat at Karlen's feet. "Fuck you."

It barely sounded like his own voice. The hate was thick sewer sludge, bubbling past the broken glass in his throat. A blinding burst of red splattered across his vision- Zemo flinched from the force at which the rage slammed into his mind. I will kill you. I will peel your skin from your bones, bit by bit. You're going to be screaming like a pig by the time I'm done. Constantine, you'll wish you were dead-

Karlen punched him so hard his entire body collapses to the side. Zemo tasted blood on his tongue, and god, it was pouring out of his nose. It wasn't broken, however- he turned his head just in time to prevent that. The lights look blurry- his eyes were watering.

Another kick connected with his stomach and Zemo cried out in pain, curling up into a ball.

Stop, stop, fucking stop, someone was shouting. When his head finally stopped ringing, he realised that it was John.

"You're friends with this guy?" Karlen laughed. "Oh, come on. He's just going to stab you in the back too. In fact, I'm sure he's already plotted multiple ways to kill you or fuck you up."

"He's tried," John laughed mirthlessly. His voice dropped into a low growl, a voice meant for spilling dirty little secrets- "Many, many times."

"And guess what, I'm still here. You aren't. A word of advice? Don't take yourself so seriously. You don't mean shit to him if you can't keep yourself around," John continued.

Zemo struggled to push himself back up, panting hard. He can't gather enough air to shout, stop talking. Those words laid like a brand against his skin, spelling out the name John Walker, a possessive claim.

I'm special, John Walker practically crowed.

And Zemo hated that he was right.

"If you like him so much, you can join him." Karlen laughed, raised his gun to John Walker, and fired.

He was fast.

John was faster.

The bullet buried itself harmlessly into the ground. The soldiers startle, reaching for their guns. One shot, Karlen's body dropped. The muffled thump launched Zemo's body into action. His fingers found a gun, and without blinking he whirled and pulled the trigger three times.

A few more shots rang out, and two more men are down.

Zemo swayed on his feet, but before he could collapse, there were strong arms around him, leading him to the car. He's shoved into it in a daze. John Walker entered through the other side, at the wheel.

"Shh. Shh. Hey. Hey, princess, look at me." A damp cloth was pressed into his hands, and he instinctively brought it up to his nose to staunch the bleeding. They're both breathing harshly from the fight. Gunpowder blue eyes stared back at him, brows furrowed. Light glanced off the mirror, staining John's hair a warm golden. Zemo was reminded of his vintage brass rulers, the beautiful old smell they had...

Wait. Light? He lifted his head to see the sunrise, then the time on the electronic clock. 6.05 AM. The tourist buses would be moving out soon, which meant-

"Drive," he whispered, and John kicked the car into high gear without a word.

"I'll text Contessa to put a roadblock on both sides and clear up the scene as quickly as possible. Once at Tashkurgan we'll leave the car, take the tourist bus, and blend in with the rest. I will arrange for Contessa to meet us earlier than was planned. When we arrive in Pakistan, we need to get past the border security. Even though we're compromised, this will not be risky. It's broad daylight and there are too many people at the border to cause a scene. The congestion will be in our favour. Clear?"

"Crystal."

"And the next time, I'll tell Contessa that travelling at night is a bad idea."

John frowned. "Hey, don't blame yourself. No one knew this was going to happen."

"We were nearly killed, John."

"Yeah, what's the big deal? Do you know how many times I've nearly been killed, Zemo? More than I could count. And trust me, this does not even come close." John laughs brightly. "We got outta there fine, yeah? Trust me. Not even close. It was a team effort."

Zemo looked down, and saw the slight quivering of his leg that John tried to hide. He dragged his eyes up to John's face, and recognised the tiny, near-imperceptible strain in his eyes... something you would not catch unless you were specifically looking for it.

You can be a really good liar if you tried, John.

"You're special to me, you know." the words came out in a rush, stumbling over one another. It sounded like a confession, and Zemo hated how it made his heart stutter, how his hands tingled, how the pain and the anger faded away into a schoolboy-nervousness.

The entire world, bottled down to a single response.

And he waited for an answer with bated breath, though he was uncertain of the question he had asked, if any at all.

My ending thoughts:

John Walker tells Zemo about love, like how a parent tells their child about the unobservable universe, about the untouched depths of the ocean, as if whispering: don't fear the unknown, for we'll explore it together.

Inspiration and images were taken from:

Zion National Park, United States (Utah)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, United States (Colorado)

Trollstigen, Norway

Transfăgărășan road, Romania

Karakoram Highway, China-Pakistan

Images were taken from Google, not owned by me.

#walkerbaron #zemo #john walker #fatws #Spotify

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x-wingkc · 3 years

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Sexy Ice Cream

Fanfiction: Stargate SG-1 Rating: Mature (no explicit) Warnings: Adult language, Adult content, Relationships: Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill Fictober 21 Prompts: #13 He walked inside the building just as Daniel walked to the counter to get the ice cream for everyone. This was their favorite ice cream place. They’d been coming here for at least eight years now. The ice cream was homemade. The building was an old saloon from the 1800’s. The inside was lined with wood panels that stood the test of time.

They all had their favorites. Teal’c always got the flavor of the week, no matter how awful it sounded. He said it was his way of making sure he ingested all of Earth’s sweet delights. Daniel almost always got something that had the store’s french vanilla as a base. Carter would normally get something with strawberries, and if they didn’t have that, she’d get something with caramel. O’Neill was a simple man. Normally opting only for vanilla or chocolate. He was the last to arrive. He entered the store and found where they were sitting. He moved seats to sit at the round table across from Carter. Teal’c was still standing, and had his back turned to him. He glanced over at Carter, and found her smiling and talking to Teal’c. He was lost in her smile.

Her smile has always been what comforts him. Her smile is what immediately attracted him to her all those years ago. Her smile is burned in his mind and in his soul. She glanced over at him.

He knew he must have had his fuck me eyes on because the moment she looked at him, he watched her eyes darken, and her smile soften. He wanted nothing more than to take her home and open her up on the deck right now.

Daniel came out with an ice cream cone for all four of them. He sat down next to Carter and they all started eating.

Transposed to the time warp of the decor were the stainless freezers that held about twenty-five different homemade flavors of ice cream. The lighting was a mix of replica chandeliers and LED fixtures in the ceiling that added some much needed light to the otherwise dark interior. He figured under different circumstances that the inside could be rather romantic.

Hanging on the walls were old pictures of what Main Street used to look like back in the early days of the city. The street looked as if it ended at the foot of the mountains. Present day the road was paved and had parking spaces for cars. But in the old pictures, there were just a few buildings and a dirt road.

All four of them talked in between bites of ice cream. O’Neill was to fly back to DC in two more days. Carter smiled across the table at him as he discussed his endless boring meetings. They all knew he hated paperwork. Now that’s all he does. The three of them knowingly smiled at him. He told them all to shut up.

O’Neill looked over at Carter just as a little bit of melted ice cream began to run down her hand. She lifted her cone to her mouth, and ran her tongue along her hand, up the side of the cone, and around the remaining scoop of ice cream at the top. O’Neill straightened in his seat, and crossed his legs a little. He noticed a familiar twitch between his legs as he watched Carter lick that cone.

She let out a satisfactory moan, and closed her eyes as she ingested the tasty frozen treat that she was holding in her hand. Daniel gave her a sideways glance, then immediately looked to Teal’c. Teal’c had one eyebrow raised already, and he was looking at O’Neill. Teal’c found O’Neill staring at Carter, not able to remove his eyes from the scene in front of him.

Daniel and Teal’c began to rapidly eat their ice cream, and immediately tried to change the topic.

“So. T. New fedora?” Daniel asked. “It is, indeed, DanielJackson,” T replied. “It’s a good color on you,” O’Neill interjected. Teal’c bowed his head to them both before taking another large bite off of his cone.

Carter then let some ice cream drip down her chin. She stared at O’Neill, her eyes darkening knowing exactly what she was doing to him. With her mouth slightly open, she took her index finger and wiped the drip off of the side of her mouth. She salaciously stuck the sticky, sweet finger into her mouth, and swirled her tongue around her finger.

All three of the men at the table saw her do that. One of the men at the table immediately had a problem. There was no way he could stand up right now and not have everyone in the store know what Carter had done to him. He reached beside him to the garbage can, and threw the rest of his ice cream cone away. “Does the ice cream not please you, O’Neill?” Teal’c asked, almost with a smile on his face. “Teal’c. Was that a joke?” O’Neill asked.. “It was, indeed, O’Neill.”

Carter slowly licked her lips as she continued to stare at O’Neill. “Well, gentlemen. I have to go. I have dinner plans with Doctor Lam,” Carter said, slowly standing and reaching over to the garbage can to throw the remainder of her cone away.

Daniel and Teal’c also stood quickly, more to get out of the cross fire of tension between their two best friends. “Ya. Us too. Ready, T?” Daniel quickly asked. “I am, indeed, DanielJackson.”

“You, uh, need help, Jack?” Daniel asked like a true smartass would in this situation. “Funny. I’m fine,” O'Neill quipped back. “You sure, sir?” Carter asked with her chest puffed out a little bit, and a sinful smile on her face.

O’Neill just smiled back at her with pure lust on his face. “Oh, I’m very fine, Carter. Have a good dinner,” he said, waving his hand for all of them to just go and leave him alone.

They each smiled or laughed at him, then all three turned to leave the ice cream store. As the door closed behind them, Daniel and Carter laughed, and Teal’c just cleared his throat. “You know. You really are mean,” Daniel said. “He’ll be fine. He always is,” Carter said with a smile. “Indeed,” they heard Teal’c.

Back inside the store, O’Neill squeezed his legs together one more time before trying to stand up. He discreetly put a hand between his legs and arranged himself so he was not so obvious. Thankfully he had on baggy pants and an oversized flannel shirt to help hide this predicament. “Damn that woman,” he whispered to himself.

After a few minutes, he stood and quickly left the store. He went straight for his truck, and fumbled his keys as he tried to unlock the doors. He finally got the door open, and sunk into the seat. He started the truck, and locked the doors.

He undid his pants, and ran his palm over his bulging shaft trying to relieve the pressure that Carter had left him with. He put his head back on the head rest, and lightly caressed himself as he took in big breaths.

“Dammit, Carter. The things you make me do…”

When he thought he could drive, he put his seatbelt on and started the drive home. But he couldn’t stop thinking of Carter and the ice cream. He wanted to tie Carter’s hands to his bed with his own neck ties, and then take that ice cream and put it all over her body. He wanted to lick her body clean, and make her scream his name over and over as he ate off of her.

This was not helping. His dick was hard and wanted to be inside Carter. He put his hand back down his open pants. Just then the driver of a passing truck glanced down into his vehicle. It was a woman driver, who got a huge smile on her face seeing him with his hand down his pants. “Great,” he said, slowing down a little to let the truck pass him. As he slowed, the tip of his cock rubbed the fabric in his boxers, eliciting a rather pleasurable sensation. He pulled his hand out from his pants, in an effort to not come in his pants. He sat up a little more, trying to rub his nuts against the seat through his pants. He needed to come, or he needed to let this one deflate. He hoped driving would give him time to deflate. It didn’t really work. He couldn't stop thinking about Carter. That would be like trying to stop the sun from rising. It can’t be stopped. Although if anyone could stop a sun, it would be Carter. “Not helping,” he said.

He pulled into his driveway and turned his truck off. He got out fast, and tried to put himself back together, but it was too late already. The slightest touch of his hand against the fabric. Too much stimulation. Too much thinking about Carter’s body covered in ice cream, and him licking it all up. Too much thinking of being inside Carter.

“Not this again,” he said dejectedly, looking up to the stars. “What am I, thirteen again?”

He could feel some start to drip down his inner thigh. He went inside and went straight to the bathroom. He turned the shower on, and stripped out of his clothes. He used his boxers to wipe up as much semen as he could, then jumped in the shower to get clean. When he got done and dried off, he threw his wet boxers in the garbage can. He put on a tshirt and sweatpants and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. After watching The Simpsons marathon for a few hours, he went to bed.

Around 11:30 PM he heard his door open. He slowly got up, and quietly moved to look down the hallway where his front door was. He saw the kitchen light turn on. He padded to the kitchen. “How was dinner?” he asked. “How was your ride home?” she asked with a big smile on her face. “Very funny. You know damn well what you were doing,” he said, adding a little smile at the end. “What? Little ‘ol me?” she purred. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her and gave her a searing kiss. He held her ass with one hand, and lovingly held the back of her head with the other. “Yes. You,” he said in between kisses. “As your wife, it’s my job to know how to push your buttons,” she said, running her palm in between his legs. She heard him grumble, their chests pressed tight. “You want dessert?” he asked. “Do we have any ice cream?” she asked.

#stargate #stargate sg1 #fictober21 #fictober #samantha carter #jack o'neill #daniel jackson #teal'c #ice cream #sam x jack #stargatenow #wewantstargate #samandjack #jackandsam

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dopescotlandwarrior · 4 years

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Bluegrass -Chapter 24

Special thanks to @statell for all your help and encouragement

Previous chapters at AO3

Chapter Twenty-Four (NSFW)

“Oh! Dear God!” Claire landed at Jamie's side hearing him struggle to catch his breath. “Its official, this cannot be undone, the genie is out of the bottle.”

Jamie pulled her close to him and tried to make sense out of what she said. Yesterday she said she was ruined for life, today the genie is out of the bottle. He tread carefully, feeling this was big information delivered in some kind of code.

“What exactly do ye mean, mo chridhe?”

Claire opened her eyes and blushed crimson before changing the subject. “You have a few more days to rest so promise me you won’t disobey doctor’s orders not to use your arm?”

“Sassenach, remember the deal we made with Rupert and Angus? They leave for Scotland tomorrow, for two weeks. You goin back to work and me of limited use that leaves Jason to manage it all. He canna do it alone.”

Jamie started to get up when Claire reached to stop him. “What if I know someone that can jump into the job and needs no training? Do you remember Steve? He has experience with horses, and he’s bored until school starts. If you agree, I’ll call him.

That was only a small part of Claire’s anxiety at the moment. Poor planning on her part had not prepared her for the numerous calls that came in from her email about returning to her practice. Her days were filling up with appointments that she could not handle alone. Molly was no longer available at any time with her blooming romance and there wasn’t time to hire someone and train them. The butterflies of anxiety had become sharks that were consuming her stomach.

Claire stood at the sink in her scrubs and wet hair chewing toast and washing it down with juice. Her heart hurt when she looked at Jamie’s face, so sad.

“I’ve grown attached to yer company Sassenach and now I must miss ye every day.”

She kissed him so sweetly and realized that without her driving anxiety, she would feel the same sadness.

“I can’t wait to hug you tonight. I will have much to report and I will miss you every second.”

Claire gripped the steering wheel as she negotiated the merge into freeway traffic. White clammy hands and a racing heart just compounded her misery. It only took twenty minutes to get hopelessly lost forcing her off the freeway to check her obviously broken navigation system. She sat on the side of the road and saw the turn she missed five miles back. She felt defeated and just wanted to go home. She had never done her job solo and suddenly questioned if she could. How was she going to find these remote places and do a day’s work without help? It was impossible. The blinker clicked as she waited to pull onto the road.

Claire looked down at the phone in her hand and tried to calculate the improbability of her next move. When he answered she felt her eyes sting at the sound of his voice.

“Nice surprise doctor B, oh wait, doctor F, hmm, it will take some time getting used to..”

“You might have to get used to calling me Claire. Go ahead, it won’t cause permanent damage.”

“Alright, Claire, what’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering, well, hoping, actually praying that you might have some free time to help me now and then …some days of the week...not very many, maybe.”

Dustin laughed, “I happen to be unemployed now, so yes. We stayed for the first summer session so Hope could take a class she missed. Now we’re home, no one is hiring. I’m excited just thinking about it!”

Claire’s hand was cramping from holding her phone so tight and her eyes popped open. “Was that a yes?”

“Yes! I can come with you today if you want.”

“What? Really? Oh Dustin, you are a lifesaver. I am lost on the side of the rode and thirty minutes late for my first appointment. Can you guide me to where you are?”

“Let’s start with where you are, can you see a street sign?”

Fifteen minutes later, Hope pulled behind Claire’s truck and Dustin got out. Claire was in the passenger seat already, so he jumped behind the wheel as Claire waved to Hope.

They were pulling up to Claireborn Farm ten minutes later and Dustin used his excellent driving skills to back up to the large rolling doors giving them quick access to the equipment they would need. Claire’s first day back after six months and Dustin’s first day back in a year made for a timid start as they got accustomed to working together again.

Claire was a stone-celebrity at each stop and there were many of the same questions asked over and over again. Dustin would set up the treatments and the moment Claire could break away from the fanning owner she would nearly collide with the first horse. The awkwardness between Claire and Dusty could not flourish under their practiced timing and it fell away as they powered through the day.

“Jamie, could you send Rupert to pick me up please? Dustin is going to work with me for the next two months and I don’t like to drive. Thank you, sweetheart, see you soon.”

“Married life agrees with you Claire.”

“I could say the same for you young man, you look healthy and happy.”

Dustin looked straight ahead out the windshield, “Hope is great.”

Claire dug into her files and Dustin dictated the treatments done today, appointments for a recheck, what tests were being done, and special billing requirements. She heaved them off her lap and smiled at Dustin when Jamie was driving up.

“Thank you Dusty.”

He shook hands with Jamie and grimaced at his bandaged elbow before heading for home. When Hope saw the big truck still dripping from the car wash, she ran outside to embrace her husband. Claire’s energy had clung to him all the way home but when he looked into Hope’s sweet face, he was free again.

Claire was quiet on the way home, bowled over by the contrast between her old life of living alone in her little mountain cabin, spending her days with Dusty, and her current reality of world-famous jockey and wife of Jamie Fraser. The degree of change in one year was astounding and she was deep in her head about it.

Jamie looked at his wife and felt lonely for her. He steered the truck with his knee and ran his hand down her arm to get her attention.

“I'm concerned about the seat belt around ye lass. Ye see, it gets most of the wear and tear compared to the middle one. See, this one is practically new. For yer own safety, come sit here, love.”

Claire smiled and moved closer to Jamie feeling the cascade of love emotions when her thigh pressed against his.

“Claire, can I act like a fourteen-year-old with his first crush for a minute?”

“Let it rip fourteen-year-old Jamie,” was her giggled response.

“Were ye romantically involved with Dusty?”

“No, never. I worked shoulder to shoulder with him for two years and never really knew him. Molly and I drove him home the last day before he left for school. We pulled up to a house and I didn’t know if his parents lived there if they were alive, any brothers or sisters, nothing. I am very skilled at not letting people in, ever. But you changed all that, like an avalanche my life filled with people like Molly, Lulu, Michael, Jason, Rupert and Angus, and now Steve and his father. Christ my life has changed so much I can hardly believe it, and it’s all your fault.”

Jamie was listening intently. Claire didn’t talk much about who she was inside and how she got that way and he wanted to hear more.

“Why?”

“After my parents died, I didn’t seem to belong to anybody. People fed me and gave me a bed, but I didn’t belong to them. I would lay in their strange bed at night and cry for hours, watching the door for my own father to come in and rescue me. Every night I watched the door and waited for him. I felt like that little girl again when the FBI terrorized me for hours, locked me in a fifty-degree room with no chair or couch, and only the cold concrete floor to lie on. When I felt your arms slide under me and carry me out of that torturous building, it finally happened, someone came for me.”

Jamie’s heart nearly broke thinking of that tiny girl alone in the world. He leaned toward her ear, “it was two years before I saw ye again, Sassenach.”

“Well, ha, Isobel walked in on me getting out of your shower and morphed into pure evil. So I dodged your requests for a while but when you called about Runner I couldn’t stay away. It was pure luck that I checked the dam’s wing when I did and found the dead mare. As it was, we raced to beat the seconds he had left before he expired inside his mother. Since I was responsible for him being on this earth, I wanted to help him if I could.”

“Did ye know I slept with ye half the night after gettin ye from the FBI? Ye wouldn’t warm-up, it was the only way I knew.”

“I remember every conscious minute to this day, including your hand pressing into my stomach and running down my leg before you jerked awake and ran back to your room.” Claire was laughing.

“Ah, ye felt that, did ye? Sorry Sassenach.”

“Don’t be sorry, I loved it! You were my hero for what you did, and I tucked the memory in a special place in my head so I could keep it forever.”

Jaime lifted her chin to look in her eyes, “ye fascinate me, love.” He kissed her deeply before she jumped out to let him get back to work. She felt different inside. Happier, closer to Jamie and the feeling stayed with her through a hot shower and her walk to the barn. When she saw Jamie, the look in his eyes said he felt it too. Remarkable, she thought, she dropped her past like an old novel, but Jamie was hungry to hear about it. And what a lovely outcome.

Jamie handed her a lead as they approached the pasture fence and watched Runner and Porcelain gallop toward them from the other side. A safe distance from the fence Porcelain dropped to a trot and so did Runner who accepted the lead and walked like a gentleman back to his stall.

As they were leaving, Porcelain decided to make her unhappiness known by kicking at the corral gate of her stall with a lonely whiny. No consoling would help her calm down. She was done being alone.

“There you go Romeo, yer girlfriend is right beside ye now. Mind yer manners, aye?”

Jamie put his good arm around Claire and smiled to himself. “I’ve made some decisions about the rest of the day. You are to pick something on Netflix while I go pick up a large pizza and a dozen wings. Ye can eat in yer wee robe and fall asleep in my arms if ye want. How does that sound?”

Claire ran to Jamie’s truck and jumped into the passenger seat, staring at him like, hurry up!

Slow summer days stretched ahead of them. Two or three days per week Claire would tie hanging apples to the tree branches out in the pasture and leave sugar cubes on the fence in different places to keep Runner looking for treats. Steve and Jason built the breeding shed with pointers from Steve’s father now and then. A dedicated mares wing was outfitted to house the broodmares who would stay there for breeding and one stall was converted into a lab for medical equipment and on-site testing. The enormity of this undertaking was becoming clear, but time was on their side.

Jamie made improvements to the house and on one occasion demonstrated how he mounted a sixty-inch television in a newly built recess in the wall and covered it with a huge picture on side swing hinges. Claire clapped and kissed, very impressed with his ingenuity. She looked around the large room that had always felt cold and sterile to her.

“Jamie, what do you think about this furniture? Did you and Isobel pick it out together?”

Jamie chuckled, “I hate it and had no hand in choosin it. Isobel hired some decorator, and this is what they came up with. When I built the chess table, Isobel moved it to the garage. That was the first time I told her to find her own place to live. After that she allowed it in the house but always hated it.”

It became Claire’s project to order and collect all the decorating and architecture magazines they could look through for ideas. She would spread them out on the bed, and they would both make a gallant effort only to hear them crackle under the weight of two athletic bodies chasing their passion or lay sound asleep on top of them.

By mid-July, there was a new trainer in residence bringing seven two-year-olds and seven handlers with him. Boot camp for the yearling races was in full swing by August. It brought the energy of horse racing and the Road to the Kentucky Derby back to the compound, infecting the whole crew.

“I don’t think I need to eat anymore, love. I can exist on the energy and excitement alone.”

“I miss your bur and contractions sweetheart,” said as she hugged him. “Why do you try so hard to lose them?”

“That is a long and boring story for another time. I’ve come for ye to talk sense into Runner before I have to. He’s watchin the yearlings race each other and pressin his chest against the pasture fence. I have to replace a whole section, so c’mon and fix him.”

Claire laughed as Jamie pulled her outside to his truck. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and spending some time with Runner was an excellent idea.

Claire loved these low- key summer days but when August came to a close, she hugged Dustin and cried before doing the same to Hope. She drove herself home that day and when out of sight she pulled over and cried in earnest.

The breeding room was finished, and Steve was leaving for the academy. Jason got moody because he would be shipped back to New York until February and he didn’t want to leave Lulu. When Claire asked if he would like to stay and assist her it seemed like a reprieve to him and he was very grateful.

As with Molly, Claire bit her tongue for the first month until Jason knew the routine. He would never be as good as Dustin, no one would be that good, ever, and she wondered why. She compared Jason’s actions with Dustin’s and realized that she was Dustin’s priority, not the treatment, or the horse. It would require someone loving her to the bone to be as good as Dusty was, and she would not wish that on anyone.

The onset of fall, with cooler weather and colorful foliage was the delight of Kentucky residents and tourists alike. Dogwoods and Sumacs turned red and purple, Sugar Maples were orange and red, Poplars and Hickories added yellow and gold. The dense forests of hardwood trees and the numerous lakes provided a romantic canvas for long walks, deep talks, and Jamie’s inspiration for a different future at Highland Brothers.

“We are blessed with a miracle horse. If he is fertile it will guarantee unspeakable wealth for the two of us. I have never been comfortable with that level of wealth especially when our crew will never see such comforts. My memory fades from the early days in Ireland working at a stud farm. It’s a huge operation and we will need all of them to pull this off.” He stopped and pulled her into a hug. “Runner can change two lives or six lives. What say ye to that?”

Claire’s smile was beaming when she jumped up and wrapped her legs around Jamie’s waist, punching the air above her head yelling yes! Her generous heart was just fed a super-size of glee and she hopped along the trail until her feet became obedient again. Jamie laughed at her sparkling happiness until she pulled him to her with a very serious face.

“Jamie, I know we have much to do but I have one request. Will you dance for me tonight?”

He ran his finger over her jawline, “I will.”

For the next four weeks, they worked on the business plan almost every night. Jamie met with stud farm owners that were very generous with their time and education. He showed humility and an eagerness to learn and kept a diligent log of each meeting. Claire met with fertility vets and was treated to a cart blanch atmosphere from her peers. They shared protocols that had worked for them and Claire let her gratitude show. The first Saturday in December they hosted a workshop.

There was a full breakfast spread before starting and hot coffee that was refreshed throughout the day. Jamie started with a quick explanation of the business plan, and an overview of each person's role.

“Lulu, yer the first contact and qualifier for serious inquiries. Through phone or by mail, yer the one to decide which mares make it to my desk. Don’t be scared,” said chuckling at her white face, “we’re gonna teach ye. There will be a mountain of information arriving on each mare, Sire and Dam lines, registration copies, genetic profiles, test results, vet checks, fertile histories, racing history and foal statistics. That is yer domain and it’s essential.”

Lulu’s eyes were tearing, and she shook her head side to side, “I can’t be responsible for all that, what if I mess everything up?”

Jamie’s face softened at her fear. “I have never met a grid brain more suited to this task. What was Tacitus’s last race, how did he do?

“Aqueduct, second place.”

“How did Code of Honor do and where I wonder?”

“Breeder’s Cup, seventh place.”

“What are Tacitus’s earnings so far?”

“Six hundred thousand.”

“Who told ye to memorize those stats?”

Lulu blushed crimson and looked around defensively, “no one.”

“If ye don’t see it in yerself, lass, trust me, yer the best for this job.”

“Rupert, Angus, ye do transport, bed and breakfast ID checks, turn-outs, follow special feed instructions, and handlers in the breedin room…”

Jamie stopped while they joked about having such a hard job. “Seems easy ye say. There will be five to seven mares with us rotatin in and out for four months, some look identical, if ye return a mare to the wrong owner we sell Runner and close this operation down. Can’t recover from a mistake like that. The mares are your responsibility gentlemen if ye turn out six hormonal mares and they have a throw down out there with no one to stop it?” Jamie paused while the ramifications sunk into their brains. “I trust ye with my life, now I’m trustin ye with theirs.”

“Jason is the manager at stud so questions and concerns go to him and he will make any changes needed.”

Rupert and Angus were wondering if they could eat more, Lulu was bursting with pride over her boyfriend, and Jason’s self-esteem swelled knowing he would head up this huge endeavor.

Claire went next and gave a biology lesson in equine conception, what it meant to cover a mare, how they would use technology and medicine to bring on the mare's estrus, confirm ovulation, and then verify fertilization.

“Adding to the tasks Jamie mentioned, Rupert and Angus, you will be in the breeding room for every cover. One holds the mare, the other collects the semen that leaks out when he jumps down. I will teach you both how to do this properly.” Claire couldn’t help laughing at their green faces.

“Runner is unproven, so we take it easy this first year. The mares that are chosen to breed will arrive spaced out through March until late May. When they arrive, we run tests for health and fertile readiness. I will bring them into estrus with hormones and hope to get ovulation so they can breed. After that, we watch for fertilization using ultrasound, or breed again. The mares return to their own farms pregnant and then we get paid, not a cent before.”

When they stopped for lunch Claire ran for the doorbell. She stared at Michael who held up a hardback book with her and Runner on the cover crossing the finish line. The title read, Midnight Runner A Champion for the Ages. The tears came in sobs as she hugged him to her, and Jamie extended his hand when she finally let go. He handed the book to Claire and was led into the kitchen where the whole crew was there to greet him. He was stunned and very happy to see everyone.

Claire sat with the book on her lap while Jamie wrapped up the meeting answering questions. He could see Claire was in another world wanting to read the book more than she wanted to breathe.

“I want to wrap this up with the best part and thank ye for accepting the extra chores and responsibilities we gave ye without question. Yer good people, loyal and hard workin. This operation will flourish if ye work together as a team, help each other when needed, give support and encouragement, and do yer individual jobs like it was yer own company, yer own money on the line. Because it is. If Runner is infertile or has a poor breedin outcome, then I alone suffer the initial investment and ye get yer regular pay. I don’t think that will happen, so I’ve set my attorney to write up a profit-sharing plan. Your hard work and integrity will pay off. If the profit is there, and it will be, you get a piece of it.”

“How much of a bonus Jamie?” Rupert smiled and waited.

“As we said, the first year will be very low key while we prove Runner’s ability and we all learn the business. A conservative number…” he held up a piece of paper with $50,000.00 on it.

Angus chuckled, “not bad to start, ten grand extra each year will be nice.”

Jamie held up his hand until he had their attention. “Each. The second-year and those that follow…” he wrote numbers on another piece of paper and held it up. $200,000.00 to $300,000.00. “Each.”

There was a stunned silence as four sets of eyes stared at the paper. Each of them knew Jamie to be an honest man of integrity. Never boastful, never wrong. They filed out of the house trying to say something intelligible as they continued to process the numbers Jamie showed them.

When the meeting ended, Michael stayed and chatted while the food was put away and the house put back in order.

“What are yer plans Michael?” Jamie noticed Claire was peeking at the pages while he and Michael talked.

“I have a book signing tour for the next four months because the publisher believes it will be a best-seller. If it’s not, the tour will surely end early,” said laughing. “I would love to assess Runner tomorrow if you don’t mind. I know he is still here because I talk to the receptionist every month or so.”

“I feel great pride in ye laddie.”

“So does my father, a blessing I never expected when I started all this.”

Jamie drove Michael back to his hotel later in the day and Claire was finally alone to start reading Michael’s book. She turned the first page almost shaking with excitement.

‘Dedicated to the bravest woman I have ever known, risking life and limb through every race so Midnight Runner could be the champion he was born to be. Midnight Runner will never be forgotten, and neither will you, Claire Beauchamp.’

The book landed on the bed as Claire ran to the bathroom for tissues. She cried so hard and wrapped her arms around her middle like she would die from the emotion. Every terrified day came rushing back in her memory. The day she prepared her speech for Jamie, telling him she was done and would not race Runner. The gate crash in their first race that almost toppled Runner, to her certain death. The crippling fear being loaded into the gate at the next race, so sure she would die this time. Runner telling her she would be a winner on him, telling her when to tuck, gloating after the race, seeing no other horse in front of them when they crossed the finish line. Her deafness, hearing only Runner breathing as she stretched her arms forward with every stride.

She processed the memory of every race and realized that Runner knew he would win, always. His only weakness was the race in the rain when she took over the race and he put his faith in her to guide him. Runner knew he was a champion and he proved it at Belmont with a thirty-one- length win for the Triple Crown. All he needed was a rider to make his claim in history and he chose her.

It was the first time since winning at Belmont that she considered all the private moments, the struggle against her fear, the elation of winning, and her emergence as a jockey with a single-minded determination to win it all, even if she lost Jamie in the process.

She picked the book up again, almost fearing the emotion it would invoke and turned to chapter one. Michael wrote from his point of view, so she was reading a different story than her own. She was fascinated.

She read how Michael tried to hide his excitement in that first meeting at Aqueduct after they fired their trainer. His effort to overcome his introverted personality and accept the offer to come to Kentucky. When Claire read the details about Rupert disclosing her gift after almost strangling Michael in the middle of the night and his desperate attempt to escape what he perceived to be lunatics on a remote farm, she lost it. The book hit the floor first followed by Claire, on her hands and knees laughing until she cried and struggled to breathe.

Jamie stood in the doorway to their bedroom and watched his wife laugh until she dropped her butt on the ground and leaned back against the bed, wiping her tears.

“This is hysterical Jamie! Reading about Michael’s midnight walk to the barn in the dark, Rupert accosting him from behind, telling him I discuss the odds with Runner. He thought we were all crazy and looked for a way to escape!”

“What chapter are ye on?”

“Page two actually.”

Jamie had secretly dreaded what Michael would write. Hoping he would be kind to Claire and not write a tell-all gossip book full of half-truths.

“I have been worried he might write something unsuitable.”

“Well, I will be sure and let you know if I read anything unsuitable.”

She pulled Jamie toward the shower pulling her own clothes off so she could join him under the suds. When she covered him in soap her arousal jumped into the one-alarm fire zone which could be ignored since Jamie had some work to do before bed tonight. She put on her robe and jumped on the bed to keep reading. In ten minutes she was daydreaming and put the book away. She stretched languidly watching images of Jamie between her legs driving her crazy. It was now a two-alarm fire and her heart was racing.

Jamie was recording expenses in his ledger by the light of a single lamp on his desk. He felt it. A low-level electric current that made the hair on his arms and neck stand up. He felt her arm across his shoulders and looked up into steamy whisky colored eyes that he was powerless to disobey. She nudged his chair so he would slide it back and she pushed his work to the side sitting directly in front of him. Jamie stood up and pulled her mouth to his by his grip on her hair, tasting blood in his mouth when she bit his lip. He continued to assault her mouth letting his fingers touch her thighs and stomach lightly until she moaned in complaint. It was a blazing three-alarm fire burning her core and stealing her breath.

Jamie stopped suddenly and stood above her, watching her breasts bounce while she panted, eyes just slits looking up at him. She looked like a wild cat sizing up her pray and the electric current he felt started to buzz in his balls and up his spine. She reached for his mouth to kiss him, but he put a hand on her chest easing her down to lay across his desk. He could see the whole lower floor twenty feet below them and wrapped her hands around the wrought iron safety barrier. He pulled her knees up and pushed them apart before sitting down in his chair where he would take his time tasting and teasing her. Claire moaned with her first orgasm and, he let her slippery pulsing pull him in. He did not move until the pulsing stopped and her eyes opened.

“Turn your head to the side and look down Sassenach. You mustn’t let go.”

Claire felt her stomach do flip flops when she looked over the edge into the floor below. As Jamie’s arousal increased, his thrusting pushed her ever closer to the edge. She lost focus of the perilous drop-off and gave in to her lust, moaning loudly and watching this brute take her roughly. Jamie stepped away from her and carried her to the bed where he lit a candle. He poured a whisky for each of them and watched her.

She’s a purring wild cat now until I remind her of my power, he thought and dropped his head to her core to lick her once. Her face looked a bit shocked. He sipped his whisky and without warning dropped to her bud and sucked it into his mouth for a few seconds and then sipped his drink raking his eyes over her perfect curves. There was a third lick and a fourth, and the purring stopped. Jamie’s heart was ramming in his chest at the way she looked at him like she would sink her teeth into his neck if he didn’t ease her pain. When he did, it was forceful and commanding, followed by brutal thrusting that nearly cost him control.

He stretched his body over hers and looked at her with such love it almost stopped her heart. The wild cat gave way to an open-hearted woman who wrapped her love around his soul and kissed him softly. When he moved in her again it was softly as he told her of the most profound love and devotion and then he kissed the rolling tears from her face.

Claire snuggled into Jamie’s arms with a deep sigh. He figured she would read all night, but the book laid on her side table forgotten. He kissed her forehead and smiled in the dark.

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lovesnightwriter · 3 years

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Monica and Darren - Epilogue

Epilogue

Monica closed the last box of dishes that lay open on the kitchen floor. The sun shined brightly across her slim brown face as she looked up from sliding the final strip of packing tape across the box marked “kitchen”. She could feel the beads of sweat forming on her hairline as she finished her work and silently cursed herself for not remembering to tie her hair down before she started packing. As she moved about the small kitchen floor she couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment from the scattered mini mountains of small boxes. All of these boxes meant a move was finally coming.

She got a job offer four weeks after finishing grad school and was leaving Columbus for the Chocolate City and all of the adventures it would bring. Not only was she starting her dream job but her finance, Darren, agreed to make the move with her. The timing couldn’t be better since he just finished law school and they were waiting on bar exam results to be released any day now. The paces of moving was a welcome distraction for both of them. Monica smiled with pride thinking about how Darren managed long nights in the library studying for the bar exam, working a part time job as a youth football couch and helping her maintain a sense of sanity through grad school.

“It’s all coming together,” Monica beamed and said to no one in particular.

For years she dreamed of having a career as a high powered lobbyist, a fine husband and beautiful babies. All of the boxes were getting checked and while things weren’t always fireworks with Darren she knew he was a solid guy. He was hardworking and committed. Dutiful and loyal to his family, friends and teammates. His loyalty was chief among the traits Monica loved about him.

Darren being a football phenom in the midwest regularly had ESPN pundits discussing his performance on the field. It helped that he was likeable with a magnetic personality and didn’t indulge in off-the-field antics like other high profile players in the Big 10 division. While he excelled on the field and earned notoriety for his powerful arm, off the field he laid low. He attended the occasional campus party and participated in program sponsored events, but other than that he was unusually focused on being a student athlete with hopes of playing in the NFL. That was the dream and the ultimate goal. And nothing came between him and the dream. Many of the other players, accustomed to the attention and privileges that being a star football player offered would secretly tease Darren about his straight and narrow ways when he wasn’t around. Nobody teased him or dared to bully him to his face because as a leader on the squad and one of the few students held in high regard with the coaching staff, being on his good side meant more playing time. He attended classes, never asked for any extraperks with professors and stayed away from the temptations that plagued other athletes. For years he planned on his ticket out of Ohio getting punched on draft day and he navigated the collegiate landmines with precision to ensure that it happened.

Tall and handsome Darren was the star quarterback at Ohio State but a career ending knee injury against Penn State ended his football dreams his junior year weeks before he was to declare for the NFL. Monica was in the stands for the powerful blindside that ended his football career and wanted to run to the field when she saw him laid out on the turf surrounded by coaches and team doctors. He had to be taken off the field in the medical cart since he was unable to walk. With a towel draped over his face to hide his tears of pain and knowledge of what had just happened, he didn’t need x-rays or doctors to tell him he was done playing football. The silence of the stadium was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced. Thousands of fans watching their star player’s career ending and all Darren had to hide his fear and tears was a small white towel.

Monica was there to help him figure out what life after the game looked like. After several late nights spent crying from shame and depression to Monica, he bought into her dream of them being a high-powered couple moving and making deals. Him as a lawyer and her as a savvy lobbyist. Thankfully his diligence in his course work would allow him to easily get into the University’s law school. With Monica’s masterminding, he released a statement officially retiring from football but remaining an active member on campus with hopes of graduation from the prestigious law school once he finished undergrad. He said he hoped to bring pride to the school in a different way and that he would need the support of the entire campus to help him get through these next few years as he transitioned from player to fan. University administrators ate it up and all but ensured his entrance into the law program.

That wasn’t so long ago, but seemed like a lifetime. Classes, hustling to keep money in their pockets, landing internships and graduating from their respective programs kept them busy. Over the years they’d had their fair share of disagreements when times were tense, but always came back together, literally and figuratively.

Speaking of coming back together, Monica could see his muscular frame just on the other side of their one bedroom apartment. He looked like a giant in the small one bedroom apartment and was making quick work of moving all of their boxes from inside to the moving truck two floors below. She wanted to go to him and make-up after this morning's dust up over misplaced toiletries but figured it best to wait until all of the packing was done.

While he wouldn’t say it, Monica knew he was excited about this move also. The days leading up to today had been strained, but Monica remained laser focused, avoiding potential arguments like active landmines and ensuring she kept Darren in a good mood or else they would start one of the countless “discussions” on why he should stay in Columbus for a little while longer until he was able to save money and “figure things out”. Any discussion with Darren, was the equivalent of arguing a case to Monica. He was always ready with a rebuttal and while his LSAT days were long behind him, Monica felt like she was the one having the logic games played on her whenever they had a difference of opinion. In retrospect, his constant need to defend his logic made her laugh often because he initially questioned a career in law. Monica always saw the qualities of a great lawyer in him, even if he couldn’t. To her, there wasn’t much to figure out. The odds of finding a law position were much higher in D.C. than Ohio, plus the experience would be invaluable to the trajectory of his career. He could always come back to Ohio after he stacked his resume with high profile D.C. positions. She had enough money from her bar waitressing gig to get them through the month it would take for her first payroll check to come through from her new job. The plan was already in motion and like a true mastermind Monica just needed Darren to move as she instructed.

Once the kitchen was packed, Monica walked out through the french doors and across the living room. All that remained was a small brown loveseat that was being left for her little sister, and two duffle bags of clothes with odds and ends to get them through the five hour drive comfortably.

“We had some good times in this place”, said Monica looking around the 800 square foot space.

“Oh, now you want to get all nostalgic on me,” Darren said back to Monica rolling his eyes.

“When we first moved in here you hated this place. You used to put toilet paper down to pee in your own apartment, no matter how many times I cleaned it” Darren stated not wanting to participate in her stroll down memory lane.

Monica chuckled, “Wow I forgot all about that, I just had to get comfortable in the space. You know how picky I can be about my space.”

Darren’s response was a simple passing glance and “hmph” as he lifted two boxes from the kitchen and made a beeline for the front door.

He was right. Monica hated the apartment when he first showed it to her online and even more when they looked at it in person. It was small and had very little natural light. The building smelled old and the place was a magnet for dust since there was no forced air ventilation system. But it was close to school and within their modest budget.

“Is this the last of it?,” Darren asked, doing a sweeping glance of the empty space of what used to be their home.

“Yep, that’s it” Monica replied with an eager smile.

The place felt barren, and while it was small Monica had worked hard to make it feel more grander than the humble bare bones apartment that it was when they moved in. All of the framed posters featuring replicas of fine art by Bernie Casey and Lois Mailou Jones had been taken down and gently wrapped for the journey to D.C.

To Monica the place didn’t even smell the same. The candles she left on warmers in various areas of the apartment were also packed, taking with them the familiar scents of warm spicy clove and mandarin orange. Darren used to complain about all of the different smells but eventually he let it go. He never said much about the effort Monica put in to decorate or make the space feel cozy. Monica often walked into their bedroom in the mornings to find the throw pillows on the floor or the duvet scrunched up at the foot of the bed with him long gone in the shower or getting ready for the day with little thought to put things back in order. The thought made Monica roll her eyes as she took stock of what little was left to pack. They were leaving this place as they found it. It was time for someone else to put their mark on the space. Monica felt hunger pain and snapped out of her thoughts of leaving the space.

“I was gonna go to Fernando’s to grab a pizza for dinner, figured we would end this how we started. A nice romantic dinner of pizza on the floor”, Monica said with a chuckle as she grabbed her keys and gave Darren a quick peck and walked out their apartment door.

As she walked out of the two-story building she realized she would miss this place. It was nothing fancy, and needed a lot of love but it was the start of she and Darren’s adult relationship. A place and space all their own.

*****

When Monica returned she smelled Darron’s body wash in the air and heard the stream of the shower. She set the pizza down in the kitchen and quietly walked to the bathroom where she found a naked Darron covered in soapy suds.

Thankful for her stop at the local beauty store to get a new bonnet and scarf on her way back from grabbing dinner she would need them sooner than she thought. Quietly she undressed, wrapped up her hair and covered it with the bonnet. It wasn’t the sexiest look but Darren grew accustomed to the site years ago and dared not ask her to remove it and potentially mess up her silk pressed tresses.

Monica slowly entered the shower behind Darron and caressed his back, making a mmmmm sound as she worked her hands over his broad shoulders.

He jumped briefly then realized it was Monica, “you can’t be walking up on people like that,” Darron said, only half joking.

“Well, I wanted to wash your back. May I?” Monica extended her hand for his soapy rag.

Monica scrubbed in an exaggerated fashion at first, earning her a low laugh and “alright now” from Darren. Then she turned him around so their bodies were front to front. She saw Darron’s gaze fall to her 34C breast and knew he wanted to touch them.

Darron was a body man. Most men had a preference between breast or butt on a woman. He liked to say he preferred ample amounts of TNA, tits and ass. Thankfully Monica’s 5’6 , 140 build gave him just enough of both to be satisfied.

Before Darron could reach out and begin fondling her, Monica dropped into a squat balancing on her toes, careful to keep Darron’s body in front of the hot stream of the shower head and to avoid getting her hair wet. She took Darren’s semi erect penis in her mouth and groaned in pleasure. Within seconds Darren was fully erect and Monica could taste a small trickle of pre-cum in the back of her throat.

Monica loved how Darren tasted, loved how the head of his dick would fill the back of her throat as she sucked him off. Slowly, Monica started to take Darren further into her mouth, while she sucked she made sure to use one hand to massage his sack and the other to stroke his dick as she sucked. Monica could feel Darren’s body relax. That was the goal, she knew he was stressed about the move and wanted to take his mind off of things. All of the “what if’s” and questions about how it would all come together. Once Darren was nice and hard Monica looked up and asked Darren, “What do you want to do?”

“How would you like to cum.”

The words dripped off of Monica’s lips like thick syrup. Eyes locked in on Darren she smacked his dick on her outstretched tongue and let a pool of saliva sit on her tongue creating the perfect “splash” so spittl would land around her mouth as she softly bobbed him up and down on her tongue.

Hearing no request she decided for him, pearl necklace it is.

Monica went from a squatting position to a full two-point kneeling position. It was tricky in the tight shower but she made it work.

She started to suck harder, using both hands to massage Darren as she sucked, being mindful to put on a show as her head bobbed up and down his hard shaft. Monica gagged and her eyeliner began to run as she massaged and sucked. Monica secretly relished being on her knees, or back or any other position that allowed her to have his hard dick in her face. Several times she wondered if she was obsessed with him but chalked it up to him being the person she’d ever been with. She didn’t know anyone or anything else.

As the saliva gathered in the corners of her mouth, Monica continued to suck until she could feel Darren’s body tense.

“Ugh, I’m not done yet”, Monica thought to herself.

Down on the floor of the shower she was an ameature pornstar, staring in her own dirty flick. She wasn’t a polished and buttoned up co-Ed. No, in these moments she wanted to be his fantasy. She wanted to go further, get nastier. In her mind, Darren would grab her face and fuck her mouth making her gag and hold the shower wall to keep from falling as he rammed himself into her hungry mouth. Or maybe rub his hard dick all over her face asking her if she deserved a taste—make a mess of her minimal makeup while cum and gag tears ran down her chin from the act. Any form of him taking control of her, showing her how he wanted to meet his release. But none of that happened.

Monica massaged and sucked until she felt the hot stream of cum in the back of her throat. Darren quickly pulled himself from the warmth of Monica mouth and emptied himself into the stream of water at the bottom of the tub.

“What a waste,” said Monica. “ I was hoping for a new pearl necklace.” She quipped with a naughty smile.

After Monica stood she washed herself, dressed in a nightgown from one of the two duffle bags and made a picnic style set-up while Darren blew up the air mattress they would sleep on in their last night in Ohio. While Darron wasn’t looking ,Monica pulled out a bottle of Darren’s favorite wine from her duffle bag, and two paper cups. While she wasn’t particularly fond of the bold red wine, it was his favorite. His taste in fine wine was compliments of many of the University Boosters. It seemed a crime they were drinking such a fine blend out of paper cups but this was a moment to celebrate.

“To us!” Monica proclaimed as she thrust a cup into Darren’s direction just as he finished working with the mattress.

“What’s this?” , Darren asked with a curious look.

Monica showed Darren the bottle of Catena Zapata Nicasia Malbec. The look she received took some of the wind out of her celebration.

“Monica, I really hope that fell off the back of a truck and you didn’t spend unnecessary money on this wine.”

Monica didn’t let the question bother her, she told a little white lie to avoid it. “Well I purchased it when you first passed the bar and forgot I hid it. I found it when we were packing and thought it was a great time to open it.”

“So what do you say? Cheers to new beginnings.”

#romance #interacial #lovestory #romancenovel

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blankdblank · 4 years

Text

Next Caller Pt 30

On your phone you got the half hour warning that your chair was arriving at your home and you couldn’t help but make a quick stop first before going home. Parking in the lot you hurried around the building and between the random people inside still swooning and speculating what was next. Grinning upon seeing you Balin watched your easing around the counter straight for his distracted cousin’s side while he was mid grind fully unaware of your arrival yet. Wide eyed a moment at the arms latched around his middle Thorin froze and glanced down perfecting the picture perfect moment Dwalin captured on his phone, a soppy grin melting onto his face noticing it was you in your step back.

“I can’t tell you yet, but I have to go wait for my chair delivery, see you in a bit for the zoo.” Turning away from him you trotted to the back door heading back to your scooter to drive home again.

Looking to his cousins Thorin’s grin held as he croaked out in an awkward chuckle, “What was that?”

Balin shrugged and Dwalin said, “Must be one hell of a chair to hug you and dart off.”

Balin said, “We’ll find out in a bit. You can get a picture when you go to pick her up.” Turning back to his mixture he let his mind wander while your usual fan club were sighing at the new update to their real life romantic drama.

Inside your garage again you were sealed and from there you hurried to remind the birds of your guests coming. It wasn’t long after when the truck arrived and a pair of men unloaded the chair that they wheeled to the front door then had to lift and carry through the house to your study behind you. While they carried it you held the tablet you had signed for the delivery with and at the desk you grinned at the pair guiding them back out thanking them after passing the tablet back. With their cart they went back to their truck hoping to get an early start on their next stop which was taking up most of what remained in their truck. Hurrying out the door you checked your mail finding a couple letters from children of one of your friends excited to show off pictures they had drawn of their garden you enjoyed swinging in with them on visits.

Back to your study you went and added the pictures to a cubby with more you were going to hang somewhere then turned to trot over to your chair. Grinning madly you sat on the chair crossing your legs allowing you to hold your desk and turn around in a circle. A few more circles and you hopped up heading back to the front door where you smirked seeing Thorin holding a to go mug saying, “I gotta see this chair.” Roac on his shoulder took off to go greet the other Ravens before focusing on Dot.

Stepping back your grin spread and he chuckled following you back to the study where he smiled seeing the chair nearly identical to your lounge in the study along the opposite wall. “I thought it might be good to have it match the lounge, and it’s pretty comfy. It spins too.”

He chuckled and said, “Well I’m glad you splurged. You deserve it, and it does fit the style. It didn’t set you back too far?”

“No,” you said shaking your head, “I got my first trust payment, from my father’s clan. Thought I’d try to see how I felt after buying something. I’m not going crazy, probably not gonna touch it again for a while, but I’m ok.”

“That’s great to hear.” He said wetting his lips and looking you over, “About the hug?”

“I have news,” you squeaked out widening his grin again.

“Can you tell me yet?” You shook your head and he chuckled nodding his head to the side, “Come on then. Must be good news if you had to hug someone.”

“Oooh,” accepting the to go mug he offered you, “thank you.”

“The citrus one you like.”

“Nice,” you said lifting the mug for a sip while he led you to the door and watched you hang up your bag and palm your keys you pocketed after locking the house behind you.

Together in a group the Durins were waiting, mostly the men aside from Mal and Tili. After the long drive your mug was empty and in a similar short and tank top combo complete with open flannel you matched Mal and Tili. The pair of whom grouped around you and remained there on the way in after the purchase of the admission tickets by the guys at their insistence. From exhibit to exhibit you went stealing pictures with Thorin continuing to steal glances at you until he felt your poke at his side and he smirked seeing the Dik-Dik exhibit.

Shaking his head he joined you and Mal on your way to browse through the deer and antelope breeds. Pictures were taken, including one that Dwalin took with you and Thorin in front of a close by Dik-Dik in the mini almost interactive grazing area walkway. Giraffes were next and large cats next to finish off the usual savannah dwelling creatures heading into forests and mountain animals. Frodo especially loved the lions and other large cats, while Mal went crazy loving the bear exhibit.

Before leaving around a reserved table in one of the in park restaurants your head turned to Tili as she asked, “Jaqi, weekends still free?”

After licking the last bit of sauce off your lower lip you caught her eye with a nod, “As far as I know.”

“Good,” she said with a widening grin, “You should join us this weekend.”

Mal’s smile popped wider and she nodded making you look between her and your grinning boss while Thorin grumbled around his mouthful. Frerin smiled saying, “Yes, you should definitely come see the family home. Gran and Amad have been aching to meet you.”

“I, wouldn’t want to im-,”

Tili shook her head and was joined by nearly all he guys in saying, “No imposition.”

Dwalin, “You should come, we’re all going to be away and we’d hate to leave you without your usual tea fix, Thorin’s got his own little herb garden special at the house so you’ll get his best home brews.”

“I, suppose,” you said glancing at Mal, whose hand landed on yours with an excited squeak.

Finishing lowering her glass she said, “Tomorrow, you, me, we are buying you a bikini.”

“I-,”

Frerin, “We do have a pool, and private lakes on the grounds.”

Tili nodded, “Plus the waterfall near the cliffs. We leave Friday night to fly out.”

“Fly?”

Thorin by then had swallowed his mouthful and said, “Our land is a few hours drive, straddling the border of Erebor and the Grey Mountains. It’s just a forty minute flight.”

“Ok, is it another, casual thing, or..?”

Balin answered, “Strictly casual, just family. If you wanted a simple dress for dinner that would be up to you.”

Tili said, “Sundress, something far from extravagant, if you spent the whole weekend in your pj’s we wouldn’t mind, Dis probably will be showing off her sweats for most of it. Even dinners will mostly be on the back courtyard cooked on the grill no doubt.”

You nodded and lowered your gaze to your plate to slice off another bite while they bled into what you all could do there before Thorin added, “Plus, don’t worry about leaving Roac with Dot alone, he’s coming with us, wouldn’t miss the trip to see his Amad.”

A final tour of the nocturnal section was on your way out and back in his car Thorin looked you over making you say, “I know I don’t have to go. Just wondering what I’m gonna pack.”

“What you usually wear should be fine. They won’t give you a hard time.”

“Is this another Mal courting thing?”

Thorin chuckled and replied, “In a way. Mainly to allow them supervised time together on a vacation since the boys are away often.”

“So no actual buffering then?”

Again he chuckled, “No.”

Music and innocent chatting while you both un-tensed from the slightly confusing trip to the zoo you had both imagined to be far more flirtatious on your parts only to be surpassed by the snuggling trio stealing pecks and embraces where they could mostly leading you and Thorin to man their phones to capture their pictures. The clearly established relationship had taken the forefront of the focus between stops you would all shift to the toddlers to ensure they were being given ample attention as well. It was a bit hard to not be jealous but then again you really had no reason to be. There was no courtship and if one was to start it certainly wouldn’t be in that setting with that crowd all watching so intently.

Open suitcase on the bed you eyed your clothes hanging in your closet and began to add simple clothes. Jeans, shorts, socks of an ample amount along with underwear. Tank tops and t shirts with a few flannels and a sweater just in case. A couple simple dressier things were chosen, a mint sundress, collard and sleeveless, layered for sway and to add a more feminine touch to the style. With that a layered sleeveless tan polka doted top with a navy skirt to match, in case something far dressier was planned you added a simple long sleeved yellow lace layered dress with your new heels and some thigh high stockings. Grumbling to yourself as to what you might choose for a swim suit only to cover your head with your pillow mid groan hoping that you could remain calm near the pool. It had been a long time since you had swam and that was in a secluded pool with just you alone on Celeborn’s property. Either way you were invited and you couldn’t be rude and back out now. Just hoping that the pool time would be kept to a minimum and you wouldn’t be a bother to anyone by spoiling their fun.

Four bell rings in a row even had your birds peeking out of the greenhouse until you called out, “I have little legs Mal! I can only go so fast!” Hurrying from your shower in your towel to open the door. Huffing once you saw her giggling self you turned letting her in, “Just let me get dried off, you said ten.”

“It is ten.”

“Not with that clock thingy last night.”

Looking at her watch she asked, “That was last night?” Then looked up following you only to stop at the first room with new curtains, “You put up curtains!”

From you bath where you wiggled into your panties and bra and got to drying your hair you called back, “Ya, it’s slowly getting there.”

After her own tour she followed the sound of your blow dryer and smirked seeing the battle of the curls trying to keep their springy selves dripping then followed your fingers in folding a simple start to a five section braid she took your agreeing nod to jump in and help you keep it straight all the way down to the end. “I don’t know how you do it every day.”

“I don’t wash it every day, can’t or I end up looking like a sheep. One or twice a week or it gets moody.”

Giggling to herself she followed you to your bed where you pulled on your shorts and tank top with the flannel over she passed you, “Any choice on color for your bikini yet?”

“I don’t know. Used to have an orange one piece,”

“That’s what lifeguards wear.”

“Exactly,” you said sitting down to pull on your socks and tie your converse.

“You were a lifeguard?”

“Out in Lindon, part of my water therapy. Ten summers helping the lifeguards there drag people out of the swells.”

“Water ther-, oh, your ship.”

Shaking your head you stood, “I’ll be fine, I can swim, I just prefer it not to be crowded. I’ll dip my feet in, who knows they might have a lounging waterfall pool area or something I can lay in while you and your duo pounce on one another, or, whatever you kids get up to these days.”

Giggling again she says on your way back to the door after you’d pocketed your phone and wallet, “You know, sometimes I can almost forget just how old you are, until you say something like that.”

“Well it’s true, and don’t you deny you haven’t been drooling over them in their, I don’t know, trunks, speedos, lets hope that they are not the banana hammock type, I doubt I could survive that.”

Nudging you with her elbow she said, “You know you’d like to see Thorin in one.”

Looking up at her you led the way to the door you locked and grabbed your keys off the ring only to turn back to your garage saying, “If I want to see his bare ass cheeks I’d prefer him naked, not in a g string.”

“So you prefer speedo then?” she teased.

“I’m seeing more big picture, you’ve met Bombur and Gloin.”

“Oh, now why’d you-,”

“Bigger picture. As long as they’re comfy I don’t care, but I am hoping for no g strings.” Hitting the button on the wall for the garage door you walked to your bike as she eyed the paint cans, “Now where are we going?”

Smiling at you she said, “To this cute shop I know.” Trotting back to her scooter in your driveway that you pulled up to allowing you to close your door behind you.

As she readied her own scooter she watched the kids racing by who stopped to wave and greet you then dart off whispering making her look at you after the second group, “They saw my runes on the mailbox matched the ones on Bombadil.”

Again Mal giggled and said snapping her helmet on, “Finally getting the credit you’re due.” Leading the way she pulled out of the drive and you were right next to her for the whole way to a far from what you would call cute in size for the shop more like a mini mall in itself. Parked in the railed off section you crossed the crosswalk to the front entrance and passing the section of just floral wraps and sarongs you made your way down the weaving path glancing up at the fans blowing even colder air down on you the farther back you got dropping the temperature absurdly low for a swimsuit themed shop in your opinion.

“I suppose we can start in one pieces.” Looking around with pursed lips she said, “I think blue,” leading the way to the section of blue while you milled about in the silver ones just past the white ones. A few minutes past and she called out, “Find anything yet?”

Sliding them from one side to the other you replied, “Do they sell nothing but thongs?”

To that she giggled and replied, “Well you are in the thong section.”

“I am?” You said peering up at the odd symbol on the sign your head cocked at, “Oh, it’s a butt, I thought it was another non peach logo mishap.”

Turning around you strolled out of the thong section eyeing the butts becoming more covered in the logos. “Peach logo?”

“I told you about the Butt bush on the way to Rohan.”

“No you most certainly did not.” She fired back peering at you as you started to browse the silver section.

“Oh, could have sworn I did. Anyways, we get to the airport and he pulls into the ‘peach’ section for parking right in front of this butt shaped bush.” Behind her hand she snorted trying to hold back a giggle moving another suit aside, “And he said it’s a peach, but it clearly was a butt,” pulling out your pocket you found the picture and sent it to her phone only making her snort and laugh out loud when she saw it, “Butt bush.”

“That is not a peach,” she giggled out helplessly while you sighed and moved onto the black section seeing as silver just shifted to more scaly designs with absurd ruffles.

“Ooh,” That had her leaving her section to come find you.

“I heard an ooh, I want to see the ooh.” Up to your side she walked and eyed the lace cutout style panel over the middle of the black one piece. “Nice.”

Holding it up to yourself, “Does this look like it’d fit, I have sort of weird proportions.”

“That’s why I like this shop,” she said moving to the end she pulled the measuring tether she brought over to you helping to get the right size using the chart hanging on the end she read when she took the tether back. “This one should fit better. Owner is a Half Hobbit, used to having weird proportions. Yours should be on the blue hangers. I get the lilac.”

Nodding you laid the right sized one over your arm and joined her to the blue section where she eased right back to where she was then pulled out a choice of her own, “Ooh, that’s nice.”

She nodded eyeing the more classic blue polka doted suit saying, “I like it.” Laying it over her arm she turned her head taking your free hand, “Now, bikinis.”

Eyeing the signs for how much coverage the bottoms offered you skipped the silver ruffled section and started in the red section. More towards the skimpier end showing off the bright baby blue black outlined string bikini. Nipping at her lip she trotted over to you asking, “What have you found?”

“Um,” you said eyeing a black simple shaped two piece, the top was heart shaped with two bands going diagonally across your ribs flashing a bit of skin. Matching the bottom with double bands on the sides around your hip bones. “I don’t know why but I like it. Not sure how it would look though.”

Nodding her head with a larger size she brought you to the little try on station where body models were set up. Helping you to ease the suit on over its nonexistent head you settled the suit onto it laying the bands flat across its ribs. “That would look so cute on you. Just hug you perfectly, I like the crossing for you.”

Removing the suit you went back and grabbed the one in your size and curiously kept browsing with her close by to see if there was anything else that caught her eye. Branching into colors a neon yellow top with a similar crossing set of strips around the ribs paired with a navy blue bottom with neon yellow decorative ties on the sides. Wraps and covers were next and with a couple sarongs chosen you both headed for the registers while Mal teased her way through imagining how the boys would react to her choices. Ending at the scooters by saying, “And we all know Thorin will just scoop you up seeing your piercings on full display.”

“Oh I highly doubt that.”

“Oh yes he will, because he won’t want anyone else seeing them.”

Making you giggle and roll your eyes, “With that explanation then I expect you to be locked in a closet beside mine with that teenie bikini of yours. Though it might just be Dis locking you away,” making her giggle again. A message on your phone had you saying, “Ooh, I gotta head home, my mattresses are on their way.”

“Do you need an ally?”

“I mean, if you like. I was just gonna wash these, make some soup and sandwiches while I waited.”

“I like soup.”

With a giggle you said, “Alright, come on then.” With your bag on the dip between your legs you rode your way back to your house parking in your garage that she followed you through to your sewing cabinet to cut off the tags while she gawked at your setup.

“Where did you get this?”

Looking at her you said, “Oh, um,” looking around the cabinet you brought out the card you had tucked into one of the top compartments you handed to her, “I don’t know how to say it, but they’re pretty affordable. Had mine for centuries. Folds up into a chest and it’s light weight, fireproof and all that.” She snapped a picture of the card that you put back again then went out to your greenhouse where she saw you using the faucet in the wall to fill the small barrel that with a small bit of laundry soap Mal watched you hand lather your swimsuits. Pouring the mixture out over a couple of your planters that helped to perk up the rare plants more you refilled the barrel and rinsed off the suits while she talked about her thoughts for how the trip would go.

“I think it’ll go well, I mean everyone will be there, so all the ones from the Festival plus so many more. I think that should be-,” For a moment her eyes flinched wider feeling something brushing her cheek in Kuu’s lean over her shoulder.

In her silence you looked up saying, “You’re up late Kuu,”

“We have a delivery.”

“Yes we do. I was going to make some soup, did you want some peas before bed?”

“Yes please. I will get my bowl.” He said turning away parting Mal’s lips in his sudden vanishing after his sudden appearance while you stood to hang up your suits.

On her feet she watched you dump the final barrel of water and then lead the way to the kitchen where you washed your hands and filled the pot that you added peas to allowing that to sit. “Does he do that often?” She whispered by your ear making you smirk at her.

“Ask for peas?”

“No, the, leaning,”

“Oh, ya. Hector and his Mate do the same, I think it’s just, their thing. They like to be sneaky. Means he likes you or he’d stay away.” Mal nodded and you giggled, “You get used to it.” Turning to head to the pantry for more soup and your last loaf of bread while Kuu came in and settled his bowl on the counter and looked to Mal stepping close to her side. Adding the soup to the second pot you settled on the second lit burner saying, “It shouldn’t be that long of a stop, just leaving some mattresses. Tomorrow is the big build day. But they won’t bother you all.”

Happily he watched as you strained the peas out you poured into his bowl he carried back to his house after a big yawn. “Thank you.”

“Get some sleep.”

He walked off and she looked you over as you brought out a skillet for the sandwiches and started to slice the bread. “So when are you buying a washer and dryer?”

Smirking at her you said, “Is it crazy that I might actually like my hand washer kit?”

“Little bit,” making you giggle again, “A bit like little house on the prairie. Next I’ll see you churning your own butter.”

“Oh I don’t have the patience for that, takes hours if you do it right.”

“Is this homemade bread?” She asked and you lifted a brow at her, “This is not a criticism, that’s kind of awesome. And your soup, did you buy these?” She asked lifting the empty jar she sniffed. “This smells so good.”

“Thank you, I should have some more soon, by how my veggies look.”

“I’m gonna have a house like this one day, and you are teaching me how to make that.”

“Sure. It’s fairly simple recipe. Just jar it and you can have soup when you like.” Finishing off another grilled cheese your head turned at the doorbell sounding making you turn off the burner for the skillet.

“I got this.”

You nodded saying, “Just stir it occasionally should be back before it’s done.” Walking for the door you grinned and showed the delivery men inside. “That corner should be good.” The first man eyed the empty room and you said, “They’re installing the bunk beds tomorrow.”

Chuckling to himself he said, “Stacked should be best then. Just to make sure they don’t fall over.”

“Yes, that would be good, my birds like to explore.”

Stacked in the corner out of the way the four were left and they guys were back to their truck with signed slip in hand ready for their next stop. Back to the stove you went and finished off the soup you served out complete with split grilled cheeses enjoyed while you shared basic ways to make the bread and what actually was in a few of your soups. A message from Bilbo that he needed some help in the shop had her stealing a hug and hurrying out, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

Finishing off the food you cleaned up and let out a breath double checking your garage and front door were locked before heading back to your bedroom to get some sleep early. Plans however didn’t pan out as you were up a few more hours watching a show to tire yourself out. Groggily you checked your suits and ensuring they were dry you folded them and added them to the suitcase at the foot of your bed.

Today would be busy to say the least. Four rolled around and getting ready you were off, though a bit early you headed in having to skip the shop from a message that the guys had sent you saying they had a surprise for you. Sending off a quick message to Thorin you went straight to the station where you found the guys ready to lead you into their office.

“Everything good?”

Glorfindel, “Better than good.” Flashing you one of the stickers making your jaw drop as you let out an excited squeak taking hold of the sticker making them chuckle.

Ecthellion, “Just the Countess for now as she’s the most popular right now, possibly we could add another character monthly if you like.”

You nodded saying, “Ya, maybe Wolsey next, I can get you a copy of his sketch to stock up if you like.” They nodded and taking hold of the manila envelope holding the 20 sheets of portrait stickers with four on each sheet.

Exiting into the hall you froze at the to go mug being held in front of you when you turned. “Hello,” You said to Mal who you accepted the mug from.

“This is how Thorin gave me your drink. Ding Dong, ‘this is for Jaqi.’ You broke my uncle in law.” Rolling your eyes you turned for your booth to wait outside sipping on your cider, “What’s in the envelope?”

“Mmm,” lowering your mug you reached into the envelope and excitedly she squeaked accepting the sheet you held out to her, “Stickers.”

“This is why you missed your drop in?”

You nodded and replied, “Yup. I didn’t realize-,”

Her smirk deepened looking at you, “Oh you didn’t realize that Thorin wanted to make sure that his lady had her morning fix before our show?”

Shaking your head you said, “I doubt-,”

She pointed at the cup, “He woke me up, to give you, the mug that you couldn’t make it in for instead of barging in here himself. Which if he had he’d no doubt hide out and watch.”

“Either that or he’s staking out the place to find his own way in for next week.” Making her giggle to herself.

A stunning show centered around two new characters drove people off what they had imagined, though excitedly they were hooked when Frenn did come back into the story in tries to goad a confession out of Durin while he scoured his ship in search of the meant to be resting Bunny.

The silenced buzz of your phone alerting you to the bed frame arrival, once the show was over a hasty hug from you later to Mal and you were off to hop onto your scooter. Texting Bilbo she passed on word that you were heading home confirming to her that Dwalin was already at your place. A fact that you found for yourself upon arrival seeing him parked in your driveway. Opening the garage door you parked on one side and let him pull in on the other leaving a wide section for any supplies they might need in the driveway or garage. Hastily through the house you went warning the birds that you were closing the door to the greenhouse hearing Dwalin greeting the first crew. Off the truck the wood was unloaded and out you came flashing a grin to Dwalin who said, “Jaqi can show you back.”

You nodded and led the group to your sisters’ room and you pointed to the opposite wall from the door, “That wall should be plenty big enough for some extra space if you need it.”

The head builder said, “Oh ya, plenty of room,” turning his head he said, “You have the mattresses, good.”

“They’re not in the way, are they?”

They shook their heads and he said, “No, not in the least. We may have to take down your curtains till we’re done though to be safe on not catching them,”

“Ya sure,”

Measuring tapes came out while one of the men brought down the curtains and moved them to the white and orange spare room then returned to find the head man saying, “We have some, three feet, on the end over here, now, we could add some spare shelves to fill that space if you like, for spare sheets or such. I’d hate to just leave that space empty at the end of the day.”

“Yes, that would be amazing, thank you.”

He nodded pleased that you were so apt to his suggestion and said, “We’ll get started.” You nodded and headed out at Dwalin calling your name when the first crew saw another crew arriving, though chests un-puffed when they realized the much simpler bed kits were being assembled in other rooms. Through the front door while the other crew stacked the wood they would cut on their pop up table in your driveway for final measurements the second crew unloaded their kits into the sea foam room for your Naneth and Cirdan first. Following up by moving the orange and blue rooms’ beds in next with the blue beds on one side and the tan on the other. Starting with the sea foam while you sat on the couch beside Dwalin the sound of construction starting had you glancing his way.

“Want some stickers?”

He looked at you then glanced down at the sheet you passed him with wide eyes in a deep breath, “No!”

“Yup,” Shifting on the couch you said, “I think I’m gonna put two in my study and bring the rest to your family place, ooh, you haven’t seen my new chair.” He shook his head and followed you to your study where he grinned at your chair you knelt and spun around on it and chuckled watching you set your sticker sheets by the notes you had put in one of your desk drawers. The remaining sheets were added to your suitcase and back to the living room you went while he hurried to add his sheet to his trunk after having amply praised the design of the fabled Countess.

Before the hour was through the platform was built for the sea foam bed with padded headboard attached and ready for its mattress. Windows were closed and onto the next room the team moved catching glimpses of curious supply fetchers from the other team stealing peaks at what vibe the rooms were giving off for them. All seeming to be pleased with your taste, especially those building the base of your bunk beds loving the clear able to grow into children’s room hinting for them perhaps that there were bairns excited for these beds to be completed for them. Every hint urging the teams to do their best, especially since more than one of them had shared whispers on your name, having recognized it instantly upon the bombshell addition to Bombadil’s new lineup.

The twin platform beds for the orange/blue room were completed with ease and with Dwalin beside you they gave you a final tour of the results and with checkbook in hand you wrote out the check for the assembly fee and handed it over only to giggle and sign out a few autographs for the crew. Excitedly they cleaned up the final things and headed on to their next stop while you found your house sketch journal and crossed off the five bed frames that were now completed. Hearing the hints that the guys were nearing the end of their build after you and Dwalin had eaten you broke out some of the supplies you had bought a few days prior making Dwalin smirk seeing the tray of bacon burgers and some steak fries. Sodas, water bottles were set out with plates around the table that you expanded.

Peering into the doorway as the men finished hoisting the mattresses onto the upper levels after having added the lower ones you watched them all look over the final effect then turned at the youngest one tapping the others and turning to see you. “Hi, looks good.”

The head man nodded and said, “We’re so glad you like them. Shouldn’t take long to clean up.”

“Well I made some burgers and fries, you guys look hungry.” Gratitude blended to compliments and muffled chatter through the meal they helped to clean up after filling the sink with ample thanks keeping hold of their still unfinished drinks they took out to the truck then got to cleaning up. The head builder showed you the finer details of everything and was pleased at your own climb up the steps between the beds to crawl into the two top beds. Checking each of the shelves came next and excitedly you thanked the team again and handed over the 2k check for the install fee they wrote you out a receipt. For them as well more pear circled J Pear autographs were handed out before their filing back into their truck leaving you alone again.

Already anticipating it Dwalin grinned in your tight hug around his middle he returned before asking, “Need my help for anything?”

You shook your head saying, “Was just gonna bring out the sheets and stuff for that room so I can wash them when I get back from the trip. In case you have to head home to pack or anything.”

With a grin he chuckled saying, “I am packed, Frodo however, is not. Everything does look amazing. I will see you on the plane, Dear.”

You nodded accepting his next hug, “See you then you big softie.” Making him chuckle and join you for the walk to your still open garage he backed out of allowing you to close it while he pulled away heading home again.

Exhaling sharply you went to bring out the things for that room you set in that room, which you smirked standing in admiring it all, including the curtains that you tied back and lowered the internal shades readying for your trip, a task you repeated in each guest room. Opening the greenhouse door again you gave the all clear that the house was all yours again. Dishes were next with enough in the washer to start it freeing you to head back to the living room to wait until you could put them away again.

Pt 31

#Thorin x Reader OC #Hobbit #lotr #Dwalin

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let-me-love-you-loki · 4 years

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Take Me Away

A/N: Honestly, every time I look at Hangman, this song plays in my head. This man is bringing the country girl out of me again.

I didn’t know if I would ever get used to surprises from Adam Page. He’d taken me to his ranch on the first date to ride horses. Our third date had been a day trip floating down the Dan River. Date five had been fishing on a pontoon boat. Out of seven or eight dates, only two or three of them had been low-key dinner dates in town.

He’d been away for several weeks traveling in Japan on a wrestling tour. The truth was, I’d been lonely without him. I’d taken a drive over to Hangman Ranch almost every day after work while he’d been away. There was a stock of apples in my purse… treats for Paisley, Stoney (the chestnut), and Eclipse (the jet black). Whenever I pulled up, no matter where they were in the field, they made their way over to the fence and popped their heads over the top rail. They munched on apples from my hand as I stroked the soft velvet of their noses.

I waited patiently for three weeks… waited for the message that said he was home. But when it came late one evening as I was crawling into bed, it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I opened the message to find a photo of the steering wheel of Adam’s truck and a text. Pack a bag. I’ll pick you up at 6:30 in the morning. You can sleep on the way.

***

I’d been awake since five. The mystery of this sudden trip was enough to keep me from settling into a comfortable rest. After fighting to go back to sleep for almost an hour, I got up and tried to prepare myself for whatever Adam Page had waiting. I’d brushed my teeth, washed my face, and packed the rest of my toiletries. Then I sat, wondering and waiting, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest.

The knock came at exactly six-thirty. Adam stood on the threshold with his hair in a messy knot on top of his head, aviators hanging from the collar of his t-shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of flip flops. He grinned when he saw me, his blue eyes sparkling bright.

“Hey, Em,” he said by way of greeting. He reached out and looped one arm around my waist to pull me against him. His free hand cupped my cheek, thumb stroking my skin slowly. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Before I could respond, he dipped his head and his mouth was on mine. It was like the first kiss all over again. A rush of weightlessness rushed into me. I wound my arms around his neck and leaned up on my toes to return the kiss. I could feel him smile against my lips.

“Let’s get,” Adam said playfully when he broke the kiss. “It’s a long drive.”

He snatched my suitcase up from beside the door and laced his fingers with mine. As soon as I’d checked the door, he was pulling me insistently down the stairs and outside to the curb. Adam opened the door and helped me up into the truck before stowing my suitcase in the backseat with his bag. When he climbed into the driver’s seat, he leaned into the back and came up with an overstuffed pillow and a fleece blanket.

“Curl up and go back to sleep. I’ll stop about eight and we’ll get breakfast.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, knowing just as well that he wasn’t going to tell me.

He smirked and reached across me to snatch my seatbelt. “You’ll see. Now go to sleep, Em.”

***

It was easier than I thought to fall back asleep. The rock of the car, the faint sound of Adam singing along with the radio, and the warmth from the heater lulled me to sleep by the time we’d left Aaron’s Creek. Surprisingly, I fell into dreams of horses and wild grass.

The sun was rising higher in the sky when Adam gently shook me awake. We were idling in a parking spot outside a Cracker Barrel. He hopped out and came around to lift me to the ground. He took the chance to kiss me again, grinning with playfulness. Our fingers twined together as we walked across the parking lot.

“I’ve always wanted one of those for my porch,” he said wistfully, looking at the rocking chairs lined up outside. I tugged on his arm, pulling him over to them, grinning at the thought of watching the stars come out over the clover grass fields at his ranch.

I glanced at the price tag and gasped. “Too bad they’re so much. We could have gotten two.”

When I turned my attention to Adam, he was looking down at me with bright blue eyes and a slow smile. He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, lingering for a long moment. I settled my palm against his cheek, my fingers brushing his soft blond beard. “Four hundred isn’t too much to sit with the prettiest girl this side of the Mississippi.”

“Stop it,” I murmured, blushing and smacking him playfully on the chest.

His smile turned serious as he tucked loose strands of my hair behind me ear. “You’re beautiful, and don’t you forget it. Now come on, we’re burning daylight.”

Adam led me inside and asked for a table by the fireplace. It was warm and smelled faintly of woodsmoke, setting my mind onto thoughts of camping and nights curled up in his arms next to a fire. We ordered pancakes, gravy and biscuits, scrambled eggs, and sausage. He told me about his time in Japan, promising that he would introduce me to his wrestling buddies.

I was warm and pleasantly full when we finally walked back to the truck. Adam turned to look at the chairs again as we passed by. “We’re comin’ right back here on the way home, and I’m buyin’ two of them.”

He hooked his arm around my neck and drew me close as we crossed the lot. I couldn’t help but giggle at the lingering kiss he left on the top of my head. He laughed when I pushed away from his side and raced him to the truck. The locks opened, and I climbed the runner and opened the door.

“Come on, cowboy,” I called over my shoulder as I scooted into the cab. “We’re burning daylight!”

His laugh got deeper and brighter as he jogged around to the driver side and hopped in. As soon as he put the key in the ignition, he reached toward me, curling his fingers around the back of my neck and pulling me in to a playful, laughing, grinning kiss.

Then we were back on the road. I watched the world roll by outside the truck. It was flat for a while, then began climbing higher, winding through mountains tinged in blue and green. Virginia had faded away, given in to the North Carolina Piedmont and then the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It wasn’t until he pulled off the highway that I realized where we were going.

***

The house came into view after a slow, meandering drive through heavy woods. First came the highest peaks of the roof, grey slate mixed with limestone and brick. Stained glass windows and a three-story house that looked like a castle from a fairytale. Adam slowed to a crawl as we drove through the wrought iron gates and across the carriage road. The sprawling front lawn spread out to my right, the fountain in the center spraying a curling jet of water into the air.

The Biltmore Estate was bigger than I’d ever imagined. “Oh, Adam…” I squealed into my fingers. “This is… are we going to go in? Are we taking the tour?”

He laughed and reached out to squeeze my knee. “Em, we’re going to stay in the Inn. I made sure to get us a room where you can see the house. We can take the tour every day if you want.”

I looked back at him, not caring that the truck was rolling through a gate and down a narrow road away from the house. “Every day?”

“Three days. Anything you want, you get,” Adam replied, looking sheepish. “I hope… did I do okay?”

My heart thumped hard in my chest. He looked so young in that moment with the blush highlighting his cheekbones and the faint, worried smile. I reached for his hand, too overcome to say much of anything. My fingers squeezed his as I tried to put my thoughts and feelings into words.

After another twenty minutes, Adam pulled into a parking spot next to a sprawling hotel that looked very much like the house itself. The radio played on, filling the cab with the sounds of banjos and fiddles. I recognized the song, grinning as I thought how fitting it was to that moment. I shimmied closer to Adam, resting my head on his shoulder.

“Cowboy, take me away,” I sang softly, threading my fingers with his. I closed my eyes, feeling the tears bubble up. “Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue…”

Adam pressed his lips against my forehead. His nose bumped my cheek, silently asking for me to look up. When I did, he curled his fingers against my cheek and kissed me so delicately but so strongly that it took my breath straight from my lungs.

He settled his forehead against mine, his thumb stroking my cheek. I could feel his breath ghosting along my skin. My heart gave a steady thump, pushing certainty into my veins.

“Adam…” I stopped, drew a deep breath, licked my lips.

“I love you, Em,” he said quietly.

His blue eyes were closed, squeezed tight as if he was bracing for a blow. As if he thought for one second that I didn’t feel the same way. I smiled and curled my fingers around the back of his neck, feeling tears start to slip down my cheeks.

“I love you too, cowboy.”

@mox-made-me-do-it

#Adam Page #Hangman adam page #take me away #take me saga #romance #fluff #aew #aew fanfiction #adam page fanfiction #cowboy take me away

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though5s · 7 months

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FUCK LIFTED TRUCKS. I am so nice, and so understanding to everyone all the time. I've collected good karma. I'm a SAFE FUCKING DRIVER. HOW ON EARTH IS IT LEGAL TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN FROM 3/4 IN THE FUCKING LEFT TUEN LANE. Lifted trucks are driven by absolute assholes who don't deserve licenses. Learn to fucking drive. You can't even Google legislation AGAINST these absolute death missiles because every search result is telling you how to legally make your truck BIGGER AND MORE DANGEROUS. YOU ARE NOT A SEMI. WIDE TURNS DO NOT APPLY TO YOU, YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD. I HOPE YOUR TRUCL CATCHES FIRES AND YOU NEVER DRIVE AGAIN. if you drive a lifted truck you're an idiot and I personally hate you.

#lifted trucks should be illegal #if you drive a lifted truck i hope you drive it straight off a mountain #never drive again #theyre unnecessary ans incredibly dangerous #fuck you

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rwbyremnants · 4 years

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NOTE: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it shouldn't really be a spoiler that Weiss is going to survive; don't worry I won't do this fandom rotten like that. See you soon!

=Chapter 19

The apartment above the gentleman's clothing store was comfortable enough from an objective standpoint. Homey. However, Weiss was never going to be comfortable there. Even after this ordeal was over, it would always remind her of having to watch as her girlfriend suffered. She hoped she never had to see the threadbare old oriental rug, the crystal chandelier, the upright honky tonk piano in the corner, ever again.

“She's going to be fine,” Blake reassured her, even though she still looked nearly as shaken as she had in Mountain Glenn. “They said the arm was just dislocated. Popped right back into the socket. She'll have to go easy on it for a little while, let those muscles heal that were stretched and torn, but it's better than a break.”

“Mmmm.”

“Come on, speak up,” she half-snorted. “It's not like you to be this quiet.”

“I'm just… worried.” Drawing her knees up into the old armchair with its paisley upholstery, she glanced over at the other Dragon in her matching seat. “I thought no one would get hurt this way, and…”

The girl's amber eyes focused on the rug. “Life's hard sometimes. But… I kinda know what you mean. Now I feel stupid for thinking this way, but I always believed Yang was invincible. So strong and brave, and kind, and larger than life…”

“Yeah! And here we are waiting for her to recover from just falling off her motorcycle. It sounds ridiculous, but it isn't.”

“I have to admit, I really didn't understand why my mother was so upset about this when I heard the announcement. But now, I get it.”

The two girls lapsed into silence for a time, gazing at the rug and trying to sort through their own emotions. Weiss mostly felt relief, but the entire incident had shaken her on a deep level in much the same way it had Blake. Was that going to be the rest of her life now? Continually finding herself and perilous situations, fighting for her life? It boggled her poor, sheltered mind. But deeper down… she knew she would do it all again for Yang. In a heartbeat.

Their silent vigil was only interrupted when Watts came in from the bedroom door, still ringing his hands in a towel. Salem stood and approached him immediately. Weiss was a little surprised that she hadn't taken off that cloak of hers in all that time waiting, but she had more important concerns at the moment.

“It's going to be fine,” he told them in an inpatient voice. “I've set her arm and bandaged her other wounds. There's going to be a lot of bruising but as far as I can tell, no internal bleeding or other fractures. If she starts experiencing any other symptoms, bring her straight back and we'll re-evaluate when the time comes.”

The High Dragon bowed her hooded head. “It seems we owe you a debt.”

“You don't.” His shrewd eyes slid over to Weiss and softened very slightly. “The debt has been paid in advance. And speaking of which, if you'll excuse me…”

“Wait,” Weiss protested before he could leave. “Can I- well, what I mean is, can we see her?”

Almost as if against his better judgement, he flashed her a tight smile. “She'll be out in a moment.” Then he did vanish into the confines of his “examination room”.

“I’m going to take my leave,” Salem said, and almost immediately, Sienna was up and opening the door for her. “I trust you and the Duchess to ensure she makes it home safely?”

“Of course, High Dragon,” Kali said with a slight bow of her head. “Don’t worry.”

“I never do with you around.” Then she smirked at Weiss. “And maybe the same goes for you. Take care of my apprentice.”

Once the woman and her driver had left, Weiss gulped and approached Blake’s mother. “What is that supposed to mean? Should I be worried?”

“No, it’s a good sign. She sees how much of your heart is focused on her warlord - how loyal you are. Of course, she may try to exploit that in the future, but… for now, it keeps you from being mistrusted.” Kali looked very slightly apologetic about casting the situation in that light, but was smiling all the same.

“Oh. Well… I appreciate you being honest with me.”

“Anytime, sweetie.” Then she craned her head. “Blake? Would you mind going in and seeing what’s taking Yang so long?”

Blake only had time to stand before the door opened on its own. Yang looked battered and worn down, but she was in decent spirits; she smiled the instant she saw Weiss, for instance. The smile was a little lopsided due to a puffy bruise on her cheek, and the bandages around her head made her hair look quite odd, indeed. Still, she was whole, and awake, and alive.

“Anybody get the license plate of that Mack truck that ran me down?”

Weiss flew to her side and slid her arms as gently around her love's middle as she could manage. All her heart wanted to squeeze, but her mind knew that would cause more agony than comfort.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered earnestly. “You… this was supposed to be safer!”

“It was safer for you,” she chuckled in a raspy voice. “‘Cept you wound up jumping down a hole anyway. Are you crazy?”

“Crazy for you.”

The simple line got Yang melting like a stick of butter in a bonfire. She pressed a kiss into Weiss's head through her hair. “Thanks. Still don't think you should have done it, but… thank you.”

“Let's go before Watts decides you need to pay for his services, after all,” Kali said with a slight smile.

“Right. Lead the way, Mrs. B.”

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

Given that Yang's Harley was now being repaired by whomever Salem used for such things, Kali offered to drive Yang home in her car. She and Weiss took the back seat. Blake went straight home on her motorcycle, though it was quite obvious that she wanted to tag along and help.

“Oh boy,” Weiss muttered nervously as they pulled up in front of Raven's house. “Here we go again…”

“Here we go? What do you mean? Oh, right - I think you did mention before that she threatened you with gunfire the last time you stopped by.” Kali paused their conversation to get out and open the rear door on Yang's side of the car. “Can you push while I pull?”

“I'm not a sack of potatoes,” Yang protested, even as the two were doing as Kali had suggested.

“Don't worry about Raven. I know how to handle her. And I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you, Weiss.”

Sighing as she got out of the car herself and took up Yang's hand, she whispered, “Thank you. I just hope you're right.”

This time, the first knock at the door was actually answered. A minute or so later, it was yanked open to reveal the pale, evil-eyed woman who had last threatened Weiss with a mortal wound if she didn't vacate the premises immediately. She was dressed in overalls and a long-sleeved red shirt, one of the overall straps unbuttoned and dangling down toward her waist.

“What?”

“Now now, Raven, is that any way to greet an old friend?” Kali was trying for a cheerful tone, but it came across almost business-like.

“If I see one, I'll greet them differently.”

“Droll.” Her head nodded sideways toward Yang, who was curiously silent and staring down at the ratty old welcome mat beneath her boots. “Your daughter got a little banged up today. I would think she would have called you to let you know about it, but then again, you don't seem to know how to pick up the phone.”

Even while the murderous red pools were narrowing at Kali, Yang spoke up in a very subdued voice. “Thanks for the lift, girls. I can take it from here.”

“Oh?” Weiss said. “But I thought we… could…”

Just that one sentence fragment was enough to get Raven's attention on her. “Didn't I warn you never to come back here?”

“Raven Branwen,” Kali snapped. “You're even more of a bitch than the last time we spoke.”

“Yes, I am.” She strode forward until their noses and chests were nearly touching. “I'll shoot you too if you don't clear out of here.”

“Enough. We care about Yang more than you do, by the looks of it. And you're really going to turn us out of your home? Before we've even had the chance to come in?”

“She's already been in once,” she hissed sharply, and Weiss felt her cheeks bloom with redness.

“She was doing your job! Making sure your daughter was okay! Or don't you care about that anymore?”

Hackles raised end hands curling into fists, Raven took another step forward until their noses actually were touching now. “Get out.”

“That isn't going to work on me like it does on unsuspecting childre-”

Everything happened so fast that Weiss couldn't follow all of the movements with her eyes. One moment, the two women were staring each other down - the next, Raven was holding Kali up against the wall, face grinding into the door frame and arm pulled up into the middle of her back. Both a gun and a dagger were lying on the porch between their four feet.

“Ah!” Kali gasped in pain.

“You knew you weren't welcome here,” Raven snarled, sounding almost deadly calm if not for the clear pulse of anger in every other word. “Thought I made that crystal clear. If you ever come back again, I won't be so ni-”

But Kali wasn't quite finished. The heel of her shoe came down hard on Raven's toes, which were only protected by mere stockings at the moment. As she howled with pain, Kali whirled, gripped the lapels of her grimy overalls and tossed her through the open door into the living room.

“RAVEN!” Yang gasped, sprinting inside to crouch over her mother's form. Kali calmly picked up the two weapons and slipped them into her clothes - Weiss couldn't tell how she did that, either, or where they wound up.

“You got a lotta nerve,” Raven snapped as she began to sit up - only for Kali's boot to push down into her stomach and keep her still. “Hey!”

“No, you've had your turn, you overgrown brat. Now you will listen.” Her eyes closed for a moment, and her finger and thumb pinched at the bridge of her nose. “This is somehow actually worse than the rumble we were supposed to have today…”

Raven's tone was now extremely put upon. “I don't care. Whatever it is you have to say to me, save it. I don't want to hear-”

“You have a beautiful, strong, caring, capable daughter who only wants to have fun with her friends and enjoy a few dates. Who tries to do the right thing when she can. And you couldn't care less. It's reprehensible. I know… that I smother my own daughter a little bit, embarrass her sometimes, but it's far better than letting her believe for even a second that I don't love her. Maybe you are capable of doing that for Yang, or maybe you're not. But you could at least try pretending a little bit harder for her sake.”

“Why? What's the point?” Though she was shouting up at Kali, Weiss couldn't help noticing that her eyes never strayed toward Yang once during that conversation. As if by doing so, she could make believe she wasn't there. “Life is cruel, and the world is cold. It doesn't care what you want or who you love! You should know that better than anyone, right?”

Kali's face became a mask, almost as rigid and foreboding as the one Raven had worn the last time Weiss was in that living room. “That wasn't my fault. I couldn't change my entire plan for the future simply because your feelings got hurt!”

“What…?” Yang breathed in mild surprise, looking between the two of them.

“And I can't change my plan simply because you've decided you're somehow my mother now, Belladonna. I've made my life, and I've made my decisions, and I'm going to stick to them. The same way you did. So you can either get the hell out of my house and leave me alone, let me try to patch up my stupid daughter, or we can keep fighting about this. But I promise you those are our only two options in this situation. Keep coming back and rattling my cage, and I really will kill you.”

“You will not,” she sighed in annoyance, even while both Yang and Weiss were flinching from the threat. “Stop that. We both know you're a giant kitten and those threats aren't fooling anyone.”

“They're fooling me!” Weiss hissed.

“You don't know me as well as you think you do,” Raven said in a bored tone of voice. “Just stop embarrassing both of us and leave.”

The two women spent a good ten seconds glaring at each other from their different vantage points: Kali still standing on top of her, Raven still barely propped up on her elbows. The former's voice was a little softer when she said, “We both made our choices, Raven. Just because you want to believe mine was so much worse doesn't mean I was the only one who chose wrong.”

“Fine. I'll give you that. Now go.”

“No.”

“Haven't you been listening? I said I'm going to kill you if you don't leave me the hell alone!”

“And I said that Young Schnee and I are going to help your daughter get set up in her room! End of discussion! So you can either start warming up some chicken noodle soup for her, or you can lie there in the middle of the floor like a complete imbecile and prove to me what a waste of human skin you have become!”

For a long, highly tense moment, the two older women simply stared at each other as if doing so could make the other one burst into flames. Then Raven turned aside to glare at nothing. It seemed that she was conceding defeat. Without another word, Kali reached down to help Yang to her feet, and the three of them made their way down the hall.

“'Young Schnee'?”

“Shush,” Kali murmured, though she did smile very slightly. “Just trying to mention you so she knew it was a package deal and wouldn’t try to run you off. Again.”

“You guys shouldn’t be messing with her so much,” Yang whispered as they entered her room. Weiss wanted to stop and look around everywhere, to absorb the inner sanctum of the girl who meant so much to her, but she was pretty distracted by their circumstances. “She's kind of a dangerous woman. And not in the fun way.”

“Then maybe you shouldn't live with her,” Weiss said as they settled Yang on the bed. It was a pretty simple twin bed, the sheets a plain pale blue color.

“Where else am I going to go? Qrow and Ruby's? They hate me.” Weiss flinched, privately thinking Yang was at least wrong about Ruby, but there was no time to bring it up. “And your parents sure as hell don't want me around. Face it, I'm stuck with my square of a mom who sometimes points guns at my friends.”

Kali sighed as she began to pull off Yang's boots. It seemed she had shifted into Mom Mode without consciously meaning to do so. “She wasn't like this when we knew each other. Close, but not quite this… unpleasant.”

“Yeah. She, uh… never talks about you. Even when I bring you up in conversation.”

“Fabulous.”

Both the shortness of the answer and the deadpan tone with which Kali delivered it gave Weiss concern. But she decided there was something she needed to know a lot more urgently then she needed to console Blake's mother.

“What really happened between you two? And don't just say that she left the Dragons and that's the only reason you had a falling out. I can't believe that.”

“It’s a long story you wouldn’t enjoy,” she laughed. “Maybe I should start cleaning up in here; I can’t believe what a sty you let this become!”

Weiss’s hand clamped onto her arm before she could stand. “I don’t mind long stories. Do you, Yang?”

“Nope,” Yang said, though she looked less than enthused about hearing the rest of the tale. “Go for it.”

The woman was silent for a long few seconds, hazel eyes staring at the curtained window above Yang's battered old dresser. At first, Weiss started to think that she was never going to reply at all. It turned out she was simply choosing her words carefully before she began.

“Maybe we were never truly friends in the first place. At least, not in the way most girls are. But we were both Dragons, in a time when the Dragons was a very different gang. We used to have men, you know. Doesn't that sound crazy now?” She chuckled quietly, even while Weiss let out a quiet gasp of shock. “And we were always by each other's sides. Even though we had our respective boyfriends, I could tell that her interest in me was not strictly platonic. She always was a real bearcat. And sure, Boston Marriages existed back then, but as I said… the Dragons were very young, and hadn't established themselves as a safe place for ladies to love ladies quite yet. So she wound up with the Founder, and I with my big burly grizzly.”

“Wait, wait…” Weiss sat forward on the bed, her brow furrowing. “Was ‘the Founder’ some kind of nickname? Or was Yang’s father really one of the first Dragons?”

To her surprise, it was Yang who answered, “Nah. My dad was the first Dragon. I mean, he and his friends at the time were, and Raven and Kali. The name of the gang is from our family name, Xiao Long. Didn't… I tell you that?”

“No!” she gasped, completely caught off guard. But at least Yang looked authentically surprised that the subject has never come up before. Then again, they didn’t spend a lot of time discussing her Chinese heritage.

“It's true,” Mrs. Belladonna went on, hands folded on her lap. “Really quite revolutionary for the time: before Taiyang made this new gang of his, women could only hope to be the girlfriends of gangsters. 'Molls’ as some would put it. He saw how strong Raven and I were, and a few other women, and thought there was no reason there shouldn't be a co-ed version of the Huntsmen. We could all watch each other’s backs, not just the men with us in supporting roles. I suppose it worked for a little while, but eventually, most of the men went back to their old organization. And the Dragons became the den of lesbian iniquity that it is today.”

Despite the wry tone with which the last line was spoken, Weiss felt like she had a lot more to think about. This whole time she had never once questioned how the Dragons began. Even being one of them now! But it actually made a lot of sense: most girls she knew had no interest in such activities, and would much rather go to the beauty parlor or split a malted at the diner. Prepare for motherhood and wifehood. Even the average “liberated” woman who had found a new sense of solitary purpose after joining the workforce during World War II didn't go quite so far as to assume that men were irrelevant.

That was unique to the Dragons, as far as she could tell. It was kind of a shame that the only place women were equal to men was organized crime.

“It happened gradually,” Kali went on, oblivious to Weiss's internal monologue. “Raven would make disparaging remarks about my Ghira, but never tolerate the same about her beau. I could tell she wanted to have both of us all to herself. And I don't think she even realized that's what she was doing; please don't think I'm trying to paint her as being manipulative, or a two-timer. But eventually, we both had enough of the constant arguments and she left the Dragons at the same time her husband did.

“They were never really happy. We kept in touch for a little while after that, but around the time Taiyang ‘replaced’ her with Summer Rose, she pulled away. Stopped coming around Junior's, stopped answering my calls… my letters. Shut everyone out. I know she felt deeply betrayed by the two people she had cared about the most, even if it was an unreasonable feeling. Sometimes we just can't help how we feel. But knowing the reason why I lost my best friend didn't make it hurt less.”

By now, neither of the two girls had much to say. This was all new information to Weiss for sure, but Yang even seemed surprised by some details. As if she had known all the facts without ever being exposed to the emotional footnotes.

“Mrs. B… I'm sorry,” Yang breathed softly as she could, seeming to shrink in on herself as she leaned against the wall. “My mom is a real piece of work, alright, but I never knew… well, I'm real sorry.”

Kali's smile was still bittersweet as she stared at the dirty carpeting. “She's the parent, not you. So thanks, but the apology isn't necessary.”

“Well, I think this sounds ridiculous,” Weiss snapped, arms folding in front of her chest. “She should have… I don't know, talked to you? Tried to have a conversation in which you both understood each other a little better? It's completely unacceptable!”

“What would we have said that we didn’t already say? Raven was determined to see herself as the victim of two cold-hearted people who just…” In a rare moment without her shields up, Kali had to clear her throat to rid it of that trembling quality that signalled tears might come soon. “We wanted to love her in different ways than she wanted to be loved. Things were said that we might not ever be able to take back. But it’s all in the past. My only concern now is that Raven isn’t… isn’t taking out her frustrations with the world on her own daughter.”

There was a loud clank from the doorway. They all turned to look, but though footsteps could be heard throughout the hallway, all they could see was a TV tray with a bowl of soup sitting on the floor. A little had sloshed onto the packet of saltines when she set it down hastily.

“Oh…” Kali covered her mouth with her hand, looking legitimately ashamed of herself. “Oh dear.”

Weiss picked up the tray and looked for Raven, but didn’t see her. Then she returned to the bed, gazing down at the soup. “Chicken noodle.” It was still hot, too, steam rising gently from the pale yellow liquid.

“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have been talking about her in her own home. I’m sorry, girls.”

While Yang was struggling with what to say, Weiss set the tray down. “I need to use the ladies’ room. Can one of you point the way?”

“Sure,” the current Dragon said numbly, her fingers just barely touching the handle of the spoon. She looked both fascinated by it and detached, as if not really sure that it was real. That anything was real. “End of the hall, opposite the way you came in. Can’t, uh, can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.”

On her way back from the bathroom, Weiss felt a little nosy. All she could think about was Kali’s story, and Raven’s reaction to overhearing the bit she did. What was her home life really like? It seemed to be as bad as Weiss’s - just in different ways. A little curiosity never seemed to hurt Nancy Drew…

The hallway closet only held linens and some assorted things like a seldom-used vacuum cleaner, some broken pieces of a chair. The master bedroom was even more spartan than Yang’s; at least Yang had a school pennant and a radio. This room literally had nothing but furniture, including an unmade bed. Her own mother had always told her that an unmade bed was the sign of madness… but then again, that had been before she went a little mad herself.

She was about to rejoin her fellow Dragons when she heard a brief crash of glass from the living room. Barely glancing into the room at where Kali was rubbing up and down Yang’s back, comforting her as they both faced away from the door, she continued on to investigate.

The first thing she noticed was a mess of broken glass below a wide stain of brown, just next to the TV. Some kind of liquor, by the smell of it. Then she saw Raven slumped in an armchair, eyes glaring at the stain as if daring it to speak out against her.

Then she noticed Weiss standing there and shot to her feet, wrapping her hand around her neck. This time, she was sure she was about to die.

#princess and the dragons #freezerburn fanfic #weiss x yang #yang x weiss #rwby fanfiction #rwbyremnants

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jacewilliams1 · 4 years

Text

Ferrying a 1946 Auster J2 through Australia

God was on my shoulder. The problem being I was not sure on which shoulder and who was on the other one!

The aircraft ferry game is both interesting and where one always expects the unexpected. My card reads “Can Ferry, Will Travel.” Flying an older aircraft cross country is more than just throwing your bag in the back and departing. To do the job properly means planning ahead.

Now for a long time I had always wanted to get to fly an Auster J2. I had seen the J2 pair of VH-PUK and VH-PUL around Victoria with various owners over the years but had never set foot in one. I had flown several Austers but for some reason I had a fancy to fly the two-seat J2. Maybe that was because I had flown a Taylor J-2 and a Piper J-3. Who knows?

Then I heard that VH-PUL was for sale in Queensland. I contacted the owner and said if the new owner needed an experienced tailwheel pilot to ferry the aircraft anywhere please pass my number to him. I had hopes that the new owner was located in Western Australia. I could wish!

Sorry, was the reply, but the aircraft has been sold and the owner has his own tailwheel-endorsed pilot to assist him. Oh! I know what crestfallen means.

Time passed. Somehow I made the contact with the new owner and told him that I was an instructor, had good tailwheel time, and had flown Austers amongst other older aircraft.

OK, thanks, was the reply.

Time passed. I got a call from the new owner, Rod. Would I be interested in ferrying VH-PUL from Moree to its new home near Bendigo?

Hmm, YES, was the reply.

The die was set. I made my way to Sydney in a 737 and then to Moree in a QF Dash -8.

Now somewhere in the first ferry south from Gympie, Qld., PUL had an issue on landing at some strip north of Moree and the left gear leg got bent.

Time to get acquainted.

Campbell Briggs of Statewide Aviation, an ag operator, took kindly to Rod and his pilot and ground transported the bent machine to Moree. There it was nursed back to good health.

On arrival at Moree I checked in at a motel. Next day the airport. There I met PUL. After a good look over, I went for a test drive. I did a half hour of general handling and shot a few circuits on runway 01. The wind was rather much a northerly so I did not have to work too hard to keep the aircraft straight with its drum brakes and heel brake pedals.

I saddled up and departed. The forecast was for low cloud and haze along the route that I had planned, Moree–Narrabri–Narromine and a refuel, some 189 nm.

As I flew south the cloud base progressively lifted and from Narrabri it was plain sailing. Past Coonabarabran and a big area of trees—not good for a forced landing. I skirted west of the Siding Springs Observatory and the nearby mountain that had a spot height of 4,344 ft. Over Gilgandra and onto Narromine. There was a westerly wind so I elected to land on runway 29 with a tad of crosswind.

I touched down and the left wheel instantly flattened and I pulled up with a bumpty bump. A flat tyre!

There I was on Narromine’s runway 29, stuck like a shag on a rock. No one around and the cold wind must have come direct from the Antarctic. I called Rod and give him the good news.

I tried to get the airport manager but he was on his day off. Then low and behold he trundled up in his work truck. Soon after≤ another fellow turned up. He got a trolley used to raise gliders with the gliding club and we slowly manhandled it to a hangar. There we spent almost an hour trying to get the tyre off the wheel.

A guy working on a Mooney in the hangar showed how you have to take off the outer rim, then push back the tyre casing to get access to a circular circlip. Once that is removed the tyre can then come free and give you access to the tube inside. Sound easy? Not for an Auster wheel newbee.

Now with the tube in hand, it was easy to see how it had been pinched when the out rim had been put on. The secret is to have some inflation in the tube before fixing everything in place. Hmm! So we were in need of a 600 x 6.5 tube. Only the Brits could have an odd size. The manager took me into town to a tyre shop.

“Nope, cannot help you with a 600 x 6.5 tube but I have a 6.0 and a 7.0. Which one do you want?” I took the 600 x 7.0 tube. Then we trundled by a hardware store to try and get a tyre pump. We got the tube and tyre on faster than Superman could. The tube got inflated and I was ready to go. I was too late to get to the next stop, Temora. I did not like dickering around a strange airport in a strange aircraft close on last light. If the headwind slowed me down I could have had my blood pressure hitting red line trying to shoot a landing in the gloom or darkness.

Overnight in the nearby cabin park. I got a special deal with a taxi into town for a feed at the Veterans club and back again as his last customer for the night.

Next day it was a refuel and then I was off to Temora, 137 nm to the south. The weather was fine. I took off from runway 29 and bumbled along with an enroute top-up from the aux to the main. As the fuel moved from back to front and was burnt off, I adjusted the trim with the lever in the cabin roof above the left door.

Past Parkes and Forbes and on to Temora. I landed on runway 18 at Temora, a breeze with the headwind. It had been a slow flight from Narromine, so I taxied in for a top up. A young fellow my age got to chatting about how he was taking flying lessons, and what sort of aircraft was PUL? We traded notes. He was all smiles.

Not a lot of avionics to worry about.

I departed from runway 18 for Tocumwal and a refuel then on to Bendigo and the nearby new home base for PUL.

I landed on runway 18 at Tocumwal, taxied up to the fuel station and got fuel. There was no one around. I started up and taxied out and started backtracking on runway 18. I was halfway to the keys when I felt a lurch and PUL swung to the left. The tyre had gone yet again!

Same issue. Here I was stuck on a runway with a blown tyre. No one in sight. A curse?

I got on my portable VHF radio and called up on area. Silence. I made the call again and then a fellow replied and said he was listening. I asked him to advise centre of my problem. Centre must have wondered how airworthy this Auster was with two blown tyres in two days. He acknowledged the call and then asked if I needed a hand. He was a training flight out of Mangalore airport to the south. He landed and with his student we pushed PUL off the runway onto the grass verge.

I then called Rod on my mobile: “Err Rod, I have this tyre problem, again.” Now what to do?

An SUV came towards me. The driver introduced himself as Jamie Ball. He was a Toc A&P and saw my problem. “Need a hand?”

We managed to jack the left gear leg up to remove the tyre. Jamie said he had worked on an Auster wheel only a week before so he was current on how to remove them. Gold! The tyre casing was still intact even after this second adventure. We had the tube and tyre off in five minutes flat.

OK, now what to do. “I think that I have a 600 x 6 tube back in the workshop,” said Jamie. He found one in his store.

We fitted the tube and tyre and then another problem. How could we get some air into the tube? The penny dropped! I had that electric air pump that I had bought at Narromine. We connected up the power cable to the SUV and quickly inflated the tyre.

I was mobile again. I taxied PUL to Jamie’s hangar. He offered to house PUL for the night and then in the morning he was off to Kempsey on the far east coast in his Thorp T-18.

Jamie drove me to the motel and arranged to pick me up in the morning. I checked in and walked next door to the local golf club for a meal. Next day we hauled PUL out of the hangar. Jamie waited while I cranked up. He fired up his T-18 and departed for Kempsey.

I taxied out and as I passed yesterday’s blown tyre location I offered a silent prayer for no repeats. God, the good one, heard me.

I launched and departed south to Bendigo. Some minor cloud enroute, then past Shepparton and on to the southeast of Bendigo. Rod had said call him inbound; I did and he steered me to his strip at Myrtle Creek.

He had a smudge fire burning at one end of the strip to give me the wind direction. I came in over the tree line, dropped a nice side slip (the J2 has no flaps) and pulled up well before the end of the strip.

The ferry was over.

I taxied to Rod’s hangar. We put the aircraft away and over a cuppa I gave Rod the saga of my adventures.

I had kept both blown tubes. The second one, the Narromine special, had split all the way around it. No reason that we could figure.

It was too late in the day to give Rod a check flight. I returned a week later and we did some flying and shot some landings and ground handling to get him comfortable with flying his aircraft.

Enjoying every minute.

I have now flown an Auster J2 Arrow Special. An interesting machine. Drum brake shoes with heel brake pedals in the cabin. Not one but two blown tyres. Good memories for the future.

Tech stuff

Auster J2 Arrow Special, c/n 2384, was built in 1946 at Rearsby, Leicestershire in the UK by Auster Aircraft Ltd. It first went to Belgium as OO-AXF before coming to Australia, where it became VH-KAY on 31 May 1951. In 1958 it was re-registered as VH-RQL with the Royal Queensland Aero Club at Archerfield. The 75 hp Continental C-75-12 engine was replaced with a Lycoming 0-235-C1B of 115 hp. It then became an Auster J2 Special. In 1963 it became VH-PUL.

The J2 was built as a low cost private owner aircraft. Only 42 were made. In part this was due to financial problems with the Brits obtaining American engines for their aircraft.

The max. takeoff weight is 771 kg and the empty weight is 518 kg. There is a baggage shelf behind the seats for up to 20 kg of gear.

The main nose tank carries 60 litres of fuel and behind the seats there is a 40 litre auxiliary tank. An electric transfer pump moves around one litre a minute from the aux to the main tank. The extra fuel gives the aircraft real range. It is best to check the pump before start up to ensure that fuel can be transferred during a long flight. The main feeds to the engine by gravity. There is no engine driven pump.

Designed as a private aircraft, it had dual heel brake pedals installed later. Cruise is 95-105 kts IAS at 2350-2400 rpm. Plan on 25 LPH fuel burn.

Glide is 50 kts. Crosswind limit, said to be 8-10 kts. Climb is 52 kts, stalls at 30 kts. There is a small battery for the starter and the cabin roof mounted Bendix-King KY97 radio.

The panel has an ASI, Altimeter, VSI, Tacho, TC and Oil T&P gauges. No AH. The bat and ball TC is driven by an external venturi. Plan on 500 ft. after takeoff before it becomes reliable. There is an American compass on the top of the panel. The original P-12 compass must have been retired due to old age. Give three shots of the Ki-gas primer for a start up. Under the panel there is a cigarette lighter socket for use with an iPad in flight. I navigated with my iPad. The charts were in my flight folder ready at hand.

VH-PUL had done some 7,340 hours to June 2019 when I flew her.

The post Ferrying a 1946 Auster J2 through Australia appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2020/09/ferrying-a-1946-auster-j2-through-australia/

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hopecountygazette · 4 years

Text

Protector of New Eden

Chapter 4 : The Chosen

Hope hated when her and Marcus fought.

Even when they were children, she remembers, whenever he grew cross with her, she would immediately run off to her father and ask for advice on how to establish common ground between them. Otherwise, she found it particularly difficult to sleep, knowing there was a quarrel going on between them.

However, they have never fought so intensely over something this serious. She could usually find an answer to resolve the situation, but in this case. She couldn’t really think of one.

She loved her brother, but the man she was introduced to not two days ago, was not the same man she once knew growing up.

Laying in her warm, soft bed, with the heavy sheets laying over top of her, she kept her glossy gaze held on the window that held the amazing view of the Whitetail Mountains. Staring at them, in awe and admiration. The faint feeling of, sadness, lulling deep in her heart. She wanted so badly for things to go back to the way they were.

As a tear slid down her cheeks, she immediately huffed out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head lightly and wiping the falling tear off of her cheek.

Shoving the blankets aside, she decided to get on with her day. Showering quickly and putting on her usual attire - white hemmed t-shirt, black tight jeans and combat boots - before grabbing her green military jacket and heading down the stairs.

As she entered the kitchen, she could smell the familiar scent burnt toast - clearly, an indication that Marcus was attempting to make something for breakfast.

Hope took a breath before entering the kitchen, he had his back turned to her, as he was buttering his pieces of black toast. She silently, walked by him and opened the silver refrigerator, grabbing the milk and opening the pantry for some cereal. At this point, Marcus had turned around completely and was watching his belligerent little sister.

“Good morning…?” He says, questioningly, as she brushes past him to get to the dining room table. Shovelling a bite into her mouth, she responds.

“Morning.”

“You know, I made toast, if you want some?” He told her, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

Hope, lifts her bowl of cereal at him and continues eating.

Scoffing lightly, he looks to his feet before responding to his little sister passive aggressive, juvenile behaviour.

“Are you serious?” He asks. Hope lifts her head in recognition of her brother and raises an eyebrow at him.

“Problem?” She says, pretending to not know what he was talking about.

“Uh, yes. There is a problem.” He says, taking a couple more steps over to where she sat.

“What ever could that be?” She responded, tapping her chin lightly.

“Are we really going to do this?”

“I have no idea what-”

“Hope! Just stop. Talk to me like an adult.” He responds, more aggressively. Hope immediately lifts her head at his words.

“I’m sorry? Like an adult?” She repeats, now standing from her seat and placing her hands on the table, knuckles down.

Marcus nods.

“Yes! Like a fucking adult!”

“You know, from what I remember, that is exactly what I was trying to do yesterday, but you had to go all, “Donnie Darko” on me!” She screams, at him. He scoffs once more, looking towards the ceiling.

“This is ridiculous…” He mumbles before continuing. “ I’m trying to make you understand, Hope!”

“Oh, I completely, understand! I understand, that you have been brainwashed into thinking, what you’re doing is good!” She counters.

“What I’m doing IS a good thing, Hope. Just because you can’t see that yet…”

“No! I won’t see it! Not ever.”

He sighs and walks closer towards the table setting. Placing his toast at his spot across from her. He, however, continued to stand, looking down at her.

“Hope… this is my life now. You won’t be able to change that.”

“I can damn well try.” She responds, sitting down at her chair again and continued to spoon mouthfuls of her cereal into her mouth with vigor.

“Let me take you somewhere tonight. I’ll make it up to you.” He says lightly. Almost a whisper in her direction. She looks up at him, thinking hard.

“Where?” She asks, questioningly.

“It’ll be a surprise, don’t worry about it.” Marcus said, suddenly standing from his spot and placing the burnt pieces of toast in the trash and leaving the plate in the sink.

“I gotta head out, I’ll see you tonight.” He says, grabbing his jacket from the bannister and his keys from the hook near the door.

As Hope finished her cereal, she decided she was going to spend the day at the family hangar to help get her mind off of the situation. She used to do that when she was a kid, if she were upset, she would confide in her father and he would always take her up in the plane and spend the afternoon flying over Hope County.

Opening the door to the hangar, she shuddered at the god awful designs and extra bits that were placed on her twin-engine while she was away. Trying to ignore it and put up blinders, she hopped inside and smirked lightly as she turned the key and listened to the familiar sound of her twin-engine roaring to life.

Driving the plane outside the hangar. She decided she was going to clean the plane and see if the symbols would come off. Getting out, she walked around the hangar to the side and grabbed a bucket and sponge, filling it up and putting some soap inside the bucket. Looking at the beautiful plane she loved so much, she felt the tears welling up as she examined the vandalism.

Clenching her teeth, she roughly splashed the sponge into the soapy water and began scrubbing the wings.

She scrubbed for what seemed like hours. The best she could do was fade the symbol a little bit. She would have to repaint the entire plane to get what she was looking for. Sighing loudly, she dropped the sponge into the water. Stepping back a couple of steps to take a better look at her plane.

A loud shot suddenly rang out into the open air. She jumped suddenly and turned to where she heard the sound. She knew that sound from anywhere.

A gunshot.

She ran out through the bushes on the property, leading to the forest behind the hangar. Suddenly coming across, five cultist, all dressed the same, holding up large rifles to the head of a young man, wearing a green jacket, blue jeans, black combat boots and a bow lying at their side.

She suddenly jumped into action. Crouching low and sneaking up on one of the cultists, kicking him in the back of the knees making him fall to the ground and losing grip on his rifle. She quickly grabbed the rifle off the ground and held it to his head.

The other four cultists looked to her, shocked of her sudden appearance.

“Let him go, or I swear to god, I’ll put a bullet in this mans head”. She warned them, looking at them all in the eye, one by one.

The four cultists looked at each other slowly, before lowering their rifles at the sight of her holding a gun to their friend. When she thought they done, she nodded to the man on the ground to get up and walk away.

However, one of the cultists suddenly lifted his gun and turned to point his rifle at her. She was quicker though. Much quicker. She quickly lifted her gun and shot him in the chest, listening to him grunt and fall to the ground, dead.

She looked at the other three, who were now watching their friend bleed out on the ground. Hope quickly pointed her rifle at them and shot them all, before any one of them got any ideas. Pushing the last cultist - who was currently crouching on the ground in front of her - onto his stomach and shooting him in his head, but not before hearing a quick grunt from him and silence then after.

She dropped the rifle to the ground and looked at the five bodies surrounding her and the other man. He quickly picked up his bow and watched Hope curiously as she gave him a quick smile. He nodded once, before turning and disappearing into the forest beyond.

She made her way back to the hangar, all the while thinking of how right Pastor Jerome truly was.

The cult was dangerous and had to be stopped.

***

Hope had finished for the day at the hangar, soon realizing the sun - that usually hung high over the Whitetail Mountains - was slowly disappearing behind them. She took that as her time to leave and meet Marcus back at the house.

As she pulled up to the ranch, she went to the porch and sat on it, deciding to watch the sunset, while waiting for Marc to come home.

She didn’t have to wait long however, before sudden headlights appeared around the bend of their ranch. Marcus’s white truck came to a stop in front of her. He rolled the window down, glancing at her.

“You sure you don’t want to change into something a little… nicer?” He asked. Hope simply looked into his eyes with a straight face.

“No.” She responded, monotone, before standing and walking over to the passenger side of the truck.

“Oookay.” He responded, elongating the word slightly, before putting the truck into reverse.

Marcus attempted to make small talk as he drove. However, Hope either gave short response or didn’t respond all together. Creating a very awkward and passive aggressive environment for the both of them.

She sat with her elbow leaning against the passenger door and her head lying limp on her palm, silently staring out the window and watching her surroundings pass by.

The truck soon came to a halt outside of a white church. She recognized this church, it was the same one her family used to visit. Slowly, exiting the vehicle, she hesitantly followed her brother up to the doors.

She quickly came to a halt when she the large words above the door.

“CHURCH OF EDEN’S GATE”.

She couldn’t believe the nerve of him.

She grinded her teeth together and stared at the back of his head as he continued to walk towards the doors, before realizing she wasn’t following her. He turned around and stared at Hope, as she angrily stared back.

“Are you … FUCKING … kidding me!” She screamed loudly. Marcus’s eyes quickly widened, taking a few steps towards her.

“No! Don’t come near me. You fucking asshole.” She replied lowering her voice and stared with a look that could kill.

“Hope, they’re not going to hurt you. They just want-”

“I don’t give a FUCK what they want. I thought I made that VERY clear.” She said, angrily backing away from him as he tried to approach.

“No! Get the fuck away from-” She screamed at him, but was cut off as the doors to the church suddenly swung open revealing two men.

One of which she had previously met - the man with the airplane jacket - and beside him a tall, well-built, ginger man with awful burns and scars covering most of his body. He was a lot bigger than John, wearing dark blue jeans and grey t-shirt and a similar military jacket to her own. She figured they were brothers, looking into his deep blue eyes that resembled John’s.

“And what is going on out here?” The man, she assumed was Jacob Seed, spoke first.

Marcus quickly spun around and looked to the two men.

“John … Jacob … Meet my sister … Hope.” He said, lowering his head and pointing towards her.

“Ahh, Hope. I’ve heard so much about you.” Jacob said, smirking at her, glancing her up and down.

“Father wanted me to bring her to him.” Marcus spoke up again.

Hope quickly swung her head in Marcus’s direction, but he refused to look at her. Not in the presence of two of the Seed brothers.

John, however, noticed her sudden movement.

“Such anger within you…” He said, smirking and taking a couple long strides towards her. “Come, we shouldn’t leave Joseph waiting.”

He places his large hand on the base of her spine and began guiding her into the church. She silently looked to her brother for any type of help. He continued to ignore her looks.

“Marcus, you can wait here. We’ll be back shortly.” Jacob told him, as he joined Hope on her left side.

“Yes, sir.” Marcus said obediently as Hope was guided completely into the the white church. She glanced around at the familiar surroundings she once knew so well. She walked on shaky legs, being brought closer and closer towards the raised platform, which stood the man she immediately recognised as Joseph Seed and beside him a young woman wearing a white dress and bare footed.

Both smiling openly at her.

“Hope! My child. What a pleasure it is to see you again!” Joseph spoke, as he dropped from the platform and stood directly in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She immediately shrugged them off, feeling John’s hand suddenly slip from her back and two new hands placed on her shoulders from behind, keeping her in place before him.

“How do you know my name …” She spoke softly, looking at The Father’s bare chest, noticing the different sins carved into his body.

“Marcus told me.” He said, watching her carefully, the smile never faltering once from his face.

“Why am I here?” She asked. This time the girl who was still on the platform, stepped down and approached Hope.

“You’re the girl who will save us all.” She told her, smiling wildly.

“What … what are you talking about?”

“You, my dear, are the one we have all been waiting for.” She heard John speak from above her, brushing his hand through Hope’s blonde hair.

“I don’t understand. I’m not special, I’m the same as everyone else.” She spoke, her words becoming garbled as she looked to her feet.

She heard a deep chuckle erupt from her left.

“Oh honey, we all have a purpose here, and you -” He said, gripping her shoulder tightly. “- are the key to our salvation … to all we have been working towards.”.

She felt warm hands plant themselves on her cheeks, lifting her head to look into the blue eyes of The Father.

“Everything is according to God’s plan.”

He leaned slightly, brushing the blonde streaks from the side of her head to reveal her ear. She shuddered under the feeling of Joseph’s lips grazing her earlobe and his warm breath gracing her ear gently. Before, uttering the three words that would change Hope forever.

“He chose you.”

—————–

By @mackie-hattwie

My Masterlist

The Picture

#deputy rook #far cry 5 #fc5fanfic #submission

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boned-spy · 4 years

Text

TF2 Secret Santa 2019!

Merry Christmas/Smissmas @trashiny-draws!!! I was your Secret Santa this year! I heard you really love Scout and specifically fanfics of Scout so I did my best to make sure you got exactly that this holiday!

You offered so many great prompts to pick from so I decided to mash some together for you! I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful day of celebration!

Also, your Secret Santa was super enjoyable for me to write so don’t feel bad for wanting so much Scout content! You deserve it, man! Also, I apologize if my writing is bad. It’s been years since I last wrote these characters.

Prompts I mashed together: “Takes place right after End of the Line”, “Scout is a Dumbass™ and needs help while stuck in the snow”, “Scout completely forgot about Sniper- BIG UH OH TIME”, “Team bonding and being a loving murder-family”, “Dad!Spy”(Strongly hinted)

_ -_-_-_-_-_

“Yo, hardhat! You drifting off on me? I didn’t even get to the best part yet!” Scout tittered, still sitting on the edge of his seat, wide-awake.

“Boy, you’ve been goin’ on about yourself for hours; from how ya woke up to what you ate for lunch. We’ve had a pretty long day ourselves and wanna get some shut eye before we start cleaning up all the debris outside tomorrow.” Engineer sluggishly bit back, cranky from exhaustion but unable to put any real heat into it. His eyes were clearly burning as he pulled his goggles off his face to rest along his neck, pinching the bridge of his nose to dispel the ache bundled there. With a sigh, he tried a little more gently as he met the runner’s gaze again, “You reckon you can wrap your story up soon, son?”

Scout took a quick glance around the dining hall and only then just noticed how worn out everyone looked. Medic, Spy, and Heavy looked bored. Tired bored. Demo and Soldier had settled down with their hands holding their heads, stubbornly trying to beat the sleep threatening to take over them any minute. And then there was Pyro. Scout couldn’t tell if Pyro was sleeping or still awake since they had been resting their head on the table ever since everyone sat down to eat a few hours ago.

If he wasn’t careful, Scout was on the verge of completely losing the group’s attention. And Scout could NOT have that.

“Psh, fine! I’ll get to the juicy bits then. Now where was I…? Oh!” Scout suddenly leaned forward conspiratorially as he began talking with his hands, hoping to get everyone in the room more invested in his story by doing so. “So there I was, freezing my ass off in the lookout. It must have been, like, negative 400 degrees. Probably. I couldn’t feel my toes, my fingers, or my gorgeous face! But did that stop me from my incredibly important duty? Hell no! I patrolled the crap out of that crappy shack like my life depended on it! And it totally did! Cause, ya see, right after circling the perimeter or whatever for like, the two hundredth time, my incredible Scout-hearing picked up the screeching of that train before it even passed by! You know, the one that almost killed us and all those poor, defenseless cat orphans?”

The room deadpanned at the expectant pause.

“Anyways, that’s when I turned to Snipes like the badass I was and told him to get his van started for us to chase it down. The guy was basically lost without me! ‘Was super busy peeing in jars and cleaning his rifle or whatever--“

“And where exactly is Sniper to back up these claims? I’m fairly certain he would have already poked a hole or two in this unbelievably long-winded and far-fetched tale of yours.” Spy cut in dryly, his stony expression largely unchanged since first sitting down earlier that evening.

The whole room stilled at the question, as it was a very good question.

For the first time in hours, the room stirred as seven sets of eyes (and Demo’s single eye) sleepily searched around the room for the Australian. After a moment, however, brows soon furrowed and heads turned at greater angles as they inspected the hall more attentively. Typically it wasn’t odd for the marksman to be missing, as everyone knew how much he enjoyed his privacy, but the team was well aware they hadn’t seen Sniper since the incident that day. Or with Scout afterwards, for that matter.

At the quiet but unified revelation, all eyes leveled suddenly on the Bostonian who was now sitting with his back ramrod straight at the scrutinizing stares, never mind the dawning horror that manifested quite clearly on his face.

“Scout? Where is Sniper?” Medic repeated the question cautiously, slowly. The air felt uncomfortably stiff as mere seconds of silence threatened to deafen them all.

The last Scout had seen of Sniper was when his van crashed into that rundown building hanging off the edge of the cliff after he jumped onto the train to try and stop it. He hadn’t seen if Sniper’s van stopped dead in the building or if it ran clean off the edge. And if it did happen to be the latter…

“Oh, my God.” Scout stood abruptly, banging his knees off the table with a yelp. “Aow! Oh, my God! Oh, sh- I gotta go! I GOTTA GO!”

The runner was already out the door and sprinting for the RED Bread truck by the time someone managed to shout after him to wait and explain himself. Scout had barely registered who it was and didn’t care to as he reached the garage and practically leaped into the driver’s seat to fumble with the keys already sitting in the ignition. He started the vehicle as quickly as he got inside of it, slamming the stick into reverse before peeling out of the base with a loud scream of wheels.

“Oh crap, oh my crap. Snipes, man, you better be super alive out there.” Scout muttered in a panic to himself, foot pressing harder on the accelerator as an intrusive thought interrupted his focus regarding how long the hopefully still-alive Australian had been missing for out in the extreme cold. The runner dared to sneak a peek at the digital clock resting above the vehicle’s transmitter and paled.

Seven hours. If Sniper was alive, he’s been sitting in the cold for seven freakin’ hours.

“Oh, God, this guy’s freakin’ dead! If he wasn’t dead before, he’s super dead now! He complained about the cold the whole freakin’ time and now he’s a Snipe-cicle. The poor bastard barely had a chance!” Scout ranted and raved out his nervous energy, still unfalteringly speeding towards the lookout up the mountain despite the words coming out of his mouth. “I should have offered him my gum, man. Chewing keeps you warm like talking keeps you warm. Now he’s gum-less and frozen to death. Way to go, Scout, you killed a guy by not giving him some damn gum!”

The video transmitter suddenly started blaring from the dashboard, startling Scout enough to veer the van off the side of the road with a terrified scream before hurriedly readjusting right back onto it, foot never letting off the pedal the whole incident. Hardly able to catch his breath from the scare, Scout blinked down at the ringing device before punching the button to ignore it. Whoever it was could wait. It was taking all his concentration to not crash and a conversation was the last thing he needed right now.

The dangerous drive up the mountain towards the wreck site took less than thirty minutes thanks to Scout’s reckless regard for his own safety, the bread van’s engine practically screaming for mercy by the time he wrenched the vehicle to the side of the snow-covered railroad tracks before hopping out.

It was a thousand times colder than it had been earlier in the day, nightfall dropping already cold temperatures to an insanely low degree. Sure, Scout had been spouting about Sniper’s death the whole drive there, but it was only then he realized how very probable it actually was.

The revelation had the runner feeling sick to his stomach, but he still pressed on and attempted to ignore his own hang-ups for his teammate’s sake. Flicking on the flashlight he had hurriedly stowed in his jacket pocket before launching himself from the truck, Scout approached the now dilapidated building with a sizable van-shaped hole. Light snowfall calmly blanketed the ground as he trekked, so thick that the runner had to lift his knees higher from the ground to avoid dragging them through the frozen terrain. Even the air felt harder to breathe from how cold it was.

“Snipes?” Scout called out with uncertainty, shining his light around and wincing at every broken board and tire tread mark he spotted, “You, uh, huddled in a corner around here or frozen to death or…?”

Scout finally reached the end of the destruction at the other side of the building, his flashlight illuminating a hole complimenting the one he entered just moments ago. His heart dropped into his stomach, sure that Sniper really had driven off the mountain and to his death, until his light reflected off a cracked side-door mirror that blinded him.

“Ugh!” Scout squinted with an annoyed grunt, perking up immediately when he realized exactly what he was just blinded by. As fast as he ran on the battlefield, he mindlessly sprinted for the driver’s side with a huge grin of relief, feeling silly he ever doubted Sniper’s survival to begin with. “Yes! Oh, thank God! Sniper, man, I thought you were—“

The runner stopped himself short as he shined his flashlight into the van, the door already kicked open and stuck, frozen solid. Small icicles formed along the roof of the interior, a thin coat of frost encompassing the entirety of the dash, and Sniper…

Sniper was curled in his seat, feet pressed flat against the window, arms braced against the back of where he sat, skin pale and violently shivering. Scout took a step forward instinctively to try and offer help only to squeak in surprise as he caught himself before walking completely off the edge of a cliff. A cliff, he finally registered, that the whole van had been teetering on for at least seven hours now.

“Oh sweet Jesus.” Scout grimaced, placing both hands on top of his head as he took in the puzzle he had to now solve, by himself, in zero degree weather.

He could totally do this.

“Okay. So, time to use that big brain of mine...” Scout muttered partly to himself as Sniper continued staring at him, too ridden with frostbite to speak or move. The youngest had no doubt that if the marksman had control or feeling in his facial muscles, he’d be glaring daggers at him right now.

The van seemed completely frozen, tires included, so Scout was pretty sure it could take a nudge or two without nose-diving off the mountain. Still, Sniper was frozen to the van too, so the Bostonian would need to do more than nudge to get him out.

Okay.

Scout clapped his hands together with determination, his resolution so plain on his face, Sniper’s brow just barely managed to knot in deep concern.

“You gotta work with me here, brotha. Just relax and let the expert get to work.”

Sniper’s eyes widened in alarm as Scout strode closer and leaned his body out over the edge to reach for the huntsman, fingers outstretched with effort before clamping down like vices into the frosty, stiff sleeve of Sniper’s shirt. His weight made the van groan, the vehicle budging by millimeters as Scout placed more of his weight into the front of it in order to get a better grip.

“S-s-s-st—S-top!” Sniper chattered desperately through gritted teeth, seeing more than feeling his van lurching ever so slowly forward towards the void below as Scout strained to gather more of his clothing into his hands.

“I got you, man! Just…! Almost!” Scout grunted with the effort, white clouds from his panting filling the air around them as he finally managed to gather Sniper’s jacket into his other hand. “Gotcha!”

Just as Scout poised himself to jerk Sniper out of the icy prison that was his seat with all his might, Sniper’s van tottered violently forward, dragging Scout with it as he lost his footing from the edge.

Scout screamed from the top of his lungs as he felt himself get pulled off his feet, fingers clenching for dear life onto the still-stuck Sniper in the van as he dangled in mid-air helplessly.

Wait. Dangled? Shouldn’t Scout be at the bottom of the mountain by now, body horribly twisted in metal and covered in broken jars of jarate?

“Well, that was idiotic.” A nasally voice chided from where Scout had been standing just seconds before.

Unable to swivel his head around to see who it was, Scout squawked as he felt the entire van tilt backwards and somehow reverse back onto solid ground, his body half-buried by snow as it was dragged away from certain death like a lifeless doll.

“Danke shoen, Heavy.”

“Mm.”

With a groan, Scout pulled his head from the unforgivingly cold fluff his face had been buried in and blearily blinked up at his mysterious saviors.

“Guys?”

“Guys?” Spy mocked, replicating the runner’s voice perfectly as he glared down in disapproval at Scout shakily rising to his knees, moodily tossing his spent cigarette into the blackness below. “The next time you decide to run off and ignore our calls, I may conveniently forget I placed a tracker on you and leave you to whatever fate your stupidity leads you to.”

“Tracker?!” Scout started patting himself down frantically.

“You will not find it.” Spy informed casually, shaking his head before turning his attention to Medic and Heavy, who had already dragged Sniper out from his van and were carrying him into Engineer’s truck to get him warmed up.

“What in Sam Hill were you thinking, boy?” Engineer came over to bend down and pick Scout back up on his feet, brushing the snow off his shoulders a little too roughly as he scolded him. “Running away without telling a soul where you were going or why, just to end up out here and nearly killing yourself and string bean over there. Did you knock your head earlier today or what?”

“I get it! Jeez!” Scout snapped back defensively, arms flung up in exasperated defeat. “But Sniper’s been sittin’ out here for hours! I had to do something!”

“And you could have done that something more effectively if you simply explained to us what had happened.” Spy bit back, his agitation and concern simmering under a cool, stern façade.

“Alright, that’s enough bickerin’ now. I’m too damn tired to put in the effort and it’s too damn late to be doin’ it.” Engineer wiped a hand over his face before slapping it onto Scout’s shoulder to give a firm squeeze. “We worried about ya, is all. We thought we lost Sniper and you and, well… We already dealt with a lot today, and you runnin’ off didn’t help much.”

Spy refused to meet Scout’s eyes as he nonchalantly pulled out another cigarette, avoiding Engineer’s gaze as well when the laborer glanced over pointedly at him as he spoke. Scout shot the Texan a confused look before Engineer shook his head with a sigh.

“Just don’t do it again.” Engineer patted Scout roughly on the back before moving away to check on Sniper, who was still sitting in his truck and trying to recover. The windows of the pickup glowed red from Medic’s medigun, doing his best to help the Australian along in healing his frostbite. He’d be in perfect health and ready to head back to the base in no time, Scout knew. And thinking back on it all, considering how easy saving Sniper was when everyone was involved, maybe it would have made more sense to bring the gang out with him.

Maybe Scout had kind of overreacted and made the whole rescue mission way harder than it needed to be. Especially on Sniper.

Feeling like a moron now despite genuinely trying to do the right thing, Scout stood and watched with his arms crossed as the other mercenaries milled about around him, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm himself after rolling around in the snow.

“You’ve got guts, son!” Soldier’s voice boomed suddenly from behind him, causing Scout to yelp when a large, calloused hand slapped his back a little too hard. “Your bravery deserves a medal of honor! No man left behind! That’s what I like to see in this unit! Stop by my quarters later and we’ll celebrate your efforts the proper American way by training! With me! Hehehehe!”

Scout coughed and tried for a convincing smile at the offer, a small part of him appreciating the little bit of praise he was getting that night. He waved half-heartedly after the patriotic man with an uneasy chuckle as he passed him by with a massive grin on his face. “Oh, sure, yeah. I’ll have to try and remember when we get back to, uh, totally do that.”

“Ach, donnae worry, lad. It’s the wee hours of morning. ‘Ain’t a chance he’ll remember on the car ride home. He’ll be bloody asleep by the time we get back.” Demoman nudged Scout’s arm from behind as they watched Soldier march back to the truck to also check on Sniper. The two stayed standing side-by-side and observed for a few moments as the majority of the team hovered around the marksman just to make sure he was okay. Scout found himself smirking a little to himself at the rare sight.

“Like a fooked up family, we are. Eh?” Demo chuckled, pulling Scout into a quick, friendly side-armed hug. The Bostonian allowed it, but made a bit of a face at the affectionate contact, still feeling out of sorts from the whole incident he couldn’t help feeling was partly his fault. The demolitions expert picked up on it easily, however, and released him with a sigh. “Don’t let this eat’ya up, laddie. Just like I said, right? We’re one bloody mess of a family. If yer gonnae do something stupid, ya might as well include us.”

Scout snorted genuinely at that, shrugging but with a small smile on his face. “Yeah, yeah. I got enough brothers at home. I don’t need a bunch of dads to match.” He replied jokingly to deflect the rather sappy sentiment.

“A family’s what’cha make of it.” Demo shot back easily enough, earning him a look of surprise from Scout at the sincere wisdom from out of nowhere as the explosives expert idly searched his own person for his flask. He muttered to himself in dismay when he turned up with nothing, eyeing Sniper’s van before giving a groan of resignation. “Ach, mother o’ mercy. Must’ave left the bloody thing back home. Guess I’ll be in the van taking a bleedin’ nap until we get back then.” Demo gave a two-finger salute as he turned to leave. “Nighty night, lad.”

“Yeah, night.” Scout called after his shoulder.

The Bostonian turned back towards the loose crowd still hanging around the truck and allowed himself a warm, heartfelt smile.

Man.

Scout really had to pee now.

_ -_-_-_-_-_

#tf2 secret santa 2019 #tf2 scout #tf2 spy #tf2 engineer #tf2 soldier #tf2 demoman #tf2 sniper #tf2 medic #tf2 heavy #tf2 pyro #tf2 #my writing #my fanfiction #tf2 fanfiction #smissmas #end of the line #dad!spy

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wild-aloof-rebel · 5 years

Text

When David steps into the motel, everything is almost disappointingly ordinary. The room looks the same as it had when he’d left it yesterday afternoon. An empty cinnamon roll box still lies open on the table. His overnight bag still sits atop the cedar chest. An army of nail polish bottles are still strewn across the nightstand. Alexis is propped up in bed, nose buried in her phone, and their mother is screeching something about "the wrong shade of black" on the other side of the connecting door.

David has walked in or woken up to a similar scene nearly every day for the past few years, and yet he’d expected today to be different somehow: a different room with different faces to greet him. Because today he is different. Because today he’s not the lonely and friendless misanthrope he’d been the day they’d moved in. He’s not even the hopeful and happy boyfriend he’d been just yesterday morning, excited about an afternoon picnic and wherever the evening might lead.

Because, today, he’s engaged.

How could anything possibly be the same?

Still in a bit of a daze about it all, he manages to make his feet carry him around his bed so that he can sit down. What he's supposed to do next, however, he isn't sure.

He’s engaged. Patrick had asked him to marry him. He’s engaged to the absolute love of his life, and they’re going to get married. They’re going to have a wedding. They're going to spend the rest of their lives together.

The full weight of the realization hits him like a truck, and he buries his face in his hands, overwhelmed and happy and relieved and embarrassingly, giddily, stupidly in love. He wants to cry. He wants to scream. He wants to laugh until his stomach aches. He's getting married.

“David?” comes Alexis’s voice from the other bed. “Are you oka– What are THOSE?”

He lifts his face to find her mouth open comically wide in shock, one accusatory finger pointed straight at his left hand. He hadn't been sure his family would even notice, wondering if he'd have to all but slap them across the face with them to get anyone to pay attention, but he should have known Alexis would sniff out new jewelry in a heartbeat. A glance at the four gold rings adorning his fingers sets his whole face twisting to hide the wide grin threatening to break free.

“David,” she says again, keener this time. “Are those what I think they are?”

He manages to move his head in a little tremor of a yes that grows and grows into an exaggerated, exuberant nod. “Yes,” he replies. “Yes, Patrick asked me to–”

“DAVID!” She launches herself off the bed, nearly toppling him over in excitement as she bounces onto the mattress beside him.

“Shhhhhh.” He glances toward the connecting door. “I am not telling mom before her afternoon valium kicks in."

"God, can you imagine?" she says with a grimace. “Let me see!” He holds his hand out to her and watches as she runs a gentle finger across his rings. Despite her obvious excitement, there’s something a little longing in the touch, something a little sad, and for a fraction of a second, he wants to pull her into his arms and tell her that she’ll have another chance at this. But then she opens her mouth again. “Are they 24 karat?”

“Fuck off, Alexis!” He snatches his hand away, but she just shimmies it right off of her shoulders.

“So did he get down on one knee? Did he do something super cliché like putting them in a glass of champagne? Oh my god, did he sing? Please tell me he sang something super embarrassing. I need the deets!”

“Okay, don’t say ‘deets.’ This isn’t 2005.”

David pushes himself to his feet. There’s too much excitement thrumming in his veins. He needs to move, or he might actually explode with joy, which would be the most embarrassing thing to happen to him in this room since his dad had walked in on him and Patrick celebrating their baseball win. Still, a soft smile slips back onto his face as he walks circles into the carpet, remembering the way Patrick's face had lit up when David had said yes.

“If you must know, he took me on a hike, and–”

“A hike? I thought you said you were going on a picnic.” Her look of surprise melts into a pout. “You poor thing.”

“Shut up,” he snaps, though there’s hardly any bite in it. He’s just too damn happy to really mean it. “We did have a picnic. It was just on top of a mountain. And it was perfect, okay?”

When she doesn’t tease him or press him for more details, he stops pacing to find her looking at him with some unfamiliar mix of emotions.

“What?”

“I just--" She shakes her head. "You’re engaged, David."

"I know."

"No, like, you're actually going to get married."

"I know."

"But you, David. Of all people."

“Um, there's a lake just up the highway. Can you drive into it please?"

She scoffs. “I didn’t mean it like that. It's just, like, I always assumed that I would be the one to get to have that great big dream wedding we used to plan when we were kids." Her fingers absently tangle in her hair, her eyes unfocused now as she gets lost in some thought that makes her smile. "Do you remember when we broke apart mom's pearls to use for the seating chart?"

David remembers it well. That had been back when Alexis's modelling career hadn't yet taken off and her only trips around the world had been on family vacations with the rest of them. Back when breaking into the wig room just to have a look around had been the most dangerous thing they'd ever dared to do. "Adelina thought she was going to be furious."

"But when we told mom, she just said to use the sapphires instead next time because they better complemented the color scheme." They both laugh at the memory. Things had been so much easier then, back before they'd both gone out into the world and let it make things hard.

Happiness had been easier.

Love had, too.

"You just never really seemed interested in all that," Alexis says. "The planning part, yes, but not the part where you get yourself a cute, little husband.”

David can’t stop the smile that blossoms across his face at the word. Patrick is going to be his husband. He buries his face in his hands again, feeling the way his skin heats against his fingertips at the thought.

“I wasn’t,” he admits through his fingers. “Interested. Before.”

“Patrick’s changed you, David.” The smile that she gives him is strangely proud. “You’ve let him change you.”

There are so many things he's done in the last year that he'd never thought he'd do in his life. Things he'd never wanted to do. He's hiked up a mountain, and he's hit a homerun, and he's clambered across shaky boards thirty feet in the air. He's learned about tax brackets and insurance premiums. He's gotten up before 9 a.m., when the occasion has called for it.

"I know," he says.

Patrick has taught him to compromise, has shown him that sometimes you have to give more than you take, has shown him that sometimes trust and contentment and unconditional love can still be easy.

Because at the end of the day, all he wants is to make Patrick happy. It's as easy and as hard as that. He wants to give back every single ounce of joy that Patrick has given to him, and if that means that sometimes he has to move the lip balms a few inches down the counter, then that's something David can do. Because Patrick--because his fiancé--is worth it.

"I kind of think--" Alexis says, frowning a little like the words taste sour on her tongue, "I think I want to hug you."

"I'm sorry?"

She stands up and steps closer. "Can I hug you, David?"

"Oh. Um, o-okay."

Her arms are around him before the word is all the way out of his mouth. She squeezes him tight, hands clasped together behind his back, and he wraps his arms around her shoulders, closes his eyes, and breathes.

It's been years since they've done this, standing in nearly this same spot after she'd broken up with Mutt, and David isn't the only one who's changed since then. Alexis has pushed herself to be better in nearly every area of her life. She'd gone back to high school. She'd gotten her certificate. She'd turned down a job offer that would have taken her out of this town. And in the most un-Alexis move of all, she'd let go of Ted--chosen his happiness over her own--only to find him choosing her in the end. David is fiercely proud of her. Even if he'd never say it.

"I can't believe you're getting married," she mumbles into his sweater.

He holds her a little closer, ignoring the tears threatening to form. "I can't believe you're leaving."

"I'll be back in six months."

"You better be." He pulls back with a watery little laugh, blinking against the sting of his eyes. "Who else is going to help me arrange all those diamond-studded floral centerpieces?"

She rubs a hand across a wet cheek and chuckles. "I think the diamonds are gonna be hard to come by these days. You might have to settle for cubic zirconia."

"Ew. Why would you even say that to me?"

"And since Elton probably isn't an option anymore, maybe you can just get mom and the Jazzagals to sing a little medley for your first dance."

"Oh my god. Stop!" He swats a hand at her, but she dances out of his reach.

"Instead of the horse-drawn carriages, there could be, like, goats pulling a wagon."

His horrified gasp is drowned out by her gleeful cackle, and she bounds across her bed as he lunges after her, chasing her around the room as she continues to hurl increasingly disgusting suggestions his way.

"The cocktail hour can feature sangria with that gross fruit wine mom filmed that commercial for. The dinner can be a barbecue. Oh! The ceremony can be at town hall. You can get married at Roland's desk!"

"I hate you."

He does. He hates that she knows exactly what buttons to push, and he hates that she could push them with her eyes closed. He hates that she's reminding him in this otherwise happy moment of everything that they've lost. But most of all he hates that she isn't even going to be here to help with most of the planning. All those fantasy weddings they'd imagined as kids, they'd dreamed them up together. How is he supposed to plan his real wedding without her?

She pouts at him, but her eyes are still shining with glee. God, he loves her. He's gotten so used to having her around, he really doesn't know what he's going to do without her for six months.

"Oooh," she squeals. "You and Patrick can rent suits from that menswear store in Elmdale."

Okay, he takes it back. He does hate her after all.

"I hope you get eaten by a tortoise."

#schitt's creek #schitts creek #david rose #alexis rose #i love exactly two (2) siblings #s5 #the hike #coda #s5 spoilers #rebel writes #is 1900 words still technically a ficlet?#asking for a friend #and that friend is me because i clearly don't understand the meaning of brief lolol

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