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noodlecupcakeswritings · 3 years

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An Unbreakable Bond - Chapter 15 (Ben Solo/Kylo RenxOC)

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren now has everything he could possibly dream of, except for someone to rule by his side. And he’ll do anything to get Cora back.

The final fic in my Kylo/Cora Star Wars canon series. This is most definitely a TROS fix it fic because fuck that movie and shitty writing.

Please leave likes, comments and reblogs if you like it. If you want to be added to the taglist, please let me know.

Warnings: Violence, Language

Chapter 15

Cora

The Supremacy had been thrown into chaos thanks to The Resistance, which meant now was my chance to take the ship down and take out a good chunk of The First Order. After all, their beloved General wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. And I was more than willing to make that happen. Stepping out of Kylo Ren’s quarters showed me just how chaotic the situation was. Officers and troopers were running in every direction, not knowing what to do. Some had bags packed, ready to jump ship and abandon their cause. It was almost comical. Not a single one of them looked in my direction. They were all too worried about themselves.

Meaning none of them would bat an eyelid if I was seen near the armoury. Ben still had my saber, so I needed something to arm myself with. If it came down to that. Keeping my head down, I ventured through the ship until I found the armoury. The door was open, probably by the last careless person who had been inside. In their panic, they had likely forgotten to close the door and put in the passcode to lock it. Luck must be on my side. Entering the large armoury, I searched the shelves, ignoring the various blasters and ammo.

Finally, I found the perfect weapon. A small yet powerful bomb, one that was controlled by a countdown timer. Ignoring the screams from outside, I carefully picked the device up and put it in a duffel bag. The Resistance must already be aboard. Standing in the doorway, I scanned the corridor for the source of the screaming. At the far end of the corridor on the left stood a very welcome familiar sight. Varidun had his saber drawn, several stormtroopers already cut down and scattered haphazardly across the floor. Another three have their blasters pointed at him.

Varidun blocks the fire with his saber, using the force to throw one trooper back into the nearest wall hard enough that the sound of his spine breaking could be heard. The next one is taken out by his own blaster fire, deflected back at him. And the third is quickly decapitated by Varidun’s saber. Ignoring the bodies on the floor and only focusing on the happiness and hope that filled me at the sight of my teacher and true father figure, I ran to him. I was glad that he was the first familiar face I saw again. As I reached him, I threw my arms around the taller man, embracing him for the first time.

Varidun stumbles backward a few steps, having not expected the hug. There’s a pause before he puts his free arm around me to return the embrace. Smiling softly, I knew I would never get a chance like this again and savoured it whilst I could. Finally, I let go of him. “I’m assuming you're all there is to my rescue party?” I asked with a soft smirk. “Unfortunately.” “Well, now that you’ve successfully rescued me, would you maybe help me with a little something? A surprise for the General,” I asked, motioning to the duffel bag.

“Surprise, huh?” Varidun asked, struggling to keep the smirk off his face. “He told me he would rather go out in a blaze of glory than be arrested by the resistance. So I figured I’d help him with that.” “But the resistance isn’t here,” he replied with obvious sarcasm. My smirk grew at his tone. If it had been a member of the resistance, they would have condemned my plan. Good thing Varidun was the only member of my rescue party. Leading the way to Hux’s office, I knocked first to make sure he wasn’t inside. After a few moments of waiting, I then headed inside and placed the bag on his desk.

“You’re sure he’s going to show up?” Varidun asked. “I’m sure I could plant the idea in his head.” “I’m clearly not going to be able to stop you, so make sure you are quick. I’d rather not spend any longer here than we need to” After I pulled out the device, I looked it over. I had no idea how to turn the thing on, let alone set it up. “Any idea how this thing works?” I asked. “I doubt it’s the same as the Imperials, but I can try,” Varidun replied.

“I dont know, they looked up to them so much, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were similar just updated.” “Good point.” Varidun looks over the device a moment, flicking a switch before setting a sequence. “Set it for ten minutes. That should be enough time to get far enough away from the blast.” I spoke. Closing my eyes, I used the force to find Hux. Of course he’s on the bridge, barking orders at officers and troopers. It requires a little more effort and exertion to plant the idea in his mind from this distance, but it works, and he leaves his post.

“Okay, he’s coming,” I confirmed. Ushering Varidun out of the room, we took a few turns so we wouldn’t bump into Hux. “It’s a shame we won’t be able to see the look on his face,” I smirked. “It won’t exactly be there for long.” Stifling a laugh, we continued to the hanger. As we reached the open area, we were spotted by stormtroopers. They group together and start firing at us. Using the force, I deflected their fire, whilst Varidun did the same with his saber. There’s a trail of bodies littered across the floor, likely let by Varidun when he had landed his ship.

Varidun continued to block any blaster bolts I missed, providing me with cover as we made our way through the hanger. Not wanting to be weaponless, I picked up a fallen trooper’s blaster. When we reached the ship, Varidun ushered me inside first. There was only one seat. Rolling my eyes, I squeezed in behind the chair as Varidun climbed in after me. “Remind me when we get out of here to get you a bigger ship,” I remarked. “When I need one, I’ll let you know. Now hold on.” Varidun brings the ship to life and moves towards the hangers exit. Planting my feet firmly, I gripped the back of the chair for dear life as the ship lurched out of the hanger.

Now that one problem had been dealt with, I needed to find Ben and make sure he was alive. I had to help him somehow, even if it was a death wish going up against Sidious. Varidun dodged ships and swerved to avoid blasts. “Take me down to Exegol,” I shouted over the noise. “Why in all of deep space would you want to go there?” “Ben’s down there. I’m not just leaving him.” “What do you mean Ben’s down there? He went alone?!”

The familiar screech of tie fighters could be heard behind us and Varidun does a series of sharp swerves to avoid their fire. My nails dug into the leather of the chair as I tightened my grip, doing my best to keep my footing. “Rey was stupid enough to go alone, and he felt he had to help as he’s the one that caused this,” I explained. “Is this the same ‘Rey’ I heard about back at the Resistance Base?” Varidun asked. “Yes, the one who they hail as a hero even though she caused more trouble than actual heroics.” “In my experience heroes tend to be the ones causing the issues, anyway.”

Once Varidun dealt with the tie fighters, although thankfully there are plenty of resistance ships around to help, he landed on Exegol’ s surface next to Kylo Ren’s tie silencer. The dark force energy on the planet made my blood run cold and my skin turn to gooseflesh. But I had braved a sith tomb, I could brave this. I had to, for Ben. I would not let him face Sidious alone. Even if it meant I died in the process. Placing my hand on Varidun’s shoulder, I knew this could be the last time I saw him. “I understand if you don’t want to come with me, you’ve already done so much for me. Thank you for everything.” I said softly.

As Varidun helped me down from his ship, two crafts belonging to The First Order landed, having followed us. “It appears I won’t have a chance to follow you. Go, make sure Ben is alright. I will stay and make sure you aren’t followed,” Varidun declared. Nodding, I swallowed down another wave of fear as I got closer to finding out what was inside that cave. “Thank you, Varidun,” I repeated. There was a small pause as I felt the need to say something else, but I thought better of it. He probably wouldn’t appreciate my sentimental streak. Turning, I ran inside the cave.

Keeping a tight grip on the blaster, I scanned my surroundings nervously. Stepping onto the turbo lift, I headed further down into the darkness. At the bottom, I spotted three bodies in the distance, all of them dressed in black. As I got closer, I could make out it was the remaining three knights of Ren. Continuing past them, I eventually came to a large room, which was eerily quiet. Inside there were no signs of Sidious, but that still didn’t completely put me at ease. Instead, I found Rey cradling a body whilst Ben tried to comfort her. The sight of Ben, alive, filled me with a happiness so great I thought I might burst.

Ben heard my footsteps as I ran to him, dropping my blaster. He struggled to get to his feet and limped over the best he could to meet me halfway. Throwing myself into his arms, we fell backwards, as he couldn’t support both of us. I kissed him hard, overjoyed to finally have him back after all this time. Ben returned the kiss just as eagerly, his fingers threading through my hair. “Ow,” he grumbled. I tried to climb off him so that I would stop being the source of his pain, but Ben held me still. “I said ow, not to stop,” he smirked.

Dare I say it, but I had even missed that cocky smirk of his. Rolling my eyes, I gave him another kiss before getting off him and helping him up. Looking him over, he had a few cuts and bruises across his face, and he was doing his best to keep any weight off his left ankle. “What happened?” I asked. “Rey got more help than she hoped for. Sidious won’t be coming back this time…” he trailed off, glancing over at Rey, “but we lost Luke.” My heart sunk at his words and I turned to Rey. Putting aside our differences for the moment, I knelt beside her and hesitantly took Luke’s hand in mine.

It was still warm, which I hadn’t expected. His face looked peaceful, as if he were only sleeping. Tears rolled down my cheeks, as my last words to him hadn’t been the kindest. Yet my words had been enough to potentially influence his decision to finally help his daughter and nephew. Luke Skywalker had died a hero’s death, protecting those he loved.

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld, @sweetsec-93, @cltex84, @neeharlow

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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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hello!! i just wanted to ask- i wanna do an ouat rewatch bc CAPTAIN SWANN but its pretty long and i honestly dont care for the other characters/how badly the overall writing was handled.. which are your favourite captain swan eps? anything them centered and i think ill just skip around to rewatch their romance as they did invent romance 😭😭 ty in advance <3

they absolutely did invent romance, you are right about that and i love them so much

UHMMMM as far as my favorite CS eps, here’s a roadmap of what I personally consider key eps in their journey (some of this is from memory but I haven’t done a full rewatch in a while so i’m going through the episode list as a refresher)

2x06: Tallahassee--this is a must-watch ep for any CS fan, and I really think this is the episode that sparked the fire that CS would become as a fandom. It has everything--flirtatious banter, all kinds of tension, deliberate parallels drawn between Emma and Killian’s pasts, as well as their first meeting being intercut with her relationship with Neal (which serves, especially in hindsight, to highlight just how sketchy that relationship was, and why she couldn’t bring herself to trust Killian--because the last time she felt this way about anyone, it ended horribly)

2x08 and 2x09: Into the Deep and Queen of Hearts--these episodes cover the race to the portal between Emma&co and Hook/Cora and while they don’t do a ton for CS as a relationship since they’re still enemies at this point, it lays great foundation for their future relationship development. Plus, sexy swordfight, Hook going out of his way to save Aurora’s heart--he may be a pirate, but he has standards ok--and Emma realizing Cora can’t remove her heart without her permission? Poetic Cinema

2x11: The Outsider--more of a Killian-centric episode, it shows a lot of Killian at his worst but it’s necessary for his overall character arc and I genuinely love looking back and seeing just how far he managed to come, to the point of eventually even letting go of his (very understandable) grudge against Rumplestiltskin.

2x12: In the Name of the Brother--am I including this purely for Emma&Hook banter in the hospital, and Killian saying ‘hey beautiful’ when he’s lying on the road because he just got hit by a fucking car? You bet I am. Also, go to youtube and look up ‘ouat season two deleted scene jello’, because it’s beautiful and there was a tremendous outcry in the fandom when we realized it had been cut from the episode lmao (It’s also the episode that made me start shipping Frankenwolf, which I’m still sad never went anywhere, but they had a lot of potential and great chemistry.)

2x22: And Straight On Till Morning--A few of the episodes in between have some fun minor interactions and flashbacks (and I always approve of episodes where Killian gets one up on Rumple, so 2x15 is fun for me if i ignore all the Neal bits) but the finale is where we finally get a glimpse of who Killian could be beyond his need for revenge. He didn’t have to come back, he didn’t have to bring back the bean and help the town--but he did.

Season 3a: there’s a lot of really good stuff here for Hook and Emma that is interwoven between the A plots of other episodes. I think, as far as half-season arcs go, it’s one of the best (and everything after 4a bombed hard, but I digress) But there are a few episodes that stand out if you don’t want to watch the whole season. (I recommend starting with the premier though, it was a really solid season starter overall.)

3x05: Good Form--this is the culmination of David’s poisoned-by-dreamshade arc, and is also Peak Captain Charming Bromance. Hook not only keeping David’s secret, but doing everything he can to help save him??? Poetic cinema. It also provides some crucial Killian backstory, showing how he lost his brother to the very same dreamshade. Plus, the character development--Pan offers Killian a chance to escape the island with Emma if he kills David, and instead, he saves him, refusing the deal and damn the consequences. Also also? The first CS kiss which drove the fandom WILD.

3X06: Ariel--not only to I love OUaT’s take on Ariel, but this episode has the infamous Echo Cave scene, which involves a lot of feelsy confessions and Killian being the one to tell everyone that Neal is alive and helping Emma save him despite his own growing feelings for her.....IT’S JUST A LOT AND I LOVE IT.

3x07: Dark Hallow--oh man, I’d forgotten about this episode, but it has Killian and Neal fighting over Emma, which may sound eye-roll worthy, but Emma is allowed to tear them a new one about it and it’s one of the few times she’s allowed to actually???? put her own feelings first so I have to include it here on spec

3x11 and 3x12: Going Home and New York City Serenade--these mark the end of 3a and start of 3b respectively, and it has some amazing shit like Killian vowing never to forget Emma and Emma smiling as she replies, “Good.” And then she and Henry are in New York with their memories completely altered, but Killian shows up because Storybrooke is back and in jeopardy, and he helps Emma get back to her family and her home and, much later, Emma finds out he sold the Jolly Roger to be able to do it and it’s just. It’s beautiful ok.

3x17: The Jolly Roger--there’s honestly not a whole lot in the back half of season 3 (until the CS movie) but of course anything named for Hook is a must-watch, and this is where we get the iconic line I swear on Emma Swan--which is Killian saying he’s in love with her before he even realizes it. We also find out just what he did to Ariel, and his attempts to make amends are what lead to Zelena being able to curse him, so it’s great from a character perspective as well.

The next four episodes round out the end of the season, and there’s a lot of great stuff in them--Hook refusing to get Emma to kiss him, but Emma feeling like she can’t trust him because he didn’t tell her about the curse to begin with, and then kissing him anyway to save his life regardless of the consequences.... but the only ones that are absolutely necessary are the final two episodes.

They are colloquially termed ‘The Captain Swan Movie’ for a reason, after all.

Killian and Emma essentially have an entire Time Travel adventure all to themselves, where they accidentally ruin her parents first meeting and have to fix it so that she’ll even be born, Emma finally getting into the storybook, the pair of them dancing at a ball, Killian rushing to save Emma only for her to get out of the cell herself, because “The only one who saves me is me.” Killian saying “I would go to the ends of the world for her... or time.” Finally fixing the timeline and making it back to Storybrooke and Killian feeling like he doesn’t deserve a place at the table so he doesn’t go inside, but Emma comes out to him anyway and finds out he gave up the Jolly Roger for her, the true start to their relationship...... IM CRYING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I’M SORRY.

I personally really enjoyed 4a, the Frozen arc was one of the last good half-season arcs of the show, but a lot of people disliked it so it’s really up to interpretation. I don’t have as many Intense Opinions on this season (except hating almost everything about 4b and the queens of darkness arc), but I will say the episodes with good Killian/CS moments are 4x02 (Emma nearly freezes to death, Killian is desperate to save her, Captain Charming teamwork, my heart hurts), 4x04 (Emma asks Killian out on a real date, he tries to get his real hand back from Gold, things go massively awry and he winds up back under Gold’s thumb), 4x08 (Killian tries to save Emma from Gold’s plans), 4x11 (the 4a finale is just great in general), and then..... it cannot be overstated how much I hate season 4b, but 4x15 is the Killian-centric ep where his past with Ursula is revealed and he makes amends to her in order to get her to leave the QoD alliance and it’s great character stuff for him, and then there’s the season 4 finale.

Both parts are worth watching, if only because Deckhand Coward Hook still being a braver, more heroic man than ‘Hero Rumplestiltskin’ warms the very cockles of my heart, and of course the second part of the finale has him helping Henry to save Emma and it’s beautiful and also Emma watches him die for her and it is angsty as FUCK but gods I love it. Here’s where it gets tricky, though--my recommendation is, turn the episode off right after Emma finds Killian back in the present day of Storybrooke and they reunite.

Just turn off the episode there and skip right ahead to the s6 musical episode (Emma and Killian’s wedding ep) and pretend they got married and none of seasons 5 or 6 ever happened. >.> (Although I will say certain parts of the Underworld arc were incredibly feelsy despite how much I overall hated the season: 5x11 (the 5a finale, Killian as the dark one STILL being a better man than rumple, we love to see it), 5x15 (I am not immune to Brothers Jones feelings ok), 5x20 (emma literally takes a True Love Test trying to find a way to save killian, you don’t get more romantic than that--also Killian telling Emma to promise she won’t put her armor back up just because she lost him again??? my HEART), 5x21 (Hook does what he can from the Underworld anyway and zeus sends him back to Emma, they really just said ‘today I will invent romance’ and then Did That)

And then, yeah, just skip to the wedding. It’s beautiful, I enjoyed the music, personally, though I know musical episodes are hit or miss with most people. And if you turn it off when the last musical number starts (after the wedding ceremony, I believe) you can pretend it was the end of the show! =DDD

.....Oh my god I just rambled for years. I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL, ANON. I 100% support a CS-centered rewatch, their episodes were consistently some of the best across the entire series, and they are truly one of my favorite romances of all time.

#ouat #captain swan #captain swan episode rec #asked #long post #Anonymous

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flowerpowell · 4 years

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Unexpected (Drake x MC)

PART THREE

A/N: Sorry, I’m late! I had a break from writing for the holidays and since January is quite busy for me, I dont know when and how often I’ll be updating my series. But, at least the plot is getting somewhere and by the end of this chapter you miiiight have an idea where this is going. Hope you’ll enjoy! Characters belong to Pixelberry and PLEASE look at the warnings for this chapter!

Rating: M (actually it’s not that bad but look at the warnings)

Warnings: Characters death mentioned, relationship with a big age gap mentioned, short description of a panic attack at the end (dont read it if youre uncomfortable with any of these, dont read it if you’re a fan of madeleine or dont like AUs)

Word count: ~2000

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @choicessa @hopefulmoonobject @akrenich @blackcatkita @cora-nova @client-327 @desiree-0816 @jlpplays1 @dcbbw @kingliam2019 @the-soot-sprite @mskaneko @thequeenofcronuts @dr-ethanjramsey @missameliep @maxattack-powell @badchoicesposts @mymandrake @butindeed @burnsoslow @annekebbphotography @alesana45 @addictedtodrakefanfic @speedyoperarascalparty @walkerduchess @ao719 @texaskitten30 @lodberg @cordonianroyalty @emichelle @sirbeepsalot @siriusxxvideos @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @samihatuli @choices-lurker @i-miss-trr @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @nikkis1983 @innerpostmentality @msjr0119 @bascmve01 @mind-reader1 @edgiestwinter @drakesensworld @queenjilian @princessleac1 ♥

Drake was pacing back and forth in Liam’s office, while his friend was sitting on a chair with his head down.

“Madeleine,” Drake started causing Liam to look up. “Madeleine called off the engagement. Herself. Madeleine?”

“Yes, Madeleine.” Liam rolled his eyes and took a swig of his drink.

“The same Madeleine we all know? The I-am-so-desperate-to-be-a-queen Madeleine? The one who would do anything to be your wife? Called off the engagement?”

“Yes, Drake, the same one. Please, stop,” Liam’s voice was weak and Drake knew he was hurting.

“I’m sorry Liam but I truly believe you’re better off without that witch. You never wanted to marry her!” Drake noticed Liam opening his mouth to say something so he added, “Maybe you don’t see it this way now but maybe you’ll still have a chance to marry for love! Now you’re free of Madeleine!”

Liam laughed but it wasn’t a sincere, happy laugh. “No, I didn’t love her. But I didn’t have any prospects of marriage. The people demand an heir and now that I know I can’t have kids, I lost a potential wife. I’m a failure as a King.”

“Come on, Li. You know you’re not. And you know what, screw the people. You’re the King, you make the rules, not them!”

“No, they’re right. My most important duty was to get married and produce an heir. And I failed.”

“You didn’t. You’re still young, you can find someone. Besides, the people have Bartie now! And they should be happy that you saved them from Madeleine being their Queen,” Drake tried to cheer his friend up but Liam didn’t seem to notice his efforts. He stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking again.

“She told me she had someone else.”

Drake turned to Liam, suprise on his face. “Who?”

“Madeleine. She said there was someone else. Someone she intends to marry.”

“What? Who’s the poor guy?”

“I don’t know. She said she’d let me know, so there’s that,” Liam took another swig only to notice his glass was empty.

“Huh, that’s weird. But don’t worry about it, please. Get some rest and we’ll think of something tomorrow, okay?’ Drake asked and Liam slowly nodded. He really was worried about his friend. These past few days were rough for Liam and he wished he could do something to help him.

~~~~

Next few weeks brought the answer for Liam and Drake’s questions. It was announced that Madeleine would soon marry... Barthelemy Beaumot, Maxwell and Betrand’s father.

“Isn’t he like twice as old as she is?”

“Worse, he’s like her father’s age!”

Both Olivia and Drake met up with Liam after the announcement and both didn’t even try to hide their disgust.

“Madeleine is older than me, older than Maxwell or you two. She’s more of my brother’s age. So no, he’s not twice as old as Madeleine is. And Godfrey had her at old age while Barthelemy had his sons rather young. Between them, there’s a big age difference,” Liam explained slowly and Drake was almost annoyed with how calm he was about it.

“Still, it’s gross. I’m not gonna change my mind,” Olivia announced and Drake had to agree with her.

“It’s weird. Why would she ditch Liam for.... him,” Drake wondered and Liam sighed.

“She said is was love. Who am I to judge? Now excuse me, the wedding is soon and she asked me to officiate so...” Liam left the office leaving Drake and Olivia stunned.

“She asked him to do what?” Drake asked not sure if he heard right.

“That bitch,” Olivia gritted her teeth. Drake looked at her. Him and Olivia were never friends but they both cared about Liam so they tolerated each other for his sake. Today though, Drake realized he agreed with pretty everything she said.

“Something is off. I don’t believe Madeleine is in love with him,” he said after a while and Olivia nodded.

“I don’t believe that witch is capable of loving anyone but her. I wonder what she’s planning.”

They both thought about it for a few moments before silently leaving Liam’s office as well, several scenarios going through their heads.

~~~~

Drake sat in the bar, mindlessly drinking his whiskey. Technically, he should be at Madeleine and Barthelemy wedding since Savannah invited him but he didn’t feel like being there. No one saw anything odd about it except for him and Olivia. Bertrand and Maxwell were a bit surprised at the news at first but quickly accepted their father’s decision. Savannah admitted Madeleine was much nicer to her now and even helped her organize a belated honeymoon, since Betrand and Savannah never had one. When Drake voiced his concern as to the marriage, she said it wouldn’t be the first time a woman married an older man and that she thought Madeleine really loved Barthelemy and vice versa. Despite it all, Drake still didn’t believe in Madeleine’s intentions.

“Can I get you another one?” Drake looked up to see Riley staring at him with her eyebrow raised.

“Yes, please,” he handed her an empty glass but she still stood still. “Yes?”

“Are you okay? You’ve been staring at this wall for fifteen minutes and didn’t even notice you were drinking water instead of whiskey.”

“You added water to my empty glass?” he asked surprised.

“Well, yeah, I wanted to check if you’d notice but you didn’t,” she shrugged. “What’s wrong?”

“You gave me water to drink and you’re asking me what is wrong? Are you--”

“No, I mean, what is going on? Why are you so distracted? You’re not even being rude to me.”

“First of all, it is you who’s being rude to me. Secondly, I don’t believe I need to tell you anything.” Drake stood up as if ready to leave.

“But--”

“Excuse me.” He left money on the table and walked away. Riley looked after him as he disappeared. She didn’t know what was going on but she was sure something must have happened.

“Bad day, huh?” her friend took the glass from her hands. She looked at him and then back at the door.

“Yeah, I think something is wrong. He wasn’t even grumpy.”

“Riley...”

“You know what, I think something bad happened. Maybe I should see what.”

“Riley...”

“You’re right, I need to go and ask him about it.”

“Riley!” The bartender raised his voice and Riley looked at him. “Why do you care so much about him?”

“What? Me? Care? About him? Ha, good joke! He’s just, you know, kinda our boss and you know that saying, ‘if your boss is sad, you are sad too.’’’

“There’s no such saying,” he shook his head.

“Maybe not here, it’s a New York thing. I just want to make sure he’s not gonna fire us.”

“And that’s why you want to visit him again?”

“Oh stop it. I know where you’re going. I don’t like him, he doesn’t like me. I will never ever even think about him like that. What I’m doing is purely work-related,” she explained and stormed off before she could hear her friend’s “Mhmm.”

~~~~

“Hello?” Drake answered the phone after the unknown number called him for the fifth time.

“Drake! My manager asked me to ask you how are you,” he heard a familiar voice and rolled his eyes.

“How did you get my number?”

“My manager gave me,” it wasn’t a lie if her manager gave her a few documents to sign and his number was there, right? “He wanted to know how you were doing.”

“Then he can ask me himself. I’m busy, goodbye,” Drake said and hung up.

“Rude!” Riley yelled into the phone but Drake didn’t hear her.

“Well, Mr Walker, luckily I know where you live,” she murmured to herself. She couldn’t exactly explain why she was so determined to know the reasons behind Drake’s bad mood but she blamed in on her curiosity. She was a naturally curious person. Or nosy, as her mother always claimed.

In just several minutes, she was there, knocking on the door, trying to come up with an excuse. The last thing she wanted was him to think she actually cared about him. What a ridiculous thought it--

“You again? What is your problem?” Drake asked when he opened the door.

“You are my problem! I came here to ask you about, umm, the rumors.” She bit her lip hoping he wouldn’t notice she was lying.

“Rumors?”

“Yes! There are rumors that say you want to fire all of us and I needed to ask you if that’s true. I’m a great waitress and I need that job so--”

“I’m not firing anyone. Is that all?”

“Wait, why are you so--”

“Is everything okay here?” Liam appeared in the doorway and Riley’s eyes widened as she recognized a man from the newspapers, TV and the internet.

“Your-- Your Majesty!” She bowed, “I’m so sorry to intrude, I just-- I am--”

“Leaving. Riley was just leaving,” Drake finished and Liam nodded.

“Pleased to meet you, Riley. Drake never told me about his new friend,” Liam smiled to her and her eyes widened.

“We’re not friends, Li. We’re quite the opposite. That woman is probably a bigger pain in the ass than Olivia,” Drake explained to his friend.

“No, not at all! I am so sorry I ever offended or insulted you or was rude, sir, umm, Drake? I had no idea you are in the Royal family,” she bowed to him too and Liam chuckled.

“Oh boy, here we go again,” Drake rolled his eyes and elbowed Liam. “I am not part of the Royal family. And once again, there’s no need to apologize, I can’t fire you, imprison you or whatever else you think I can.”

“So, that means---”

“Yes, you don’t have to be nice to me. You can go now,” Drake said and Riley quickly bowed to Liam and ran to her car.

“Stop it,” Drake said to Liam, seeing his friends laughing.

“You’re laughing, too,” Liam pointed out and Drake shook his head. “That woman is something. Maybe you--”

“No, Li. Whatever you were about to suggest, the answer is no. Never.”

~~~~

Weeks passed, Madeleine and Barthelemy celebrated their two-month anniversary, Liam kept himself busy with work, Savannah and Betrand left for their belated honeymoon leaving Bartie to the newlywed couple. And Drake still didn’t understand. Why Madeleine would marry Barthelemy (although he agreed that both were awful people so they did have something in common) and why would his sister leave her son to them not to him. He could take care of a child, couldn’t he?

His thoughts were interrupted by knocking on his door. He opened it and was about to greet his best friend but Liam had something unreadable on his face and Drake felt like something must have happened.

“Li?”

“Drake, I think you need to sit down,” he said calmly but Drake stood still. “Drake...”

“What is it? What happened?”

“It’s not certain but--”

“What is it?”

Liam took a long breath and looked down so he wouldn’t face his best friend. “It’s Betrand and Savannah. They went missing. The police can’t find them anywhere and told us to treat them... as if they were already dead.”

Drake looked at his friend, the words he just said not making sense. He felt as if the room was spinning around and he thought it was too hot for him there. Suddenly, the room stopped spinning, the sound of Liam’s voice flattered completely, and there was only darkness.

#the royal romance #the royal heir #drake walker #drake x mc #drake walker x mc #choices #playchoices #my fic #trigger warning #read the warnings please

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detective-caruso · 6 years

Text

comfort || TJ x Cora

"Hi! So, I honestly l o v e d the TJ And Cora fanfic you wrote, and was wondering if you could write something like Cora having to suffer a loss, maybe a family member, and TJ comforting her? I feel like Cora would probably close herself off, and try not to let anyone in other than a few people, TJ being one of them? Just fluff, hurt/comfort. Please?"

prompt: Cora losing her grandfather and TJ comforting her like the good boy he is

genre: fluffy fluff fluff

wc: 1,146

TW: mentions of loss/death

A/N: I just woke up lmao hi i love talking with you guys sm and i really want to write a whole lot more so SEND IN SUBMISSIONS PLEASE also i tried a different writing style-ish??? lmk how you like it uwuwuwu

____________________

+ it has almost been a week since the death of Cora's grandfather and she's just as broken as the moment she got the news. her grandfather was there for everything. her first breath, her first steps, her first discovery for the love of solving crimes. her grandfather was her everything. her first role model, her first love, first friend, he was probably one of the only people she would ever be completely open with. but to Cora, all of that was now thrown away.

+ being so broken, Cora has been locking herself behind this mindset of 'everyone she knows and loves are going to die someday'. it's been really messing with her lately, especially her work life.

+ TJ takes notice throughout the few days she has been at work, she hasn't been doing her best like she usually does, she was always so involved and eceentric with her work. as she sits her desk with her hands running through her scalp, clenching at times, TJ knew something was off and he needed to know.

+ he tried to ask her why she hasn't been performing well at work recently. his comment coming off to Cora as her appearing to be lazy. Cora ends up calling him ignorant and selfish, ending their conversation with her storming out and leaving work early.

+ TJ knew this was very unlike of Cora, even though they have had some arguments before, this was different. when she was yelling at him, his feelings latched onto the hurt in her voice.

+ he would always noticed the small details whenever he talked to someone. he took note in what he saw in Cora, the way she smiled her dimple would appear, the freckles on her nose placed ever so simply. but now, all he's seeing in her is the paleness in her skin canceling out with her redness in her eyes, the way tears would form whenever she said "I dont want to talk about it." this had to be something deeper than just a bad day.

+ it's been 3 days since Cora last went to work, more importantly, since she spoke to TJ. TJ couldn't stop playing the conversation in his head, he still felt the guilt trembling in him as each word pierced into his thoughts. no matter how much he wanted to send a text asking what's up, it wouldn't be enough.

+ after work on a Friday evening, TJ was driving down the main road when he saw a right turn coming up, the turn that lead to Cora's apartment complex. as he sat there at the stoplight, he contemplated if he should pay her a visit and apologize for what he did. without a second thought, he was already feeling himself turning himself down Mahongany Ave.

+ Cora was drinking her 3rd cup of green tea laced with vodka, it was the only way she could find herself tricking her mind into thinking this was healthier than drinking straight vodka. as the days passed, she started eating less and less, the number of tissues began multiply, her thoughts were only getting darker. no matter how many times someone called or text, it was just another pity message from a family member, just another reminder of what she's been trying to drown out.

+ she laid on her couch, her hand beside the remote, then other resting on her empty stomach. she watched the images of Ross and Rachael pass on the screen, even though Friends was her favourite show for times like this, it wasn't much help. as her eyelids started to flutter close, a knock was heard.

+ she had no motivation in even getting up to see who it was, but she knew she had to oays her bills soon, so she couldn't take the risk if it was her landlord. just when she opened the door, she was confronted with a rambling TJ.

+ "I'n sorry I know it's late and I know you dont want to talk with me, but please just know what happened at the office was a mis-" TJ was interrupted as Cora latched her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could while sobs escaped her, sobs that have been holding back all the sadness, anger, and desperation.

+ instead of TJ continuing, he hugged her back out of empathy. His arms wrapped around her back and his hands holding onto her waist. he knew this was what she was holding back, but instead of reacting, he let her have her moment.

+ after a while, Cora's sobs turned into sniffling, then just silence. her arms still around TJ's neck, she buried her face into his chest. "i-i'm....sorry.." was all she could manage to say.

+ TJ didn't respond, instead, he pulled back a bit and crouched down, lifting up Cora bridal style and letting her rest her head into his chest as he walked in. he closed the door with his foot and walked towards the couch as Coras hands tugged at the hem of his jacket.

+ he laid her down on the couch, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Cora didn't even want to let go, TJ was naturally soft and caring and she had to admit she was enticed with the smell of his cologne.

+ "just sit here, i'll get you some water and you can tell me everything." TJ said softly as he crouched down to meet Cora's face with his. she nodded, feeling herself getting lost into his eyes, she honestly didn't deserve him.

+ "TJ you don't have to do this" she whimpered, her voice cracking. "Cora.." he mumbled, his hand caressing her cheek. "I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you. I promise." he responded, pressing his forehead to hers.

+ after a few hours of Cora talking about her grandfather, several glasses of water and tears later, she was asleep on TJ's lap, his hands running through her hair. earlier when she was ranting about what she loved most about her grandfather, she asked if she could lay in his lap and have him run his hands through her hair like her grandfather would. she said it helped her "brain flow" (another thing her grandfather told her).

+ he sat there as soft breaths escaped Coras lips, his eyes drifting closed but forcing himself awake incase she wakes up.

+ as Cora slept, he kept looking down at her to notice the little ticks she had whenever she was in slumber. murmuring to herself as she slept, he noticed she was smiling. he could tell not just because of her lips, but because of her dimple ever so prominent. he truly felt as if she was meant to be here, in his lap, safe and sound.

#the good cop #josh groban #hc #fanfic #ship #tj x cora #tj caruso #tony caruso jr.#tony caruso #tony danza #fluff #anthony caruso

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cowgirlontheloose · 7 years

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Faulkner Makes Me Miss My Brother

I am finally reading William Faulkner, now that I am old.

I hover these days in a ground floor apartment that streams with light, in an affluent small Ontario town where everything looks pretty well perfect. At least on the surface. Stately homes. Leafy parks. A gurgling river winding through one of them.

Faulkner’s Mississippi is a long, long way from tourist destination small town Ontario with its heritage this and heritage that. Yet through Faulkner’s words I stand right there beside Cash while he saws planks for his dying mother’s coffin. He saws again, his elbow flashing slowly, a thin thread of fire running along the edge of the saw, lost and recovered at the top and bottom of each stroke, in unbroken elongation, so that the saw appears to be six feet long, into and out of Pa’s shabby and aimless character.

But most of all, Faulkner makes me miss my brother, Derek. If he were alive I would phone him this instant and say “Guess what! I’m finally reading Faulkner!” and he would get what I meant.

Good literature was one of the topics that kept the sibling flame flickering between my younger brother and me. That, and the loving, imperfect parents we shared and the elegant house we grew up in and climbing the weeping willows in our backyard and also our mother correcting us with a ‘tch!’: For goodness sake, say garden, not yard!

It has taken me a lot of living to get to Faulkner, so I am more than grateful to be still here so I can experience his brilliance. His novel, As I Lay Dying, unfolds in the poor folk countryside of Mississippi during the 1920s. When he was asked about the title, Faulkner quotes thusly from Homer’s Odyssey, (which I have yet to read): As I lay dying the woman with the dog’s eyes would not close my eyes for me as I descended into Hades.

When Faulkner writes sentences like: When we came up the cat leaped down from it and flicked away with silver claw and silver eye, in the shadow, I want to read them in my heart again and again.

Faulkner’s characters say things like: I mislike indecision as much as ere a man, and other things such as: For 15 years I aint had a tooth in my head. God knows it. He knows in 15 years I aint et the victuals He aimed for man to eat to keep his strength up, and me saving a nickel here and a nickel there so my family wouldn’t suffer it, to buy them teeth so I could eat God’s appointed food.

My brother, Ian, phoned me a year ago on a hot summer day and, choking, told me our brother had died in his sleep and no one had a clue why.

It was nigh to midnight and it had set in to rain when he woke us. It had been a misdoubtful night, with the storm making; a night when a fellow looks for most anything to happen before he can get the stock fed and himself to the house and supper et and in bed with the rain starting, and when Peabody’s team come up, lathered, with the broke harness dragging and the neck-yoke betwixt the off critter’s legs, Cora says ‘It’s Addie Bundren. She’s gone at last.’

I’m not trying to draw comparisons between my brother and Addie Bundren’s death although somehow I am. They are mixed together -- just don’t ask me how. I’m mostly trying to say that there is not one other being on this earth who I yearn to phone right now and say “Guess what? I’m finally reading Faulkner!” Except my brother Derek.

Many of my friends, like me, read voraciously. Often we share good reads. Perhaps some of them have read William Faulkner, although no-one has ever said so. But the fact still remains, not one of my friends ever clutched me in bed after lights out, trembling to the creepy sounds of Suspense Theater -- “Tales Well Calculated to Drive You Mad!” When each episode ended, my little brother and I were too frightened to reach from beneath the blankets to click the radio off.

“You do it!” I would whisper.

“Noooo you -- you’re bigger than me!”

And so we fell asleep, still clasping each other, the radio now off the air, hissing into the night.

The way I’ve come to understand things, everyone’s life is truly a tour-de-force, no matter who you are. Faulkner declared he deliberately set out to write a tour-de-force with As I Lay Dying. Before I began I said, I am going to write a book by which at a pinch, I can stand or fall if I never touch ink again.

Not everyone is a Faulkner. But the way I’ve come to understand things, everyone’s life is a tour-de-force, no question about it.

Pa said to his sons of his dead wife, mumbling his toothless mouth: You all don't know. The somebody you was young with and you growed old in her and she growed old in you, seeing the old coming on and it was the one somebody you could hear say it dont matter and know it was the truth outen the hard world and all a man’s grief and trials. You all dont know.

If only I could phone my brother and tell him that I am finally reading Faulkner. I would also offer him Faulkner’s words: How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home.

Oh if only I could, I know my brother would get it.

#family #love #literature #sharing #longing #buddhism #writing

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noodlecupcakeswritings · 3 years

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An Unbreakable Bond - Chapter 6 (Kylo RenxOC)

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren now has everything he could possibly dream of, except for someone to rule by his side. And he’ll do anything to get Cora back.

The final fic in my Kylo/Cora Star Wars canon series. This is most definitely a TROS fix it fic because fuck that movie and shitty writing.

Please leave likes, comments and reblogs if you like it. If you want to be added to the taglist, please let me know.

Warnings: Serious angst, Serious feels, Language, Violence, Blood, Gore, Death

Chapter 6

Cora

2 months later

Varidun and I had returned from the shuttle with some more food supplies. Varidun had also begrudgingly brought new clothes, ones that didn’t come with holes in them and ones that would keep him warmer in Duxn’s harsh weather. As we walked back to camp, we came across the body of a storm trooper at the edge of the forest. The sight filled me with a mixture of dread and anger. I would have thought or perhaps hoped it would have been longer until Kylo had found me, but apparently, he was smarter than I gave him credit for. Up ahead there was a shriek before repeated blaster fire can be heard. The stormtroopers must have come across one of Duxn’s unhappy inhabitants.

Varidun knelt down beside the trooper’s corpse and removed the commlink from its wrist before attaching it to his own. Heading towards the forest, I was eager to put my training into practice on live targets. Training had been going well and whilst it had taken a little while before I gave into Varidun’s training methods, I was now learning that using my anger to my advantage wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Varidun followed, playing with the commlink in an attempt to listen in on the trooper’s coms for any information that may benefit us.

Following the noises of blaster fire, I eventually saw a handful of them up ahead and kept low so I wouldn’t be seen. I knew Varidun wouldn’t approve if I charged on in there. There was a pack of Cannoks that were advancing on the troopers, one of which was now being eaten but them. Cannoks were easy enough to deal with, but I knew if I didn’t deal with the troopers soon, their screams and blaster fire would attract much worse creatures. “I must admit I expected more from the First Order, Cannoks aren’t exactly high on the food chain here,” Varidun spoke softly. “It’s almost like training them from birth was a waste of time,” I replied with a soft smirk, “I’m almost tempted to just leave them too it.”

“True at this rate I can’t see them getting out, but it might still be best to deal with them before they call for help” “Good point.” The last thing we needed were more troopers here, or even Kylo himself. Looking for an opening, it was clear the troopers were stupid enough to not stick together and fan out, which would make picking them off easier. Using the force on the closest one, I slammed him into the nearest tree. “I would have chosen a subtler approach, but very well,” Varidun commented, staying back.

There was no need for the judgemental comment, and I made that clear to him with a soft glare. Wanting to prove him wrong, I kept my saber clipped to my belt, knowing the humming sound would give me away. Another trooper had noticed the fresh corpse, but before he had a chance to alert the others, I used the force to cut him off, choking him. Not even for a second did I feel remorse as I squeezed the life from him. Varidun watches with a soft smile on his face, something that was a rare sight. “Subtle enough for you?” I asked. There were only two left now, the others had succumbed to the Cannoks. However, as predicted, the screams and blaster fire had attracted another creature. A Boma. The Boma pounced on one of the remaining troopers whilst the other decided to make a run for it.

Stopping the trooper in his tracks with the force, I quickly snapped his neck. Now it was just had the creatures to deal with. Although this could be a good opportunity to bring home something for lunch and dinner. “Not subtle enough, it seems,” Varidun commented. The Cannoks had scattered at the sight of the Boma, although there were those that were greedy and tried to steal any scraps but were quickly killed by the much larger beast. Approaching cautiously, I used the brush of the forest to remain hidden. Until I didn’t quite mind my footing and caused a twig to snap under my boot, which attracted the attention of the Boma.

I cursed under my breath as it quickly approached, not giving me time to grab my saber. Reaching out with the force as a last resort, I easily entered the beast’s mind. Somehow the beast stopped only inches from my face, now not as aggressive as before. Instead it seemed docile, not a hint of aggression in its eyes. I stood there stunned for a few moments before cautiously reaching out and petting the Boma. Letting out a short laugh of disbelief, I continued to pet the Bomas scales. Glancing back at Varidun, my smile grew as I saw the pride in his eye. “Focus on the beast, not me. If you lose your focus on it, then it shall likely attack again,” Varidun scolded like a strict teacher but then added softly, “but well done.”

Turning back to the Boma, I focused on keeping it docile and also to hide the triumphant smile on my face. “I don’t think we’ll be taking this one back for dinner,” I spoke. “Perhaps, but we need to do something with it.” “I’ll let it go once we’re a safe distance away.” Side stepping the Boma, Varidun and I continued on our way to camp. And as promised, I let the beast free.

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4 months later

After breakfast, Varidun and I had hiked for hours until finally he found the location he had sought out. Ahead, the path opened up into a narrow clearing which leads to a small set of stone stairs that end in a matching stone doorway. There’s so much dark force energy surrounding the place, it almost feels thick and heavy like a fog. There’s more Sith runes across the door. This a tomb, a Sith tomb. I’d read about them as a padawan. Glancing nervously at Varidun, I notice he doesn’t seem as nervous as me, or maybe he’s just better at hiding it. “I’m guessing your not coming in with me,” I spoke. “No.”

Varidun made his way up the stairs to the entrance, placing his hand upon the door a small portion of the runes around his hand glowed faintly. My gut was telling me not to go in there, as I followed him hesitantly. There was no way I was going in there without some kind of explanation first, I wouldn’t go in blind and clueless. “What am I going to find in there?” I asked. “Honestly, Cora? I dont know, but I wouldn’t be sending you in here if I didn’t feel you were ready for it.” “And if your wrong? If I’m not ready?” “With the risk of us being found at any moment, you must be.”

Taking a deep breath and steeling my nerves, I headed inside. The door behind me closed, cutting off my only natural light source. Glancing around anxiously, I turned my saber on and waited for my eyes to adjust to the light. Advancing slowly, I kept an eye out for any traps. The corridor twisted around to the right and I sidestepped a suspicious-looking floor tile. The tomb was cold, and the various whispers and growls didn’t help settle my nerves. Whilst I remained cautious with each twist, I became a little more comfortable with my surroundings. I smiled softly as I remembered how my younger self would have been excited to explore such a place with Ben.

The corridor finally opened up into a large room, somehow torches were still burning in the room. Likely the Sith energy kept them burning. With a single blink, the room changed. No more stone walls and tiled floors. No more torches and darkness. Instead, I was somehow in Ben’s tent; the sun illuminating the space. His bed was unmade like usual, his clothes littering the floor instead of neatly folded and put away like the rest of the padawans. The small table was littered with scrunched up paper balls as if whatever he’d been writing hadn’t been good enough or he’d kept making mistakes.

The tent flap opened and in walked Ben, dressed all in black. Black boots, black pants, black t-shirt and a black jacket. Whilst I knew this couldn’t be real, it could only be a memory, it felt so real. Like I was back in this moment instead of reliving it. Ben didn’t seem pleased to see me, likely assuming I’d been looking through his things. “Don’t you have training with Luke?” He asked, as if trying to get rid of me. “Not for another hour. Where have you been? You didn’t come back last night.” Deep down I knew the answer, he’d been out with Ren and those six masked ghouls. But I was hoping he would be able to admit it to me, instead of lying to me.

Ben shrugged, “does it matter? I’m back now.” “It matters to me.” “Why so you can go and tell Luke?” “I wouldn’t have to tell him if I wasn’t worried about you. You’ve become distant, you’re always acting like I’ve done something wrong, and how can I trust Ren when he threatened to kill you the first time the two of you met?” “Are you going to tell him?” I sighed, caught between the two. If I told Luke what Ben was doing, there was doubt in my mind that Ben would hate me for the rest of our days. But if I kept it a secret, it would feel wrong to lie to Luke when I knew what Ben was doing was wrong. But I had kept Snoke a secret, so where was the harm in one more?

“No. You should know by now I keep your secrets,” I replied. Bens defensive attitude dropped a little, approaching me, “thank you.” “I just wish you’d tell me what’s going on. All this sneaking around and your quick temper, it isn’t you, Ben.” Glancing over his shoulder, he listened for a few moments to make sure we were alone before he turned his attention back to me. He took my hands in his, my heart skipping a beat at his touch. It was no secret we had feelings for each other, but we both knew we could never act on these feelings.

“Snokes been putting things in motion. It won’t be long now until I take my place at his side. When that happens…I want you to come with me, Cora,” Ben confessed. I remembered my reaction that day. How I had pulled away from him, how hurt he had looked at my rejection. I had spent the rest of the day worrying about who I should warn about Snokes plan. Luke? Varidun? Leia and Han? I had believed that one of them would have been able to stop Snoke and save Ben. But now, I knew better. None of them could stop Ben from going down this path, and it was nobody’s fault. But mainly, it wasn’t my fault.

Cupping Bens cheek, I met his hazel gaze with a sad smile. “I won’t follow you down that path-“ I started. “But we can be together, isn’t that what you want?” Ben protested. “I do. But not like this. One day when its right we’ll be together.” “So you’re just going to turn on me like my parents, like Luke?” “No, that’s not what I’m doing. I know there’s nothing I can do for you right now, your too far under Snokes influence to listen to reason.”

With another blink, Ben was gone and so was the tent. The tomb had returned as if I had never left it. Slowly I turned, ready to confront whatever entity had made me relieve that memory. But I was alone. Taking another deep calming breath, I cautiously moved to the next room, ready to face whatever the entity wanted to throw at me next. As I reached the doorway, I could hear a baby crying from inside and my stomach dropped. The one thing I didn’t want to face. But all of my motherly instincts were telling me to go inside and console my daughter. I just knew in my gut that it was Kendra.

Entering the room, it looked the same as the one I had just left, only the walls were covered in more runes. This time the room didn’t change in the blink of an eye. But inside the room stood Ben, cradling our daughter, and trying to stop her from crying. The sight tugged at my heartstrings; he would have made such a good father even if he didn’t believe it. Ben glanced up at me and relief crossed his features. “She’s been crying out for you ever since you left. I mean, I tried telling her I feel the same every time you go, but she wasn’t having it,” he joked. “The separation anxiety will pass, eventually.”

Carefully, Ben handed her over so I could comfort her. Gently, I rocked Kendra until her crying subsided. The blanket she was wrapped in was completely covering her, most likely why she was crying because she couldn’t see or breathe well. “It’s not so bad being with daddy, is it?” I asked her, unfurling the blanket away from her face. As I continued to unfurl the blanket, I noticed a worryingly large spot of blood and worked quicker to free her.

The room had fallen eerily silent in my panic. Opening the blanket, I only found fresh blood. No sign of Kendra or her remains. My heart and stomach dropped before I sunk to my knees, sobbing. It felt like a wound had been torn open and all the pain, grief and rage came flooding back. My sobs grew louder into wails. Something shifted in the room, the natural light dimming. “Such a waste,” came Snokes voice. My gaze quickly flicked up in his direction. He stood tall in his signature gold robe with Ben’s lifeless body at his feet.

Another wave of heartache washed over me and I crawled over to him. Desperately I tried to shake him awake as if this was some kind of bad dream. “Ben Solo was weak, as are you,” Snoke continued. For so long I had blamed myself for losing Ben and then the loss of Kendra. But now I knew that none of it was my fault. It was Snoke; it had always been Snoke. “Your wrong,” I growled. “I should have made him kill you long ago, then he wouldn’t have been so weak. You could have spared him so much pain.”

Forcing myself to my feet, I drew my saber, ready to finally have my revenge. It had always been my right to kill Snoke after everything he’d taken from me, and now there was nobody to stop me. Before I had the chance to attack first, Snoke used the force to pull me off my feet and into his grip. He held me by my chin, his nails digging into my cheeks hard enough to draw blood. “You always were nothing. Just a foolish child so desperate to prove herself. You would never have been worthy of him,” Snoke sneered. Snoke tossed me aside as if I weighed nothing, my back hitting the floor hard. But that didn’t keep me down for long as I forced myself back up.

“You don’t have it in you to do what must be done. Always too pure of heart, too weak. Ben Solo should have killed you with the rest of the padawans,” Snoke continued. To try to force me back down, Snoke shot me with force lightning. Crying out from the pain, I remained on the ground until he eventually stopped. Snoke might have been a lot of things, but like most villains, he was too stupid to kill me quickly. Ignoring the pain, I got to my feet for a third time. “But it wasn’t Ben who killed them. It was you. You murdered my family, you destroyed my home,” I growled, advancing on him, “but you were too weak to kill me when you had the chance.”

Snoke had manipulated Luke, Leia, and the others into thinking that it was Ben who committed those atrocities that night. But I knew the truth. Snoke raised his hand, ready to use the force on me in another way to inflict pain, but I was quick to fight back and hold him off with my own power. My anger was fuelling me now, giving me the strength that I wouldn’t have had before. Our power struggle continued for a few moments before Snoke gave up. Likely in the hopes to get my guard down and then get another attack in. But he’d just given me a small opening. Propelling myself with the force, I closed the gap between us and brought my saber down, slashing from his left shoulder across to his right hip.

In the blink of an eye, the bodies vanished from the room and I collapsed to my knees, panting from the exertion. The pain had felt so real, my joints still ached from it and there was still blood on my cheeks. After taking a few moments to calm myself and recuperate, I moved on into the next room, hoping it couldn’t get any worse than what I had just faced. The deeper I went into the tomb; the more runes littered the walls. Finally, I found another room, personal items on display. And there, examining one of the items, was a hooded figure. There was a sense of recognition and yet I hadn’t seen their face. They weren’t tall enough to be Kylo or Ben, nor was their frame broad enough.

The figure turned to face me and lowered their hood. My eyes widened as I was stood face to face with myself. Only this version of me was…wrong. She wore a black floor length dress under her cloak, her black hair was longer, wilder. And her eyes. That’s what I feared the most. This version of myself started back at me with amber eyes. This version of me was completely lost to the dark side, likely due to truly giving into her anger, her hatred, and her pain. Cora smirked at me before using the force to root me to the spot. She circled me how a shark would circle its prey. This time I didn’t try to fight back. How could I fight myself? She would mirror my movements, only she would likely be better.

But if she wanted to harm me, she would have already. Perhaps there was still some way I could bargain with her. “You’re forgetting if I am you, a better version of you, then I know your thoughts. You really think you can appeal to my humanity?” She asked. “You’re a darker version of me, that doesn’t mean your better.” “But think of everything you could have if you just gave into your anger and your hatred. You could be with him, both of you happy. You can have a family with him like you’ve always wanted. Nobody could ever take him from you again. Nobody would ever underestimate you again. Think of the power you would have.”

These thoughts had plagued me most nights when I was alone. What if I did just give in? What if I did follow the same path as Ben? “You’ll be stronger if you just give into it, you know that. Your letting your fear of what others would think control you. For once in your life, think about what you want,” Cora encouraged. “I did, and that’s why I found Varidun, for help.” “And if he can’t help you? What then? He’s your last resort and if he fails you like the rest of them have there’s nothing to stop you from becoming a better version of yourself. It’s a good thing you ran otherwise Luke might have turned on you too, just like he turned on his own nephew.”

Gently I shook my head, “if the thought crossed his mind, do you really think Leia would let that happen?” Cora scoffed, her smile growing at the mention of Leia, “ah yes, our dearest mother figure. Can’t even be bothered to give you the time or attention to help you. She gave up on you the moment you came back to her empty-handed. You failed her, you failed Han, and he would have died for nothing.” “Hans’ death was nothing to do with me. It wasn’t my fault.” Cora raised her brow, surprised by my words. Surprised that I was letting go of my guilt. But it was the truth. There was nothing I could have done or said to save Han. And after seeing how it ate away at Kylo, I knew it wasn’t right for me to feel guilt.

“You know if you give yourself over to him, to the dark side, that you’ll have everything you ever wanted. Stop resisting, don’t you want to be happy?” Cora snarled. “At what cost? I already gave Kylo Ren so much, and it still wasn’t enough. I will not destroy the last pieces of myself for his approval and love.” She could see her words weren’t having the desired effect, growing frustrated. There was still much healing to be done on my end, but I had a sense of acceptance now. I could let go of any unnecessary guilt; I could accept that not everything was my fault. I couldn’t control every aspect of my life, nor could I keep everyone I cared about happy.

As I blinked, the dark version of myself vanished and I was free to move once more. Continuing through the tomb, I eventually found myself back at the entrance, which was now once again open. As if it was letting me go, as if I had beaten whatever entity lay inside. As I emerged, the sun had set, and night had fallen. Varidun had set up a small fire and was cooking dinner. Limping over to him, I sat down in front of the fire and stayed quiet. He handed me some of the cooked meat. “What happened in there, is for you and you alone,” he spoke. Nodding softly, I murmured a thank you as I took the meat from him. I was glad he didn’t try to pry into what had happened. Both of us sat in a comfortable silence.

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