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sunflowerheartsandstarryskies · 3 years

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My Golden Curse - Maxwell Lord x Fem!Reader

Author’s Note: Hello again, I may have stumbled upon the Pedro Pascal fandom and I can’t get out, and I saw someone posted that they wanted an imagine with Maxwell Lord and the reader in which one of them gets kidnapped and the other just goes ballistic, and I basically kept getting that idea stuck in my head, this was only supposed to be a drabble but oh well. This depiction of Maxwell Lord is closer to the DC Comics version of him and not the movie but it has Pascal’s Lord’s likeness, so it’s like a combination of the two.

Also, I have survived my finals and had taken a break from writing for a while but I’m back and I have some ideas for my Lucifer multi-chapter fic as well. I also have an idea for a John Wick fic but I have no idea if anyone wants to read that.

Warnings: Typical comic-book violence, cursing (like two curse words), blood mentioned, kidnapping, bruises and injuries (like ribs breaking, a concussion, and a few lacerations

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Maxwell Lord IV prided himself on presentation. Everything had to be pristine and everything, even the garbage can by his desk had to be impeccable, because his business and himself in general, are put out on display for the public. He is a figurehead and a showman, so when you came along to be his assistant and secretary he was at first apprehensive because you didn’t dress as provocatively as he may have like and you didn’t look as model-esque as his other secretaries in the past. You didn’t apply to Chimtech to be fucked by your boss, you were good at your job and you aspire to show off your skills.

However, time went on when you first started to work for Maxwell Lord and you did a phenomenal job, whenever he was in a meeting you would always make sure to listen and take notes of what he needed while he was in the meeting. Whenever he requested for you to fax an item you would’ve made sure to have done it five minutes prior. Maxwell had no idea how you could be so efficient at your job, but he damn well appreciates it even if he rarely ever mentions it to you.

It’s an odd relationship that you guys have worked yourself in, a friendly relationship it seems, but both of you are teetering on the edge of wanting more. There have been teasing nicknames, mostly from you, you had a plethora of nicknames that you would give him, ranging from “Sandy” to “Ken”, but “Golden boy” was your favorite.

You would never admit this to him or even to yourself but you actually liked his blonde locks. In certain lightings, when you look at him you swear he was Midas, covered in his own golden curse. It was breathtaking to watch him at some points, but you always try to cover up your flustered state.

You knew Maxwell well, some may say too well for a secretary, but you rarely saw the side of him that most of his competitors and fellow businessmen saw, and that was the merciless and ruthless side to his tactics on getting what he wanted. Everyone in the public eye saw him as just the “King of Infomercials” but there was a reason why and how he got that title in the first place. Who knew the infomercial world could be so cruel and hectic?

You were able to catch glimpses of Maxwell’s amazing abilities of persuasion and showmanship, he was able to get people to admit to what they want and get them to go out and seize, whether that was good or bad. There was a particular talent that you find out he has and it was his ability to drag out people’s hidden desires, there were times when the people he used this talent were a shock as the people around them when they admitted to what they really wanted.

He was a golden idol of his own creation; he had to be especially to the people around him. However, that golden facade can only keep him held up for so long when the people he handed gold to realize that it’s fool’s gold.

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It was earlier in the day, you just woke up and got dressed in your office attire with a cup of coffee in hand as you try to will yourself to get going. You looked up at your apartment’s clock and it was 7:00 am, you needed to get going if you were to make it to Chimtech in time.

As you stepped out of your apartment building you felt a gloved hand over your mouth and panic flooding your whole body, but before your body could even fully process a flight or fight response you felt a sharp pain in your neck and you passed out.

When you come to, your vision is blurred and you can’t understand where you are and your brain just has confusion filling your senses. Why can’t you process what is around you? What happened to you? After a couple of more seconds went by you felt a rope tightly woven around your wrists, and you comprehended that you were sitting on a floor. What happened to you?

“Ah, there’s the little doll’s eyes! I was wondering if you were beginning to ever wake up,” a voice filled your ears. You blinked furiously trying to get your eyes to focus and you found yourself face to face with a man, who was grinning at you like a shark finding the prey they smelled a mile away.

“I’m sure you understand why you’re here? I don’t need to monologue it to you, do I?” the man asks.

“Mr. Vince, right? You were in a meeting with my boss Maxwell Lord, a month ago, right?” you questioned him as the drug and weariness started to seep out of you, and you gained more awareness of your surroundings. The man, Mr. Vince was a part-owner of a tech company that Chimtech was interested in making an investment in, however from what you were aware of was that the true goal of the meetings with Vince and his company was to absorb it into Chimtech, forcing Vince and the other owners to give up their powers over to Maxwell Lord and the other board members of Chimtech.

“I see the drugs didn’t impair your memory, I assume you are aware that I am no longer a CEO? That I was tricked by your goddamned boss?! That he put me in a corner to give up my company over to him!” he screamed. He was half an inch from your face and you were terrified of this man, he was unhinged.

“What does this have to do with me, Mr.Vince?” you asked, forcing yourself to not push him over the edge.

“Ooooh this has everything to do with your boss, I remembered that you are his secretary, so you must know some secret of his, something I can leverage against him to make him give me my company back,” he said.

“Even if I have any sort of information to give you, the damage is already done, your company is done in, it’s already been processed into Chimtech, there is none of your company left.”

That was the wrong thing to say as you felt a kick to your stomach. You groaned and rolled onto your side, and before you could recover from that there was another swift kick that you felt go directly to your ribs.

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Minutes blended into hours of constant yelling from Vince to him pulling you off the ground to throwing you back down like you were a piece of litter to being his personal punching bag. It was all you could do to just protect yourself and persevere through the pain because you were just a secretary, you were never trained in self-defense, hell you never even did track in high school.

Through the pain, you felt complete distortion and a high pitch whining going through your head, and you finally realized it was a telephone- a landline. Where the hell did this guy get a landline in this beat-up place?

Then, you hear Vince say, “Oh you want to hear how (Y/N) is?” you hear footsteps coming towards you then cold plastic was pressed to your cheek then Vince continued loudly, “Well here she is, talk.”

“(Y/N)?” You heard Maxwell, your golden boy, say your name and all you can do was say his name back in a raspy voice.

“What did he do to you?” Maxwell asked.

Before you could say any more the phone was taken away from you and Vince’s voice filled your ears.

“Tick tock Maxwell, I want my money and you can get your fuck toy back.”

Then silence, a sickening silence filled the room which made you feel every ache and pain that has been put on your body has made itself known by increasing levels of agony. You didn’t even feel it in you to even try to correct Vince’s words about you. You just wanted to sleep and not wake up for a whole day, maybe if you laid perfectly still and just not move a muscle the pain would go away.

As you lay there you tearily open your eyes back up and you can hear the tinny sounds of the echoing footsteps of your captor pacing back and forth in the room you were held in. It was nauseating, and you were confused as you thought, When did you close your eyes? How long were you out?

Then you fell back into your head, and you felt like you were spiraling in your own mind mixed with dizziness and nausea. You just wanted this to end.

A male voice was shouting so close to you and you can feel the panic coming out of his voice, and you can tell it wasn’t Vince because why would he do that?

You felt yourself being lifted from the ground and all you could do was cough sporadically from the new movements on your injuries. It hurt, it hurt so bad.

“I know (Y/N), but you just need to keep going a little bit longer,” the same voice told you.

You couldn’t quite pinpoint where you heard that voice before but you thought it was your boss, Maxwell Lord, but it couldn’t be. That would be the last thought that went through your mind before you lost it to the void.

All you can see at first was just bright and it hurt so bad. When you turned your head you saw a flash of gold and your first thought was, ‘Maxwell’. When your eyes adjusted to the room around you it really was your boss, Maxwell Lord in the hospital with you. He was slumped down in a chair beside your bed and you saw there were roses in a vase on the table next to you.

“Gold-golden boy, hey,” you rasped out trying to wake him. You coughed and then groaned as you felt the lacerations and bandages around your torso.

You saw him stir in the chair and his eyes opened and landed on yours. “Hey boss,” you whispered cringing at your voice. Your hands clenched at the sheets around you as you saw him blink furiously and stood up fast. You flinched at the fast movement but he didn’t seem to notice, as he moved closer to you.

“I am sorry about what happened to you, I didn’t think that our clients would go so far as to do this to you. I can’t believe that bastard did all of this to you-”

“It’s okay, I mean it hurts like a bitch but you ended up finding me didn’t you? What happened to him anyway?” you cut him off.

“Ah well, I may have gotten violent with him before the law enforcement could get him,” he said twisting his hands around and that’s when you saw the scrapes on his knuckles.

“I don’t know if you were a white knight to me but you certainly are a golden devil for doing that,” you replied.

He huffed out a laugh at your reply and he opened his mouth to say something but got interrupted when a nurse arrived.

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After the nurse left, you found out you still have a concussion lingering still, three bruised ribs and lacerations across your whole torso and arms.

When he listened to the whole list of injuries that you had gotten in the three days that you were with Mr. Vince, he felt rage boil over him but he tried to keep calm as he remembered the battered state he left Vince in. At least he made him feel some of the pain that he made you go through, Maxwell was a very prideful man in how he acts so for him to act like that was completely out of character for him.

He must be looking worried because he noticed your furrowed brows and you glancing at him every so often.

“Did you want to say something?” he asked

“Well, I was gonna ask you a similar question because I think you were interrupted by the nurse. Also are you okay?”

Your question startled him and the mention of the interruption made him clear his throat and fidget with his suit to try to hide the blush that was threatening to come up to his face. Your inquisitive expression on your face was watching him.

“I’ve been thinking that if you would like to leave the company, I won’t force you to stay, especially with what happened this week,” he said.

Listening to him say this made you panic and as you tried to sit up, Maxwell came up to you quickly as he says, “What do you think you’re doing? You got to take it easy.”

As you are situated in your bed you went to reach for Maxwell’s hand as you say, “Why would I want to quit? I love my job and I love working with you even if at times I don’t seem like it. None of what happened to me was your fault, how could you have known that Vince would react to the merger the way that he did.”

Maxwell was startled by this, he never had anyone in his family nor his company is so willing to stay with him especially when they are given an out.

He bowed his head toward you and said, “If you keep saying things like that I might want to keep you by my side for a long time.”

You laughed as you replied, “If you let me I will, you are a weird but kind man-” you stopped yourself as a thought came to your head.

“How long have you been here? What about Chimtech?”

“Ah well if my secretary didn’t get kidnapped and injured I wouldn’t be here right now, but you made me worried and how can I do my best work without my best assistant around me?”

“Now you’re just flattering me”

“But it’s true”

“Hmmm if you say so, Sandy”

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Four days have gone by and you were finally released from the hospital to go back to your apartment. You tried to go back to work at Chimtech, but Maxwell found you were released and gave you the rest of the week off to recover. You would become the envy of the company at this rate with how well the boss has been treating you.

Now that you have been just lounging in your apartment watching TV movies, and eating takeout for meals it has given you time to properly understand what happened to you for the past two weeks.

The way your boss, Maxwell, has been treating you made you see a whole new side of him. At first, you thought of working for him as both a blessing and a curse. At first, it was hell on earth, you ran yourself ragged making sure everything was up to par with Maxwell’s standards but after the next three years working with the man you considered him a friend of sorts. Even though you always tried to make sure to never consider employers and colleagues be separate from your personal life but it’s hard to do that when all you have is your work life.

Ever since the kidnapping incident, Maxwell had visited you every day in the hospital he even gave you flowers on the last day of your hospital visit, it was a beautiful vase of sunflowers.

You didn’t realize how long you were sitting on your couch thinking about your boss when you heard a knock on your door. You looked at the clock near your tv and realized it was nearly midnight.

‘Who could come by to my apartment at this hour?’ you thought.

You got up carefully minding the bruises still littering your body, and you opened the door surprised to see Maxwell.

His hair was a bit disheveled and he didn’t have a suit jacket on showing off the suspenders he likes to wear. He looked quite cute seeing him like this.

“Come in, Mr. Lord. What brings you to my place this late at night?” you inquired.

He ran his hand through his hair as he entered your apartment and he turns to look at you as you closed the door.

He sighed as he said, “I don’t know how quite to put this without sounding terrible, but after what happened to you, I can’t stop thinking about you. You are the best woman-the best person I’ve known and for you to still want to work with me after everything that has happened.”

He looked like he was getting frustrated with himself, you were shocked because how could you have gotten the king of infomercials to be so frustrated with his own words?

You took a tentative step forward to him as you placed a hand on his arm.

“Sandy, what’s going on?”

He was silent for a moment before he looked into your eyes with a strong determination as he says, “You know more about me than my own mother does, and after all this time together I’ve grown to respect you more and more. When I saw you in that hospital I wanted to kill the bastard and send him to hell when I found you like that in the warehouse.”

“I-I don’t know what to say, Mr. Lord-”

“Call me Maxwell, none of your silly names, not boss, not my last name, just Maxwell”

You could tell he was earnest with this and sincere it took your breath away to see him like this. He was beautiful and it made your heart flutter when you realize what he might be trying to confess to you.

“Maxwell” you breathed out testing his name out. You said his name once before and that was when you had gotten kidnapped but now this is completely different, almost like a prayer. A prayer to this golden devil of yours.

He smiled when he heard you say his name and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I wish I could kiss all the scars away from your body so you never have to live with them again. I wish that I could be yours, fully and I want to be clear that I would never use you like I may have done to my secretaries in the past. I want to be yours, in any way you may want me.”

“Oh Maxwell, I think I might have to grant your wish this time,” you say blinking away tears that were threatening to spill as you were listening to his confession.

“(Y/N)” he whispered reverently.

He cradled your face with both hands as he studied your face to see any resistance than he gently placed his lips on yours.

You made a small gasp as you finally felt his lips on yours, you clutched onto his shirt as you pulled him closer to you. He tilted his head and pushed your chin up to meet in for a deeper kiss. It felt amazing and you felt loved.

When you parted you were chasing each other’s lips to crash back into each other as you kissed each other until you both need a break. Both of your lips were swollen and you looked at him with such love that when Maxwell saw, he almost wanted to take you then and there but he was mindful of how fragile this love could be.

Author’s Note: I might do a second part if people want it but whew this took a lot out of me, I hope you guys like it!

#maxwell lord x reader #pedro pascal x reader #Pedro Pascal #maxwell lord #imagines #x reader #wonder woman 1984 #max lord x reader

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theonceoverthinker · 5 years

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OUAT 3X13 - Witch Hunt

Hey! What’s Zelena’s favorite food?

A sand-WITCH, of course!

...Got it. Shutting up. Review’s below. Read it, bitches.

Press Release

Emma arrives in Storybrooke with Henry and reunites with her friends and family, only to discover that no one remembers how they were transported back - or the past year they had spent back in Fairy Tale Land. But Emma is sure that someone in town is responsible for this new curse and teams up with Regina in an attempt to uncover their identity. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was during the past year, Regina, with the aid of Robin Hood, attempts to break into her castle, which has been overtaken by the Wicked Witch.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

Regina and Zelena’s first meeting is just straight-up iconic! The buildup to it is incredible, with little hints scattered all around the episode that the two are related and that Zelena’s power is a completely different horse than Regina’s, even down to the color. But there’s this sense of relation because of how sassy the two of them are.

“Despite my shortcomings, I’ve made something of myself.” This whole scene perfectly characterizes Zelena. Regina has been a force of antagonism for a lot of people, but no one has had the strength to truly do something about it. The most that could be done is a level of subduing her or having Henry tame her. But now, an interesting balance was struck. Zelena is more powerful than Regina and puts her on the prowl with that sense of antagonism BUT there’s also another layer to it. She allows for the integrity of Regina’s character development to stay intact. Because her beef is with something Cora did and pointed at Regina for superficial reasons -- that of being born (And holy crap, I just noticed a parallel between this and the Daniel incident and that’s a topic for another day), Regina is still able to be a hero without coming across as torturing someone she already hurt. Mix this in with that gorgeous green all over Rebecca Mader’s body and various pieces of iconography and you have something truly cool!

Present

I really like the handling of the confusion and paranoia throughout the town.

Leroy (The embodiment of the town’s voice at large) as well as the rest of the “rabble” blaming Regina make a lot of sense to me. As I pointed out last time, while our mains have bonded with Regina and understand the depth of her love for Henry, the rest of the town hasn’t had those experiences. They’ve just seen her as the woman who cursed the kingdom and threatened them at nearly every public appearance she’s ever made. And seeing Emma and Regina aware of that and using it to their advantage was utterly fantastic! It’s a really methodical approach that speaks to how self aware they’ve become.

It’s such a clever plan too! The only thing that holds it back from being a straight-up success is their lack of knowledge about Regina and Zelena’s relation. And seeing everything play out is satisfying!

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Wicked always WIIIIIIIINNNNNNSSSSSSS!

-”A family could live on what this is worth. And she just left it all behind.” That begs the question: DID she leave that stuff behind? I mean, Regina dressed very differently in Storybrooke than she did in the Enchanted Forest, but why leave the jewels?!

-I like how Zelena uses magic for all the things that a normal person would use it for. Getting dressed is a pain? Use fucking magic for it!

-ROLAND! The precious baby!!!

-”I’m ALWAYS thinking about Henry.” Awwwwww!!!

-Go Mama Mills! Monkey’s flying at an adorable kid and Regina swoops in and saves him! Noice!

-Damn, Regina! That is a high quality toy you made!

-I love how whether they read the story or not, everyone just KNOWS that Snow can talk to birds.

-”Smart money’s on yes.” Why yell at him Snow? He’s not wrong! Pessimistic, maybe, but that’s literally in his fucking name!

-”He’ll show up Swan. He always does.” I really wish this line was said in good faith, but Killian’s eye roll makes me think it’s ship war nonsense. Dude! Neverland’s over! Let’s be done with the machismo!

-”The bookworm’s right.” Look at that little side eye.

-”Oz? That place is real?” Aww! Cute Snow/Emma parallel for later when she discovers the Wicked Witch is real.

-”We we cell mates.” Ginny’s freakin’ tone during that exchange! Yes, you, Mary Margaret, in your most preppy-prep school voice and manner, were definitely in a cell! XD

-Dude! That Regal Believer exchange was just the saddest thing in the world! Regian can hardly move, so much so that Emma basically has to usher her out to not cause even more of a scene.

-As a side note, I love Regina’s Storybrooke outfit in this episode!

-Emma and Regina’s exchange in Granny’s alcove is just so amazing! Emma’s not without her reasons to distrust Regina and makes that clear and Regina’s aware enough of that but not without reservations of her own to Emma’s accusatory nature.

-How much you want to bet Granny recommended the crossbow to Little John?!

-Okay, so I am a total carnivore and I laughed my ass off when that arrow missed! XD

-I love how Rebecca Mader is dressed so down that a shot and a music swell is needed to show off who she is.

-”Who knew an Evil Queen had a soft spot for children?” You pressed the Henry button, Robin. You shouldn’t have done that.

-”I may have done bad things in my life, but at least I own it.” Regina, NONE of that works the way you think it does. For one thing, a good portion of your time prior to the curse (As well as after it), you denied you were the Evil Queen. For another, admitting you’re bad doesn’t do anything to lessen the effects of the bad things you do. Regina, Reggie-kins! You were doing so well!

-”I inadvertently put her in harm’s way during a job.” I love how freakin’ vague this line is. Like, I feel like there was a “Murder Most Foul”-esque red herring twist -- even more so than the one we got -- that would gel with a Robin flashback (Which was desperately needed).

-I love how this is framed as Henry not being himself because he’s not reacting to baby stuff, but he’s a freakin’ kid! I’d be telling her to buzz off as well!

-”Baby’s are stronger than you think.” Did you enjoy that double entendre, Jane? XD Because I did!

-I like how magic has a scientific element to it occasionally. For just as much as it’s a matter of talent or an ability by birth, magic can be learned and some of the strongest practitioners got to where they are by studying their asses off. There’s a diversity to it that reflects the diversity of skills.

-”I know just who to tell.” Yes, Regina!!! You told the embodiment of the town at large!!! Awesome decision!

-Nurse! Stick the fucking syringe in Little John! Yeah, he’s acting weird, but he’s not attacking just yet, so get a move on!

-”I’m a doctor, not a vet.” We REALLY need to get a magical vet on staff. I feel like Storybrooke has way too many animal problems to not have one.

-I love Regina and Emma’s conversation about stakeouts! It’s so subdued and domestic and FUNNY! XD

-Aww! Henry has friends! I wonder if said friends are wondering what the hell happened to Henry. Like, are there fics akin to “Stand By Me” where his friend group goes looking for him? Does Henry still text them? There’s a fucking story here!

-“Enough with the martyr complex, Regina. Try growing up without a mother.” ...She has a twinge of a point there, Regina.

-”They’re both dead.” I love how Rebecca Mader plays off learning that information. Like, her facial expressions there are divine!

-Has anyone ever written a fic where Zelena DID make the time traveling spell and used it on her terms?

-”Someone to destroy.” OMFG! Lana’s face! I fucking love it!

-”Why’d she tell you all of this?” Dude, she said two pieces of info that are the most general topics in the world when dealing with kids.

-”Maybe we can stop for ice cream.” BAD IDEA!

-”He took on simian form with the added bonus of wings.” A touch redundant, Killian.

-”Seriously? She’s real too?” I love that adorably innocent way that line is given! It’s so cute!

-OMG! I love the Rumple reveal! First, we see some straw. Then we see a male’s hand. Finally, we see his rugged and haggard face! That was so small, but so good!

-Rumple’s poor floof! It’s all gross!

-Rumple’s cage outfit looks more Weaver than Rumple! XD

-Okay, seeing Rumple not in makeup and acting crazy may quite possibly be the scariest thing in this series!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Wicked Witch - Damn! Rebecca Mader plays Zelena playing a midwife flawlessly! It’s up there with Pan as just amazing! Also, Zelena is freakin’ clever as hell! She takes full advantage of her knowledge of the people of Storybrooke to get exactly what she needs. And as I mentioned before, the flashback scenes perfectly characterize her. She’s sinister, has greater depth to her, and is just so cool! And speaking of cool, while the player (Zelena) is revealed to the audience, there’s a great element of mystery still going on, keeping the season from just feeling like a waiting game. Why is everyone being turned into monkeys vampire-style? What happened during that year? Who knows!

Regina’s Redemption - Like with the past few episodes, I really enjoy Regina’s character development. We’re starting to enter the payoff stage of her redemption as she further grows on better terms with everyone and protecting not just herself and Henry, but others too.

Killian’s Redemption - “Is he alive?” I love the way that Killian’s eyes just show that it’s something he’s genuinely concerned about. Absent is the snarkier, less mature version of himself and here, we have a Killian who recognizes that a good person’s life is in jeopardy and genuinely just doesn’t want him to be dead.

Favorite Dynamic

Regina and Emma. Who fucking else? The friendliness between these two set up by Regina’s fake memories and her means of stopping the curse perfectly allows for the niceness between the two of them to fit like a glove! It’s not full on best friend niceness, but it’s a niceness that reflects what they did for each other in “Coming Home” and reflects well on their history.

Writer

Here we have Jane Espenson flying solo as the writer of this episode! She did a fantastic job. The stories throughout the segments are very simple, but the complexity is allowed to shine through the intricacies of the characters. The dialogue and thought processes of everyone are exceptionally well handled and there’s a lot of comedy that just works so well!

Rating

Golden Apple. While I normally reserve a Golden Apple for something with a bit more of a thematic resonance, the execution of the stories here is so good that it doesn’t need a theme in that way. The story and writing are exceptionally good here, playing it simple, but smart and allowing the nuances to speak for themselves. There’s a lot of great elements and great and iconic moments here. It’s a fun step on the journey of this new arc.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Swan Fire - For all of the worrying that Neal does for Emma, it’s really heartwarming to see how much she worries about him!

Outlaw Queen - I feel like for purposes of full disclosure, I should preface this by saying that I’m not a super strong Outlaw Queen shipper. That said, I want to like them (As I want to like all things), and I’m really liking them in 3B (I liked them the first time around in my initial watch of 3B too)! Lana and Sean have good chemistry and the writing gives them a nice bit of banter. You get the feeling that while they don’t despise each other, they’re not on good terms and that trust has to build between them. And because this is early on in Robin’s existence, he’s allowed to be a simpler character. The love story between them starts out simple and to the point, allowing for it to be a great romance story.

Swan Queen - You really see the developed faith and trust between Emma and Regina and it’s so nice to see them being much more open with each other. Look at their dialogue in the office and how honest and kind they are to each other and it’s night-and-day compared to Season 1, but so well built! And look at those gentle smiles! It’s so sweet!! The payoff here is just so good!

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I’m so glad I was able to get more in-depth about this episode! Thank you all for reading and to those fabulous folks at @watchingfairytales!

Next time, we’ll see another looming presence that towers over our heroes. ;)

Season 3 Total (126/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (39/60) Kalinda Vazquez (17/40) Andrew Chambliss (27/50) Jane Espenson (20/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (20/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (20/30) * Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Operation Rewatch Archives

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 3x13 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat

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littlereyofsunlight · 6 years

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Goodbye, Dreamland (part 1)

Steggyweek2k18 Day 2! Part 2 of this needs a little more polishing, so it’ll be up later today. This one goes out to @roboticonography and @indiefic, who spit-balled ideas with me for this story one fine May day.

Fic: Goodbye, Dreamland Pairing: Steve/Peggy Rating: T+ Summary: Steve and Peggy take a trip to Coney Island in an alternate-timeline in which Peggy is brought to the future and Ultron never happened.

“It’s real different than my day,” Steve said, slight hesitation slowing his voice. They’d come out of the sprawling Coney Island subway station on Stillwell between Mermaid and Surf, right by the Subway sandwich shop, into a dazzlingly bright late June morning. A solitary breeze wafted the sea air past overflowing trash bins, combining those scents into a familiar Brooklyn perfume as they walked up the steps by the improbably twisted red and blue tracks of a roller coaster.

Peggy, preoccupied with digging into her beach bag to touch up her sunscreen—it had been over two hours since she’d last put it on, and all of today’s literature suggested, as did Peggy’s own fair-skinned experience thus far this summer, that reapplication was necessary after that much sun exposure—so she didn’t quite catch it. “Well darling, it’s been seventy years.” She held up the tube, triumphant, then frowned up at him from under her floppy-brimmed hat. “Also, wasn’t there a flood recently?”

Steve shoved his hands in his shorts pockets and started to amble down the boardwalk. “2012, Superstorm Sandy. Maybe five months after the Chitauri attack on Manhattan.”

“Steve,” Peggy said, realization dawning as she rubbed extra SPF onto her cheeks, “I thought you hadn’t been here since you’d…” She stumbled over just what to call it, his miraculous return to the living.

“Since I was defrosted?” There was a sardonic edge Peggy didn’t miss this time. Wisely she held her tongue, knowing he’d elaborate in his own time. She offered him the sunscreen, but he wrinkled his nose and waved it away. “We all watched the storm from Stark Tower. There was a crane in Midtown that collapsed, and Tony went out in the middle of it, to secure that. But mostly we could only sit around til it passed.” He looked over at her. “Hell of a view, though.”

He took her hand, directed her past the entrance to Luna Park, headed away from most of the crowds. “They thought I’d be helpful here, since there had been looting. The beach had been washed clear up over this whole boardwalk, and all I saw were store owners trying to clean out and citizens just trying to get by when everything was closed or wrecked.” He shrugged, and Peggy squeezed his hand. “Coulda done something more in Breezy Point, maybe, but I went where they sent me.”

“Steve, I wish you’d told me.”

He gave her a lopsided smile and squeezed back. “Well, you said you wanted to come. I know you lived in the city for a while before you came to this time, so I figured you liked it, or maybe hadn’t had the chance to visit.”

Peggy gave a brittle laugh and stopped walking so she could face him. “Neither, I’m afraid. I have been before, and I was miserable the whole time.” Steve blanched, frown lines forming between his brows. “Darling, I came out here when I first moved because you’d spoken fondly of it, and then I spent the entire day crying about you, because you weren’t with me. I suggested this trip because I thought you’d want to see it again.”

His confusion gave way to sadness as his heart clenched, thinking of Peggy alone on a bench, staring out at the freezing winter surf and missing him. He drew her close, intending to sweep her into a hug.

But Peggy started laughing as she watched the emotions play across Steve’s face. “Listen to us! This isn’t an O. Henry story, Steve, it’s a trip to Coney Island! Sunshine! Roller coasters! Hot dogs! Splashing in the water! For pity’s sake, we’re here together and the beach is back where it’s supposed to be, so let’s just enjoy it.” When he smiled in return, she rewarded him by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss so deep, an onlooker wolf-whistled as they passed.

“You know,” Steve said, straightening his crooked collar, “I have a feeling today’s going to be a good day.”

Some time later, having walked the length of the boardwalk several times to soak up the sun and take in all their options for amusement, Peggy happened to remove her sunglasses and see just how red Steve, staunch refuser of sun protection, had gotten since they’d arrived. “Steven Rogers!” she exclaimed. “You are turning into a lobster before my eyes.”

Steve gingerly touched his nose and winced at the too-tight, sore feeling of a sunburn. “It won’t last,” he said, sheepish. “As soon as I’m out of the sun, I’ll be fine.”

Peggy goggled at him. “We have no indoor plans! Do you mean to tell me I’m to spend my entire day with a man turning ever-increasing shades of red?” He shrugged. “Steve, doesn’t it hurt?”

He squirmed under her scrutiny. “I’ve had worse.”

Peggy snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t exactly trust your sense of scale. I’m buying you a hat right now.” She steered him into a souvenir shop. “Your ears look absurd!”

Though he protested the bucket hat Peggy had first tried to cram onto his skull and lobbied unsuccessfully for a baseball cap (“Steve, your ears!”), they eventually compromised on a straw trilby, which had enough of a brim to satisfy Peggy’s shade requirements and didn’t make Steve feel as though he’d missed the boat for a fishing trip, or a John Candy movie. In retaliation, Steve picked out a t-shirt while Peggy was at the register. He wouldn’t let her see it until they’d left the store.

“Oh, bloody Nora!” Peggy pulled the shirt from its plastic bag. “Honestly, Steve, this is a complete waste of money. You should return it.”

“What?” Steve asked, all innocence now that he’d managed to turn the tables. “It’s cheeky. You’re cheeky. I thought you could use a souvenir.”

Peggy turned the shirt over to examine the back, which, like the front, was printed with a cartoon woman’s bikini-clad body. “It’s cheeky, all right,” Peggy muttered. “I’m never wearing it,” she told him.

“That hurts. You don’t like my gift?” He tried to hold a pout but the outraged look on Peggy’s face was too much, and he broke down in giggles. “It’s terrible!”

“It is terrible!” Peggy couldn’t fathom why he’d bought it.

Steve slung his arm around her shoulders and started walking again. “It’s not a day at Coney without a terrible souvenir.” He went to drop a kiss against her temple, but Peggy’s sensible hat got in the way and all he got was straw and a bit of grosgrain ribbon. “You’re welcome, my dear.”

“Thank you,” Peggy grumbled, outrage melting slightly as she shoved the offending shirt into her bag. “Still not wearing it.”

“Nah, you’re way too classy for that shirt.” Steve agreed. “We can give it to Tony when we get home.”

That, at least, made her smile. “He would like this shirt.”

“The man’s got no class, we all know it.”

They’d arrived at the entrance for the midway games, and Peggy had an idea. “You know what? I think it’s time I took you to school, Rogers.” She grabbed his hand and set off through the milling crowd, making a beeline for the shooting range. When they arrived, Steve took one look at the carnival game and then looked back at her. “Loser buys lunch?” she suggested, oh-so-casual.

Steve chuckled, knowing just what he was getting himself into, but he still said yes. This was going to be fun.

Twenty minutes later, the barker running the shooting range was pleading with Peggy to move along. “You’re intimidating everyone! No one wants to go up against you! I’m not gonna hit my numbers if you stick around, lady, come on.”

Peggy surveyed the small mountain of stuffed animals she’d amassed with her sharp-shooting skills. “Well, I suppose this will do, then.” She turned to Steve and loaded him up with an armful. “Let’s pass these out and then see what other games look fun.”

It didn’t take long for word to spread to all the kids on the midway that there were free toys to be had, and they quickly dispersed Peggy’s winnings among the group. Task accomplished, they decided against the ring toss and some game known as “Fried Frogs,” but Peggy made Steve stop when they reached the strength tester.

“Aw, Peggy, I hated this one back in the day,” Steve complained.

“Great,” Peggy winked at him. “Now you get another crack at it.”

Steve rubbed at the back of his (sunburned) neck. “I don’t know, isn’t it just...showing off now?”

“I don’t know why you’re not seeing that’s precisely the idea,” she said, a wicked gleam in her eye as she raked her gaze over his impressive physique. Oh. Now Steve got the point. Could you blush with a sunburn? Because he was pretty sure he was doing that just now, and feeling warm all through his body as Peggy continued to openly appreciate his looks.

Some of the kids had followed Peggy and Steve after the stuffed animals, so there was a small crowd to witness when Steve, quite unexpectedly brought the hammer down and broke both it and the bell when the force of his swing shot the puck straight through and off the tower.

“Woah!” One of the kids, a tousle-headed boy there with his chubby friend, exclaimed. “Did you see that Ned? Did you see it!”

“That guy’s gotta be as strong as Thor,” Ned replied.

Peggy just smirked while Steve stammered an apology to the flabbergasted worker. He couldn’t beg off when the woman insisted he take the prize he’d won, either, but Ned and his scrawny friend were all to happy to step forward when Steve offered it to them.

“Are you Thor?” The kid shouted at Steve, eyes wide with awe. “Mister, are you THOR?”

“Peter, you can’t ASK people if they’re Thor!” Peggy heard Ned admonish as they waddled away, dragging a giant stuffed bear between them. “What if he’s UNDERCOVER?”

Laughing, Peggy looked back at a still embarrassed Steve. “Well, is it time I collected on my winnings? I think I fancy a hot dog for lunch.”

All ten registers at the boardwalk Nathan’s were stacked at least twenty people deep. Peggy couldn’t quite make out the menu board from so far back, but Steve’s super-soldier eyesight was helpful in that endeavor.

“Two fifty for a hot dog?” Steve sputtered, incredulous. Several people turned to stare, Peggy included.

“We’ve been out to eat before, Steve. You know what things cost now.” This wasn’t the first time they’d had some version of this conversation, but she’d thought he had finally accepted the changes inflation had wrought over the past seventy-odd years.

He looked at her, then back at the menu plastered with colorful photos. “It’s just, the last time I ate a hot dog here, it cost me my last nickel.” He shook his head. “Bucky wound up sharing his lemonade with me ’cause I couldn’t afford a drink.”

Peggy grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. He gave her that lopsided smile again and she felt a sympathetic pang in her heart.

“Sorry, I’m doing it again. We’re here now and the sun is shining, right?”

Peggy tipped her chin up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s a good day.”

Still, he’d drawn the line at buying himself more than a single hot dog and a small lemonade. Peggy rolled her eyes and ordered herself all the food she fancied, including the chilli cheese fries. Steve grumbled a bit but he didn’t welch on their bet.

He polished off his lunch in no time flat, then snuck fries off of Peggy’s plate when her hands were full of the burger she’d ordered. He stopped after she glared at him, because he knew better than to get overly familiar with Peggy’s food if she hadn’t offered. Eventually, slowed down a bit after the hamburger, hot dog and giant lemonade, she gave him a few more fries of her own accord.

Though it was past noon, the day seemed to just keep getting hotter. Steve suggested they duck into the small museum, but they were chased off by an overzealous docent who spouted one too many incorrect facts about the time period Steve had grown up in. Peggy suggested they try some of the rides, instead.

#steggyweek2k18 #steggy week day 2 #peggy in the future!#steve rogers #peggy carter #my fic #steggy fic #steggy

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themutantunderground · 6 years

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John reacts to Hope’s first date fic, please?

Ahhhh!!! Dad!John being super dad, yes this.

———-

“John? You’re busting the couch.”

John automatically lets go of the arm of the couch, pulling his fingers out of the indentations his grip had made. “Right. Sorry.”

Clarice smirks at him. She’s sitting on the other end of the same couch, reading a book, her toes tucked under his thigh. “I thought you said you were okay with this.”

“I am.” He is. He’s totally fine with Hope going out on her first date with some random kid he hardly knows. Or well, he didn’t really know until Hope said she was going on a date with him. Now John knows all about Gavin Winters and about his past (runaway from Tennessee), his powers (talks to computers and cars and other stuff like that), and his personality (nerdy/shy/nice? he doesn’t talk a lot).

He hates to admit it, but it’s still somehow a little different with Riley than it was with JD, this whole first date thing. JD has gone on a few dates now, and they were all nice kids and everything turned out fine (though everyone secretly thinks he’ll one day decide to date Aurora), but this is Hope. His little girl. Though not so little anymore, since she’s fourteen now. She’s still petite though, like her mother. She looks so much like her mom, except for her eyes. She has John’s eyes.

And what if this shy, nice, nerdy kid hurts his little girl? Yes, she can take care of herself, but she’s John’s daughter. And he loves her so much, he always has, since the moment she entered the world with those brown eyes, pointy ears, and fluffy purple-blue hair. He hates the idea of someone messing with her emotions, toying with her, hurting her.

Yeah, Gavin had best be a complete gentleman, which John had made clear before he let the two of them leave the cabin after Gavin stopped by to get Hope.

“They were just going for a walk by the river,” Clarice says again, guessing at what was making him frown at the door.

“They shouldn’t be down there alone. And it’s been two hours.”

“There’s always people at the river, so you know they’re not totally alone,” Clarice said, making a face at him, “Honestly, you weren’t like this with JD.”

“I know. I’m trying not to be.” He was protective of JD, yeah, but he also didn’t break the furniture. But Hope is his youngest and his daughter and she gets so attached so easily…he can’t help but worry about her.

He hears them coming up the path before they’re anywhere near the cabin, and he does his best to not listen in. He doesn’t want to eavesdrop on them so he looks at Clarice. “They’re coming back.”

“Stop spying!” Clarice chides, reaching over to flick him on the arm. “Leave her alone.”

“I can’t help it,” John says, “I can’t turn my ears off. Distract me?”

“Now that I can do.” She leans over and kisses him, her hand sliding up his arm. She monopolizes his focus, to the point where Hope and her date are on the front porch before he realizes it. The door opens, and Hope is standing in the doorway, her eyebrow raised.

She turns to her date, the grey-haired boy with black and silver eyes, and then seems to make a conscious decision to not be embarrassed. “They do this a lot,” she tells Gavin with a fond sigh that says she loves her parents even if they do make her crazy sometimes. She turns to John and Clarice and smiles. “We’re going to go play basketball with the twins and Roberto and some other people,” she says, “So you guys can go back to being all lovey-dovey, if you want.” With a wicked grin, she darts out the door before they can say anything else, taking Gavin with her.

John wishes she could have stayed little forever, but his and Clarice’s girl is turning into a sharp-witted, amazing young woman.

#future family thunderblink au #fanfic #prompt fill

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misssophiachase · 7 years

Photo

Well it's certainly been a long time between updates but it's tennis season here at the moment and I'm so excited! Heading to the Australian Open and can't wait : ) So enough about me, onto chapter 8!

This is dedicated to the lovely @iart1992 who is an avid follower of this fic : ) and to @romanoffsbite for the awesome cover!

Game. Set. Match

Chapter 8: Every 1's a Winner

Arbory Bar: Southbank, Melbourne, Australia - 25 January

"Forbes and Mikaelson have surprised everyone with a quarter finals finish at the first major tournament of the year," John McEnroe commented. "We saw glimpses of their potential when they reached the third round in Qatar but after their undisciplined performance in Sydney I had my doubts."

"You weren't the only one," former tennis champion Jim Courier concurred. "It looks like they've rallied and even though it's early days in the season I think we are going to be seeing a lot more from this dynamic, mixed doubles pairing as they storm their way up the international rankings."

"I never thought I'd be this excited by a quarter finals placing but it's like music to my ears," Enzo grinned turning away from the big screen television they'd erected over the bar. They'd assembled at one of the most popular places in town which also happened to be the longest in the southern hemisphere and overlooking the famed Yarra River.

"Watch out Rotterdam Open next month," Matt celebrated, popping the bottle of champagne open with a loud bang.

Klaus and Caroline gazed at each other wearily across the table. Although they'd decided their pairing was ending after the Australian Open they hadn't broken it to their enthusiastic coaches just yet who were too busy celebrating their success. They hadn't expected to do so well and Klaus figured the relief at breaking up the partnership was responsible for it. It also didn't hurt that their dinner the other night had gone surprisingly well with no arguments. He actually thought they were making progress, pity about the poor timing.

"Why so glum, gorgeous?" Enzo asked, passing Caroline a glass of the golden bubbly. "Look, I know you're planning on ways to torment Mikaelson and I for one am excited to see what you come up with but could you at least wait until we properly celebrate your joint success?" Klaus chose to ignore the insult, he was getting used to Enzo's supposed humour after all this time together.

If he was being honest Klaus was regretting letting her go so easily, it was obvious they were a good tennis pairing and all they needed to do was stop fighting and focus on their game. He'd genuinely felt bad about the way he acted with Tyler but he was only looking out for her best interests. He'd never forgive that bastard for what he did to Rebekah. There was also a small, niggling part of him that cared about Caroline's wellbeing. Klaus decided to blame that on the stressful situation they'd been thrown into.

He considered trying to change her mind but she had been fairly insistent and Klaus was worried she'd think he was being self serving because of the precarious situation with his Nike contract. For once Klaus hadn't even thought about that consideration.

"Stop encouraging her, Enzo," Rebekah chided joining them at the table with Kol in her stride.

"Oh if it isn't the Brady Bunch!" Enzo exclaimed. "That fierce protective side makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, gorgeous."

"I just don't want to clean up his mess, I already do enough of that already," she scowled at Enzo, taking a seat by Klaus.

"I'm not that bad," Klaus argued noticing Kol trying to stifle his laughter. "Anyway, what's got into you?"

"It's all of this gorgeous Australian sunshine and women," Kol sighed.

"Last time I checked you were complaining about your sunburn courtside and the only woman you seem to be shamelessly throwing yourself at currently is Bonnie," Rebekah groaned.

"Rebekah!" He hissed.

"It's okay Kol, we all know about your thing for our little Bon Bon," Enzo laughed. "In fact it's become quite entertaining watching you make a fool of yourself. We even have bets on how long it will take for her to slap you."

"I'm surprised by her willpower to be honest," Matt joked. "I had money on last week."

"You're all bloody hilarious, I should have stayed at the hotel with Elijah and Izzy, I probably would have had more fun," he growled, heading to the bar. "I'm going to get myself a much needed drink."

"Where is Bonnie anyway?" Enzo asked Caroline.

"Bonnie said she was going to take a rest at the hotel but that she'd meet us later."

"Yeah a rest from Kol's pestering," Matt replied. "Maybe if she'd slapped him last week she'd be Kol free by now and I'd have an extra $100 in my pocket."

"You guys seriously made a bet?" She baulked looking between Matt and Enzo.

"Well, why not?"

"I don't know because it's childish," Caroline bit out. "I can't wait until Katherine hears about this."

"Who do you think came up with the idea?" Enzo chuckled. "Where is the annoying, feisty brunette anyway?"

"I'm not sure to be honest but when Katherine doesn't share her plans it's usually for the best, if you know what I mean," Caroline mumured. "There's only so much detail I can take."

"As much as I love talking about Katherine's sex life, I'd really prefer we outline our plans for the Netherlands next month, we need to keep up the momentum," Rebekah ordered, back to business as usual.

"Well, the plan is to go and play some tennis. I mean that's just a hunch," Enzo answered, a wicked grin etched on his face.

"If someone needs a damn good slapping it's you, Lorenzo," she drawled.

"Someone obviously likes it a bit rough but I'd be more than willing to entertain you, gorgeous," Enzo purred. Klaus noticed his sister's cheeks flush, something that wasn't a very common occurrence. He could have sworn there was something more than a begrudging working relationship going on between them. If it was, his sister certainly worked fast. He shook his head deciding that he didn't really want to entertain those untoward thoughts.

"Okay, time out," Caroline interrupted, almost like she was reading his mind. "Klaus and I actually have an announcement to make." For once the table was quiet and they had everyone's undivided attention. "We are calling it quits."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Well since you asked so nicely Rebekah, we decided it was best that we part ways professionally," Klaus murmured, backing her up even though he didn't agree.

"But you just made the quarter finals in only your third tournament," Matt said, his bewildered expression not lost on Klaus. "And it wasn't just any tournament it was the Australian Open, only the best of the best qualify to compete here."

"I think they know all of that, Matt," Enzo replied knowingly. "What is really going on here? Did you call her names again or did you hit him with more projectiles? It's just a bit of endearing fun even if your coaches don't think so at the time."

"That's exactly it, Enzo," Caroline argued. "We don't get along, infact all we do is fight and you've just proven that."

"Well, call me crazy but this tournament was the first time I actually saw you getting along, that's why you did so well, Caroline." Klaus knew it was true but he didn't want to put any added pressure on her especially given the current interrogation they were being subjected to.

"Yes because we decided beforehand we were going to end things for good," she insisted.

"Oh, so you didn't think about telling us about this little arrangement?"

"Calm down, little sister," Klaus warned. "At the end of the day this decision is for us to make, no one else."

"Well it's a stupid decision," Rebekah huffed.

"For once I agree with Rebekah and that doesn't happen often," Enzo agreed. "All we ask is that you think about it and don't make a rash decision. What I saw today was bloody good teamwork and it would be a waste to lose that."

"And I don't usually agree with Enzo but he's right," Matt added. Klaus looked across at Caroline, it was obvious by her pensive expression that she was deeply torn about what to do.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Melbourne

"When I told you about Izzy's fever I didn't expect a personal house call," Elijah said as he opened the door to the brunette, her arms laden with snacks and toys. Katherine had to hide her excitement at finding the eldest Mikaelson in his usual suit but surprisingly casual with his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows and his tie loosened around his neck. Why did this gorgeous, married guy continue to get even more handsome?

After their surprise flight together to Australia, Katherine and Isobel had really bonded over Frozen and surprisingly she'd found that her and Elijah had quite a bit in common, well except for their relationship status of course.

"Well, I was at a loose end."

"You didn't want to join the tennis stars at their celebration?"

"I can only take so much of their banter and don't get me started on Kol's obvious attraction to Bonnie," she quipped. "Anyway, I thought this was too good an opportunity to miss watching Finding Dory, I mean we are in Australia after all."

"You realise the majority of that movie takes place in California, right?"

"I didn't know you were the authority on children's movie locations?"

"I do my research before letting my daughter watch anything, I'm kind of..."

"I would have said anal but have a feeling you were going to go with thorough?" She replied finishing his sentence. "Does that mean we can't watch it because I was really looking forward to it if I'm being really honest?"

"Well, I'd hate to deprive you of that opportunity Miss Pierce."

"Hey, you have a child which gives you an excuse to indulge in animated movies, I have no such excuse," she said, pushing past him and into their suite. "So, where is the sick, little girl? I also have games and toys she might enjoy. Oh and it's Katherine by the way, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I never took you for the child type," he murmured.

"Well, you obviously don't know me very well yet," she scoffed. "My twin sister Elena has two children and I'm their favourite aunt, granted I'm their only aunt but that doesn't matter."

"I should have known given your ability to recite the entire script of Frozen unprompted," he chuckled.

"Don't think I didn't see you joining in on a few of those lines," she grinned.

When she'd convinced Elijah to let her sit with Isobel, Katherine hadn't imagined he'd end up next to her after another passenger offered to trade seats. Once the little girls had fallen asleep a few hours into the flight the two of them had discussed just about everything, except the obvious elephant in the room which was his wife. He didn't raise Tatia and Katherine felt weird bringing it up herself given they were practically strangers. Elijah seemed like an honourable kind of guy but why would this woman still call him her husband when it was clear he didn't wear a wedding ring?

"That's what happens when you are forced to endure the same movie a hundred times."

"You secretly liked it, I could tell," she smiled, placing her goodies on the couch. Katherine was a smart woman and she always did the proper thing but when it came to Elijah she couldn't retain some space given his situation, although the fact he had messaged to let her know she was unwell seemed to illustrate he was doing the same thing.

"Katherine," the little girl in question sang. She was wrapped in a light blue dressing gown her brown hair unkempt and a telling pale complextion. Katherine's heart immediately went out to the sick, little girl. "You're here."

"I am Izzy and I brought you a few things, you know if you're well enough to play with them," her sudden, happy expression told Elijah he only had one thing to say and that was yes. She'd been so weak and tired the past few days and it was wonderful to see some enthusiasm back in his little girl's brown eyes and it was all because of Katherine Pierce.

Arbory Bar, Melbourne

"I come in peace and in need of alcohol," Bonnie said, approaching Kol tentatively at the bar who was nursing a glass of scotch.

"It's okay, if you want to slap me I understand," he muttered, thinking back to Enzo's words. "If anything someone might win a bet out of it."

"A bet?" She asked in confusion. Kol inwardly sighed with relief, at least she didn't know about their stupid arrangement.

"It's nothing," he replied. "Can I get you a drink?"

"I'd love a vodka," she shared. "I'm still trying to get over the surprise quarter finals result to be honest."

"We all were until they decided to announce that they are ending their tennis partnership," Kol scoffed, gesturing to the barman for another drink.

"I'm sorry? I've been absent for what a few hours and this happens?" She squeaked. "Tell me this is a joke?"

"Apparently not," he responded. "They were unconvinced until they left here a half hour ago, Enzo and Matt are hoping it was temporary insanity and they'll come to their senses sooner rather than later."

"But why?"

"I wasn't there but apparently it has something to do with their inability to get along."

"Okay, now you've said it that wasn't difficult to guess," she drawled, taking the glass gratefully. "But after that win? They seemed so in sync on court for once."

"That was already covered, trust me," he explained. "It's probably best we just wait and see what happens, those two can be sensible every now and again."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked, his brown eyes boring into hers deeply.

"Make everything sound like it's all going to be okay."

"You haven't grown up as the youngest of the Mikaelson siblings. Given all the dramatics you had to hope everything was going to right itself, even if it didn't feel that way at the time," he offered. "We could sit here and worry about it until morning or make better use of our time."

"What did you have in mind?" Bonnie asked, cocking her left eyebrow.

"Does that mean you might be interested?"

"Possibly," she answered, sending him her best smile. "Just as long as you don't try and hit on me again."

Southbank Bridge, Melbourne

"Why do I suddenly feel like it's the French Open again and I'm at the Pont des Arts in Paris?" Caroline asked noticing the stray locks attached to the bridge over the Yarra as they walked across it towards their hotel. They'd left the bar desperate to get away from the judgmental looks from their coaches and his sister in particular about their decision.

"Because they've obviously tried to recreate it here," he said. "Not that it's my kind of thing of course, Forbes."

"Well, that I'm not surprised about it Mikaelson," she teased. "Romance isn't really your thing."

"It might be," he spluttered, "You know if I'm in the mood and really tried."

"You realise being in the mood for possible romance doesn't mean sex, right?" His face softened in realisation at her inferrence. "That takes a lot more effort."

"Why?"

"You're hilarious, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Numerous times actually, love," he promised. Klaus was trying to ignore just how cute she looked in her blue dress that perfectly matched her eyes.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?"

"It's habit I guess and before you say it, it has nothing to do with its tennis score," he said. "You seemed torn before about our decision, if you don't mind me saying."

"Oh, because it would help your situation, right?"

"I never said that," he implored, placing his arms on her shoulders so that she stood still on the middle of the bridge as the city lights twinkled in the distance. "I'm onboard with whatever you decide." They held each other's gaze for what seemed like ages, completely oblivious to the passing foot traffic, some of whom recognised the celebrities in their travels.

"We did play extremely well," she shared. "Well, I certainly did anyway."

"It seems like someone has made an impression on you."

"Yeah an arrogant someone," she shot back, her bright, blue eyes blazing as she said it. "I just won't take his crap anymore so if he's willing to cooperate and not act like a five year-old then I'm willing to reconsider my decision." Klaus laughed, she always had that effect on him. "And to take this seriously."

"I agree," he replied solemnly, finally removing his arms from her shoulders even though every shred of his being was screaming at Klaus to stay in that very position for some reason. "So, how about we celebrate?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do something to cement our partnership."

"I am not getting a tattoo, Mikaelson, even if your face looks pretty on my skin."

"I had something else in mind, if you're game of course?"

You can read it and review on FF HERE

#game set match #sophia chase #every 1's a winner #klaroline fanfiction #romanoffsbite

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