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andreafmn · 3 years

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I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 6

Word Count: 3,753

Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore

Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father’s sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin’s, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ storyline.

Chapter: 6/?

Warnings: mentions of murder, arson, and blood

A/N: The ending is dark, y'all, dark. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

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Chapter 6

I followed my father inside the house, my hands trembling and sweating. The only topic I believed they would seriously need to talk to me about was the supernatural and the family business. Just as I had told Derek, if I hadn’t met him and Scott, I would have probably joined without a second thought. But I had met them, I had been embraced by them, and I didn’t know what I was going to answer.

I sat across from my parents on the kitchen’s island. They seemed excited, but a bit anxious. Obviously, revealing to your daughter the existence of supernatural beings and the fact that the whole family hunted them wasn’t an easy task. At least, she already knew the most hard-hitting information and she wouldn’t feel blindsided.

“Honey, what we have to tell you is very important, and we don’t want you to feel like we have been keeping this from you on purpose,” my mother started. “But you need to understand that everything we have to say today is nothing but the truth. Okay?”

“Guys, what is it? You’re scaring me.”

“You know that all Argents work at the family company, Argent Arms International, and that at some point you’d probably end up working there.”

“Yeah, dad. The reason I know too much about weapons,” I laughed. I couldn’t let on that I knew more than they thought.

“Well, the company is actually a front for the real work we do behind the scenes, and the reason we’re on the road a lot,” my father started. “Since the start of our lineage Argents have been hunters.”

“Hunters of what?”

“Now, I need you to remember that what I am about to tell you is the full honest truth.” I nodded. “We hunt supernatural creatures, but mainly werewolves. You remember the tattoo I have on my arm that you asked about when you were younger?”

“Yeah, ‘Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent’. French, we hunt those who hunt us. I always thought it was more of a psychological phrase.”

“That’s our family mantra. All Argent generations have been trained since childhood to become hunters one day, Chris and I were the only ones that decided to give you and Allison the choice once you became teenagers to know about our world. It’s completely up to you to join us.”

“So, all the training, physical and with weapons, was all in preparation for this?” My father nodded. I could see the worry in his face of how I would take this news – a one-worded answer was going to shift my whole life. It was one thing to be knowledgeable of this life, it was another to be in the center of all of it.

“We run by a code,” my father explained. “We only hunt those who have been proven to have harmed innocent lives – only adults, no young ones, and no humans. Any hunter that breaks that code is an enemy to our cause.”

“Is that what aunt Kate did?” I spoke in a hushed tone knowing this was a difficult topic for my father, one that we hadn’t touched upon in the time we had been here.

“Yes, it is” my mother answered. Her dislike towards her sister-in-law wasn’t a secret. Mom had always thought of her as arrogant and self-centered – or so she would state when in an alcohol-induced rant.

“Unfortunately, my sister did break the code, but that’s beside the point,” dad interjected. “Sweetheart, we make sure that everyone around us is protected from the creatures that are unknown. So, what do you think? Do you want to join us?”

They both studied my face, waiting on any reaction that could arise from me. All I could think is how my decision could affect the people that had made their way into my life. Allison had accepted, and although her relationship with Scott was strained, she still managed to keep him close. But what if I accepted and all it did was deteriorate all the new relationship I was trying to build?

“Yes.”

After the conversation, my father warned me that training would start soon, after I passed some sort of test. They were happy that I had agreed to join the family trade, but I noticed a sign of worry in my father’s eyes. His whole life had been built around supernatural hunting, so what was he worried about? Whatever it was, he did not express. They had both been called away on a meeting and excused themselves before leaving. With the house to myself, I basked in my decision sitting on the living room couch, petting Brody.

“What do you think, bub? Did I make the right choice?” Brody looked up at me, his tongue hanging out, a smile on his face. A bark came after and I took it as confirmation that I had. “Maybe you’re right. We’ll see, huh? Should I call Derek and tell him?”

At the sound of Derek’s name, Brody barked out happily. I laughed at his reaction and decided to call Derek. It still surprised me that Brody had taken to Derek so quickly – probably had to do with him being a werewolf and an alpha. I clicked on his contact on my phone and waited on speaker for him to pick up.

“Hello?” His voice rang out, exciting Brody once more. “Hey, buddy!”

“He’s been very excited to hear from you.”

“I can see,” he chuckled. “I can assume you made it home safely?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“What’s wrong? You sound weird.”

“How can you possibly deduct my tone from over the phone?”

“Intuition, you could say. But seriously, what’s wrong?”

“Well, my parents talked to me about the family business,” I breathed out, nerves building up inside. I didn’t know what his reaction would be, and I hope my decision wouldn’t push him away. “They asked me to join them.”

“And what did you say?” He already knew the answer. Asking was just courtesy.

“I said yes.” He kept quiet for a second, and I truly believed I had ruined our relationship before anything had ever started. “Are you mad?”

“I can’t be mad. I understand why you did it, they’re your family. Why would you think I would be mad?”

“I don’t know. I’m gonna be actively working on hunting you and your kind, that would put a strain on any kind of relationship.”

“And what kind of relationship would that be?” He teased.

“Derek, this is serious. What kind of relationship could we have when we’re born enemies?”

“Allison and Scott seem to make it work. It’s hard, but it’s not impossible.”

“So, sneaking around, worrying every second that we’d be found out by hunters. Seems viable,” I snickered. “And in no way, shape, or form stressful. Believe me, Derek, I have enough anxiety as it is. I don’t need the stress of keeping all my relationships secret.”

“Do you have any other choice?”

“I guess I don’t.”

“The way I see it, (Y/N), is you can use this opportunity and work for both sides. You can protect us from the inside, and hunt those that are a real threat. Like the Kanima,” he stated. It made sense to work with my family to protect my friends, even if my family was hunting them. “And, as much as I hate saying this, you should talk to Allison about this. She seems to be handling this way better than I thought.”

“I will. Thanks, Derek. I’ll call you soon, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting. Sleep well, (Y/N).”

“You too, Derek.”

I hung up the phone and breathed out. My life had turned a lot more complicated than I had ever imagined, and I was sure it was going to turn a lot worse. I had just started dipping my toes in the supernatural pot we were living in, something told me that there was still so much that I didn’t know. And there was one person I knew would have the answers I was seeking.

I grabbed my jacket off the coat rack and got on my motorcycle, a clear route ingrained in my brain. The night was cold, and the breeze nipped at my skin as it blew under my shirt. There was so much I had to learn, and so little time.

The drive wasn’t long, and I was still surprised I remembered the way.

The lights in the McCall house were off, but the car was in front, so I assumed Scott was home. I would have gone to Allison, but I needed to know everything, and I was sure she would try to protect me from the worst of it. Scott seemed like someone I could trust, and being at the center of everything gave him a lot more insight that I could use. I looked around the house and, remembering which room was his, found a way to climb up the side to his window. Hopefully, I didn’t encounter something I didn’t want to see.

Looking away, I knocked on his window – loud enough for him to hear, but silent enough to not alarm his mom. I clutched my jacket tighter as I waited for an answer, the wind finding me easier on higher ground. It didn’t take long for the window to slid open, revealing a very confused Scott.

“(Y/N)?” He rubbed sleep off his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

“Sure.” He stepped aside and let me through. His room was messier than the last time I had seen it, and the bed was disheveled. On his desk, his computer was propped open, and a disarray of papers lived atop the wooden surface.

“Sorry for waking you, but this couldn’t wait.”

“Don’t worry. I couldn’t sleep anyway,” he chuckled. A lopsided smile taking place on his face. “So, what’s up?”

“Tonight, I was asked by my parents to join the hunters, and I agreed. But, going into this, I’m the one that knows the least about this world. Apart from Lydia, that is. I need to know everything you know about what we are up against. I don’t think our parents would have asked Allison and me to join now unless we were facing something truly dangerous.”

“Okay, I get it. And please don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you asking me and not Allison or even Derek? It seems like they would be the natural choice to ask about this.”

“Because they would try to shield me from the most dangerous aspects of what’s happening. Hopefully, you being a third party you’ll be truly honest about the situation we are in.” My tone came out friendly, but the underlying threat was evidently laced with it.

“Alright, where do you want me to start?”

“I want to know everything. No detail left out.”

“For me, this all started last year…”

And everything I learned. Scott had been bitten by Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle, who was alpha at the time. Most of last year he spent learning about his new werewolf life, which he believed he was alone in, until Derek, who came from a long line of werewolves that resided in Beacon Hills. The very same family my aunt had murdered. When he explained that part of Derek’s history, I couldn’t help but tear up. How could he ever stand being near me when my own blood had done that to him? Ripped him from his family in such a horrifying manner. I knew she had killed people but knowing that Derek was one of the survivors made my stomach knot.

He also told me how Derek came to be the alpha, and how Peter had held the alpha title also. And how my aunt had truly died. Everyone’s stories seemed to bundle into the same mess of supernatural chaos.

“Then, Jackson asked for the bite, which Derek gave him. And the thing about the bite, you sometimes turn into something other than a werewolf due to internal issues you could say. So, he became the Kanima, which is a lizard type-creature that looks for a master as we just recently learned. His main objective is to do as his master commands, and in his case, it's killing a bunch of people. He also secretes a venom that paralyzes people, but it didn’t work on you and Lydia.” Me? “Which was really weird – Lydia, we think it has something to do with Peter biting her. But you, we’re not sure. Because there’s no indication as to why you could possibly be immune. Unless you’re not human, but that would mean that Lydia’s not human either, and that doesn’t make sense.”

“Okay, Scott. You’re rambling,” I chuckled dryly, stopping him in his track. How he talked for so long, I did not understand. I believed Stiles was the only one with that ability. “How could you know that I was immune though? I haven’t had any contact with the Kanima or this venom.”

“Well, actually, the day we were making rock crystals in lab, Isaac had left some venom on Lydia’s crystal. You weren’t supposed to taste it, but it was a surprise when nothing happened to you. Have you ever been in contact with any other supernatural beings?”

“Seeing as I didn’t even know my parents were hunters, it’s safe to assume I haven’t. But I think finding out why I am the way I am is at the bottom of the list with this Kanima going around.”

“Yeah, and your family is making it very hard to do so when they’re actively hunting us.”

“They can’t be, they run by a code, and you guys are innocent.”

“But your grandfather doesn’t care. He lifted the code. He’s on a rampage towards all supernatural creatures, us included. They’re even keeping an eye on us at school – with Gerard running it and Victoria being our new teacher.”

“But we have the upper hand in learning about the Kanima, right? I mean, if my family is actively recruiting the younger ones, it means they are up against a threat they don’t know about, and we have the bestiary translated.”

“Kind of. I just have a feeling Gerard knows a lot more than he lets on.”

“Can’t really give insight on a person I don’t know. But anything I find out I’ll be sure to pass it along,” I smiled. “I still can’t believe all of this was happening right under my nose. How did I not notice?”

“It’s easy to ignore when you don’t know it exists. If I hadn’t been in the forest that night, I would be as in the dark as you were.”

“I guess so,” I smiled. “Thank you, Scott. For your honesty, and for trusting me with this information.”

“You’re one of us now, (Y/N). We look out for our own.”

“Thank you, Scott. I’ll leave you now to hopefully catch up on some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

“Of course, (Y/N). We’re gonna meet up with Allison in the library to talk about the Kanima. I think it’d be good for you to be there.”

“I will.” My body was outside the house, squatting in front of the window. “Again, thanks, Scott. It’s good to know I have a friend looking out for us.”

“Don’t mention it, (Y/N).” He smiled, scratching his neck trying to hide the blush that had crept to his face. “Get home safe.”

I felt uneasy the whole ride back home. I truly couldn’t fathom how Derek old even spend a second with me after everything my family had put him through. My stomach hadn’t stopped turning, and I felt like I could throw up at any second. He didn’t deserve to have to look at a person that resembled the person that had screwed up his life. The tears started streaming from my eyes before I could stop them. It didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t right.

Somehow I made it back home. I had blacked out at some point and was moving out of muscle memory. I was glad my parents had not made it back home yet — I could let tears cascade without having to hide them. Allison and I had always looked up to our aunt. To us, she presented herself as a confident, independent, and badass woman. I still remember how one Christmas Allison and I had gotten into her clothes and pretended to be her. When Kate found us, she couldn’t help but laugh at the two little irks in front of her. She questioned what we were doing and we told her we wanted to be just like her. I recalled how I told her I wanted to grow up to be her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t have done to take that back. Had I know back then what I knew now, I would have stayed as far away from her.

“This family is all types of messed up. Huh, Brody?” My dog looked up at me, a questioning glance on his face. “What am I gonna do, bub? I don’t think I’m strong enough to face him. I really don’t.”

Brody barked, leaving kisses on my cheeks — a nimble approach to getting rid of my tears. I snuggled closer to him, enjoying his comforting presence. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep well tonight.

I was standing in the middle of Derek’s family home, the only light coming from the moon peeking through the clouds. It was a cold night, and the low temperature was seeping into my bones. My whole body ached and the air smelled of soot. I felt uneasy standing there. Now knowing its history, my heart clenched tightly. I could only imagine the pain that had ensued in what I presumed was an agonizingly slow death. The tears that escaped from my eyes burned into my skin, and my ears rang with an unknown high pitch. I kneeled on the floor, and attempt to catch m breath.

“It hurts doesn’t it?” I stood up, the unknown voice startling me. “The smell is the worst part.”

“Aunt Kate.”

“The screams weren’t that bad,” she chuckled. “They died down quickly. There’s so much screaming you can do when smoke fills your lungs.”

“Stop,” I sobbed. “Please.”

“I can just imagine them thinking it was a normal afternoon, and then the fire starts. You know, wooden houses are a very good catalyst to speed up a fire.”

“Stop.”

“(Y/N), come on.” Kate was grinning, a sinister smile that would have anyone shivering. “It’s only a matter of time before you do something similar. You and I have always been the most alike — centered, strong, morally grey. It’s in your blood, baby girl. At first, you’re gonna believe you’re on their side, but soon you’ll see that they’re all bad. Sooner or later they all spill innocent blood. It’s better to get them when they’re fresh, it’s so much easier”

“How can you talk like that? These are people’s lives you are talking about.”

“It’s different, sweetheart. They’re not normal, they’re a living abomination,” she rationalized. “This is all a game of power. We can’t allow them to have the upper hand. If we let that happen, they’ll overtake us, and there is a natural order to things.”

“Is that why you murdered a whole family of innocent beings? The family of a kid you tricked to fall for you, leaving him alone to suffer!” I yelled, the loudness hurting my throat. “You tricked Derek and used him to end his line. Why?”

“A pack is only as strong as its number. The bigger they are, the stronger they are. I was just doing my job,” she grinned. “Just like you did.”

“What are you talking about? I would never do something as heartless as you have.”

“Are you sure, honey? Why don’t you walk through that door and say that again.”

I stared at her like a deer stuck in headlights. My body shook as I slowly made my way to the dark front door of the house. Her eyes burned into every step I took, the sinus eerie grin still prominent on her face. With every step, her stare edging me on forward. There was a scene to unfold behind that door, and she was eager for me to see it.

I stretched my hand towards the doorknob but flinched when I felt the burning temperature it held. Kate said nothing as she encouraged me to open the door, daring me to face whatever I had to with just her gaze. I braced myself for the feeling and clasped my hand around the knob, turning it to reveal whatever it was that she wanted me to see.

The scene in front of me was heartbreaking. We now stood in front of Derek’s apartment complex, his loft lit aflame. The smell of ash was more prominent and the heat was almost unbearable. I tried to run into the building, the need to help any survivors growing in me. But Kate held me back, a painful grip holding onto my arm.

“Let me go!” I yelled through tears. “I need to save my friends.”

“Darling, don’t you get it?” She chuckled. “They’re all gone. All thanks to you. Look at your hands, honey.”

I did as she told, and my breath hitched in my throat when I did. My clothes were drenched in blood, and in my hands, I carried a bloody knife and a lighter. “No, I would never do this.”

“You already did.” She pointed forward, fixing my sight on the bodies that laid on the floor of the lot. “And some of them were innocent, too. But in war, there are always casualties. I mean, your cousin sided with them, and look how she ended up.”

I walked around the bodies, trying to find a sign of life in any of them as a flood of tears streamed out of my ducts.

Scott.

Stiles.

Lydia.

Isaac.

Allison.

Even Boyd and Erica were there.

But I didn’t see one important person. “Where’s Derek?” My voice croaked, barely the volume of a whisper.

“Who do you think is inside the building? It’s a fitting end for him. Dying in the way he shucked have years ago,” she laughed maniacally. “At least he’ll relate to his family when he gets to the other side.

“NO!” Once again I tried to run into the building, needing to risk my ice to save his. But she stopped name in my tracks once more, her grip tightening. “Let me go, please. Just let me go, I have to save him.”

“Honey, he’s already gone,” she scoffed. “Don’t you get it, sweetheart? There are only two ways this will end — it’s either you or them. And the sooner you accept it, the easier it will be; you are just like me.”

Tag List: @hellowinterlane @lokisgoddesofpower @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @malar-region @sunshine-flower

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nalgenewhore · 4 years

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masterlist - ao3 - last chapter - next chapter

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Elide stood underneath the water, her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at the black tiles of the shower wall, wondering how she would even be able to find someone to marry.

The only viable suitors that would yield any sort of political power had to at least be lords, this she knew. Elide suppressed a shudder as she thought about the lords of Perranth. They were all decades older than her and, as demonstrated when she had to dance with them at her birthday, thought very little about personal boundaries.

Most of them had spent the time staring at her tits and they weren’t subtle about it either. She panicked, thinking about what would happen if they insisted on her performing her ‘wifely duties’.

She had voiced this concern with Aelin and Lysandra, her hands shaking when she told them. They had both assured her that there were other options for suitors and none of the bachelors she had danced with on her birthday met the requirements to be her husband.

Elide turned around and tipped her head back under the shower, washing the shampoo out before lathering her long hair with conditioner.

She stayed in the shower until the water became cold and wrapped her thick, fleece housecoat around her. The mirror was fogged. Elide sighed, rubbing her eyes, and used her sleeve to wipe a small circle in the middle.

She frowned at the pallorness of her face, her hair clinging to her scalp like a soaked dog. With a sigh, Elide opened the cabinet and pulled out her haircare, plugging in her hair dryer. She combed through her leave-in conditioner and hair oil, making sure each strand was properly moisturized.

Then, she sectioned her hair and blow-dried each part. She used her round brush so later, she wouldn’t have to spend so much time straightening it. Someone knocked on the door, a deep voice accompanying it, “El, can I come in?”

“Yes, the door’s open,” she called back, knowing it was Rowan. He slipped in on near silent feet, the door clicking shut behind him. Elide swilleved on her vanity stool when he stayed at the door, a perfectly manicured brow arched. “What did you do?”

“Why is that your first question?”

She shrugged, drying the last section before she clicked the power button and put the tool to the side, letting it cool before she put it away. “You’re being weird. And you look guilty.”

Rowan sighed, running his hand over his hair, sure to mess it up, “I know her nephew. We’re, uh… friends.”

Elide blinked, “Friends as in you were classmates and grew apart or friends as in…”

“Friends as in best friends and he’s my ex?” Rowan said, his voice higher than normal. “We grew up together and had a summer fling that turned into… not a fling and… yeah.”

Elide frowned, “You grew up in Doranelle. How does someone from Doranelle have any claim over Perranth?”

Rowan shoved off the door and sat down on the counter, kicking his toe into the floor, “His parents were divorced and shared custody. He spent half the year here and half in Doranelle, until his dad died.”

Elide felt a pang of empathy for the man. The hurt of losing a parent was something that stayed with one for a while. “So… what’s he like?”

Rowan let loose a dry chuckle, “He’s, uh, he’s something. Doesn’t talk much. Surprising sense of humour, he’s got a bit of a temper. Very blunt man, doesn’t take being lied to well.” A gentle, friendly sort of fondness washed over Rowan’s face. “I think you two would get along very well under different circumstances.”

Elide hummed, “So he’s a cranky old bastard like you, huh?”

Rowan’s indignant scowl was answer enough.

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Against the polished floors, Elide’s heels clicked sharply as she walked down to the main foyer, where they were to greet Maeve and her nephew.

She arrived after Aelin, Rowan, and Lysandra, who were all trying to play it cool but failing miserably. “So, is this appropriate to meet him?” she asked, turning around slowly for approval of her sleeveless, powder blue sheath dress. Elide propped her hands on her hips to pose, her hair shifting silkily over her shoulders.

“You look wonderful,” Lysandra said, listening to something in her earpiece. “They’re here.”

Elide curled her hands into fists, trying to quell her nerves. She tossed her glossy locks over her shoulder and flashed a dazzling smile, “Well, then. It’s time.” She sat down in an armchair, crossing her right ankle behind the left.

Aelin sat in the chair next to hers, reaching over to squeeze Elide’s hand. “It’ll be ok.”

“I know,” Elide said, her heart rate speeding up as Rowan walked across the hall to greet them.

He was tall, she could tell that much, but Rowan’s build hid him from her view as they clasped hands and spoke quietly. Maeve walked in after her nephew, and Elide stood, dusting off her skirt.

Aelin stood as well, wearing a professional smile as she took Maeve’s hands and kissed her cheeks, “Maeve, it’s nice to see you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine, your Majesty.” Maeve turned to Elide, bowing her head the slightest bit. “Lady Lochan, you look lovely.”

Elide smiled tightly, shaking Maeve’s hand, “As do you, Ms. Nathair.” As much as she loathed the woman, Elide couldn’t deny she had impeccable taste and she wore the clothes beautifully.

Maeve nodded primly, half-turning to beckon her nephew to her, “I’d like to introduce my nephew, Lorcan Salvaterre.”

He stepped up and Elide felt her jaw drop. He held her gaze as he bowed to Aelin, “Your Majesty.”

Aelin recovered from her shock faster than Elide, “Hello, Lorcan.” Elide didn’t hear what else her cousin said. She felt her cheeks burn, a combination of anger and embarrassment.

She-

He danced with her, saved her from Lord Bigge. And she had slapped him. Her vision went red as his lips twitched with a small smirk and she regretted ever wishing for the feeling of them on hers.

Lorcan bowed to her as well, “Sweetheart.”

Without thinking, Elide raised her hand and slapped him hard, across the face. A sick sense of satisfaction raced through her when his head snapped to the side and a bright red handprint was left on his cheek. She turned on her toes, quickly walking towards the kitchens. That fucking asshole.

Shocked cries left everyone’s mouths. As she turned the corner, Elide glanced back, seeing him wave Rowan off. He worked his jaw, chuckling quietly. Lorcan’s dark gaze flicked to hers, “She always does that.”

Elide thought she deserved an award for restraining herself and not flipping him off. She fled to the kitchens, slinking around the staff. There was a tray of cookies and she snatched one up, quickly regretting it as she learned just how fresh they were.

She carried it quickly to the back table and dropped it, blowing on her fingertips. Elide slumped into a seat, not bothering with correct posture as she broke off pieces of the cookie and ate them.

She glared at the opposite wall of the nook, hoping the palace would catch on fire and Lorcan would be crushed beneath a burning beam.

Elide savoured her cookie. It wouldn’t be long until someone came to find her. She was embarrassed. He had known who she was the entire time and- and what? Danced to play with her, to toy with her emotions?

One of the kitchen staff slid a plate her way, piled high with cookies. Elide smiled, her foul mood lifting the slightest. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, miss,” the young boy said, quickly returning to his task.

Not long after, Aelin burst in, her eyes wide, “Elide! What the fuck was that?”

Elide sulked, muttering, “I’ve met him before.”

Aelin slid onto the bench across from her, “When?”

“At the ball,” she whispered, her throat growing tight. “He’s the guy I…” Elide felt so stupid. It must’ve been some joke to him and his aunt.

“Ah,” Aelin said. “Your mystery man.”

Elide nodded glumly, crossing her arms petulantly. “Yes.”

Aelin was silent for a few moments, chewing on her bottom lip in concentration. “As the queen, I can’t condone you physically harming your royal opponent.”

“But?”

Aelin grinned wickedly, a feisty gleam in her eyes, “As your cousin, I say beautifully done.” Uncertainty flashed across her face, “What did he mean by ‘she always does that’?”

Her cheeks flushed and Elide looked down at her lap, “Um, I might’ve accidentally hit him when I was ranting to Lyss?” She nervously glanced up at Aelin. “Please don’t make me apologise.”

“Never,” Aelin said, “but we do need to return. Maeve has gone mad.” She stood up, her honey-gold ponytail swishing gently. Elide reluctantly stood up and looped her arm through Aelin’s, leaning her head on her cousin’s shoulder. “Personally, I would’ve gone for a kick in the balls, but a slap works just as well.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Bright, pealing laughter echoed throughout the hall and Lorcan tensed. Rowan shot him a warning look, telling him to keep his shit together and not antagonise Elide any further.

His aunt was muttering something about Elide’s impropriety and how she would be having a talk with Vernon for accosting her nephew like this. Lorcan decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to tell his aunt Elide slapping him was the highlight of the trip so far.

He hadn’t meant to dance with her on her birthday, but she had looked like she needed help. Lorcan hadn’t missed the way that sweating lordling had pawed at her. And he hadn’t meant for it to feel like… that.

He hadn’t meant a lot of things.

Aelin and Elide appeared, the former shooting him a halfway apologetic smile. He could see right through it, knowing Aelin was bursting with pride for Elide.

When his eyes slid to Elide, she turned her head, but her cheeks pinked when he continued to stare at her. She finally snapped and sent him a glare that could freeze Hellas’ fiery realm. Anger acted a veneer to shield the humiliation shining in her eyes, but Lorcan read it easily, a slight note of shame tightening his chest.

He really was a bastard.

“Please excuse us for the mishap,” Aelin said, patting Elide’s hand. Lorcan stifled the urge to roll his eyes, the look on Elide’s face confirming it was anything but a mishap. “Lorcan, we’d like to invite you to stay with us at the palace.”

Elide’s eyes widened and she stiffened, shooting him another dirty look. Just because he could, just for that rush he got when she paid him any attention, Lorcan winked at her, “I’d love to, your Majesty.”

Aelin smiled innocently, “Wonderful. We’ll send our staff to help you with your bags.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

Elide stewed silently in the foyer as Aelin and Rowan saw their guests out. The minute the door closed, Elide cried, “Why would you do that?”

Aelin placated her, “Ellie-Boo, it’s to our advantage. We could never keep tabs on him if he was staying over in Maeve’s manor. This way, we can figure out their plan and stop it.”

Feeling like she had gotten worked up over nothing, Elide mumbled something rude, “Fine. I guess that makes sense.”

The queen scoffed, “Of course it does. I make the best plans.”

+*+*+*+*+*+*

an: aha ! he’s here and wasn’t it fun ?

@mythicaitt @tinywolfofeyllwe @schmlip-scribble @the-regal-warrior @empire-of-wildfire @ladyverena @ttakeitbacknoww @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere @queenofxhearts @maastrash @mynewdreamwasyou @cursebreaker29 @empress-ofbloodshed @b00kworm @hizqueen4life @silversprings98 @amren-courtofdreams @minaidss @superspiritfestival @sanakapoor @ireallyshouldsleeprn @spyofthenightcourt @januarystears @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln comment to be added/removed from the tag list !

#knowing me knowing you #kmky chapter four #princess diaries au #elorcan #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #isa writes #nalgenewhore #omg i just remembered a plot point #......ur gonna love it !! it's delectable actually :)

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krisanderwrites · 3 years

Text

Malachite and Sparrow 02

My second summer there was a mix up in the paperwork and I had to vacate the dorms for two weeks until it was sorted out. None of my classmates lived close enough to make couch surfing a viable option, so I eventually swallowed my apprehension and called my mother. Although I attempted to keep the conversation short, she was elated to hear that I would be coming home this year. When I finally hung up, I knew that there was no way Malachite had not overheard my given name. Of course she was considerate enough to not mention it.

The long trip home was peppered with anxiety attacks and countless worries. By the time I finally arrived in the airport, I was exhausted. Thankfully that gave me the excuse to ignore the way my parents did not recognize me until after a second glance. They shuffled me into the car, berating my tardiness and how it was messing with my sister's schedule since she had an important meeting. Everything felt dull and far away, much worse than my depression ever was while at college.

I took it easy, as much as someone going to Elsewhere University can on break. Unable to break the habit of watching every word I uttered, I found solace in furthering my research online and at the local library. I cleaned out my old room, throwing away most of the things I had no use for anymore. I visited my great-aunt Hazel in her nursing home. When she pressed a plastic bag full of small boxes into my hands, I gave her a strange look.

"For exchanges," she said, smiling. Opening one, I found a kitschy set of matching topaz earrings and necklace. Realizing the gift, I gave a small gasp. She would not accept me doing anything for her in exchange, simply saying that she had no use for all of them anyway. I still have no clue how she knew about the Gentry. However, she had certainly given me ideas.

I began to talk to my sister and mother, telling them about Malachite's love of jewelry of all kinds- how she even made her own on occasion. In response, they gave me all of their old things that they no longer wanted to pass along to her. A few of my cousins even dropped off their old mismatched earrings and pendants and charm bracelets. I went to the nursery and picked up seeds of plants I had not been able to get my hands on while on campus. In the back of my closet I found my old fighting gear and packed it into an old gym bag my brother was going to throw out.

To make sure there were no debts I mowed lawns, weeded gardens, cleaned out gutters, scrubbed bathrooms, and bathed dogs. Each present got a chore in payment. Money exchanged hands as well, but I tried to reserve as much of that as possible for more important things than trinkets to trade. In the end I left with two more bags than I had come back with, full of all sorts of helpful things. I think somehow I knew even then that I was never really coming back.

"You know... you really have changed," my mother remarked as she dropped me off at the airport.

My mouth was dry, "Yeah, I think I have too."

"I'm not sure it is for the better," she snidely added.

"Well, I do," I shrugged and grabbed the last bag out of the trunk.

She seemed uneasy, "I suppose this is goodbye then."

"Yep," I said.

"Will you at least call?" she asked.

"Probably not," I answered, not even attempting to stretch the truth. "I think we both have very different ideas about who I am, and it would probably just hurt more."

There were tears in her eyes when she laughed, "You really have changed. I will wish you luck, then. Don't worry about your father; he already knows. He's considered you dead for at least six months now."

"That does explain the lack of conversation," I had quipped. "Well, I have to somehow get through security with all this."

I walked away without looking back even once. Somehow it felt like I was shedding my old skin. I checked my bags and got onto the plane with no troubles. Smooth sailing for the Captain. The feeling of overall sluggishness left upon entering campus again. Dropped off in front of the dorm building with my bags, I was delighted to see a greeting party of crows waiting for me. They were rewarded with the best sugar cookies my hometown had to offer. Overall it felt more like coming home than visiting my family ever had.

* * * *

Settling back down into a dorm room felt strange knowing that it was going to be just me on my own again. I planted all the seeds I had bought in trays that I placed upon the windowsill. I sorted through all the jewelry I had amassed and threw away the unnecessary packaging; it still filled most of a duffel bag. My old fighting gear was relegated to the back of yet another closet; I could not bear to throw it away but for now it served no purpose. Perhaps I could find a new group to practice with on campus later. I took a part-time job at a local veterinary clinic to help expand my knowledge and experience.

To be truthful, everything was just a distraction until Malachite returned. Without her nearby I felt the pull of the Else at my veins. Sometimes I would stare out at the forest with a longing- an urge- to simply walk among the trees and then keep walking. Realistically I knew that this was a terrible idea, but it was true all the same. The Fair Folk were more numerous on campus as autumn drew closer, all eagerly anticipating the return of the students as much as I was.

With no small amount of glee, I showed off my acquisitions to Malachite. She stared, wide-eyed, and asked what in the world I was planning on doing with all of that jewelry. I laughed her off, claiming that I was just going to save it all for a rainy day. It was mostly true. (I was something of a zombie-survival plan person anyway.) I did not tell her that my intuition said that there were storms coming.

Still, things continued on much as normal for quite some time, if perhaps a bit busier. I gave presents to Jimothy- as many beads as my cousins had managed to trade for me doing their chores. Clients at the veterinary clinic occasionally brought me gifts for helping to care for their animals, which I in turn gifted to fae or other students. My study group commandeered a room in the library where the time distortion was not too terrible. I set a broken wing for one crow and stemmed the bleeding broken beak of another.

Sometimes I attended parties just to escort people back to their dorms safely. Ever curious, I worked endlessly on ideas and inventions that I never intended to see the light of day. After all, knowledge of how to heal and soothe comes only after knowledge of how to hurt and break. The contraptions piled in my closet next to my unused fighting gear.

It took some time for me to realize that Malachite had plans of her own.

By helping others and trading in offerings of homemade bread or sweets for crystals and gemstones, she had amassed quite a literal treasure trove. Taking these precious finds, she then created jewelry from them. Homemade trinkets are always worth more to the fae than ones that you buy in a store. As I watched her collection grow, I suddenly understood her concerns with my own hoard.

Then one day I walked in during a break from classes and realized something had happened. Malachite was burning sage in the room which showed evidence of a recent bout of furious cleaning. When pressed, she simply said that the salt lines had been worn away over time and needed replacing. The fearful glances to the corner of the room, however, spoke a different story.

I decided that though my hands were often burned with silver nitrate (so useful in stopping small bleeds), perhaps having the Sight was something I should keep around more often. Just in case. I began wearing a mood ring on my middle finger. It immediately turned to black and then remained that color whenever I wore it. I tried not to feel anxious about this and failed miserably.

* * * *

Right at midterms there was a brief flurry of activity before things settled down again. Hardly anyone got taken over midterms that year, as there were several days that were designated safe due to the school fair. Then there was a night where all the signs were there for A Hunt. There was a new moon and strange yelling that could be mistaken for baying. Everyone kept to their dorm rooms and locked the entrances.

What came knocking at our door was our new RA, who was a nice enough woman studying business and law.

"Captain," she had said.

I had tilted my head and informed her that was not my official nickname.

"No," she laughed, "but it suits you well. You're already rather well known as a Knight." Something about that title rang true in my bones and I had to suppress a shiver as she continued, "Anyway, there is a bit of a situation. They are asking for you to come out and see to one of their hounds."

"What they?" Malachite had demanded.

"You know, the Fair Folk," she explained.

"Absolutely not."

Blinking, we both turned to the side. Malachite pushed forward to stand in the doorway, hands on her hips.

"I'm not letting Sparrow take one step outside on a night of A Hunt. Even if it were not suicide, the chances of being stolen are far too great."

I laughed, "All my new surgical tools are made of steel. I doubt any of Them would want me."

Despite her protests, we both ended up following the RA to the threshold of the dorm hall. Standing there was a perfectly respectable attempt at a humanoid form, albeit with an extra limb or two. At least they were trying. The hound itself was, as typical, an eldritch abomination that could possibly be construed as canine if you were on LSD and also only had ever known dogs from the story of The Hound of the Baskervilles. However, the long, hungry glances the Good Neighbor kept sending towards Malachite were disconcerting.

"I will heal, for that is what is right," I offered readily, "but should you attempt to take or harm my companions, I will fight, as that is also right. Do we have an understanding here?"

The hissing reply was not pleased-sounding, but not being attacked outright was a good sign. When finally it nodded petulantly, I stepped forward to the heaving mass on the grass and kneeled down. Luckily it turned out to be a small favor. The monster had thorns in its hide from a hawthorn tree dipped in iron. Snarling at the wicked items, I palmed them with the thought to destroy it later by fire. A small salve applied to the wounded areas and the Hunt was once again ready to leave.

"Freely given," I said as they vanished into the mists.

"You're foolish," noted the RA. "You should have asked for something."

"Asking for payment is more foolish than being a good person," I replied. "All my aid is freely given, and I won't charge the Gentry any more than the crows. I am a healer, after all."

"Talk softly, treat others kindly, and carry a big damn stick," supplied Malachite.

"Exactly," I smiled as I closed my fist around the iron-tipped thorns.

* * * *

The hungry eyes of the Gentry were long forgotten as time slipped past. There was too much to do and too many who needed aiding for paranoia to set in fully. It did not catch my attention at the time that my plants were starting to grow a little too well or my newly acquired pet fish seemed more colorful than was natural. I did not notice when I began to avoid eating my food with excess salt.

No, my first sign that something was terribly wrong was an itching, sore rash across the back of my neck.

It took some time, but eventually we figured out the trusty iron chain that our talisman rested upon was causing the problem. For a few days, neither of us spoke about it. Suddenly developing an allergy to iron was greatly concerning. And telling. We both knew what it meant, despite trying to ignore it.

Slowly, things began to change. The salt lines in the doorways and windows became complex symbols and runes. The gemstone satchels somehow migrated away from my side of the room. I began to take my coffee with creamer and sugar, despite always having had it black before.

"Fae-touched," someone told us when they noted me sitting on the grass to avoid the iron bench. "Not quite a Changeling, but not entirely human either. You've gained a lot a favor with the Gentry. Or a lot of ire, I suppose."

"Don't listen to her," another student rolled their eyes. "Everyone knows Captain Sparrow's a knight and a healer. The Good Neighbors like you just where you are."

It explained a little, we supposed. My family was mixed, but both sides had come from areas steeped in tales of the Fair Folk. Those with links to the old countries always were a little more at risk. So we simply decided to take more care and discuss our options. And we agreed. Neither of us would leave for the Else without the other. We would remain together through thick and thin.

Thus our third year at Elsewhere University ended with us just as close as before.

#elsewhere university #elsewhere student #malachite and sparrow

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thelittleredheadedmusician · 4 years

Text

Holiday Cheer?

For @newsies-secret-santa I got @radioactivepigeons which is kinda funny and I thought was totally rad so please enjoy this silly fic! Words: 4,637 Rating: PG Summary: Blink got a job at Target and has to work Black Friday in the electronics department. Really things can only go up from here. AO3

Blink wanted to die. Well not literally. But if the choices were death and this? At least he wouldn’t have been miserable with the former.

He’d needed the extra cash, even though he despised the holiday season and the capitalist hellscape that it created with a deep burning passion, Blink’s laptop was about to die and there was just no way he could buy a new one and pay rent for the month. Thus, the seasonal hours he was picking up at a Target out on Long Island. Which meant working Black Friday. Joy to the ducking world.

It was now almost three hours into his shift and he was being screamed at by his fourth Suburban Mom With Bad Highlights. Honestly? Blink was kinda numb to it at this point. In some not so distant aisle a baby wailed. Soccer Mom took a breath and Blink seized his opportunity before she could continue yelling at him.

“I’m sorry ma’am but we are sold out. Our system says that there’s three left at our West Orange location though.”

She huffed but grabbed her cart and shoved her way out of the electronics department.

In the aftermath, Blink allowed his faux charming smile to falter for just a second. He hadn’t been able to let it drop so far since his manager had informed him that the costumers might find his eye patch “off putting” which he would normally reply a “fuck you” to but he really needed this job.

If Blink’s ancient laptop finally bit the dust, then he wouldn’t be able to use the text to speech program that he needed to complete his readings. Because after a day full of classes, meetings, essays, research, and TA-ing he was tired. Reading was just. Not an option. He was lucky his vision held out until he got home. If his laptop died, he could kiss his long dreamt of PhD in English Lit goodbye. And Blink was one stubborn son of a bitch so that was not happening. He’d gotten this far; he could get through December.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

He had to get through today first though. And damn these people were sure making that hard.

The baby stopped crying abruptly and a John Mulaney quote sprung to Blink’s mind. He didn’t mean to, but he mumbled it anyway, “You hope it was a miracle… but probably not.”

A muffled snort sounded from in front of Blink and he felt himself flush with embarrassment when he looked up to see a guy standing there on the other side of the counter. A very good-looking guy. A downright hot guy with a mess of curls and what appeared to be dimples as he laughed at Blink. And oh duck. He was laughing at Blink.

“Please tell me you were consciously aware of the fact that you were quoting John Mulaney about a baby,” Hot Guy was saying now. And god it was shitty of Blink to just completely objectify him like that but damn it was internal, barely six a.m., and what else was he supposed to call him?

Blink smiled, for real this time, and gave a shrug. Which actually felt kinda good after having not moved from this spot since the store opened. “Can you blame me? It’s true.”

Hot Guy laughed again, louder and longer this time and throwing his head back as he did so. It gave Blink a perfect view of his smooth, dark throat, his skin just a few shades lighter than his curls. He’d started to nod as he chuckled. “It’s true,” he was saying between laughs. And Blink couldn’t tell if he was agreeing with Blink or repeating what he’d said.

Blink knew he was just grinning dopily him, but he really couldn’t help himself. He was practically dead on his feet and he hadn’t even had “lunch” yet here stood Blink’s dream partner. Cute, laughed at his stupid comments, knew John Mulaney quotes. Look, Blink knew it was a low bar, but you’d be surprised how few people managed to cross it. Normally it was the second point that tripped them up.

Finally, Blink managed to come back to where and more importantly when he was. “Sorry, uh, is there anything I can help you with?”

Th guy shook his head, his hands were shoved deep in his coat pockets and when he made a sweeping motion it pulled his unzipped coat into a sail. “Honestly? I’m just biding my time while my mom guilts my aunt into giving her the last of whatever toy my cousin desperately wants so that she can be the hero come Christmas morning.”

“Wow,” Blink said with a low whistle. “That is some next level family drama.”

Hot Guy rolled his eyes but that smile never slipped. And thank god, Blink was pretty sure that looking at that smile for the rest of the holiday shopping season would keep him from wanting to commit a felony.

“They’re so competitive,” he was saying, “that now they have to come up with new ways to be competitive. It’s a mess. But can’t say that it makes for a dull holiday.”

He was buffeted by an overlarge man, pushing him closer to Blink’s counter and causing him to stumble. Instinctively, Blink reached out to steady him and managed to grab his upper arm. What felt like his very toned upper arm. Oh duck. Blink was so dead. He didn’t even know this guy’s name and he was already gone on him.

“Thanks,” Hot Guy said once he was steadied. He glanced to Blink’s nametag before looking back up at him with that brilliant smile. “Louis. Thanks Louis.”

“No problem,” Blink heard himself saying because that was it. Wherever Blink was now it wasn’t this plane of existence. He had no clue what he was doing or saying because internally he was just a mess of giddy screams. Pretty people just should not exist because this is what happened to Blink when they talked to him. “It’s insane in here, not your fault.” Oh duck. Had he been rambling? Man, he hoped he hadn’t been rambling.

The smile never slipped though so whatever nonsense was coming out of Blink’s mouth Hot Guy didn’t seem to mind.

Suddenly a voice cut through the chaos. “MIKEY! WE’RE LEAVING!”

His smile twisted into an apologetic wince. “That’s my mom,” Hot Guy told him and Blink was pulled none too gently back to reality. “I’ve gotta go or I will be left here. You always on electronics?” he asked quickly as he started backing away.

“Um, no just today.”

Hot Guy had reached the main aisle and was nodding. “Ok. Um, I’ll find you then?”

Blink nodded and raised his hand in a wave. Hot Guy, well apparently his name was Mikey, flashed him one last smile before sprinting towards the front of the store.

Blink meant to watch him as he walked away but a little old lady’s perm had filled his vision and when he looked down she was rather urgently holding out a stack of coupons and a flyer opened to the new iPhone. He had a few thoughts – who thought it was a good idea to let an octogenarian out Black Friday shopping at the peak of the crazy, there was no way those coupons were actually going to be accepted today, he was not authorized to sell iPhones, he did not have the patience to explain that he was not authorized to sell iPhones to her – but they all were shoved down as she started talking at him.

Two p.m. and the end of Blink’s shift did not come soon enough. He was due back bright and early tomorrow at seven, but luckily he was just stocking shelves the first few hours and wouldn’t have to properly think again until he had to work a register after lunch.

It was odd walking out into the bright afternoon sun after having gone into the liminal space that he now called his place of employment in total darkness. The parking lot was still full, and he squinted against the light as he searched for Sarah’s silver Toyota in a sea of silver sedans.

He finally found her at the back of the lot, seemingly talking to herself and waving her hands around as she did so. He knocked on the passenger window and she turned to beam at him before unlocking the car and continuing her conversation.

“I mean, I stand by what I said.”

“Oh, I know you do,” Katherine’s voice came out of the speakers, obviously on the other end of the call. “But that doesn’t mean it’s a viable option.”

“What are we talking about?” Blink asked. He rubbed his hands and held them up to the vent where Sarah was blasting warm air. The walk wasn’t that far but the wind had been killer.

“Murder,” Sarah said cheerily at the same time that Katherine said, “My family.”

“Ah, holidays,” Blink said with sarcasm laced cheer. The girls laughed and Blink sank further back into the seat, exhaustion finally hitting him full force.

“Ok, well I’ll let you two go. See you soon!” There was the sound of raised voices somewhere in the background and Blink guessed that Kath wasn’t just hanging up to let Blink and Sarah talk.

“Bye Kath’rine,” he mumbled.

“Bye Kath!” Sarah said brightly and then there was the weird boop of the call disconnecting. She turned to Blink – or at least he assumed she turned to him but Blink had enough seeing for one day thank you very much and so had pushed his eye patch up onto his forehead and had his eyes closed with his hands pressed over them – and started talking to him with the same enthusiasm. Which was refreshing from the faux happy of his coworkers and the misery of the shoppers but like Blink was not on that level. “So how was work?”

“I hate capitalism. And middle-aged white women. And Christmas.”

Sarah hummed as she put the car in drive and began to back out of the spot. “Yeah, best part of being Jewish? Not doing all that.”

Blink laughed. He hadn’t really done Christmas growing up, after his dad died it’d just been his mom and his brothers and him and his mom really tried but money was tight. Normally they each got a new book and just watched A Christmas Story. Which Blink really didn’t mind and he loved reading and well, he still uses the whole “You’ll shoot your eye out!” thing as his excuse when people ask him about the patch. Just says, “Ralphie was lucky, he was wearing glasses. Me… well I used to have 20/20 vision.” It made people laugh and he didn’t actually have to answer the question.

But all this Black Friday nonsense? All this “buying the perfect gift” and making it the “best Christmas ever” and trying to be a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell family just for the one day a year even though everyone knew it was a sham? Yeah, that was bullshit and a load of bullshit Blink really didn’t need in his life. But damn he needed that new laptop.

“Well thanks,” Blink said after a short silence.

“For what?” Sarah asked. They were good friends, thanks to Jack being one of Blink’s buddies from high school and Jack and Davey meeting in college and being, well, Jack and Davey and then Sarah being Dave’s sister it only made sense that they’d crossed paths freshman year and hit it off. Though they were probably the most surprised of anybody when they’d gotten so close over the next couple of years. Even then, Sarah wasn’t a mind reader and Blink had a habit of non sequiturs.

“Driving me to and from work. Especially today what with the hours. And then being willing to bring me out here every weekend for the next month,” Blink explained.

Sarah scoffed but Blink kept talking before she could start telling him how little she minded. He needed to get it off his chest.

“And for inviting me to Thanksgiving and letting me stay with you and your folks. I already thanked ‘em yesterday for it and for letting me stay the weekends but you’re driving and I’ll pay you for some of the gas once I get my first paycheck and-”

“Louis!” She cut him off and Sarah only ever called him Louis if she really needed his attention. “It’s fine! You don’t have to thank me or pay for gas! Jeez. I’m helping Les prep for his SATs and coming out every weekend anyway, it’s literally not a problem. Besides, my parents love you and since they moved out here they have the spare room. On top of all that, you’re one of my best friends, you’re always welcome at the Jacobs Family Thanksgiving, with all its insanity, and I’m more than happy to help you out in any way I can. We all are.”

Blink sighed and sat up to look at her. Sarah was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction. “You’re too good.”

She just smirked and shrugged. “I mean, I’m going to make you help me help Les so really you might want to rethink that.”

Blink laughed and he could tell that Sarah was pleased with herself. She let him sit in silence for a little while longer as she turned into the development that her parents had moved to when the twins were in high school. Mr. Jacobs had gotten injured at work due to the company cutting corners and not following the proper safety protocols. They’d sued and managed to win enough that they covered the medical bills and moved to the family out of their cramped apartment in Lower Manhattan to the nice house in suburban Long Island. Now, Mr. Jacobs served on the town council and worked as a safety inspector and the house had become a weekend refuge for their children’s ragtag group of friends.

“So,” Sarah said as they neared her parents’ house, “anything that you need to curse about from today before we get home?”

Groaning and throwing his hands up in the air made her laugh but the look Sarah gave him said she wasn’t going to accept that as an answer. Blink sighed. “If I never hear a thick Long Island accent again it’ll be too soon.”

That got him a snort. “You’re friends with Spot Conlon-”

“Who has a Brooklyn accent and yes there is a difference!”

Sarah scoffed, obviously not buying it but Blink was willing to die on this hill.

“I really don’t understand what everyone needs a seventy-five-inch tv for. Honestly. And now I officially cringe anytime I see a woman with a ‘Can I Speak to Your Manager’ haircut.”

Sarah turned into her driveway and parked but didn’t turn off the car yet. “That it?”

Blink shrugged and began to nod before freezing. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I nearly forgot.”

Sarah looked concerned and he knew he must have a horrified expression.

He turned to her and looked at her seriously. “Sarah.”

“Blink?”

“I met the love of my life this morning.”

“Really.” She sounded incredulous.

“I swear to you. I am in ducking love.”

“Uh huh. You get their number?”

Blink winced, remembering his mistake from being dead on his feet when he met the guy. “No…”

“Blink!”

“Look! It was early! Like before sunrise! And I was on the electronics counter! I’m lucky I was able to speak coherent English!”

Sarah snorted but remained silent, giving him the opportunity to redeem himself.

“I got his name,” Blink told her and was rewarded with an impressed raise of the brows. “And he said he’s gonna come back another day when it’s not crazy to see me so…”

With a sigh and a shake of the head Sarah showed that he’d lost any points he got by getting the guy’s name. “So? Who is he?”

“Uh, Mikey.”

“Mikey…? What. What’s his last name.”

Blink winced. “I just know his name’s Mikey.”

Sarah gave him a blank look and turned to shut off the car and get out. Blink resettled his eye patch and hurried to follow her. “You’re hopeless,” Sarah called over her shoulder as she walked to the door.

Blink sighed and followed. “I know.”

Saturday passed in a blur. Thankfully it was significantly less busy and Blink actually knew the answers to all the questions he was asked but it still drained him. He practically collapsed when he got in Sarah’s car.

“Mystery Mikey show up?” she teased but Blink knew there was genuine interest in there too.

Blink sighed. “No.”

“Well you’ve got time.”

Blink just shrugged and allowed himself to doze off as they drove.

Sunday afternoon saw Blink climbing out of Sarah’s car so he could get his bag and climb back into Sarah’s car so she, Blink, and Davey could all get back to the city. He felt absolutely wiped from his first weekend working at Target but knew it was all because of the sales. Some not so distant part of him said that he should just get used to this though because he was working weekends all holiday season and this was just going to be his life now.

He thanked Mr. Jacobs again and gave Mrs. Jacobs one last hug and Les’s hair one last ruffle before following Davey out the door. They both threw their bags in the trunk and Dave shot him a quizzical look.

“You even pack anything? You only needed red shirts and khakis,” he deadpanned.

Blink stared at him for a few seconds. “Wow. That joke? It was so funny I forgot to laugh.”

Davey snorted and Blink responded with an eyeroll. Normally he’d have smiled but he was too tired to do much else than turn to get back in the car.

He stopped as he caught sight of the next-door neighbors’ driveway. Next to a blue Honda was a mother hugging her adult son tightly. The guy had his eyes turned skyward and seemed to be enduring her public display of affection. It looked like he was gearing up to say something to her when he saw Blink though.

That was when Blink knew. He’d thought it was Mikey, his mystery crush from Friday, but when he froze Blink knew it was him.

Mikey’s mother could be heard asking him what was wrong as he stiffly released her and then she was turning to watch him cross over the grass dividing the two driveways and walk up to Blink.

They stood there staring at each other in shock. Sarah had come out and distantly Blink heard her ask Davey what was going on and Davey mumbling something back. But Blink didn’t care because what’re the odds that he’d actually meet the guy he’d decided he’d fallen in love with again?

“What’re you doing at the Jacobs?” Mikey finally asked in awe.

“Uh, spending the holiday? They’re letting me stay here while I work too cause I live in the city. And Sarah likes me for some reason so she’s driving me around.” Blink didn’t know where the blatant honesty word vomit had come from, but he blamed the shock.

Mikey laughed. Blink could do little else but stare.

“Blink!” Sarah finally called from where she stood at the driver’s door. “What is going on?”

“This is him!” Blink gestured towards the man in front of him, hoping desperately that Sarah would understand.

“Mush? Mush is who?” Sarah obviously did not understand.

“Him! Him,” Blink implored. “The guy from Black Friday!”

“What’re you talking about?” Davey sounded tired. But Davey always sounded tired. Blink elected to ignore him and go back to grinning dumbly at Mikey.

“Hold up,” Sarah said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Your Mystery Mikey is Mush from Next Door?”

“Apparently!” Mikey, or was it Mush? Did he have a preference? Or did Blink have to earn that? Was it an inside joke?

“I’m so lost,” Davey informed them and went to sit in the car.

“Why didn’t you just say that it was Mush?” Sarah sighed. “It could’ve saved so many melodramatic sighs.”

Blink felt his cheeks heat and glanced to see that Mush had bit his lip to try and keep from laughing. Duck that was adorable.

“Um, in Louis’s defense I never actually said my name,” Mikey/Mush finally spoke up. “If I’d have thought to properly introduce myself it would’ve been as Mush Meyers but I’m guessing you and the entire store heard my mom call me Mikey so…” He trailed off with a shrug.

Sarah snorted before Blink could reply. “You actually said your name was Louis?”

“It’s what’s on my nametag! No way I’m gonna run around telling random costumers to call me Blink. And it was busy and I was distracted,” here he gestured vaguely at Mush, “so I didn’t get the chance to say that I go by Kid Blink but most of my friends just call me Blink. Only people who don’t are my mom, my professors – with the exception of Jackson but he’s my advisor – and now my coworkers.”

“And me when I’m annoyed with you or want your attention,” Sarah added.

“And Sarah when she’s annoyed with me or wants my attention,” Blink corrected.

Mush nodded, that easy smile Blink had called to mind so many times in the past couple days was back. “Ok, let’s try this again.” He held out his hand, “Hi, name’s Mush.”

Blink beamed at him and shook his hand. “Kid Blink, but you can just call me Blink.”

“I think you’re really cute and funny and I’d love to get to know you better, want to get coffee some time?”

He didn’t think he could smile any wider after a six-hour shift as a cashier but somehow Blink managed it. “I would love that.”

“Awww, cute,” Sarah interrupted.

Blink turned to glare at her, but he caught Mush biting his lip again out of the corner of his eye. He was going to make sure that Mush always stood on his good side because Blink wasn’t ever going to miss a glimpse of that face if he could help it.

“Can you exchange numbers and plan this date that way?” She continued. “Not to be pushy but I really don’t want to get stuck in traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge.”

“Brooklyn,” Blink muttered in annoyance and was surprised to hear Mush do so too.

At Blink’s raised brows Mush shrugged. “It’s this guy I know, Spot Conlon, it’s his turf.”

“You know Spot?” Blink had to pause a second. How was it this guy lived next door to the Jacobs, or his mom obviously did, and he knew Spot Conlon and Blink had met him on the worst day of the year in a ducking Target electronics department.

“Yes, yes, and I’m sure it’s a thrilling story and I’m sure you’ll discover a million more little connections because Long Island and New York City are the biggest small town in the world and everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who knows you but traffic is not going to get any better the longer we stand here in the cold,” Sarah huffed.

Dave rolled down his window. “She’s right and will only get meaner.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said primly. Davey just nodded and the window went back up.

Blink turned back to Mush to see he already had his phone out and a new contact page pulled up. He took it and put in “Kid Blink” and in the company line “Alex from Target 2.0” before typing his number and sending himself a text.

Mush laughed when he took it back and Blink smiled in triumph. “I’ll text you,” Mush said firmly and he slid it back in his coat pocket.

“Uh, actually can I call you when I get home? It’s uh, it’s um-”

“Absolutely,” Mush cut him off and kept smiling. “Whatever you prefer.”

Blink smiled back and nodded. “Ok. Cool. Thanks.”

They both stood there grinning stupidly at each other until Sarah honked the horn, obviously having gotten cold and impatient. Blink waved as he got in and Sarah backed out of the driveway, watching Mush wave back until he disappeared.

The next Friday when Blink slid into Sarah’s car where she pulled up outside of his apartment building, he was met with a “Hello” and a surprise hug from the backseat. Blink turned to see Mush sitting back there and grinning wildly. They’d talked nearly every day this week and had gone on their first official date on Wednesday.

“What’re you doing here?” Blink asked in awe.

“My mom wants me to help put up the Christmas lights and I remembered you saying Sarah was taking you out with her on the weekends, so I texted her and asked if she’d mind if I tagged along.”

“Obviously I said no he couldn’t,” Sarah said dryly. “He’s also been recruited into the ‘Les Jacobs SAT Prep Squad.’” She looked at him seriously in the rearview mirror and Blink knew she wasn’t joking about that. Mush just laughed and shrugged.

“If I were a better friend and a worse sister, I’d have left him drive you,” she told Blink softly.

He looked back over the seat to Mush before turning back to Sarah. “Nah, this is perfect.”

They all chatted as they neared the Brooklyn Bridge before Sarah started grumbling about rush hour traffic.

“You know,” Blink said suddenly. “You never did say how you know Spot.”

Mush started laughing and launched into the story. Blink was so swept up in it, and most importantly Mush animatedly telling it, that he hardly even noticed as Sarah cursed up a storm.

Blink might still hate the holiday season. And really hate working retail. And especially hate working retail during the holiday season. And need a new laptop. But, with meeting Mush he thought that it was all more than worth it.

#newsies #newsies secret santa 2019 #kid blink #mush meyers #sarah jacobs #david jacobs #92sies #my fic #writing #own writing

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greenninjagal-blog · 5 years

Text

Even If It Kills Us (but it won’t hopefully) pt2

hey, Hey, HEy, HEY! Sander’s Sides Mafia AU Part Two!

(Mostly for @kindly-falling @laragazzadellluna who surprised me with wanting more)

Part one is right here! Summary: Virgil is a normal college student, who’s never done anything illegal, much less something worth sending hit men after him for. Unfortunately, it looks like he’s going to die before he gets his answers.

“Do you think you can--perhaps--make time now?” the man says in the most pretentious voice Virgil has ever heard, “I assure you it’s quite important.”

Virgil thinks hes going to throw up.

Because this man is holding a gun--a gun and he just killed a man

(regardless that the other man has just been trying to kill Virgil)

He just killed a man like it was nothing. Like it was a simple chore.

Virgil chest heaves and it feels a lot like trying to inhale his own tongue. There are alarms and screaming and people trying to kill him and Virgil doesn’t know why but he knows this isn’t the time to be here.

fuck he can’t breathe

Patton’s fingers wrap his arm holding him to this reality like an anchor but Virgil thinks that this can’t be real. It can’t be real.

There’s a dead body on the floor a few meters from them.

But it can’t be real.

“Virgil,” The man says, “You need to breathe. This is not the time nor the place for a panic attack.”

Patton--Patton-- growls at him. It’s surprising because Pat is the nice one, the flowered crowns, the puns, the sweaters and the warm hugs. Virgil is the one who hisses at people who get too close.

But this is Patton who just stood in front of Virgil to save him from being potentially shot and Virgil thinks that he came so fucking close to losing the best person in his life

And he can’t exhale. His lungs scream.

“Virge,” Patton says quietly, “breathe with me.”

“We don’t have time--”

“Shut up!” Patton snaps. It’s not like him. Virgil breathes in and it feels a lot like claws dragging through his chest.

He does it again.

“I’m okay,” He rasps out as if saying it out loud would make it true in any sense.

“Excellent,” The man deadpans, “It’s time to go.”

“Where?!” Patton demands, “And who are you?!”

“The man who just saved you life.” He responds distastefully. “That’s all you need to know. It’s time for you to leave.”

“Excuse me?!”

Virgil is certain he’s never seen Patton like this. If he wasn’t already scared beyond belief, this would definitely be the thing causing him a panic attack. He’s already shaking all over, his whole body.

(If pat lets go hes sure he’d shake himself apart)

“This doesn’t concern you anymore.” The man says, “Its a family matter.”

Virgil has never seen the man before today.

“People got shot!”

The man considers his gun for a second and Virgil was certain he was going to shoot Patton too. “Yes, that is because they are the enemy. And quite frankly its time for you to step out unless you want to be shot at again.”

“I’m not leaving Virgil!”

“I don’t have time to argue this with you.” The man says, “Your blood is on your own hands, not mine.”

It sounds like a threat.

Patton squeezes Virgil’s shoulder.

Another form comes crashing around the corner behind them, but Virgil barely has time to register who they are before the man has fired two shots and they drop. It’s effortless. He fires again but the chamber is empty.

“Time to go,” He says.

He reaches out for Virgil’s arm and then stops himself-- “Can you run?”

Virgil nods.

They run.

Everything in Virgil screams that they were going to be shot, killed. But the man seems rather confident as he shoves open the exit door, eyes darting the outside.

They aren’t more than a foot outside before an expensive red sports car is plows over the curb and blocks their easy exit.

(Virgil doesn’t know a lot about cars, but fuck is this one nice)

The window is already down and the driver is smirking something awful. “Get in!”

The man who had saved their lives, stops short, “Absolutely not!”

The driver laughs good-naturedly and pulls a gun from somewhere. “How about now?”

There’s several gunshots from behind them. The glass door to the theater shatters.

“Fuck This,” Virgil breathes and because these people aren’t the ones currently trying to shoot him, he grabs the door handle and throws himself into the car. Patton lands sideways in his lap.

The man looks absolutely scandalized, “You cannot--!”

“Get in the damn car, Logan!” The driver shouts, “What’s the worse that can happen?”

“You’ll get us killed!”

The man--Logan-- gets in the car anyway.

Several bullets hit the door as it closes.

The driver laughs again, and Virgil is pretty sure he’s having fun. He presses the gas pedal to the actual floor and the car just explodes. Virgil hits the opposite door and Patton tumbles off the seat to the floor.

“I swEAR!” Logan yells as the driver spins out of the parking lot going at speeds that were illegal for a good reason. They nearly collide headfirst with three different cars but they were already gone by the time the other drivers even honked their horns.

“Ooh! Tails!” The driver called, checking his mirrors casually and running a red light. He tosses his gun in Logan’s lap, “Do you mind?”

“You are a terrible driver!” Logan snarls at him.

Virgil digs his hands into the leather seats. His stomach is in his throat as Logan leans out the open window, and fires again and again. Virgil can see him through the other windows, and his cold and calculating look that tightens when their driver makes an unexpected jerk of his wheel.

He can’t hear a thing.

Then Logan throws the gun, having emptied it, into the open air and climbs back in their car with curses tumbling off his lips.

“Who taught you how to drive?” He snarls.

“Did you get them?” The driver asks unbothered.

“no I left them--of fucking course i did. I’m not you!”

Awesome. Virgil who’s never even jaywalked before, realizes that he is in a car with two strangers, both of who had guns and knew how to use them, not to mention their driver had already broken at least fifty driving laws.

what the fucking hell

“Ouch harsh,” The driver laughs though, he reaches up and tilts the rearview mirror, “How’s it going back there, Sanders?”

“I’m going to throw up.” Virgil says. It’s not a lie.

“Hey, watch the leather, Jack Smellington, I just got her cleaned!”

Then for some ungodly reason Patton starts laughing too.

(Further proof, Virgil thinks, that Patton is crazy)

“Wow!” Pat reaches up and fixes his glasses, “I didn’t know the movie was in 4-D!”

“This is not a movie!” Logan hisses but his seriousness is in stark contrast with their drivers booming laugh.

(it’s different now, Virgil can’t quite put his finger on why, but it just sounds different)

“Who’s the puffball?” The driver asks, “I like him.”

“Patton Pater!” Patton!! says!! brightly!! “I like you too! What’s your name?”

“Roman Prince!” He says, “Resident Knight in shining armor!”

“A reckless playboy, with far too many cars and not enough rules.” Logan corrects with a sneer, “This is not your business, Prince.”

“It is when the next heir is as cute as he is!”

Virgil’s heart stops, “what?”

“i said you’re cute! Do you swing my way?”

Logan turns around in his seat. “Ignore him,” He commands, but Virgil gets the feeling Roman is not going to let that stand. “Based on your reactions in these past few minutes, I’m going to assume that you have no clue what is going on.”

Virgil’s throat is so dry he can barely breathe again, “Are you taking me somewhere to kill me?”

Logan sighs and takes off his glasses to clean them which is not an answer.

Roman zooms onto a freeway, “Did you even introduce yourself, Specs?”

(Virgil absently wonders why there are no Police cars chasing them down)

“My name is Logan. Sanders.” Logan says slowly, “We’re cousins.”

“That’s...” impossible is on the top of Virgil’s tongue, but he then remembers how cagey his mom always was when holidays came up. He knew he had relatives, somewhere but he had known better than to ask after the first time. “....alright.”

(it’s not alright. Its very, very far from alright.)

((Patton takes his hand and its enough support for Virgil to remember to exhale))

“Excellent,” Logan replaces his glasses. If it weren’t for the blood on his tie he could have been a TA at their college. “Our family is a mafia.”

Roman jerks the wheel and Logan’s head slams into the head rest. Patton lets out a yelp.

“Sorry Padre!” Roman shoots a sideways glare at Logan, “Really? Spock, there were a hundred other ways to break it to the kid. He looks like he’s going to faint. We’ve talked about this.”

“You talked, I did not listen because I do not want any misconceptions to arise.” Logan hisses, “I don’t want him to think anything other than the honest truth!”

Roman’s smile quirks viciously, “Oh that would be just awful wouldn’t it.”

Virgil doesn’t like the connotation of that.

He doesn’t like any of this.

(Part of him is horrified because he can understand it?? Why does it make sense to him?? His mom obviously never wanted anything to do with this part of his family, how she tried to keep him at home, how she always seemed to be looking over her shoulder, too paranoid to let him out of her sights. Part of him wonders if he always knew this, always knew something just wasn’t right.)

“What does that have to do with Virgil?” Patton asks innocently.

(Virgil knows he does that on purpose: its a load question and Patton is the barrier between it and Virgil himself)

Logan clenches his jaw, “It has to do with Virgil, because Virgil is the only other viable heir.”

“....what?”

Virgil’s voice is dry and broken. He had to have heard wrong. This wasn’t, couldn’t be real.

“Three nights ago the head of the family, Thomas Sanders, was murdered.” Logan says and then pauses.

“Murdered?” Patton repeats.

“Most of the family thinks it was our rivals--”

“Rivals?” Virgil interrupts, “You mean that’s who trying to kill me?”

Roman laughs, “God, that would be ironic!”

Logan makes an annoyed noise, “No the Prince’s aren’t the ones attempting to kill you. Though they should keep to themselves as this does not include them.”

“I can drop you off right here if you want.”

Virgil makes a noise in the back of his throat.

Roman meets his eyes in the rear view mirror, “Chill out, Winter Sulker! None of my family’s going to touch you without my say so. I’m my families heir.”

“Then who is trying to hurt my kiddo?” Patton asks, “And why?”

Logan clicks his tongue. “Thomas well...

“He named you, Virgil, heir to the family, although it is not logical in any sense--�� He stops himself again seeming to remember who he was speaking to. “You are Thomas’s heir and therefore are slotted to take over. And unfortunately, not everyone in the family is...agreeable to this course of action.”

Part Three

#virgil sanders #sanders sides virgil #sanders sides logan #logan sanders #patton sanders #sander sides patton #roman sanders #sanders sides roman #au #mafia au #guns #mafia war #college students

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a-very-fond-farewell · 5 years

Text

Bagginshield North & South au 1/4

Ok folks, I thought about how to make a North & South au (based on the BBC miniseries, not the actual book) without looking at any fic on the matter, because I didn’t want to be influenced by their (certainly brilliant) adaptations. So bear with me for the time being.

This is just a list of things that I would like to see in a N&S!au fic... but I have no energy to write that myself.

ATTN!1: I have changed many things, and it came out pretty angsty, with lots of pining and secrets that must be kept at all costs.

ATTN!2: I would have loved to explore the trans!Bilbo trope (either transwoman!Bilbo or transman!Bilbo), but I feel like I’m not the right person to give this idea the justice it deserves. I’m sure someone else could feel empowered in exploring that particular trope on their own, so it would be better for me not to rob them of such an opportunity.

ATTN!3: I’m just a nonbinary bean with terrible grammar and a knack for angst, also English is not my first language. I WILL ADD TO THIS.

Enjoy!

First Part:

In the mining town of Erebor, up north where the weather is crisp and the fog is as blinding as ever, the main source of income comes from the mithril veins hidden deep into the Lonely Mountain. Still fairly unknown to the masses as a viable alternative to steel for industrial products, mithril is considered to be nothing but a lower metal of very little use a part from being modeled as framing works for jewelry coming from the west.

Bilbo Baggins has followed his parents in this particular corner of the world after certain indiscretions had spread in the southern town of Bag End. At his cousin Prim’s wedding in London the previous summer, in fact, Bilbo had found himself rejecting the unwanted advances of a certain gentleman right before being discovered by his mother as the two men were parting ways from a very heated discussion in a secluded room.

In order to not let others know about such circumstances, Belladonna had shared her intention with her sister Mirabella to uproot in the north, at least until the rumors had dissipated. Bungo, as loving and trusting as ever, had simply accepted her decision and disposed for them all to move to Erebor. In doing so, he had consequently left his position as a parish in Bag End, not wavering in his faith, but merely willing to give his family what they needed to be happy.

Bilbo himself is no longer a lad: close to reach his thirties, many have speculated around the truth about his sudden return to his father’s home leaving his studies at Oxford out of the blue. Up until now, Bungo had protected his son by simply stating to the citizens of Bag End how needed Bilbo was, and Belladonna had made sure no mouths could run and shame her son in the meantime. But those days are over now, and their new town might not be as easily outsmarted this time around.

Heavy with sorrow for making his family move, Bilbo has resigned to keeping his life on check from now on, willing to sacrifice his happiness in order to keep his parents safe and healthy. Not being able to walk without a cane after his last days at Oxford, Bilbo finds himself constantly torn between revealing what had happened there and run away from all those eyes watching his every move. Luckily, in Erebor no one expects much of him, and any possible question regarding his lack of employment while he could no more benefit from being the only son of a parish is met with a simple gesture towards his bad leg. People seem complacent enough to overlook his poor excuse of a lie as long as they can speculate over his father’s decision to move up north.

Filled with guilt at the inability to defend his father against the rumors, Bilbo is reassured over and over again by his mother that they had made the right decision. The price for her understanding, however, seems to be an even greater burden for Bilbo: never speak of his true nature ever again, not even to his parents. Not even to himself.

Gandalf Gray, an old friend of Bungo’s, close enough to the family to understand the implications of their sudden uprooting, has decided to take Bilbo under his wing and show him around while his father has a chance to meet the pupils Mr. Gray has gathered for him to talk to. Having traveled all other the world, Mr. Gray is not new to the hardships Bilbo has encountered and his honesty and desire to help comforts Bilbo while he navigates the wastelands of melancholy that moving so far away has ensued.

While visiting one of the many mines belonging to the Durinson household, Bilbo finds himself shocked at the sight of its master beating one of his miners out of the mountain in a fit of rage. Little does he know what perils hide into the tunnels eroding the Lonely Mountain one inch at a time, or what are the dangers that fire and gas can bring to those working in the dark, with only the aid of candles and caged birds to save them from death.

Still, Bilbo tries to reason with said master, not knowing Thorin to be their landlord and one of his father’s pupils on top of that. Only thanks to Mr. Gray Bilbo is spared from Thorin’s anger by introducing him as a dear friend of his, but this doesn’t protect Bilbo from receiving yet another shock as the man simply turns and strides away after the worker he had just beaten up.

Meeting the man in his own home later that very same week, Bilbo is confronted with the absolute necessity from his part to embody a perfect son and the perfect guest, no matter how much he despises sharing a room with their landlord. But given the circumstances, he tries not to think about him too much while Bungo teaches Thorin all about philosophy and literature: he listens to their lessons half expecting to be invited to share his thoughts on his father’s many interpretations of the ancient sources... but eventually feeling much more at ease staying quiet by his armchair while the other two talk.

Judging from Thorin’s curiosity and will to learn, Bilbo convinces himself to have misjudged the man based on what he had seen at the mines, and later on investigates the matter further with his father and with Mr. Gray over a cup of tea. Apparently, after the sudden death of both of his parents when he was just a child, Thorin, his brother Frerin and their older sister Dis had been entrusted to the care of their grandfather, Thror: a man driven mad by his lust for gold to the point he had closed the mines twenty years before just to barricade himself inside the mountain in search of a vein of gold that never existed. Thorin’s little brother Frerin, small enough to wiggle his way in between the wooden bars Thror had used to close the openings, had looked for his grandfather anywhere before the main tunnel had collapsed on both of them one cold night of December.

Horrified by such a discovery, Bilbo has already spent many a day trying to find the courage to apologize to Thorin by the time he meets Bain, Sigrid and Tilda. The boy and his younger sister approaches him one day at the park, reminiscing of the way he had confronted Thorin at the entrance of the mine, where Bain works as well, while their older sister seems a little wary of Bilbo and apologizes to him for disturbing him so suddenly. On the other hand, Bilbo is overjoyed to have been met with such enthusiasm after weeks of isolation from actual social interaction and offers the siblings to walk them home... just as their father Bard comes into the picture, assuring Bilbo his services are not needed.

Intrigued by that little family, Bilbo tries to know more about them by lurking around the wooden houses destined to the miners skirting the suburban area at the bottom of the mountain, determined to pay them a visit with a basket of food to thank the kids for their kindness to him. Here, Bilbo gets to know the families of many of the miners, all relatively close to each other be it for family ties or friendship alone, that -surprisingly enough- seem more than happy to teach him a thing or two on how to survive the likes of Erebor and its masters.

From them comes the realization of how exactly Thror had compromised the economy of the city when he had closed the mines twenty years before. Many of the workers had found themselves jobless that year and, after the main tunnel had been deemed too dangerous to cross, new masters had come to the city and made their way with new holes into the mountain with no regards for safety. So many holes, indeed, that some workers avoided entering the Lonely Mountain for fear it could fall onto itself at any moment.

In all this, Thorin had been only sixteen and had to provide for his family now that his only guardian had perished in the depths of the main tunnel along with his little brother. Dis had been twenty then, and married a man coming from one of the richest families in town, who had provided for her and for their two sons up until his death, fifteen years before. Thorin, who had been fired to leave his studies in order to gain back his family’s honor by working for other masters, at twenty-one had made enough of a name for himself to be able to care for his older sister and nephews once more, as the customs required.

Dis, on the other hand, after losing her parents, grandfather, brother and husband, had accepted to go back home to her younger brother feeling like a caged animal, but not ungrateful enough to disregard the importance of the mines that brought them stability and wealth. Thorin, on the other hand, getting sterner by the year and low in spirits because of his newfound role as the head of their household, had become extremely protective of his family... just as much as Dis herself, the both of them manifesting some of the traits their own grandfather had shown by the time his obsession had piqued.

Even Bard and his kids had been willing to share some information with him by the time Bilbo discovers exactly how far the Durinson’s had prevented the growth of the town by limiting the number of caves under their watch. Bard himself seems set on hating the siblings for life, convinced the mountain could offer work to everybody without restrictions if only the Durinson’s were to let more people inside. He insists that gold lies under that mountain and that not even the Durinson’s should claim that vein for themselves while other masters have promised a job for everyone in town were the Durinson household to perish.

Struck by all those new revelations, one day Bilbo finds himself too overwhelmed to properly welcome Dis Durinson and her sons inside their home while his mother gets dressed upstairs. The woman strikes an imposing figure, just like her brother, dressed in all black with sober, yet quite beautiful blue earrings bringing out the coldness of her light-blue eyes. The oldest of her sons, affectionately called Kili by her, is roughly eighteen or nineteen years old and seems agreeable enough, asking Bilbo what wonders he has seen in London and what the south has to offer: curiosity getting the best of him contrary to his mother’s best judgment. Fili, instead, looks more lost than anything, not young enough to depend on his mother approval, but still not quite old enough to rebel against her composure and regal attitude.

Then, just as his mother welcomes them in her house, Bilbo notices how Belladonna has lost weight and how skirmish she looks. Being so distracted himself by his quest for knowledge in regards of Erebor and its history, Bilbo has completely overlooked him mother’s conditions and guilt overcomes him once more. Knowing that people were still talking about them because of the insinuations about his father’s decision to leave the Church, Bilbo is faced with shame and anxiety just by thinking how hard it must be for his parents to endure all of that pressure from the telltale coming from the upper society in town.

As he looks at Thorin’s sister and her impenetrable mask, he wonders how she must have felt when she had been married off to a rich man in order to save the family from disgrace. Because that is what the Baggins’ and the Durinson’s have been foreclosed to address, even if I’m different ways: disgrace. Profound and nasty disgrace.

Bilbo finds himself jealous of their luck in regaining control over their fate by hard work alone, but doesn’t voice his feelings as the woman and her sons leave. Nor does he want to speak of the matter with Thorin... until he does, while listening to his and Bungo’s usual lesson one day: feeling left out of the conversation, fed up with the way his family walks on eggshells around him, and impossibly frustrated with himself for not being able to seize Thorin’s character in his head, Bilbo accuses the man of being too full of himself to even care about the struggling miners, ready to strike in order to be allowed to look for gold in the mountain.

Immediately regretting what he has just said, already missing the opportunity to listen to Thorin’s deep voice asking intelligent questions, knowing how the man has been desperate to educate himself now that he had the opportunity to do so...Bilbo can only watch as Thorin greets him coldly and leave their house. Possibly to never return.

#bagginshield #the hobbit #n&s!au

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lostbutterflyutau · 5 years

Text

When the Music Changes (Part 2)

Note: This is the part that goes along with THIS lovely art piece. And, because it’s important to this part, I should mention that, in my AU timeline, Carla’s mother is long dead. She passed the day Carla was born. (I have nothing against canon or Mami Delgado. I simply write on a different timeline is all.)

Can I Have This Dance?

The party was a small one with only close friends and family in attendance, but it was more than enough for Carla, who, surprisingly, hadn’t wanted a party in the first place, having been too focused on getting herself together for her permanent move. She was content with attending both the school’s and Anna’s big celebrations for everyone, their group having agreed with their parents that more than one party was too much, especially since it would be a cycle of them just attending each other’s. But, Elena insisted, and once she set her mind to something, there was little chance of changing it, so Carla allowed it, under the condition that she would keep it small and private, which, she did. However, despite the limited attendance, the room was still loud and boisterous, in part thanks to Anna, who even drug Esteban into the fray, eager to put a smile on everyone’s face, including his.

‘Only Anna,’ Elena thought, laughing to herself at the sight of the red-haired girl twirling her cousin around the floor, before turning her attention back to the door to see Gabe and Carla carefully making their way down the stairwell. For a moment, she thought that, despite the formality, they looked good together, the idea bringing a smile to her face as she made her way over, meeting them as soon as they hit the floor.

“There you two are!” She said, wrapped her arms around Carla. “Congratulations, again.”

“Thanks, Elena,” Carla smiled, joining hands with the princess as she scanned the room, took in the minimal, but elegant decorations, light, but perfectly prepared food spread and, of course, the lingering excitement. “Everything looks great.”

“I figured you’d want to keep it simple, especially since we don’t know what Anna’s planning for hers.”

Carla nodded, added, “Knowing her, it’ll probably be –” She cut herself off when the music suddenly changed.

“Oh! I love this song!” Elena and Carla exclaimed together.

“Let’s dance,” Elena suggested, moving to grab Carla’s hand again and stopping when she pulled back.

“Actually,” Carla said as she set a hand on Gabe’s arm, “Gabe offered to –”

“Well, don’t let me stop you,” The crown princess interrupted and promptly turned around, throwing her friend a smile over her shoulder before making her way over to where Mateo was intently watching Moana demonstrate her water powers.

“Shall we?” Gabe asked and Carla nodded as she took the hand he offered, let him lead her onto the floor and through the beginning of a traditional dance that he fumbled through, trying his best to remember the fast-paced steps he’d only learned a few times.

“Are you sure you know how to do this?” His partner asked, moved back to avoid having her foot stepped on.

“I’m sure,” He insisted.

“Then why are you moving to the right? The next step is to the left and then back…” She trailed off, rolled her eyes at his failed attempt to maintain his pride. “You know what? Just follow me.” She ordered, quickly taking the lead and reveling in the stunned look on his face as she guided him through the steps, smiling when his movements became smoother as the steps came back to him and laughing when he twirled her around on cue. Both unaware of the two lingering sets of eyes keeping a close watch.

Elena smirked, shot Naomi a knowing look over Mateo’s shoulder that she nodded at from her place by the buffet table. She quickly excused herself out of the conversation she was having with Belle and Rapunzel and made her way over to where the band was playing, tapped on the conductor’s shoulder to get his attention and whispered a request as she slipped a gold coin into his hand.

The conductor raised an eyebrow, but nodded, turned a few pages in his music list as Naomi caught her best friend’s eye and gave her thumbs up, a small smirk playing at her lips when, as she was making her way back to the other girls, the music changed, the light-hearted, eager traditional sound fading into a soft, slow melody that startled everyone on the floor.

‘Wait…What?’ Carla thought, steps halting when she processed the sudden shift in music, her confused expression quickly turning into surprise when Gabe suddenly pulled her in.

‘This I know how to do,’ He thought, smiling internally at the way her eyes widened when, fueled by a sudden bout of confidence, he pulled her towards him, hands finding their proper places as the dynamic shifted.

Surprised by his boldness, Carla lost all semblance of thought, feet instinctively following the music as he took the lead and she willed herself to think of something – anything – but the way Gabe’s hand was settled perfectly on her back, or how her own hand fit perfectly in his other one or the way he–

‘Stop it. Get a hold of yourself, Carla,’ She chastised herself, biting her lip as her gaze involuntarily shifted upwards, breath hitching when she met his, eyes locking as they moved about the floor, the world around them fading farther and farther with each step. She prayed that he wouldn’t notice the way she suddenly mis-stepped, heart thundering in her chest when she caught the subtle adoration in his gaze, as if she was the only thing he was seeing. It brought her back to the night of the Navidad Festival, to the moment where he saw her for the first time. She still remembered the stunned expression on his face when Elena informed him that the girl he was attempting to flirt with was actually her. Still laughed when she thought about the way he fumbled over his words when he asked her to dance. Yet, when they hit the floor, all the reservations he had melted away as they both lost themselves to the music and the moment.

That night had been the first time Carla felt such emotion and, if she was truly honest with herself, the thought frightened her. It had been difficult enough to open up to her friends and allow herself to be cared for. The idea of giving so much more of herself, of wanting a deeper, emotional connection with someone, hadn’t crossed her mind until that point, and when it did, it both scared and…excited her. Not that she would ever let either side show, at least, not intentionally. Flirting, manipulating, playing games…those, she all knew how to do. Being open and honest about her feelings? Not so much. However, something about his presence calmed her, and the more time she spent with him, the more comfortable she felt, her well-built walls slowly crumbling with each interaction.

Unbeknownst to Carla, as he twirled her, Gabe’s thoughts began to wander as well. He too, found himself being brought back to the night of the festival, mind flooding over with images of elegantly hung decorations, shimmering ornaments, tables set with what seemed like miles of traditional treats and of course, a jovial, bustling ballroom. All around him people were talking, laughing, dancing, but there had been one in particular that stood out. Her. The girl with the glittering midnight gown and prettiest eyes he’d ever seen. When he spotted her, she had been laughing with Elena and, though it wasn’t easy, he decided to take a chance, only to end up feeling like an idiot when he not only fumbled through a basic compliment, but when Elena, unable to help herself, chuckled and informed him that the girl was actually Carla.

That was the moment that changed everything. The first time he saw her as more than part of their friend group. He would never say it aloud, but part of him was terrified when she accepted his offer to dance, but, once they made their way to the floor, falling into step was easy. Though Elena had mentioned it, he got to see for himself that night that Carla was an incredible dancer. Every step was timed perfectly with the music, not one missed as they moved about the floor, the light from the chandelier illuminating her face just so, eyes sparkling underneath smoky blue eyeshadow and…had her eyelashes always been so long? Little details he had never noticed before stuck out, the rest of world disappearing around them as they moved in time with each other and the music. After that night, he didn’t see her often. She had her life in the Mirror World to tend to, after all.

Wait.

The Mirror World.

At that, he snapped back to reality. He hadn’t thought much about what would happen after she graduated and left the school, and she hadn’t told him, or anyone else as far as he knew, about her plans. If she decided to stay there permanently…

“Gabe?” Carla asked, her voice drawing him out of his thoughts.

There was a lingering pause as he thought about how to answer, his focus immediately shifting back to her as he spun her one last time, took in every small detail, from the amethyst gems embedded in her tiara to the tiered skirt that elegantly floated along with every movement, and even down to her violet painted toenails, the sight thoroughly distracting him as she came back into his arms and locked eyes with him again, his catching the way hers sparkled underneath the light. She looked, well, like a princess.

“Beautiful,” He finally, unconsciously, answered her in a mutter.

“What?” She said, slightly taken aback by what she thought she heard. Eyebrow raising slightly in curiosity when she felt him tense up.

“You’re – I mean – Y…” Gabe trailed off and then paused, took in a breath to compose himself. There was no way he was going to ruin this moment. Not this time. “You look beautiful,” He finished just as the song did.

“Oh,” She murmured, unable to come up with any sort of viable response as her face flushed over. It wasn’t as if she’d never been called beautiful. Her father had been telling her she was beautiful since she was little. Several people over the years had said the same. Then there were the boys she managed to catch the eyes of, both the ones she had manipulated for her own gain time and time again and the few from the mirror world who asked her to dances and left notes in her locker on Valentine’s Day. But this time was completely different. It was Gabe saying it.

“T – Thank you,” She finally managed in a whisper, finding herself unable to raise her voice any higher.

He smiled, took the hand that was still resting in his and brought it to his lips, kissed the back before turning away, knowing that, if he lingered any longer, the moment would be ruined.

Carla stood still for a moment, watched as he silently walked off, briefly wondering if she had done something wrong before reality slowly came back to her, mind suddenly becoming aware of the setting and people around her. She shook her head, took in a breath in an attempt to calm herself, head and heart still reeling from the dance and his compliment as she stepped off the floor in the same moment that the music picked back up, the fun, lively melody being a stark contrast to the sudden wave of emotion that crept up on Gabe as he leaned against the balcony railing with a hard sigh and stared out into the garden.

He supposed he should be pleased. Despite his initial nervousness about the night, things had turned out alright. No, it was more than just ‘alright.’ It had been great, amazing, even. Though small, he’d managed to have a meaningful conversation with Carla, something that was often difficult to accomplish due to the front she put up. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for that, after all, he had his own image to keep up. But, beyond her sharp words and feisty attitude, he knew there was another part. The part that she kept hidden from most of the world. The part that was adorably close to her father and loved to dance the night away. The part that shone through her eyes when she was genuinely, truly happy. The part that…He wanted to know more about and now wasn’t sure if he would get the chance to.

“Gabe?” A voice said, startling him. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the quiet footsteps as they approached or even registered the presence of another person, things that were both extremely rare for him.

He sighed again, softer this time, and turned to see Elena making her way over to his side.

“What are you doing out here?” She asked, set a hand on the railing. “Did something happen?”

“No,” He replied, turned back to the garden. “Not really.”

Elena frowned, reached out to set a hand on his shoulder. “Gabe, look at me,” She requested and he obeyed, turned back to her. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t respond, not right away. Instead, he took a moment to contemplate his choices, confessed when he made up his mind, “I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?”

“Carla.”

The princess tilted her head curiously, allowed him to continue.

“I was starting to feel like we were finally connecting, you know? I can actually talk to her now,” He said, pausing before admitting, “Well, most of the time. And now that I’ve finally started unraveling her, I don’t want her to leave.”

“Leave? What are you –” Elena started, cutting herself off when she suddenly realised that he didn’t know, “Carla didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“That she’s decided to stay here in Avalor.”

“Wait, what?” Gabe said, eyes widening as he processed her words.

Unable to help herself, Elena giggled softly at his stunned expression. “Yep. Why do you think she’s been back and forth so much over the past week? We’ve been trying to sort out and bring her stuff over here…Well, the things we can bring, anyway. Did she seriously not tell you?”

“I guess it never came up,” The guard captain confessed, hand instinctively going to the back of his neck as he continued, “Not that it has to. It’s really not my business, anyway.”

“It is when you still haven’t told her how you feel,” Elena pointed out, noting the uncharacteristic flush that came over his face as she spoke.

“I – I have no idea what – ”

“Yes you do.”

Gabe sighed, returned to leaning over the railing. He knew she was right. Even though she never came out and said it, he knew that Elena was aware of his growing feelings for their friend. The subtle remarks and knowing looks were enough to tell him so.

“It’s not that easy, alright?” He finally said after a brief silence. “You should know that. Didn’t it take you a long time to tell Mateo?”

“It did,” The crown princess confessed, moved to join him and placed a reassuring hand over his. “There was a lot to consider and I guess I sat on it for awhile because I was scared. I forced everything down for longer than I should have. Mateo is one of my best friends and I didn’t want to ruin what we already had. Plus, there were his feelings to consider as well. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if I scared him off? What of things just got…weird? There were a lot of questions,” She sighed, took a moment to process her own words before adding, “Questions that I’m sure you have too.”

“See?” Gabe said with a smile. “It’s hard. Really hard. I don’t even know what happened. One minute we’re friends. Talking and laughing and running off to defend the kingdom together. Then the next, I’m suddenly thinking about how pretty her eyes are and how good she looks when she’s all dressed up. Not that she doesn’t look good normally.”

Elena laughed at his last sentence, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I get it. It was the same for me. One day we’re laughing and joking away in his workshop and the next I’m thinking about pushing his hair out of his face to get a better look at his eyes. But, that’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to analyse it. You just feel it.”

“But what about Carla? How does she feel? If at all. This is going to sound stupid, but even after the time we’ve spent, I still don’t know what she’s thinking half the time.”

“No one does,” Elena stated bluntly. “And that’s not anyone’s fault. It’s just that Carla isn’t very good at being honest about her feelings. There are still a lot of things even I don’t know about her,” She explained and then paused, thought about her next words carefully before continuing, “But one of the things I do know is that she likes you, Gabe.”

Stunned, he turned back to his friend, raised a curious eyebrow. “She does?”

“Why do you think she flirts with you all the time?”

“I guess I thought she was just being a tease. Remember the whole Rita and Mateo thing?”

“Well, that was then and this is now. And now she’s not playing around. Trust me. Carla likes you. A lot,” Elena reassured him. “I probably shouldn’t have told you, but…”

Gabe cut her off. “No. I’m glad you did.”

“Just don’t tell her that I said anything.”

“I won’t,” He promised, a long pause hanging between them before Elena turned away with the intent to go back inside, pausing after just a few steps and turning back to add,

“One more thing. Remember what I said. Flirting and playing games, Carla knows how to do. But being honest about her feelings is difficult. So, you’re going to have to take the chance for both of you.”

“Elena,” Gabe said, stopping her when she stepped away again.

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” Elena replied with a smile as stepped back over to him, grabbed his hand, “Now, let’s head back before people start asking questions.”

He nodded in response, followed her back into the party, which took up a surprisingly decent chunk of the night, only ending when Isabelle pointed out the time and how she and the other girls had to get back to their world before curfew.

After that, brief goodbyes were said, along with promises to return for the celebrations on their side before everyone split up for the night with the girls deciding to stay together in Elena’s room.

“If I had known you were going to bring them back, I would have just left mine here,” Naomi commented when Elena returned to her spot on the floor after letting in the servant who’d been charged with collecting the gifts from the party.

“I thought we’d have time to open them at the party, but…” Elena started with a shrug as Carla carefully took down and then brushed out her hair, while, behind her, Naomi ran a brush through Carla’s.

“…We got caught up with everything,” Carla finished, wincing when she felt a hard tug at the back of her head. “Ow. Be careful!” She snapped.

“Sorry. Still not used to this,” Naomi explained, exchanged the brush for one of the combs sitting next to her and went to work carefully picking apart the tangle.

“Anyway,” Elena cut in, hoping to relieve the tension. “How was the party? You had fun, right?”

Carla nodded, added when she realised that her friend couldn’t see her, “Thank you for letting the girls come.”

“Of course! It was fun having them here.”

Naomi laughed, remembered, “Did you see how Anna nearly twirled Esteban into the buffet table?”

“And how he tried to hide from her for the rest of the night?” Elena added, all three busting into laughter at the memory and how Esteban had even tried hiding behind Francisco to avoid the girl.

“Try planning school dances with her,” Carla said, gently ran her fingers through a section of Elena’s hair to break up some lingering tangles. “I love Anna, but she’s too much sometimes.”

“What is her thing again? Loyalty?” Elena tried to recall. “Or was it creativity?”

“Laughter. And creativity isn’t an element.”

“Right. Sorry. I have trouble keeping track of them all.”

Carla shrugged. “Don’t be. Even Mateo is still trying to gather information on them.”

“Is that why he spent the whole party taking notes?” Naomi teased.

Elena rolled her eyes playfully. “Hey! I got him to look up from his notes long enough to dance.”

Naomi smirked at the last word, bit back a laugh as she set her hands on and then leaned over Carla’s shoulders and said, “Speaking of dancing…”

Knowing what her best friend was up to, the crown princess smiled, looked over her own shoulder at Carla, who raised a curious eyebrow, looked from Elena to Naomi and back again and then frowned at the look they exchanged.

“What?” She finally snapped.

“You and Gabe?” Elena said as if to remind her.

“That slow dance?” Naomi added.

“What about it?” Carla said, crossed her arms defensively.

Naomi rolled her eyes at the smaller girl’s attitude. Even with her closest friends knowing about her feelings, she was still stubborn. “Come on! We all saw the way you were looking at each other!”

“It was like you were the only thing he was seeing,” Elena swooned, remembering the first time she had caught Mateo giving her that same look as she turned around, took Carla’s hands in hers. “I – I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carla lied, looking away to prevent the crown princess’ eyes from meeting her own, knowing they would betray her.

The older girl gave a hard sigh as Naomi shifted, moved so that she was sitting next to her best friend, both noting how the usually feisty and fierce Carla tensed up, suddenly feeling nervous underneath their gazes.

“Yes you do,” Naomi commented, leaned in when Carla didn’t respond. “You’re blushing,” She teased, held in a laugh when her blush deepened.

“I am not!”

Elena sighed. “Carla, look at me,” She requested softly, waiting while Carla gave her a few fleeting glances as she worked up the courage to finally look up and at her face. “There you go.”

Carla couldn’t help but smile at Elena’s light tease. She wasn’t sure how the princess did it, but she had gotten a little too good at bringing out her smile.

“You don’t have to hide this from us.”

“Not that you’re doing a good job, anyway,” Naomi pointed out, earning a glare from Carla in response.

Elena shrugged, admitted, “Well…She’s not wrong.”

“I know,” Carla finally admitted with a hard sigh. “And I hate it.”

Naomi and Elena exchanged a curious look, neither saying a word as their friend continued.

“I spent a long time learning how to mask emotion. I was taught to force everything down. To be angry at the world. ‘Don’t let your feelings get in the way,’ is what Papa would say. And I didn’t. Most of the time.”

“Is that why you never admitted you were lonely?” Naomi asked, remembering how surprised she was when, after her first visit to the Mirror World, Elena had informed her that hidden underneath the attitude was a scared, lonely girl who’d never had even one real friend.

Carla nodded, shifted so that she could bring her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them as she continued, “And then he showed up with his stupid handsome face and those stupid eyes and his stupid compliments and now I just – Ugh!” She put her head down with an annoyed groan, missing the silent laughs her friends gave at her words.

“Is there anything about him that isn’t stupid?” Naomi asked, half-jokingly. While she was partially teasing in an attempt to lighten the mood, she was also extremely curious as to exactly what Carla liked about Gabe. She and Elena both knew they were crushing on each other, but neither had said much about how it all started.

Carla lifted her head up, thought for a moment. “Well, there’s – and – I mean, he –” She tried, feeling the flush returning as she struggled to find the words. There was plenty to like about him. In fact, she’d run herself in circles thinking about it. Yet, she couldn’t make herself say any of it out loud, so they sat in silence for a few minutes while she ran over the words in her head, eventually deciding that the whole conversation was annoying. Why were her feelings their business, anyway?

“You know what? Forget it,” Carla declared as she forced herself up, stalked over to the other side of the room and out to the balcony, slamming the door behind her.

“Carla!” Naomi called and moved to stand, only to be stopped by Elena’s arm.

“Give her a minute,” Elena said, knowing that chasing her down would accomplish nothing except making Carla even more annoyed and possibly angry. She didn’t like to be pressed when emotionally conflicted, something Elena learned and had to adapt to early on.

Meanwhile, out of her friends’ sight, Carla leaned against the door, gave a long sigh before making her way to the railing, instinctively pushing a piece of hair from her face when a light breeze came through just as she leaned over the rail.

“Why can’t I just tell them?” She whispered to herself as she looked up towards the stars, focusing on a particularly bright one as she unconsciously reached into the single pocket on her nightdress, pulled out and opened the gold locket, turning to the portrait on the left.

“What would you say if you were here, Mama? Papa said he did all the work, chasing you down and trying to convince you to even look at him, but I don’t think that’s all true. The way he talks about you, I know you felt something. Were you hiding too?” She paused, turned back to the sky. In the past, talking to her mother wasn’t something Carla often did, but over the past year and a half, with everything that had changed in her life, she found herself doing it more often, finding a strange comfort in being able to freely voice her feelings to someone, even if they had never met and she wasn’t physically there. But, in a way, that made it easier for her to talk. Not having to be face-to-face with an actual person, watching their eyes as they listened and possibly judged her. Not that her friends ever would judge her.

“I guess you have to when you’re on your own as a woman. You want to be the manipulator, not the one being manipulated. But, what happens when you find someone you don’t want to manipulate?”

That thought in particular was foreign to her after being taught for years how to analyse, observe and break people, particularly men, down in order to exploit them and their weaknesses. She knew now that it was the wrong way to accomplish anything. Yet, she realised that she still held onto old habits, using her flirting skills to get a rise out of Gabe and break his usual, cool royal guard demeanor. She kept hoping he’d take the hints and realise what she was doing, but it hadn’t worked so far. Carla frowned, wondered if he was just dense and quickly shook her head at the thought. No. There was no way he was that dense.

“Maybe…He’s conflicted too?” She asked herself, turned back to her locket. “Why is this so hard, anyway? Was it this hard for you? What about Papa?” She sighed again. “Not that I can ask him.” She had thought briefly about saying something to her father, even opened up her enchanted notebook with the intent to write him, but quickly realised that she couldn’t. He once told her that she could tell him anything, but she knew there was a line. Things that he didn’t need to know. Instead, though it took some time and courage, she chose to confide in Elena. She remembered that evening clearly. Upon request, Elena had come over to the Mirror World, sat down with her in her flat after work one night. Despite the late hour, Elena listened intently, and was patient during the many strained pauses in the conversation, busying herself with brushing through Carla’s hair as they talked, revealing that she had harboured the same feelings for Mateo, and that it took her awhile to figure it out as well. Elena even admitted to being afraid of telling anybody, even Naomi, and that, she had eventually turned to her Abuela, much like how, when she realised she couldn’t keep hiding, Carla had come to her. She had validated her feelings, let her know that she wasn’t alone in this.

Carla gave a soft smile at the thought, turned to look back at the door, making out Elena and Naomi’s silhouettes as they talked amongst themselves, feeling the smallest twinge of guilt for the way she had reacted. Though pushy, she knew in the back of her mind that they wanted to know because they cared. Because they wanted her, their friend, to be happy.

‘I guess I should go back,’ She decided, gently closed the locket and slid it back into her pocket, giving one last glance up towards the sky before making her way back into the room, her entry interrupting their conversation as they both turned towards her.

“Feel better?” Elena asked and Carla nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I guess,” Carla sighed, asking as returned to her spot on the floor. “Why is this so hard?”

Elena smiled, reached over to place a hand over Carla’s. “Because when you’ve never felt like this before, you just don’t know how to deal. Trust me. I’ve been there. No one ever tells you how to handle it until it’s too late.”

“Plus, everyone handles it differently,” Naomi added and Elena nodded in agreement.

“At least you can actually talk to Gabe. I was a mess when I was first figuring out my feelings,” Elena admitted with a light blush as she recalled how she would fumble over small tasks and her words during those first few days after her own realisation.

“I remember that!” Naomi said, laughed at the memory before adding, “You were so distracted during that Grand Council meeting.”

“And Esteban lectured me for it,” Elena recalled, a smile breaking across her face as another, more recent memory came to mind. “Speaking of distractions, you should have seen the way Gabe looked at Carla this morning when we came out of Doña’s shop.”

“Can you blame him? That dress does look incredible on me,” Carla bragged, flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Naomi rolled her eyes at her attitude, threw a pillow at her face.

“Hey!” The smaller girl snapped, throwing a glare first at Naomi and then Elena when she laughed.

“Sorry,” Elena apologised, took a moment to compose herself. “She’s not wrong. Sort of. You did look nice tonight.”

“Gabe thought so too,” Carla revealed before she could stop herself, instantly regretted it when both of the other girls’ eyes widened as they eagerly leaned forward in anticipation.

“Did he say something?” Elena asked in the same moment Naomi also asked,

“What did he say?”

Carla recoiled slightly, less than appreciative at having her space invaded. She considered walking away again, but knew it wouldn’t solve anything. And, surprisingly, a part of her wanted to tell them, once they backed away, of course. “You’re in my space,” She declared with a wave of her hand, silently signaling them to back up, which they did, a brief pause settling as she ran over the images in her head, the flush returning when she recalled the way he had looked at her, eyes locked on hers as he uttered the words that had been echoing in her head for the better part of the night.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don –” Elena started, afraid that their pushing would drive her away again.

Carla cut her off, the words finally forming as she confessed, “He told me I looked beautiful.”

Elena and Naomi didn’t respond right away, only blinked before exchanging the same stunned looked and then turning back to Carla, both their faces breaking into wide smiles.

“No wonder you looked so dazed after that dance,” Naomi remembered.

“Did he really say that? Wow,” Elena commented.

Carla crossed her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The crown princess laughed. “Nothing,” She reassured. “I’m just surprised he worked up the courage to say it.”

“Maybe we should congratulate him?” Naomi teased, received a pillow in the face as a response.

“Okay, I deserved that,” She admitted.

“Yes, you did,” Carla agreed.

Elena shook head, laughed. “You two,” She muttered to herself before turning to Carla,

“Why don’t we open your gifts?” She suggested as she stood and made her way over to the desk where the boxes and bags were sitting, hoping to shift the focus for a bit.

“Fine with me,” Carla shrugged and Naomi stood as well, moved to assist her best friend in carrying everything over, most of it being from their friends and family in Avalor.

“Your Mirror World friends didn’t get you anything?” Naomi asked after briefly glancing at the tags.

“No. Well, not yet, anyway. We decided to do a secret Santa type deal,” Carla explained, took the bag Elena handed over, “Otherwise we would have had to buy five separate gifts each and it would have been too much. Not that I listened.”

Elena shrugged, said, “You didn’t have a choice. You can’t just give one of them a notebook and not the others. Besides, Mateo doesn’t mind.”

“I would be easier if mobiles worked over here…” Carla muttered, trailed off when she opened the box in her hands, and gave it curious look. “What is this?”

“It’s a hair comb,” Naomi explained as she gently took the small box out of Carla’s hands and pulled the mentioned object from it, revealing the golden comb sitting under the three flowers. “I fixed it up myself.”

“Fixed it up?”

“When I bought it, the paint was chipped and some of the jewels had fallen out. But, I figured I could fix it. It just look a little paint and a lot of patience. My mom helped too. She was the one who figured out how to get the jewels back into place and where to find replacements.”

Stunned, Carla carefully took the comb back, flipped it over a few times, taking in the perfectly painted, royal blue flowers, the golden vines sitting on both sides of them, and the neatly placed sapphire gems throughout the piece. “You…did this? For me?”

“It was nothing, really, I just – oh,” Naomi cut herself off when Carla suddenly moved, wrapped her arms around her. Surprised by the unexpected bit of affection, it took her a moment to react. She was used to getting hugs from Elena, but had noticed that Carla wasn’t as touchy and chose to take it as a compliment as she returned the hug with a smile.

“Thank you,” Carla said as she pulled away, placed the accessory back in its box and set it aside before reaching for one of the other boxes, only to be stopped when Elena shoved one into her hands.

“Open Gabe’s present,” She insisted.

“Okay, okay,” The younger girl huffed, glanced over the neatly wrapped box tied with a purple ribbon and raised an eyebrow at it, curious as to what he possibly could have bought that was so big. Well, bigger than the other, smaller boxes scattered around, anyway.

‘I guess there’s only one way to find out,’ She said to herself, untied the ribbon and set it aside, figuring she could use it for something later, both friends eagerly watching and waiting as she tore off the paper and then finally pulled off the box top, eyes widening when she caught site of the royal blue fabric inside.

“Is that a dress?” Naomi asked, exchanging a stunned look with Elena before they both turned back to Carla as she pulled the garment up and out of its box.

“It is a dress!” Elena confirmed in awe. “A pretty one, too.”

“But, why?” Carla asked, continued to stare at it and turned it over a few times as if to make sure it was real.

“I guess you’ll have to ask him,” Elena said, frowning as her friend set the dress back in its box and exchanged it for one of the bags. “You’re not going to try it on?”

Carla shook her head. “Not right now.”

“Oh, come on! You have to,” The crown princess insisted, quickly snatching up the garment and scrambling up before the smaller girl had a chance to react.

“Elena, I really don –” Carla started to protest, trailing off when Elena leaned down with her hand out, and then sighing when, after a moment of hesitation, she conceded, figuring that she may as well amuse her best friend, especially after everything she’d done for her that day.

“That dress looks great on you!” Elena complimented when Carla stepped out from behind her dressing curtain.

“Who knew Gabe had such good taste?” Naomi commented as Carla stepped over to the full-length mirror, took a moment to admire her reflection.

Surprisingly, the dress fit nicely and had a simple elegance to it, the main part of the garment being a dark, royal blue colour accentuated with a lighter shade on the piece that hung off of and wrapped around her shoulders, the colour matching that of the sash, which was adorned with a bow at the left side, and the second layer of the skirt.

“I guess it’s cute,” Carla observed, trying and failing at hiding the soft smile that broke through her façade.

“You like it,” Elena teased, adjusted the sash.

“Maybe a little.”

Both Naomi and Elena shook their heads at the comment just as the princess sent Carla off again, telling her she could change back now that they confirmed that the dress both fit and looked good. When she returned, she put the garment back in its box, set it aside and turned her attention to the remaining gifts, most of which were pieces of jewellery or hair accessories, minus the inscribed notebook she received from Mateo with a note about their magic lessons and the history book from Esteban that she tossed behind her, muttering about how she hadn’t yet started lessons with him and he was already attempting to give her homework, which made Elena slightly nervous about having even suggested the idea of Esteban tutoring Carla in order to prepare her for her new role.

But, she quickly shook the feeling off as they returned to talking about that day and what was to come in the following few, including the two parties they were scheduled to attend just before the exhaustion finally hit and a collective decision was made to turn in for the night, Carla harbouring a small, secret smile as she settled into her spot next to Naomi thinking as her mind suddenly flashed back to that dance, that, even if she would never admit it aloud, she would love to dance with him again, if only just to be in his arms once more.

(Part 1) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)

#elena of avalor #my fanfiction #carla delgado #gabe nunez #Mirror World AU #SunsetCarla #eoa shipping week #shipping week 2019 #when the music changes #part two

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anavoliselenu · 4 years

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blood chapter 22

I stayed hunched over the toilet in the bathroom. This had become my home for the past couple of hours, and it actually wasn't because of the pregnancy. My stomach was more unsettled because of nerves. Well, I'm sure it was a mixture of both, but my worries were outweighing my hormones.

Justin had been gone since yesterday and was supposed to be back this morning, but he had to stay wherever because of a freak snowstorm. I didn't know where he was and he wouldn't tell me what he was doing. I figured it was something horrible, so I didn't even want to ask.

The more pressing issue was that my seven days were up. Today was the week mark from when I found out that I was pregnant. I gave myself a time limit and I knew what I had to do. Justin was coming home, and he deserved to know. I had tried calling him because I really wanted to say something about the baby. I thought it might be easier over the phone, but that didn't work out like I had planned.

I tried to throw up one more time, but at this point, I had nothing left to expel.

I got up off of the floor and brushed my teeth to get the awful taste out of my mouth. I splashed some water over my face and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like shit, but I hadn't been sleeping well lately; the mix of finals and fear was a good sleep inhibitor. I was scared out of my mind for several reasons.

For one, the father of my child—the man I loved—hated what I was carrying. It wasn't just that Justin didn't like kids; he passionately despised them. He acted like a big kid himself, but I couldn't imagine a person hating a child. If anyone could, though, it was Justin. It didn't matter who they were, either. I had seen him push his little cousins away because they were annoying him or glare at kids on the street because they looked at him funny. How was I supposed to tell him that I was carrying a baby?

Secondly, the school year was over, and I told Charlie that I was staying here for summer classes. When he asked how I was paying for them, I said that I had gotten a small scholarship. That was a complete lie, and I was going to have to go home at some point during the summer—preferably before I started showing. I didn't know what to tell Charlie. I had been so secretive with him over this past year because I was involved in a lot of things I shouldn't. According to him, I was the sweet, innocent girl who was studying her ass off in her dorm. He would soon realize that I not only had a twenty-five year old boyfriend, but that I was knocked up as well? That was going to be a shocker for sure.

He would start digging into Justin and who he was, even though they had already met. Charlie was going to find out what Justin's real last name was, and it would all go downhill from there. Maybe I didn't even need to tell Justin that I we were having a baby, because once Charlie found everything out, it wasn't like I would ever see him again anyway. What about Renee? Oh God, just kill me now.

I was making a mental list of what needed to be done. I had to tell Justin, get to a doctor soon, and go from there.

How was this supposed to work?

"Just tell him." I tried to pump myself up in the mirror. It wasn't working.

I went downstairs and decided to stress cook. I had to do something to subdue my nerves.

I spent hours in the kitchen, making a couple pies, and then a pan of macaroni and cheese since I suddenly wanted some. By the time all of that was done, the kitchen smelled like a cooking show, and I was running out of room to put things on the counter.

The doorbell rang and my heart stopped. I calmed down when I realized that Justin wasn't home yet. He would have used his key. I peeked through the peephole and saw Rose's face on the other side.

"What took you so long?" she asked when I opened the door.

"I was just checking."

"I'm bored. Let's go do something." She plopped down on the sofa, and I sat in the chair next to her. "Do you want to go to Plasma before the guys get back?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head.

"Why? You can't still be sick."

"I think I am and I don't want to go without Alice."

She still had one final test and was studying her ass off, so I hadn't seen her in the past couple of days.

"You don't like me?" Rose feigned hurt.

"You're not exactly the warmest person to hang out with."

"I still know how to have fun and we like each other."

"Yeah, with people around for buffers." I got up from my seat and went back into the kitchen.

"Well, at least I'm not a full on bitch anymore. We just have butting personalities. That doesn't mean we can't go out."

"I guess, but I'm still not feeling well." I munched on a small chocolate chip cookie.

Rose looked around the kitchen. "This sure is a lot of food."

"I was hungry."

She picked up her own cookie and hopped onto the counter. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"Just sit here and wait for Justin to come home."

"Last time I called, they were still stuck in Maine."

"Maine? Is that where they were last night?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Did Emmett tell you that?"

"Emmett tells me everything. Justin didn't tell you why they were going?"

"No."

She bit her lip. "Well, they'll be back soon."

"What do you know?"

"It's best if you don't know right now. Let Justin explain it."

I exhaled deeply. "I try not to ask what he's up to. It scares me too much."

"I understand."

"Rose, can I ask you a question?" I was about to take a big leap of faith here.

"Sure."

"Why do you think Justin hates children?"

She snorted. "Because he can't control them. Or at least, he doesn't know how to. They make him feel awkward, and he wants to treat them like adults, but he doesn't understand that you can't."

"But why is he that way? Emmett and Jasper are fine around kids. I've seen them."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe his brain just doesn't work that way. I can't explain it. But he probably just doesn't like them. Think about all that poop and throw up and piss; he would go insane."

"Do you think he'll ever change?" My voice was scared and soft.

"Probably not any time soon. Why do you ask?"

I turned around to face the wall, because I couldn't look at her anymore. All I wanted to do was cry or shout or… something. "I was just wondering if he was ever going to change."

"Nope," Rose bounced down from the counter, "that bastard is set in stone."

"Great."

"Are you sure you don't want to go out tonight?"

"I'm just going to stay in and wait."

"Alright, loser. I'm taking these cookies." She picked up a pan and walked out of the kitchen. The front door shut a couple seconds later.

For the rest of the day, I sat on the couch and ate fattening foods. I'm sure it wasn't very healthy, but I needed something to do. When the sun went down, I started to get very nervous, because I figured that Justin would be home soon. I got up from the couch around dinnertime and made a full pot of chicken and broccoli alfredo.

I kept my phone in my hand, and it vibrated an hour later. I took a breath and saw Justin's number on the screen.

"Hello." I tried to make my voice sound as normal as possible.

"Hi, I tried to call earlier, but we were stuck on the runway and it took us forever to take off."

"That's okay. Are you hurt?" That was always the question I asked when he had just finished with a job.

"No, we're all fine and business has been taken care of."

"That sounds ominously terrifying."

"I'll explain it all when I get home. Do you want me to pick something up for dinner?"

"No, I made lots of food so you can come straight home." I chewed on my nail. "When are you going to get here?"

"We just landed, so about an hour? Are you alright? You called an awful lot when I was away."

"I'm fine, I just…needed to hear your voice."

Justin didn't say anything for a long second and I could almost hear the unbelieving thoughts he was thinking. He knew something was up.

"Alright, well, I'll be waiting. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Selena. I'll see you soon."

I couldn't fall apart now. I needed to stay strong so that I could get this out. I paced the area in front of the window for about an hour, doing my best to dig a hole in the rug.

When I heard the key in the lock of the door, I raced to the kitchen so that I could throw up again. All of this stress was doing me in, and I was about a second away from falling over in exhaustion. I quickly washed out my mouth and fixed my hair.

"Hi." I turned around and smiled just as Justin came into the kitchen. He was in the same clothes from yesterday and looked tired.

"Hi." He grinned. "Did you miss me?"

"I told you I did." I pulled him by his shirt until his lips locked with mine. We stayed connected for a couple of seconds. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving." He looked around the kitchen. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's all this food here. Either my mother had another party while I was gone, or you've been stress cooking. Which one is it?"

"You know; finals." I shrugged.

He sighed through his nose. "You can't keep using that excuse, Selena."

"It's not an excuse." I turned away from him and started fixing a plate. "I'm stressed about my grades. Isn't that a viable reason?"

"Not when you're a genius. You've never worried about grades."

"I'm not a genius, Justin. I have to study and work hard."

"Well, regardless, I know you're hiding something from me."

"And how do you know that?" I handed him his plate.

"Because," He leaned in close to my face, "you're a horrible actress." He placed a kiss on my lips.

"I'm not horrible."

"No, actually you're very good at hiding things, but you can't beat me at my own game."

"Damn," I said under my breath when he walked away.

We sat at opposite ends of the table, and I watched him eat for a couple of minutes. I didn't know how I was going to do this, so I settled for silence. Should I just blurt it out? Should I lead him in with a question or say something funny? Why was this so fucking complicated?

Justin, I'm pregnant.

That's all I needed to say, but those words just wouldn't come up out of my throat. I was only making this worse because the longer I waited the more he was going to claim that I kept this from him. He was going to make this all about him. I knew his game plan. He had the right to freak out, but he was going to go dramatic on this one. Justin was going to start WWIII over this baby.

"I got you a gift," he said from down the table.

"Really? From Maine?"

Justin stopped eating for a second and twisted his neck. "Who told you we were in Maine?"

"Rosalie. She wouldn't tell me why, though."

"Do you really want to know, or are you just being nosy? Because I'll tell you, but I know you won't take it well."

"Did you kill someone?" I asked, chewing on my bottom lip.

"A lot of people," he answered, twirling pasta around on his fork. "Seven people."

"Seven? Wow, that's… a lot."

"Not nearly enough and the rest of them killed more."

"Who were they? Did I know them?"

"Two of them, yes."

"Just tell me what you were doing," I sighed.

"We went up to Maine because that's where Felix and Demetri were. I told you I was going to handle them and I did. Don't say that I should have talked because the time for talking is over; and don't tell me that I needed to just leave them alone. They threatened you on multiple occasions so I handled it."

"I wasn't going to say any of that. I know how you feel about that situation. Was it worth it?"

"I can finally breathe now that I know those douches aren't on your ass anymore."

"I just don't like to think that people died over me."

"I will protect you at any cost. If I have to blow through a whole country, then that's what I'll do."

"You're scaring the shit out of me." I pulled my knees up so that I could rest my chin on them. "I don't like thinking about this."

"You know what I do and who I am."

I nodded. "So you got me a gift?" I asked, changing the subject from our morbid one.

"Yeah, well we were stuck in that fucking place for the whole day and had some time to hang out. I saw this in the window of an antiques shop." Justin pulled out a small white box and slid it across the table.

"Antique, huh?"

"I know you don't like the shiny, new toys so this should be more acceptable."

I pulled out a beautiful silver ring with a small diamond set proudly on top. It had a pink hue and was almost blinding, but still small and not overbearing.

"Wow, it's beautiful." I slipped the ring over the fourth finger on my right hand.

"I just thought I'd get you something nice." Justin's voice was suddenly closer. He had taken a seat next to me. "Carlisle always says that the sight of blood can always be washed away by the sight of diamonds."

"That's a cute saying. Is that how Esme's survived all these years?"

"Probably." He sighed, "Look, I know you don't fully understand what I do and why I have to do horrible things sometimes, but I need you to know that I won't let anything happen to you. I have to do what I have to do. Simple as that."

"I know."

"My family is important to me and when we're threatened, it doesn't end well."

"You're very hot when you're protective."

He chuckled my favorite sound, "I try."

He was mesmerizing me with his eyes, and his face was coming dangerously close to mine. I closed the gap and meshed my lips with his. They were soft and incredibly tender; everything I needed right now. When he pulled back slightly, I knew it was either now or never, because I was slowly starting to go insane from keeping my massive secret.

"Justin, I have something to tell you."

"What?" His lips moved to my neck, and his hand dipped into my sweatpants, running over my slit. Now it was really hard to concentrate.

"I…" I gripped his hair tightly, "I'm pregnant."

His hand stilled and his kisses stopped completely.

"What did you just say?" Justin pulled away from me. His face had turned completely to stone.

"I'm pregnant," I whispered.

He let out a shuddering breath. "How do you know?"

"Besides the changes in my body, I took three tests."

"Changes in your body?" He looked me up and down.

"My boobs hurt; I'm nauseated, always tired, and I can smell absolutely everything."

"Oh my God." He sat back in his chair. "This can't be happening."

I let him ruminate the information in his head for a couple minutes. I didn't say one word, but I really wanted to. I needed to know what he was feeling. His face and body didn't give anything away. He just sat there like a statue and breathed through his nose.

"I thought you were on the pill?" Justin asked me.

"I am, but… I skipped a few days, and then I wasn't paying attention to the time so…"

"You missed a couple of days? You weren't watching?" He pushed himself up from the table and grabbed his plate. He went into the kitchen, and I heard a crash as the plate broke into tiny pieces.

He was furious.

There was another crash, and then his feet stomped back into the dining room. "Selena, you better not be joking. Did Emmett put you up to this?"

"This isn't a joke, Justin."

He nodded. "Okay, then. Deal with it."

"Deal with what?"

"Get rid of it." Justin started climbing the stairs.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize what the hell he was saying, and I almost went into full volcanic mode when I did. I ran up the stairs after him and barged into the bedroom.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I want you to get rid of it; the baby has to go," Justin muttered with finality.

"Are you serious? You don't even want to think about this? You're first reaction is to get rid of it?"

"Yes, I'm being a realist. Get rid of the baby."

"What happened to all your old Italian, Catholic teachings?"

"Don't get all religious on me, Selena." He undid his tie roughly. "Do you realize how bad this is?"

"Do you realize how good this might be? We're going to have a child."

"No, we're not. I'm going to give you my credit card, turn my head, and you're going to handle this."

"Can you hear yourself right now?" I shouted. "You haven't even thought about this."

Justin sat on the bed and took a deep breath. "Selena, you're eighteen fucking years old. You are in no way financially or emotionally stable to have a child."

"That's what I have you for."

"I sure as hell am not having a child. There is no way that I'm ready to have a kid. I'm never having children." He went into the bathroom.

I followed him. "Justin, I know that I'm young and I'm fucking scared out of my mind, but I can't just get rid of my baby."

"Alright, adoption?" He leaned against the counter. "Can you carry a baby for nine months, and then give it away?"

"Why would I even want to do that?"

"Because I'm not having children. I can't say it any more ways."

"You're such a coward. I knew this was going to happen, but I thought you'd at least think about this. Maybe you need time…"

"I don't need to think, Selena. I'm about to take over the largest crime family in the world, and you want me to not only protect you, but also a child? If you want to give it up for adoption, that's fine with me, but I highly doubt that you would want to go that route."

"You're being a complete jackass. This is more than just you and me, Justin."

"I can't believe you would do this to me," he suddenly said and gripped the side of the counter. "You've ruined everything. How could you not prevent this? You're completely irresponsible."

"I didn't do anything on purpose, and I'm sorry, but my sense of time kind of got knocked into a hurricane when I had to deal with you and your fucking heart attack. It wasn't like I planned to bring your perfect life down to its knees. I'm sorry that you think I ruined your life."

"You're so reckless. This affects more than just you, Selena. I can't have a child. I hate them; I don't have the means to take care of one, and I certainly don't feel like dealing with a baby when I have so much shit on my plate I can barely breathe."

"So you're just going to kick me out?"

"No, I love you. I don't love that baby."

I stood there stunned for a second. "How could you say that? This is just as much a part of me as it is you."

"Well, I don't want it." Justin walked out of the bathroom. "Get rid of the baby, Selena. If you think you can handle adoption then that's what we'll do, but if not…" He left his sentence trail off.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this right now."

"What did you expect? You know I despise children and you drop a bomb on me like that?"

"Do you want to think about it? I can tell you right now; I'm not killing our baby."

"You don't have a choice. What are you going to do if I kick you out? You have no money, no place to live, and you're still in school. Selena, I'm trying to help you right now. You can't have this baby."

I just shook my head and walked out of the room without looking at him. I could feel tears in my eyes, but didn't care.

"Where are you going?"

I put on my shoes. "To stay with Alice for the night."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No, I'm not going to tell anyone." I wiped my face. "Just so you know, you're making me feel incredibly horrible for something that could be good. I know you're scared, because I am too, but… just think about it, Justin. I'm not giving this up. I'll do this whether you want me to or not."

He didn't say anything as I backed out of the door and heard it shut behind me. All the way down to Alice and Jasper's floor, I cried so hard that my eyes hurt. I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was crash. I barely made it down the hall and to their door. I knocked and waited.

"Oh, hey, Selena," Jasper answered in sweatpants and nothing else, running a towel through his hair. He noticed my tears. "What happened?"

I calmed my sobs so I could speak. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Sure." He moved away from the door. "Are you okay? Is Justin hurt? What happened?"

"Nothing, we just had a fight." I shook my head. "It's nothing."

"I'll get Alice." He guided me into his family room, and I sat on the comfortable couch. I didn't get a chance to talk to Alice, because I fell asleep a couple seconds later.

My dreams that night were filled with things that were starting to become impossible.

I saw brief moments of a life that I would never have: Justin and me at an altar; Justin and me walking in the park with a bronze haired boy and green eyes; Justin and me with a little girl, who was too beautiful for words. None of them would be in my near future. The way I saw it, I could either have one or the other—Justin or my baby.

How was I supposed to choose? What was I supposed to do? How could I make this decision? I shouldn't have to make this decision. I was dealing with way too much right now and nothing was making any sense. How could Justin not want his own child? I knew he was scared, but so was I. Maybe I was being a little hypocritical since I had thought about my options for a split second, but it was only that long. Justin was pushing this abortion thing pretty hard. He did suggest adoption, but he was right. If I carried this baby for nine months, I would be far too attached to give it all up. I was too attached now. I would never be able to give up my child— now or nine months down the road.

When I woke up, I was even more exhausted than I was before.

I rolled over and felt a strange bed with covers up to my chin. I looked around the room and saw that I was in one of Jasper's guestrooms. It was minimally done in gray and black; soothing colors. The bed was incredibly fluffy and I never wanted to get out.

"Jasper, don't wake her up." I heard Alice's voice in a whisper from the other side of the door.

"Why? She's been sleeping for basically the whole day."

"You saw her when she came in last night. She looked terrible. She must still be sick; that's what Rose said. Did you talk to Justin?"

"Yeah, all he said was that they had a huge fight, but he wouldn't tell me what it was about."

"Maybe they broke up?"

"No, he told me he didn't want to break up with her; I asked."

"Well then, what the hell happened?"

"Can we go in now?"

"Quietly." I heard the door creak open and feet coming into the room.

"Selena, are you up?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah." My voice was thick and grainy. I rolled over and smiled at him.

"We were so worried about you." Alice got on the bed lightly. "Are you sick?"

"I think I have the flu," I lied. I still wasn't ready to tell anyone yet.

"Oh, no. I can't get sick." Jasper backed up quickly. "Why did you come here?"

"I'm not trying to poison you," I laughed, straining to sit up in bed.

"You look like shit," Alice observed.

"Well, thank you."

"I didn't mean it badly: I'm just concerned. Did Justin kick you out?"

"Of course he didn't," Jasper defended his brother. "He didn't, did he?"

"No, I left. We needed to cool off after… our fight."

"What happened?" Alice's face was so tortured for me.

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it right now. Did you see him today?" I asked Jasper.

"Yeah, he looks like shit, too. He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Really?"

"You two must be dealing with something serious."

"You could say that." I pulled the covers off of me, suddenly very hot, and climbed out of bed. "Thank you for letting me stay here last night."

"Of course. Are you sure you want to go back so quickly? Maybe we should talk," Alice suggested and followed me down the hall.

"No, I just want to see Justin. It's going to be alright," I assured her. "Sorry for crashing."

"It's okay, get better." Jasper leaned in like he was going to kiss my cheek, but then backed up. "Uh, never mind. I can't get sick right now."

"It's alright. I'll see you guys later." I left their apartment and waited for the elevator.

On my way up, I had a slight sense of hopefulness. I knew I shouldn't have just expected Justin to rejoice at the prospect of having a child, but I didn't think he would be so rash. To jump straight to abortion without even really talking about things was frightening. I wouldn't give that option the time of day, and he couldn't tell me what to do. I was just praying that I could talk some sense into him.

My heart beat thunderously as I stood in front of his door and knocked. It took a couple of seconds, but he opened it and let me in. Justin looked like Jasper had said—shit. There were deep bags under his eyes, and his face had a deep strain to it that told me he had been up the whole night.

"Hi," I said awkwardly and looked down at my feet.

"Hi," he replied. "I guess we need to talk."

"Yeah."

He led me to the kitchen, and I sat on a barstool.

"I would offer you coffee, but the books say that you're not allowed to have any." He held up a "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book.

"You brought that?"

Justin nodded. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to understand what the fuck was going on."

"I know you're scared, and I'm sorry…"

"No, Selena, I'm terrified and not just for me. What kind of father would I make? I shouldn't be raising a child, and I don't think you're seeing that correctly. You seem to think that this will be a good thing, but if you bring a child into this world, we'll both screw it up."

"We'll have help. We don't really know what to do now, but we have your parents and everyone else. We'll learn."

"We'll learn," he repeated. "That's not how it works. I just can't see this being positive. I know I was harsh last night… but that's the only option I see."

"You would want to kill your own flesh and blood?"

"I don't want this baby. I just want you." His eyes were so sad. It was heartbreaking, but I told myself to stay strong.

"We're a package deal now, Justin. I'm having your baby." I jumped off the stool and took his hands in mine. "We're having a baby."

"I don't know what to do."

"Isn't this what's supposed to happen? Aren't you supposed to have a big family and lots of kids to help your legacy last or something?"

"Selena, you're eighteen. Even if I wanted that stuff, I would wait until I was ready, and you were older. I can't… I just can't do this right now."

I deflated completely. "There's no changing your mind?"

"There's no changing yours?"

I shook my head. "I'm keeping this baby."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "What am I going to do?"

"You could… accept that. I don't want to push you into a corner, but I love you and I know you love me. This is just a speed bump."

Justin let my hands go and ran his through his hair. "I'm sorry, but right now, my mind just can't wrap around the thought of having a child."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him; he didn't pull away. "I'm going to go for a walk and give you some more time to think. I know I just dropped this on you, but this is happening. I really need your help, Justin."

He didn't say anything, and I kissed him again.

I went upstairs to change and brush my teeth. Surprisingly, I wasn't hungry this morning. All I wanted to do was get out into some fresh air. I felt like that was the only way I could think.

When I was in the bathroom, I took a look at my stomach. Nothing had changed, and I was still flat as a board, but I could almost feel the baby growing inside of me; it was a part of me. How could Justin not want this? Was it a guy thing? I figured he just needed more time, and I would give him all he needed.

I went back to the kitchen and found Justin reading the book, his head bent and furrowed in thought.

"Don't go too far," he said without looking at me.

"Just think about everything I said." I began to walk out of the kitchen. "And could you ask Benny to stay here? I need to be alone."

"I can't…"

"Please, Justin. I don't want him breathing down my neck."

He didn't reply, but I saw that he gave his approval.

I left the apartment and tapped my foot on the elevator floor as it went down. The more I was in this building, the more I felt like I was suffocating. I needed to get out and walk around, or I was going to go crazy. This was a lot to handle in such a short amount of time, and my head was about to explode. Finally, the doors dinged open, and I shuffled into the lobby before taking my first breath of fresh air in what felt like years.

I walked slowly, just thinking, for what must have been an hour. I went to the park and made sure to take a break on a couple benches so that I could see the kids running around with their parents. I wanted to know how they dealt with children. Was I going to be a good mother? So far, things weren't going so well, but I had to believe that they would get better.

While I was sitting and watching, I felt the bench dip down as someone occupied the space next to me.

"Hello, Selena," a deep voice said.

I was surprised as hell when I turned my head and saw Jacob Black sitting there. He was playing with his tie nonchalantly and had his sunglasses on so that I couldn't see his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I scooted away from him. If there was a reason he was here, it wasn't good.

"I'm here to bring bad news, unfortunately, but we'll get to that later. How are you?"

I started to get up from the bench, but Jacob's hand pushed me back down roughly. He didn't let me go when I was sitting again.

"What do you want?" I spat. "I need to get back home."

"I'm sorry, but that won't be happening today. Why don't we just sit and talk. I'm trying to be nice for a change."

"I don't want to talk to you. Let me go." I tried to get out of his grasp, but he wouldn't release.

"Where were you last night?" he demanded.

"At home."

"Where was Justin?"

"With me. Let me go."

"Was he there the whole day and night?"

"I don't know what he does during the day, but he was with me last night. Why the hell do you care?"

"It's not nice to lie to a police officer, Selena. I'm sure your father taught you that."

"What the hell do you want?" I struggled and he was really starting to hurt me with his grip.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, Selena. I really thought you'd be more cooperative. You're under arrest." He swung my wrist behind my back painfully, and I felt cold metal against my skin.

"I'm what?" I felt like throwing up. This was happening so fast that I couldn't even understand it.

"Selena Swan, you're under arrest for obstruction of justice and racketeering. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"I don't even understand what you're talking about; racketeering?

"Among other things." Jacob started walking and pulled me behind him towards the street where a car was waiting. "We have a whole laundry list of wonderful charges."

"You're just doing this to get to Justin."

"Bring down the girl, bring down the man." Jacob ducked my head into the back of the car and another officer was in the front seat, "This is the end of Selena Swan and I'm sorry."

"I'm Embry Quill. We'll be seeing a lot of each other."

I didn't know what to say or what was going on. I was scared out of my mind and terrified. I wanted to talk to anyone who knew what the hell was happening. How did my life become so drama filled? It was one thing after another, and this was just the icing on the cake.

How more fucked up could my life get?

Jacob Black got into the driver's seat with a devilish grin. "Selena, I would get very comfortable, because this is the last of the outside you're going to see for a long time."

It would be surprising if you weren't tired. In some ways, your pregnant body is working harder even when you're resting than a nonpregnant body is when mountain-climbing; you just can't see its efforts. For one thing, it's manufacturing your baby's life-support system, the placenta, which won't be completed until the end of the first trimester. For another, it's adjusting to the many other physical and emotional demands of pregnancy, which are considerable. Once your body has adjusted and the placenta…

I had to stop reading after that.

I smashed my palms into my eyes and scrubbed them across my face. My heart was still pumping a little quicker than usual, and my head was pounding. For the first time in years, I wanted to take a nap.

Could this really be happening? How could this be happening?

I took a large gulp of water and tried to sooth my fiery nerves. I was pissed; I was confused. I was uncertain, but I was also terrified, and I had never in my life felt that emotion.

Selena had just left for her walk, and I was thankful for that, because I couldn't breathe while she was around right now. It was hard for me to even think about being in the same room with her. Did she really not see how much of a bad idea this was? She was pregnant! Holy shit, she was pregnant! She was pregnant!

I had to say it at least ten times before I could even fathom the possibility of that statement. A child with my eyes or my hair or my nose… It made me sick just thinking about it. Like she requested, I had called Benny and asked him to stay behind. She needed her time alone just as much as I did.

There were so many things that could go wrong with this, and I wasn't just thinking about myself.

Selena was fucking eighteen years old. She had her whole life ahead of her for this kind of shit. In ten years, when she had grown up and was with some man who wanted kids, then she could rethink things. But that brought about a new set of problems. I didn't want her with another man now, and I didn't want her with another one in ten years. Selena was mine, and I planned on keeping it that way. Never mind about the marriage thing or the fact that I would make a horrible husband; some people just dated forever, right?

Last night, I was so excited to get home because I had taken care of the threat. With Felix and Demetri gone, a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, and I felt like I could finally breathe. Selena was somewhat safer now. I didn't have to look over my shoulder every five seconds for one of the Volturi boys to pop up and kill her. Of course, the threat would never be truly gone, but I didn't have those stupid mosquitoes buzzing in my ear anymore.

My seemingly good mood came crashing down when Selena revealed her little secret.

My first reaction was to disbelieve her. I had encountered this before, and on those occasions, girls lied because they wanted to trap me. There was never any truth to those situations, and I really hoped that Selena was following the same path. But then the logical side of my brain stepped in. Selena and I were already together. She had me under her finger. What need would she have to fabricate a lie like that? She didn't need to lie to me.

So, Selena was pregnant. That was the only conclusion I could come up with. Whatever happened to modern science? I knew birth control wasn't full proof, but this was ridiculous. Why now? This was the worst possible time for this to fall into my lap. I was on the verge of taking over a major crime syndicate and still in remission from a fucking heart attack. My life wasn't really conducive for a child, even if I did want one.

I could never see someone like me raising a kid. I would be horrible; things weren't going to get any easier as I got older. I knew that it was my lot in life to produce children, but I was hoping that I could skirt around that topic. I'm sure Emmett, Alec, and Jasper could provide more than enough kids to keep the Bieber name going. Why did I need to be a part of that?

When Selena told me, I blew up. I didn't know how else I was supposed to act. My brain was going crazy with questions that I just wanted to spit at her and demand answers. I felt like I needed to hit something, so that's why I got up from the table. I should have taken a couple of breaths and just talked it out, but i didn't have words. When Selena did push me to say something, I exploded with all of my thoughts.

I was ashamed of my first reaction to the news, but I had always known that "getting rid" of the baby was the path I would choose. Abortion or adoption, I didn't care which just as long as I didn't have to be burdened with a fucking baby. Call me a coward or whatever, but that was my stance, and I was sticking to it. I wasn't only doing this for Selena and myself, but for that kid too. How well could it turn out? There were no positives to this situation, and I just needed to convince Selena of that.

I didn't know how far along she was—we never got that far—but I figured abortion was still an option. She could be through with this in minutes. That would be fine with me. We didn't even have to tell anyone. If Selena didn't go for that, then there was also adoption. That would be a far more strenuous route, but it would still leave us free of a child. That was the main goal. People would obviously know that Selena was pregnant if we went that way, although, it might be a better option if she didn't want to go to a clinic. Everyone would hate me, but it was the only viable possibility. Whichever was fine with me.

Unfortunately, Selena wasn't seeing things my way. I didn't know what about this made anything appear positive, but it seemed like I was the only one in this relationship with a clear head. This baby was going to ruin Selena's life. She was going to have to drop out of school, take time off and probably wouldn't ever go back. I didn't want that for her. I had already taken so much from Selena without giving anything back and now this? I was destroying her life. We couldn't have this baby.

I groaned and banged my head against the counter, "Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

There was a knock at the door, and I didn't even move from my spot. I didn't care to open it. Selena had a key so anyone else could suck it. I wasn't in the mood to deal with stupidity today.

"Yo, Justin," Emmett's voice yelled, "we're here and we're hungry. You better not be hogging pizza or I'm breaking your arm."

"I have to remember to take that key away," I said to myself and put the pregnancy book in a drawer so he wouldn't suspect anything. I was going to leave it up to Selena about telling people. I didn't mind as long as in nine months' time, I wasn't rocking a baby to sleep.

"What's going on?" Emmett started going through my fridge for food. Alec was with him, and he sat on a barstool, eating a massive chocolate bar.

"Don't you have your own house? I'm tired of you being over here," I growled.

"You will never be rid of me." He laughed. "Besides, Rose hasn't gone grocery shopping this week. I'm hungry and I know Selena always keeps this place stocked."

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Why is there so much damned ginger ale?" He moved stuff around. "I can't even find the food. This is ridiculous. There must be ten bottles in here."

"It helps Selena's stomach. She's still sick," I lied.

"Maybe she should go see a doctor," Alec suggested. "It's not healthy for her to be sick this long. Is she all right?"

"She's fine." I shut the refrigerator door. "Can I help either of you?"

"We're bored," Emmett pouted. "Let's go shoot something. We could go play arrow roulette."

"As much as I would love that, I'm busy and you need to occupy your time in a healthier way. I'm sure you have some work to do."

"Don't care. I'm on vacation."

"We just got back from vacation and like I said, I'm busy."

"With what?" Alec asked.

"Things that don't concern you. Leave," I commanded and crossed my arms.

"No, I don't think we will." Emmett sat next to Alec. "What the hell happened with you and Selena last night?"

"What do you mean?" I exhaled, getting very annoyed with my brothers.

"Jasper said you guys had a massive fight and she had to stay with him and Alice. What did you do?"

"Can nothing stay private in this family?" I ran a hand through my hair. He didn't mention the baby, so I assumed Selena hadn't said anything to either Jasper or Alice. I would have heard about it by now.

"What's going on?" Alec was concerned. I could tell by the tone of his voice. His childlike curiosity and knack for sensing problems was becoming highly dangerous for me in this situation.

"Nothing, just drop it."

"You did something to Selena, didn't you?" Emmett squinted his eyes at me. "You made her cry?"

"Yes," I admitted, "we just had a fight."

"About what?"

"I can't remember." I shrugged.

"You're lying," Emmett accused.

"So what if I am? No one asked you to butt into my business."

"This is Selena's business too," Alec challenged. "We have a right to know."

"Stupid Italian, gossiping, brothers…" I grumbled under my breath and filled a glass with water. It was time to take my medication and today, I needed it more than ever.

"Are you still taking that shit?" Emmett asked.

"Yes, and I don't need your mouth right now. Just leave." I ingested a couple pills and swallowed the water.

"You're extra bitchy today," Alec said.

"It must be his man-period."

"Both of you need to leave." I roughly picked Alec up by the collar of his shirt and started shoving him into the hallway.

"You know, we can give you brotherly advice if you'd just ask." Emmett followed us.

"I already got the big brother talk from Jasper last night."

"He's stupid. You need to come to me for girlfriend problems."

"That makes me feel so much better." I rolled my eyes.

"Are you going to break up with her? You know Ma would kill you if you did." Alec pushed me off of him.

"No, I'm not breaking up with her. We're just… having issues."

"Jasper said that she was crying like crazy last night. Did you hurt her?"

"Of course I didn't and I would appreciate it if you would stop getting your information from Jasper. You three are like old ladies. Keep your noses in your own business."

"Fine, we'll go downstairs and have some fun without you." Emmett walked out of my apartment. "Come on, kid."

"Bye, Justin." Alec waved and trotted after him.

I slammed the door and stomped back to the kitchen. I didn't want to go back to reading that stupid book again, because I could barely understand what the hell it was saying. There were so many words that were foreign to me, and I only got more stressed with each turn of the page. How the hell were we supposed to raise a baby? There was no way in hell it was going to work. I just had to convince Selena that our only option was to handle it by other means.

I wasn't a total monster. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that I had created something. A part of me was growing inside of Selena, and I'm sure some people would die to be in my position; just not me. Should I want a child? Like with most normal things, my mind wasn't wired that way. I only saw this as a negative.

Besides the theoretical horrors of me raising a child, there was also the very real possibility that I might actually die if I had to care for something that vomited and pooped and peed excessively for the first year of its life.

I shuddered just thinking about being anywhere near a baby. How the hell did people take care of those things?

I sighed heavily, going back into the kitchen to resume my reading. I was trying to understand what about this child thing was so appealing to everyone. My plans still weren't changing, but I might be able to sympathize with Selena more if I knew why she was willing to sacrifice everything for this baby.

I never wanted to be away from her again, because that only caused me to do stupid things. I didn't want to lose Selena, but would she make me choose? I figured yes, and I didn't want to even think about that right now. My main goal was to just get her to see reason.

Before I could even open the damned pregnancy book up, there was another knock on the door.

"Justin, open up. I need to talk to you." I heard my father's voice frantically commanding me.

"What do you want?" I shouted, not moving from the counter.

"This is no time for games. Open this fucking door!"

I rolled my eyes and trekked into the hallway. He pushed past me when I opened the door, and I could tell that he was worried about something. Carlisle rarely showed signs of agitation or stress, so this was a little perplexing.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Sit down." He went to my liquor cabinet that had just been restocked, and pulled out a large bottle of scotch.

"Should I be worried?" I sat on the couch.

"I'm about to tell you something, but I want you to just take deep breaths and think before you act."

"What's going on?" I said skeptically, "I don't like the way you're talking."

He downed his drink and began pouring another one. "Selena got arrested."

It took me a second to digest his words. "I'm confused. What did you say?"

"Selena was just arrested."

"No… what? That's impossible. I just saw her like an hour ago. She went out… for a walk. I think you misunderstood."

"Justin, listen to me, this is serious. I just got a call from the Commissioner; they're holding her downtown."

I blinked a couple of times, trying to understand what the hell he was talking about. "She was arrested?"

"I don't like repeating myself and I've done it twice already." Carlisle sighed. "I'm working on it."

"What the hell are the charges?" I jumped up from the couch, my legs wanting to run out of the room.

"A whole bunch of shit that's trumped up. They're trying to get her to talk about your recent trip to Maine."

"What does that have to do with her?" I realized that I was shouting at this point, but I didn't care.

"Racketeering, harboring a suspect, money laundering, drug trafficking; it's a mess, Justin and they're just getting started. They're even trying to charge her with accessory to murder since they think she knows something about Maine."

"She has nothing to do with any of that." I was seething.

"Of course she doesn't and most of the charges aren't going to be worth anything, but she is in a very bad position right now."

"Why? Just get her out."

"I can't do that. The Commissioner is blowing smoke up my ass and he's starting to ask questions."

"Get her out!"

"It doesn't work like that, Justin. You can't just bypass the entire legal system; not this time. Selena has been arrested and there are actually a few things that suggest she broke the law, but they're trying to get to you. You need to calm down and let me handle this."

"I won't let her go down for my mistakes. She didn't do anything wrong," I argued, my heart starting to thunder in my chest.

"She will be held and I have Jenks working on things, but… this is a tricky situation."

"Why? It seems simple to me. Selena is innocent so she'll get off. How are you not seeing this?"

"Justin, they won't let her go without getting to you first. Selena's just a liability and they're trying to scare us."

"So you're not going to do anything?"

"I'm doing all I can. You have to let this work itself out."

"Are you fucking serious? Is that what you have to say to me?"

"Justin, this is going to get very dirty because Jacob isn't letting Selena go. He's going to use her against us."

"They don't have anything on her." I was pulling at my hair so tightly that it hurt. "Why not Alice or Rose?"

"I don't know," Carlisle sighed. "I'm being proactive about it all, though. I can't stall much longer and once things get out about this, they won't stop. People are going to ask questions and start searching for answers."

"This shouldn't be as bad as it's sounding. I still don't understand the charges. Don't we have a plan in place for this?"

"They can hold her for a traffic violation and beef it up to ten years if they want to. It doesn't matter. They're trying to humiliate you and it's working. Our plan is always to be proactive. We're going to nip this thing in the bud before it even gets started."

Before I could even think about it, I jumped over the back of the sofa and went into the kitchen, grabbing my keys off of the counter. I threw the pregnancy book in the trash. I would worry about that later.

"Justin, where are you going?"

"To get Selena back." I slammed the door shut and was in the elevator in a second.

I heard Carlisle yelling at me as the doors closed, but I could have cared less.

This was my biggest fear come true. I didn't even really know what the whole situation was, but after the words "Selena got arrested" were uttered, I didn't really need to know. Because of me, she was being taken, and I would figure the rest out after I got her freed. This was turning into a massive shit storm that neither of us needed to be dealing with right now, and I was going to make sure that the right people paid for crossing me.

Why was it always Selena? Alice and Rosalie were sitting ducks and perfect candidates for the taking. Not that I ever wished anything bad on them, but Selena needed a fucking break. I knew why Black was doing this. He wanted me to do something rash and dig myself into a hole. Carlisle was right; they could hold her on trumped up charges and plant all the evidence they wanted just to make me enraged. It wasn't a secret that I acted before I thought, and this was just one instance when I wished I could control the beast inside of me. It wasn't going to happen.

I would handle everyone else after Selena was let go.

Thankfully, the Saleen was waiting in the garage, and I was more than ready to stretch her legs. I sped out of the parking lot and blasted through the streets, not bothering to look at lights or stop signs. I didn't know what I planned on doing when I got there, but I would figure it out later.

By the time I reached the downtown office, my blood was raging in my body, and I was trying to convince myself that I didn't need to blow up. For good reason though, I brought my Eagle. I wasn't playing games anymore. I jumped out of the car and just kept running.

"Justin, where are you going?" Emmett's Mercedes screeched to a halt in front of me, effectively blocking my path.

"What does it look like?" I tried to move in front of the car, but he accelerated and blocked me again.

"You can't go in there. Dad told me what happened."

"Get out of my way." I closed my eyes to calm down. The last thing I needed to do was shoot my brother in the parking lot of the police department.

"Justin, let them handle this."

"She did nothing wrong!" I shouted at him.

"I know that, but you can't just barge in there and expect things to be resolved."

"You can say that because Rosalie isn't sitting in a fucking jail cell."

"I know you're mad, but we're going to get her out. They won't be able to hurt her." Emmett got out of the car, leaving it running. "Just calm down before you give yourself a stroke."

I breathed deeply, clutching my gun in my hand. "They arrested her. It was my fault…"

"It's not your fault, Justin. Just get in the car and I'll drive you home."

"I can't just leave her in there."

I pushed him off of me and jumped over the hood of his car, sliding to the ground and darting up the sidewalk. I took the stairs three at a time and right before I reached the door, I felt arms wrap around my torso from behind.

I struggled to break free. "Get the fuck off of me."

"I can't let you get in anymore trouble." Emmett was too strong, so I was flailing around aimlessly but still trying to break free.

"Let me go!" I threw my head back and heard a crack as I broke his nose, but Emmett still didn't release his hold. He carried me to the car and by the way my hands were bound, I couldn't move or use my Eagle.

"I've been ordered to take you home." It took him a long time to get me in the car, but he finally shoved me through the door and grabbed the gun from me.

He was speeding away from the police department and as much as I protested, he wouldn't hear my reasoning.

"Just let me handle my own business." I was debating on whether or not I should just kill him now and take control of the car.

"Let Dad deal with this. He knows what he's doing but you need to lay low. Did you know that Aro took out a hit on you this morning? He's fucking out for our blood, dude."

"Let him try. I'm ready for him."

"You need to just shut up and take a break for a couple of days. You can't run over everyone and expect to get off without consequences. You know I'm with you but calm down."

"She's in fucking jail. Does no one understand that?" I pulled at my hair.

"Selena isn't going to get in trouble and you know it. Black wants you to come out of hiding."

"Why didn't he just come after me?"

"Because he needs you enraged. We have to keep you safe, first and foremost."

"I can't believe we're just going to let her sit in jail!"

"Dad's dealing with it," Emmett yelled. "Just shut up. I can't have you getting yourself locked up too. Then we'd get nowhere."

I sulked in my seat, trying to control my heart because it was about to explode out of my chest.

It didn't matter what "condition" Selena was in, I had to push through my opinions on our baby and just get her the fuck out of jail. I almost choked on air as I thought about what I had just said: our baby.

This was not good at all. I had to keep reminding myself that my father promised to handle this. If I didn't have that vow, I would have turned this car around and headed right back to the police offices. Selena was my main priority right now. Not the baby, not me, and not Jacob fucking Black—just Selena.

By the time we reached my parents' house, I was still furious, but trying to calm down so that I could logically get some answers.

I jumped out of the car and raced inside.

"Justin, calm down or you're going to give yourself another heart attack." Esme hugged me. "Carlisle's going to get her out."

"Where is he?" I pushed her off.

"In his office." Her voice was small, and I could tell that we were in a worse situation than people were telling me.

I bounded up the stairs and busted through Carlisle's office door. He was on the phone and shouting with a red face. Nicola was in his wheelchair and watching his grandson work.

"How the hell did you get up here?" I asked him.

"Never mind that; how is Selena?"

"I don't know. No one's telling me anything and Emmett wouldn't let me get in to see her."

"Good. Who knows what you would have done." Nicola rolled towards the desk and pressed the receiver button on the phone, cutting it off.

"What the hell was that for?" Carlisle slammed the phone down.

"You're not going to get anything done with normal bureaucracy. What's the Commissioner saying?"

"He wants to know who the hell Selena is and why she has racketeering charges against her. Jacob locked her up for illegal gambling." He sat in his large chair.

"Are you fucking serious?"

"He has tape of her at the tracks a couple days ago and says she frequents your casino a lot."

"She's been there once and she never paid for anything at the tracks," I argued, "Isn't the legal gambling age eighteen?"

"Horse betting is different; twenty-one."

"This is bullshit." I yelled, "She did nothing wrong."

"It doesn't matter; until they do an investigation, we can't get her out. At least, until her arraignment tomorrow. They'll set bail and we'll post it, but until then, she's staying downtown. Plus, you went home last night after that massacre and they're trying to say she harbored a fugitive."

"I went back to my own house. They can't charge her for that."

"They can do anything they want if they spin it the right way. Don't underestimate this, Justin. The Commissioner has never been on our bad side, but this could turn out horribly."

"And what about that gambling shit? Alec is way younger than she is and he was betting too."

"I know, I know. No one cares about that, though, and now I have people looking into you for RICCO charges. They want to know where each and every cent of your money is coming from."

"What about you?" My breathing was harsh and deliberate.

"They would never touch your father. He pays all their salaries and he would just fight back, causing a hell of a scandal," Nicola thought out loud. "Selena can't fight with any gusto. She has nothing."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked my father. "She didn't do anything. I won't let her go down for me."

"First of all, we need to get you out of the country, and then I'll post her bail tomorrow. After that, I'll get Jenks to handle her case because this sure as hell will end up in court. Black won't ever let this go now that he has you in the palm of his hand." Carlisle was typing on his computer quickly, his fingers flying across the keys.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see Selena."

"Justin, I don't have time to debate this with you. You're leaving and getting under the radar. Once they start with this investigation, I won't be able to hide you anymore. The RICCO charges are just the start. You better believe that they have things on that stunt you pulled in Maine, especially if Aro's involved."

"And then that Shinobu shit's going to get on board." Nicola rolled his eyes. "I suggest posting Selena's bail tomorrow, and then shipping her off to wherever you send Justin to."

"You want to make them both fugitives?" Carlisle sighed. "I can't do that. If Justin leaves now, he can come back without any consequence. If Selena violates her bail, she could be in deep water."

"Oh, please," Nicola scoffed. "I've been a fugitive since 1972. They don't have enough resources to hunt her down. Get Justin out now, and then Selena can follow tomorrow."

"I said I'm not leaving until I make sure she's safe," I repeated.

"You don't really have a say anymore, son." Carlisle looked at me. "If you want Selena safe, then you'll do as I say. Let me handle this."

"You keep saying that, but nothing's getting done. I need Selena out of jail and her name cleared." I slammed my fist down on his desk, rattling the things on top of it.

"First of all, never raise your voice to me again. Don't forget who runs this family. You might think you have clout, but I can run your ass over in a second if I need to. No one is above me and I'll do what I think is necessary."

"What if your way is wrong?" I gritted.

Nicola slapped the back of my head so hard that I thought my spinal column had snapped, "Bite your tongue. We know what we're doing. You young kids think you can do anything and everything, but there's a system."

"The system doesn't work." I challenged.

"Justin, you're two seconds away from having my gun in your mouth. Don't test me right now." Carlisle glared at me with such authority that I had to prevent myself from cowering backwards.

"Selena is a civilian. I can't just snap my fingers and have her out of jail. That's not how it works in this case." He calmed down.

As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn't. I was in no position to say a word, because things were moving too quickly. It was times like these when I realized just how inexperienced I was. I had no idea what I would do in this situation. I needed to be more like my father and think things through. Unfortunately, all of my reasoning kind of went out the window when Selena was endangered.

"I'm sending Justin off in an hour. As for Selena, I think we'll take our chances. I don't want her being an international deserter. She doesn't need that," Carlisle said.

"And where exactly am I going?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Switzerland." Nicola rolled away from us towards the liquor cabinet. "You'll stay there until things have calmed down."

"How long does that take?"

"Maybe a year, could be longer." Carlisle answered. "And connections will be limited. I don't want to risk it. They'll be trying to find you."

"How will I know if Selena's safe?"

"She will be. You have to trust me Justin."

I heard the door open behind me, and then small arms wrapped around my body. "I don't want him to go, Carlisle," Esme said.

"We've been through this before, sweetheart. He has to go. We've been through this with Emmett before and we'll make it work."

"Why does he have to leave?"

"If they bring an investigation against him, they'll find something; maybe not soon, but they will. Once he's out of the county, everything he has will be wiped clean. No bank records, account information, identity. I can help him from afar, but not while he's still here."

"Why now?"

"Because they're ready to take you down. They have enough. First Selena, then you, and then they'll try to come for me. That's how it works. If we break the chain, they'll lose everything."

"We'll get Selena out of there and make it okay for you to come home quickly." She kissed the top of my head. "Stay safe."

"What about everyone else?" I asked.

"No one else is about to be knee deep in the middle of a federal shakedown."

"I can't do this. I don't feel right leaving Selena."

"You don't have a choice. There's a car waiting for you downstairs and you'll get to the airport within the hour."

Carlisle stood up and pulled the massive Eagle out of his front desk. It was the same one he had pointed at me on our trip to Russia, and the one that would have probably been stuck in my mouth if I hadn't shut up a couple minutes ago. I was still fucking scared of that thing. He popped the magazine in place, and then handed it to me.

I took it from him and put it in my belt, not knowing why he was giving it to me, but I didn't question him. Instead of a tearful goodbye, this was his way of telling me to be safe. Things like this were always tricky because communication was completely non-existent. I wouldn't be able to speak with anyone from my family for at least a year. I wouldn't be back to the states for a very long time—even if my name was cleared. I wouldn't need to pack anything because by the time I got to Switzerland, my accommodations would be set.

"You need to leave now." Nicola started pushing me out of the door. "You will only have one shot at this and if they wise up, you won't be able to get out of the country."

I didn't know what to say or what to do.

I just stood at the door, opening my mouth a couple of times to speak, but no words came out.

"We'll make sure Selena gets to you soon. Jenks is going to get her off, and then after I'm sure she's clear, I'll send her on," my father said and tightly smiled. "I promise."

"Just go, Justin." Esme was crying into his shoulder, and I wanted to give her a massive hug. I didn't, though.

I shut the door behind me and briskly walked down the stairs.

"Where are you off to?" Jasper poked his head around a corner up when I was about to leave the house.

"Switzerland," I answered, my hand on the doorknob.

"Oh." He came into the foyer, followed by Emmett and Alec.

"Have fun." Emmett nodded. He had been through this before about five years ago, so he knew how hard it was to leave everything at the drop of a hat. His separation was quick though. "Switzerland's nice."

"I…" I wanted to say something profound, but nothing was coming to mind. All this emotional bullshit was making my head hurt.

"Just take care of yourself." Jasper manfully hugged me. I kept my arms at my side.

"We'll keep Selena safe," Alec assured me. "Don't worry about anything."

"Should I write her a letter?" I asked them when he let me go.

"Why are you not gone, Justin?" Carlisle shouted from the stairs. "The plane is running and waiting."

"We'll take care of everything." Emmett started pushing me out of the door. "I'll call if we can."

"Alright." I gave them one final wave, and then started walking down the driveway, where a car was waiting at the gates.

"There you are. Finally." My father's most trusted associate stepped from behind the driver's side.

"Seth Clearwater. I didn't know you were still alive. I haven't heard from you in forever."

"You know, just keeping a low profile over there at the police office. I have to keep you informed all the fucking time. They almost caught me there for a second."

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"Truthfully, you're in a pile of shit. Black is going crazy and he's pulling out everything he's been gathering for the past couple of years. They actually have a good case against Selena but they'll let her go if you turn yourself in."

"Well then, let's do that. Take me to the police department."

"I can't do that, Justin." Seth crossed his arms. "I'm to get you to the airport and you're not arguing with me. Get in the car."

"Not unless we're going downtown. Fuck the airport."

Seth pulled out his gun, pointing straight at my knee. "I'll blow it out."

"Don't threaten me unless you actually plan on using that thing." I said menacingly. I knew he wouldn't hesitate to fuck me up because Carlisle had taught him well. Seth wasn't family but could have been since my father had trained him since he was young.

"You know I'll do it," Seth replied, just as darkly as I had. "Get in the car, Justin."

I ground my teeth together and ripped the backseat door open, plopping down in my seat. Benny was up in the passenger's side and looked incredibly deadly with his massive form hidden behind his sunglasses.

Once Seth was in the car, he sped off through the streets, not even bothering with the speed limit.

Seth Clearwater was my father's mentee. Besides his sons, Carlisle thought it prudent to have informants on the inside our enemies' camps. He had people burrowed everywhere in this city, especially in the police department. Come to think of it, someone should have told us that this was coming. Seth was simply the best at what he did, and he was the one who had been giving me all the inner workings throughout this past year.

The ride to the airport was silent. I wanted to pull out my phone and call Selena, but I couldn't. There was no way for me to get in contact with her. How was she doing? How was the baby doing?

Fuck, she was still pregnant. I kept forgetting that. As much as I hated what she was carrying, Selena's health was important to me and right now, that included the baby. Should I tell someone that she was pregnant? Then I realized that someone already knew.

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked Benny. I figured he knew what I was talking about.

"She begged me not to say anything," he replied. "I trusted her to say something."

"You didn't think to warn me?"

"I didn't think it would be appropriate to get involved in personal business, sir."

"What's going on?" Seth interjected.

"Selena's pregnant," I sighed.

"Holy shit," The car swerved wildly, and then corrected itself, "are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"How the hell did that conversation go?"

"We never really talked it out. There was too much yelling." I combed through my hair with my hand and tried not to think about how much of a dick I was last night to Selena. The final true conversation we had with each other was one of shouting.

"I think I can guess which side you were on."

"I never got a chance to really think about it."

Now that I was being shipped off, how was this going to affect us? I wouldn't see Selena for a couple months, at least. By that time, the baby would certainly be here to stay. Selena would never go with adoption. I didn't really have a choice anymore. It didn't matter what I thought now. I was having a child.

That thought struck me deep, but I didn't have a chance to dwell on it, because the car came to a halt a second later.

We were on the tarmac already and a private plane was geared up to go. It was smaller than the one I normally took, because I knew that Carlisle's planes were being tracked. This one probably belonged to one of his friends.

"Get out." Seth opened his door.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, shots rang out and echoed around us.

I ducked behind the car door and pulled out my father's gun, trying to survey the area. I stayed low and to the ground as bullets pelted the car, but they were bouncing off.

"What the fuck!" Seth was next to me, sporting his own gun. "This is so not cool."

"Who are they?" I asked and peeked over the hood at the three men on the roof of the hangar.

"Aro's guys. I would bet my life on it." Seth started firing above us, and I did the same.

We were no match being this far away and not having the proper weapons. I could see the stairs of the plane from where I was hunched over and judged the distance at about a couple of yards. I could easily make it if I ran, but I didn't want to. I had never backed down from a fight. Today was seemingly not my day. First, I had to pussy out and leave Selena behind—which I positively didn't want to do, and now bullets were raining down on me. I wasn't going to let them win.

I started shooting and missed a few times before I saw one the guys retreat. I think I got him, but couldn't be sure.

"Where's Benny?" Seth asked me as he reloaded.

A low whine came from the other side of the car, and I looked under it to see Benny lying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were open, but unresponsive, and his breathing was too low to hold out much longer.

"Holy shit," I said in astonishment. I never thought I would see him in a weak position like that.

He was trying to push his gun towards me under the car, and I reached out to grab it from his bloodied hand. He sputtered up some more blood before he gave out completely. His chest stopped moving as his breaths were exhausted.

"You have to run for it," Seth shouted at me and pointed to the plane, which was still revving and ready. I could see the pilot beckoning me over.

"I'm not going to leave you here." I fired some more and realized that I was out of bullets. I tried to use Benny's, but he was also out.

"Just go. I can make it back. Once I know you're safe, I'll just take off."

"Are you sure?" I was running out of options. "I hate losing at this shit."

"You're not losing. Selena needs you alive and safe. Hurry up and go."

"I can't leave you here alone. You won't make it out."

"Yes, I will. I've got-" His words were cut off by the bullet that popped through the side of his head. He slumped forward and fell onto me, but I propped him up. The whole right side of his head was blown off, and blood was running over my hands, while seeping into my clothes.

It seemed like I was running out of words today, because once again, I couldn't think of anything to utter.

I guess now I didn't have a choice.

I let Seth's dead body slump to the floor and judged the distance to the plane again. I could make it. I took off my jacket so that I wasn't bothered with extra fabric and took a look over the car to see if the men were still there. It was quiet.

I darted over the tarmac, keeping my body low, and made it about halfway there before my leg erupted in pain. The bullet went straight through my left thigh and straight out the other side.

I didn't gurgle a word, taking my punishment in silence and held the wound as I made it that final distance onto the plane with a pronounced limp. The stairs shut quickly behind me.

"We're going to get you out of here." A man started tending to me. "I'm one of the pilots. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It's just a flesh wound."

"How do I know you're not one of them?"

"Because I'm your fucking cousin, Justin."

"Oh." I vaguely recognized him. I thought I knew his face from Sunday dinners, but my head was hurting too much to know for sure.

"Just sit back and shut up. We'll make it to Switzerland in ten hours."

I was losing too much blood to reply. The darkness was coming quickly, and I couldn't fight it off.

"Who's Selena, sir? Why do you keep saying her name?" the pilot asked.

My head hit the floor with a thump as my thoughts became clouded over and the blackness consumed me.

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