#darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

What do you think would have happened if Sophie did get pregnant after she and Benedict slept together. Would she run away or would he just keep proposing to her until she accepts

I have previously explored this in the darkest timeline AU in which Sophie does fall pregnant after they slept together but Benedict, governed by what is expected of him and their different social class statuses, refuses to marry her but keeps her as his mistress. Obviously the darkest timeline is the worst-case scenario with no HEA (and if you want any further insight for that you can search the tag on my blog, though brace yourself for some miserable reading ahead), though in any other AU where they still get their HEA and Benedict isn't so bogged down with the expectations of society (basically adopting the same attitude as he does by the end of AOFAG) then he would keep proposing to her and reaffirming that he would still want to marry her regardless if she was or wasn't carrying his child.

#asks #benophie #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

wait... SHE LEAVES?!?!?! SHE LEAVES BEN???? OH MY GOD GUYS SHE LEAVES HIM!!! SHINNNIEEEEEE NOOOOOOOOOO

😔 Yes, unfortunately in this timeline Sophie puts herself and Charlie first and has to leave Benedict behind. She can't keep living the half-life she is enduring by being his kept woman and she loves Charlie too much to expose him to a life where he'll never feel like he truly belongs. She knows Benedict loves Charlie and believes him when he tells her he's trying his best, but at the back of her mind she's bracing herself for the day Benedict might find love with a woman of his own station and forget all about her and Charlie. She refuses to sit back and let her life be dictated to her any longer, and she wants to give her son a life where he never has to hide away; and unfortunately this is a decision where there is no room left for Benedict on the matter, however much it pains Sophie to walk away from him.

#asks #again i am so so so so so sorry!!!! #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Since you're in the mindset of darkest au benophie and I don't feel like sleeping tonight I HAVE QUESTIONS: 1. Do they ever end up marrying? 2. How do anthony and violet and the the rest of the family react? 3. Do they still live on Burton street? Do they move to My Cottage? 4. Is the baby's last name Beckett or Bridgerton? 5. Does Benedict promise to never marry? 6. Do they have more children? 7. Do they even ever have sex again? 8. Does sophie kill herself? 8. I'm freaking out now so I'll stop

*cracks knuckles* Alright, buckle up; let's do this.

They never end up marrying, and by the time Benedict realises he can't live without her, that he wants to be married to her, it's too late.

The family don't find out until after certain events have taken place, with the exception of Francesca, who had known about the little family her brother was keeping secret for some time (though Benedict was never aware she knew about Sophie and Charlie). Benedict shows up in a hysterical state and the truth only comes out then. Anthony and Violet are shocked along with the rest of the family but they're also heavily sympathetic seeing the heartbreak Benedict is suffering from so wretchedly.

For the most part Sophie stays holed up in the bachelor lodgings, being far too ashamed to leave in case anyone spots her. There are a couple of trips to My Cottage where they reside for a couple of months at a time, and while Sophie is a lot freer and her spirits a little more lifted out in Wiltshire, there is still a deep melancholy shadow that follows her around, reminding her that this isn’t the life she ever wanted for herself or Charlie. 

Benedict had wanted to put Bridgerton on the birth certificate but Sophie wouldn’t let him, terrified that someone might find out and it lead to scandal for Benedict’s family (even if her identity and involvement wouldn’t be initially known). So in this timeline, Charlie would be Charles Beckett. 

Throughout Sophie’s pregnancy and for a few months after they’ve welcomed Charlie, Benedict never thinks of marrying someone else, besotted as he is with the son he shares with Sophie. At some point he thinks he’ll probably get away with never having to marry another woman, and while he can’t marry Sophie, they can live as close a life resembling one of marriage as possible. It’s not until his mother and Anthony acknowledge how absent he’s been as of late, barely attending society events and skipping out on family occasions, that Benedict realises there’s a chance that the secret life he’s been leading might be rumbled. Though he hates to be apart from Sophie and Charlie, he begins to attend a few functions to appease his mother. Only when he does, Violet begins pushing him into entertaining the Marriage Mart. Violet and Anthony have assumed Benedict’s low profile has been the result of nursing heartbreak from Sophie leaving, neither aware that Sophie is still very much in the picture. As a means to an end and in order to evade suspicions, Benedict decides to find a young lady to humour with marriage, but one who wants to live as independent a life as he does so he can still see after and be there for Sophie and Charlie. He thinks it will be foolproof plan and satisfy everyone involved - the only problem is that he doesn’t let Sophie in on every last detail of his plan. 

They don’t have any more children together, though that’s not to say one of them might have had another chance at love later on down the line and welcomed another child with a new significant other. 

They are intimate with one another but the times that they do are very few and far between. While Sophie is pregnant and deeply depressed, Benedict hopes making love to her might lift her spirits, and while Sophie does go along with it and never tells him no, she lies there despondent, waiting for it to be over with. There is simply no passion on her end, no burning for him, her melancholy robbing her of any desire. The final time they make love, however, Sophie’s changed her tune and gives him every last piece of her, savouring the intimacy, knowing the memory will be cherished for the rest of her life - and while Sophie knows it will be for the last time, Benedict doesn’t, and he naively thinks their life together has changed for the better. 

No, Sophie doesn’t take her own life. She does have suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy and hopes she and the baby don’t survive the birth, but once Charlie is born, Sophie wouldn’t ever dream of dying and leaving him behind. History might have repeated itself to an extent but she refuses to let death claim her as it did her mother. She regains her strength in Charlie, living and breathing for him and him alone, refusing to leave him in a world without a mother to love him with all of her heart. 

In conclusion, this entire AU is nothing but

#asks #i feel like i need to keep apologising for this au because it's just pain pain and more pain #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

How long does sophie stay with benedict after charlie was born? You mentioned that they sometimes went to my cottage for months at a time so I'm assuming at least a couple of years? Which means ben got to raise charlie till he was at least a toddler. Also I feel like if you ever write this down I will straight up turn into a benedict hater lmao. I feel like a drug addict, this au is not good for my sanity yet here I am! Oh I'm also assuming sophie is the one who had a kid with somebody else(1)

... and when they do go to my cottage I can only imagine how livid the Crabtrees would be when they see what ben has done to sophie. They'd kick him out of his own house or better yet tell violet and anthony. (2)

Ah, sadly Benedict gets even less time with Charlie than that. Sophie manages to hang on for six months after Charlie's born before she takes her leave, not wanting her son to have even the vaguest memory of life holed up out of sight, for him to never even have the notion of what it is to experience life as a bastard.

There were two separate occasions when they went to My Cottage; one was during Sophie's pregnancy, and the other was with Charlie. When they first came back, the Crabtrees were thrilled to see Sophie, especially as she was round with child, with Mrs Crabtree mentioning how wonderful it was to finally have a mistress of the house. She couldn't have known just how poorly chosen her phrasing was when Sophie's eyes welled up and she excused herself to hide away in the washroom. Benedict explained that they weren't married, failing to expand on what Sophie now was to him, though he needn't bother saying anything; the Crabtrees understood exactly what the situation was and seethed with disappointment towards their master. During their stay the Crabtrees put Sophie first and foremost, regularly ignoring Benedict's requests to see after Sophie instead. Though Benedict had instructed for only his room to be set up, Mrs Crabtree set up another bedchamber for Sophie, sensing the young woman wanted her space, much to Benedict's annoyance. Both of the Crabtrees tried to urge their master into marrying the woman he was clearly in love with, to give their unborn child a life where they weren't a bastard, but Benedict remained stubborn and eventually they gave up. The final straw for the Crabtrees was during the second stay. Sophie had been playing with Charlie in the garden when she realised there were unannounced visitors in the house. The Bridgertons had decided to divert and surprise Benedict on their way to Aubrey Hall, having not seen or heard from him for some time. Panicked, Sophie grabbed Charlie and fled the estate, hurrying twenty minutes across the fields to the Crabtrees cottage. Once she had reached their sanctuary, she burst into tears and explained what had happened, begging for them to let her and Charlie stay the night, and of course they welcomed both mother and son to stay. When Benedict managed to get away later on that night and venture to the Crabtrees cottage (knowing Sophie would have fled there), Mrs Crabtree barred him from entering or even seeing Sophie or his son. She told him how truly ashamed she was of him, aghast with how he could put the two people he's meant to love the most through this, and how he could never be a man of honour in her eyes. She firmly told him to leave for Aubrey Hall with his family, to stay away for at least a week and let Sophie and Charlie enjoy the freedom of My Cottage by themselves, ending her admonishment by telling him he wouldn't be missed.

(Also I very much know Benedict is not coming off well in this AU but for this to be the darkest timeline it requires Benedict's insecurities and societal fears to get the best of him. He's not just robbing Sophie and Charlie of the best life, he's robbing himself of the life we know he gets to enjoy in the books, all because he cares too much about what others might think for marrying beneath him. I think it's why I would struggle to sit down and write this AU out in it's entirety. Typically with your lead characters you want to root for them or at least have them redeem themselves, however in this timeline Benedict screws up again and again and again and never learns what he's destroyed until it's too late.)

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

I was so depressed reading the darkest au and yet I still have to know.. You said once Benedict realizes he wants to marry her it's too late and he's naive to think everything will be alright after their lovemaking, does this mean Sophie leaves him? And if so, where does she go? What'll happen to Benedict? You know, I actually cried reading all these miserable storylines😭

Oh no I'm so sorry for making you cry!!! 🥺🥺🥺

This timeline is heavy af, I cannot stress that enough, it truly is the worst of the worst of endings for Benophie! 🚨🚨🚨

That being said, as you've asked for some further insight...

Sophie does leave Benedict. He comes home one evening to find his lodgings absent of Sophie and Charlie with only a letter left behind containing Sophie's heart-wrenching apology for leaving with their son and wishing Benedict nothing but the best. Benedict had been away the night before and she had taken the opportunity of his not being there to leave early in the morning and board the next ship leaving the docks, knowing by the time he realised they were gone that she would be out of reach. Benedict is destroyed after he's finished reading the letter but is determined to follow after, to hunt the love of his life and their son down and marry her. He hates himself for realising only when it's far too late that he doesn't want to live a life without Sophie and Charlie and he endeavours to search for them for as long as it takes, even if it takes the rest of his life, he'll never stop looking for them.

#asks #once again i am truly sorry for this utterly miserable timeline #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Since I'm in the mood to torture you, I have a question: in the darkest timeline au, what about if after sophie becomes benedicts mistress, she loses the baby? Either she miscarried or the baby dies after a brutal birth? Does she stay with him? Does she go to America? My heart is breaking while writing this.

So, my darkest timeline AU hinges on Sophie having the baby, and the moment she realises her newborn son is in perfect health as he's cradled by his adoring father, Sophie becomes hysterical. Early on in the pregnancy when she understood Benedict was never going to marry her, she descended into depression as she realised the very thing she had feared her entire life was coming to fruition; her own child was going to be born a bastard. Sophie actually turned to prayer, whispering pleas to a higher power to miscarry the baby she was having, dreading carrying him to full term. But the further along she got in her pregnancy, the deeper she stooped into depression, and the more despondent she was with Benedict. Once she knew it would be too late for a miscarriage, Sophie's prayers became darker, and through hushed tears she begged for her baby not to survive the birth, even trying to bargain with a higher power that death could claim her too for even requesting such an atrocious thing. Later on, with every push during her labour she wondered if she'd live to endure the next, hoped to high heaven that she wouldn't, and then the baby was born and for a second she willed on the horrible wish that her child wouldn't make a sound; but then her son let out a tremendous wail in greeting to the world he was born into and Sophie's heart tore in two. She watched as her son was placed into the arms of his father, how Benedict couldn't stop smiling, his eyes filling with tears of happiness, and how he kissed his son's forehead - and that's what had broken Sophie. She began hysterically crying, her breathing turning erratic, and when Benedict tried to comfort her she frantically shook her head and turned away from him and their son. She had never regarded herself so despicably before, abject shame overwhelmed her for being the world's worst mother for praying for her baby's mortality, for hoping more than anything else that he would have succumbed to death. But he was alive and well and he was Benedict Bridgerton's bastard and he would never belong, forever straddling his place in life just as Sophie had, and there was nothing she could do to change that. The very life she never wanted for her child was the one he would go on to live and it devastated her more than anything else. The only chance they might have had, the only way Sophie thought she could change their fate, was if Benedict hadn't fallen in love with their baby, if he wasn't cradling him, holding him close and so clearly filled with love for him. If Benedict had simply passed on holding him and let a maid take him off to another room, had barely given him the time of day, then Sophie would find the strength once she had recovered from the birth to take her son and leave when Benedict was out, board a ship and leave Britain and Benedict behind to start a new life for herself and her son. But now that Benedict was besotted with their son, now that she knew he would endeavour to provide for him, she knew she and the baby were trapped with no way out of this. And so she cried and cried and cried, with the doctor assuring a distressed Benedict that it was natural for some mothers to suffer with such a bout of postpartum hysteria and that she would eventually calm down, and though she eventually did, she was never quite the same Sophie that Benedict had once known.

While that's how the darkest timeline goes in my head, in answer to your question about Sophie losing the baby, she would take the opportunity to leave Benedict and put distance between them, to hop on the next ship leaving the docks and never look back, even though she knew she was leaving a piece of her heart behind with him.

#asks #apologies for the further insight into the darkest timeline but there's a reason why it's the darkest timeline #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Did Benedict just assume Sophie would know it's a lavender marriage? Because I can't imagine him thinking she would take the news well. I know its the point for this timeline but I can't believe how Benedict acts and treats Sophie in this AU. My impression is that he does love Sophie, but not wholeheartedly, because if he did he would marry her like AOFAG despite the ton, and when he finally comes to his senses its too late.

Benedict is foolish and only thinking of himself as he rushes the lavender marriage into happening as soon as possible. His mother and Anthony are shocked by his sudden engagement since it happens within the blink of an eye and they are concerned with how rapidly it's come about, especially since Benedict hadn't even mentioned the young lady's name at any point prior to his announcement. They try to speak with him, to ascertain if he truly loves the woman he plans to marry, but Benedict is rattled that they're now questioning the very thing they've both been encouraging him to do for the last few months. The quickest way to shut them up is to tell them that he and his bride would be in need of a special license, knowing the implications would be enough to silence their doubts. As the marriage is fast-tracked, Benedict's left with little time to explain everything to Sophie, but in his mind he genuinely believes he has told her every detail of what he has plotted; he just very stupidly forgets to mention the very crucial detail of what his marriage is based upon. While he does acknowledge the shock and horror that crosses Sophie's face when he initially deals her the blow, he assures her that all will be well, that she and Charlie will always be his priority no matter what, and he truly believes his assurance is enough to tide her over. You are right to think that while Benedict does love Sophie, he doesn't love her whole-heartedly because like you said, if he did then he wouldn't have put her in this position and he would have done what he did canonically in AOFAG. He is letting his own fear and caring too much about what society thinks overrule how ardently he loves Sophie, which leaves him misguided in how he treats her and chooses to go about things as a result. Benedict does love Sophie more than anyone else but he fails to recognise that what he is forcing her to endure isn't how he should be treating the woman he's supposed to love. This version of Benedict is governed by doing what's in his best interests and at no point ever considering what it must be like to walk a mile in Sophie's shoes, and it's this ignorance that causes his own downfall.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Can I ask for more Darkest Timeline info? I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want to give it all away but I'm so curious. It's so angsty it hurts, but I need more! After Charlie was born, you say Sophie was different. Would that be where the story ends? or do we get to see Sophie with him, and how Benedict balances his mistress and son and how Sophies changed? I imagine she would feel so much guilt, and would struggle to look at Charlie, just always apologising and crying.

The story would continue beyond Charlie's birth. For the first few days Sophie would still be in a grievous emotional state, sobbing constantly and shrinking away from Benedict and their son whenever he tried to approach her. Benedict felt awful, his heart aching to try and solve Sophie's blues but whenever he tried to ask what what he could do to fix things she would only cry harder and turn away from him. It was down to the housekeeper to convince Sophie that her baby needed feeding and that she was the only one who could provide for him in that way, ushering Benedict out of the room to give Sophie her privacy. Reluctantly Sophie fed her son but she cried the entire time and as soon as he was full she immediately passed him over into the arms of the housekeeper to take him away before burying her head into her pillow to sob even harder. She would feed Charlie when he needed it but she could never lay her eyes on his face, knowing she would feel immeasurably worse. The housekeeper would end up having a word with Benedict, letting him know that some mothers never fully recover from such an emotional low after giving birth, and it hurt him deeply to consider Sophie never being able to be happy again. He had to try something, for Sophie and Charlie's sake, and so he settled himself down beside her one night, Charlie sleeping peacefully in his arms, and he begged her just to hold their son, knowing she hadn't done so unless holding him limply as she fed him. He implored her, telling her Charlie needed his mother, that perhaps cradling him would provide her with some sort of comfort. He told her he couldn't see her like this anymore, that he didn't know what he could say or do to fix the emotional turmoil she was in, that he loved her too much to let her carry on in this way, pleading with her to try if she had any fight left in her to do so. Sophie was burdened with so much guilt as it was and to learn she was the cause of Benedict's concerns as well only made her feel worse, but she decided to try, even just to humour him. Charlie was placed in her arms and she held him, thinking that it wasn't so bad seeing as he was asleep, but then Benedict asked her to look at their son. She had been staring straight ahead, determined to avert her gaze from her Charlie, but Benedict's choked plea broke her resolve and she finally looked down. As soon as she saw her son's face, Sophie fell hopelessly in love for the second time in her life. He was the most beautiful and precious thing in the world - and he deserved better than the life she brought him into. She began to cry, though far softer this time, and she whispered apologies to Charlie, pressing her lips gently against his forehead and the early wisps of chestnut hair. Benedict was relieved that she was accepting their son and he tried to assure her there was no need to apologise, that she couldn't help her postpartum emotional break, that Charlie would never hold such a thing against her. He was none the wiser that this wasn't why Sophie was telling their son she was sorry; she was apologising for letting him down before his life had even begun, for being born a bastard, for the limits he would face in life as he grew up, for not doing better by him. From that day on her hysteria lessened and she doted on Charlie, her love for him unconditional and all-encompassing, and it's this undying love for her son that finally gave her the push to make a better life for them both - even if it meant leaving Benedict behind.

#asks #all this timeline knows is pain i cannot stress this enough #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

I'll admit that one of my guilty pleasures is thinking about what would've happened if benedict did convince sophie to be his mistress: the only way I can see that reasonably happening is if he takes longer to figure out that he wants to marry her and in the meantime sophie becomes pregnant from the one time they slept together. But you're right she would completely isolate her ruined self from society and ben would feel waaaay too guilty to be happy at all and would ride towards Gretna Green.

So in my head for the darkest timeline AU, the only reason Sophie agrees to become his mistress is because she fell pregnant the one and only time they slept together. Instead of getting caught and being sent to jail after resigning from her position, Sophie manages to find some work in the East End of London and it's only as she's earning more money to buy herself a passage to America that she discovers she's pregnant. She feels terribly wretched that her worst fear has become realised but she simply hopes a new life across the ocean will offer better prospects for her and her child - and then Benedict turns up. He had been devastated to learn Sophie had quit and left without another word to him and he had been desperately hunting for her since and only happened upon her by accident. He manages to catch her just as she's about to board a coach to the docks to get the next ship out and he's floored when a friend Sophie had made in the time they had been apart gifts her tiny baby socks, realising she's with child; his child. Benedict pulls Sophie aside and begs her to stay, pleading with her to not leave him behind, desperate for her to stay. Sophie asks him to leave with her instead so they can start a new life together, for them to be together away from the prying eyes of the Ton with all their judgments, and for a second Sophie thinks they'll get their happy ending. However, Benedict tells her he can't leave his family behind and that his flit to America would still leave them dealing with the consequences of his scandal. Sophie understands but tells him she can't stay, only for Benedict to cry, imploring her to stay with him, to not take their baby away from him, vowing to care for them both. Sophie tries to remain strong but it's difficult, especially when the person she loves most in the world is showing such an outpouring of emotion at the thought of her leaving. Nobody in her entire life had ever been so inconsolable to see her go and Sophie doesn't think she has it in her to reject the one person who is. She would finally acquiesce, much to Benedict's utter relief, and he would embrace her tightly, once again vowing to be there for both her and the baby, showing far more love and care than Sophie's father ever did. Sophie would hold onto the hope that Benedict would marry her - however, as this is the darkest timeline, Benedict is stoic in his resolve to keep Sophie as his mistress, no matter how much he wishes he could give her more. In this alternate timeline he is heavily weighed down by what the rest of society would think, desperate to avoid scandal for the sake of his family name, and no matter how much it hurt him to see Sophie so despondent as she remains holed up in his lodgings, he stayed firm in his resolve. Being so resolute in such a decision would only lead to devastating heartbreak further on down the line, but that's a bleak insight for another day.

#asks #unfortunately in the darkest timeline there are no happy endings #which is the reason i probably won't ever write it because even i can only handle so much heartbreak #benophie #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Sorry to bring up the darkest timeline again but saying Charlie learns about what happened to Benedict at the family dinner sounds ominous... I understand if its too spoilery to reveal but sounds to me like he wasn't at the dinner, maybe because he's not around anymore... also you said Charlie and the Bridgertons don't reveal who they are to each other. Is that just before the family dinner? Or do they never address it?

Benedict is no longer around due to reasons that I don't want to expand on for the time being, though Charlie is given a full overview about the father he never knew.

The Bridgertons never address the familial connection during Charlie's stay in London due in part to Charlie never explicitly mentioning any knowledge on the matter. There is a debate amongst them whether or not Sophie had ever told him about Benedict or whether he's aware that he has Bridgerton blood coursing through his veins, and while some of the family argue that he has a right to know if he doesn't already, some of the others are hesitant, wondering if it's their place to say or their story to tell. Charlie in turn is careful about what he shares with the family. While he considers it a massive boon that he's ended up with an invitation to have dinner with the family of his long-lost father, he's not certain whether the request for his presence was based on them sensing his relation to them or if it's simply a coincidence that the family he's been befriended by are the very one he's related to without them having any notion of it. He's apprehensive about telling them in case they reject him or even if they wouldn't believe him, not knowing if his father ever even mentioned his existence to them. However, before Charlie leaves, there is one family member he calls on and where the family relation is acknowledged. He stops by Kilmartin House and has a private audience with Francesca Stirling, giving her a letter addressed to her from his mother, who had asked her son to pass it on should his paths ever cross with the Countess of Kilmartin. Confident he can trust her, he tells her how growing up the only relative his mother ever mentioned to him was his Aunt Francesca in England. He still has the blanket she knitted for him as a baby and his mother had always expressed her gratitude for how she had helped her when she needed it most, though in Charlie's mind he assumed his Aunt Francesca was his mother's biological sister, never once thinking she was the sister of the father he never knew. Francesca in turn tells him what a wonderful young man he's grown up to be, how elated she is to know that she had a hand in providing him with a better quality of life than he would have ever known had they stayed. She apologises to him on behalf of her brother and his father, insisting Benedict Bridgerton had a good heart and from what she witnessed loved his son and Sophie with every piece of his heart, even in spite of the crippling weaknesses he suffered from when he had all the opportunities to do right by them. Her admiration for her nephew grows when he says that he forgives his father for all of his wrong-doings and that he vows to never repeat the mistakes that ruined the true happiness his parents could have had together. He thanks the countess for her time and she hugs him, telling him she's proud to have him for a nephew, even if their time together has been short.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Shinnie, this darkest timeline au is getting worse and better at the same time.

I can’t believe Benedict does actually marry someone else!! Tho, I should’ve seen it coming.

Curious tho, when Charlie goes back to England, does he find his father and tries to connect with him or does he look at him from afar to see who this man is? Does he meet any of his cousins? If he meets Benedict, does he tell him about Sophie and the life they lived thus far? What would be Benedict’s reaction to seeing his son?

He marries someone else but what he fails to mention to Sophie is that it's a lavender marriage. He actually bumped into the woman he would go onto marry at one of the Granvilles' parties and observed her making love to another woman. They've shared a few passing conversations and when Benedict decides to marry just to get his mother and Anthony off of his back and dispel any suspicions of the secret life he's hiding away, she's the first person who comes to mind. She's more than happy to enter into a marriage just for show and Benedict promises they can both live independent lives from one another - the only hitch is that he never sits Sophie down and explains in detail about the circumstances of the marriage. He told her he was getting married and Sophie's heart shattered to pieces, believing he had actually found a woman of his station who he would love more than her and go on to have legitimate children with who he loved more than Charlie.

As for what happens when Charlie comes to England, he does meet his cousins and aunts and uncles, though neither he nor the Bridgertons ever reveal or share in the knowledge that they are in fact related. Benedict isn't around when Charlie's there but he does end up finding out what happened to him after he's invited to be the guest of honour at a Bridgerton family dinner.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

I'm assuming Sophie is the one who manages to move on with someone new, does she tell Charlie about Benedict? I know you said they never meet again but before I read that I was imagining an older Charlie going back to find his dad, without Sophie but she wouldn't prevent him from seeking him out. I can't imagine how Benedict would react if he found out about Sophie and Charlie's life after she left.

When Charlie is all grown up and informs his mother that he wants to sail to England to get a taste of life over there, Sophie knows it's time to sit him down and tell him about his real father. She couldn't sit back and watch him venture off, arriving in London and running into long-lost family members who are all strikingly similar to him - Charlie is so inherently Bridgerton, taking after his father in every which way, and since Benedict had seven siblings, there's a high possibility Charlie would bump into any number of cousins he never knew he had. Sophie sits her son down and tries her best to remain stoic as she explains everything that happened; from her own illegitimate birthright, to meeting his father, to everything that transpired between them before and after Charlie was born, and how she did what she felt was right for both of them by leaving his father behind. By the end she was in tears, asking her son for forgiveness for robbing him of knowing his father but also asking him not to begrudge his father's actions that led to Sophie's decision. She tells him how his father possessed a good heart, that he truly loved Charlie with all his being, but his shortcomings were the undoing of Sophie staying with him. She had braced herself for Charlie to rage against her, to resent her, to sail off to England and never come back to her; but instead he holds his mother through her tears and once she is calm, he tells her she is the best mother in the world. He fully understands her reasons for what she did and the choices she made were all made out of love and duty for him and his future. He is beyond grateful for the life she has provided for him, that he never suffered a life like she had to, and for that he'll love her forever and always. Sophie can finally breathe again with her son's assurance, and in turn she tells him that should he want to search for his father or his family in England that he can do so. Charlie tells her he's not sure if he wants to dig up the past but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit curious. When Charlie does arrive in England after a very long voyage, he decides he will at least try to find out what happened to his father and where he is now, though he is prepared for the chance that his father might not want anything to do with him.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

Will they ever see each other again? Like decades later, maybe by chance? But still no HEA, just them seeing each other in the crowd, smiling, and leaving? My heart is breaking as I think of this.

Sadly they never do, though Benedict never gives up searching, spending the rest of his days scanning crowds in the hopes of spotting Sophie among them, longing to gaze upon a young boy and eventually after many long years a young man who might resemble a Bridgerton so much it would be startling. He carries the miniatures he has of Sophie and Charlie wherever he goes, never going a day without studying them and pressing a kiss to the ragging paper.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

It seems like the only solution for Sophie and baby Charlie is to start anew in America. Is there any outcome in the darkest timeline where Benophie could go together and find happiness again?

Sadly, as it is the darkest timeline, there would be no HEA for Benophie. (There are plenty of opportunities along the way during this AU where they could attain happiness together, but there's a reason why this is the darkest timeline - there is simply no good to come out of it.)

Of course we could divert from the bleakest of endings and allow a timeline where despite the heavy angst and suffering they've endured up until the point Sophie decides to take Charlie and leave, Benedict manages to come to his senses just in time and chooses to follow wherever it is Sophie wants to go. At that point he'd leave everything behind, even his family, to start a new life with Sophie and Charlie, and once the sea air hits him as their ships starts their journey across ocean, he happily knows he'll never look back, not when he's got his whole world by his side.

#asks #i know most of my angst has a happy ending but this is more than just angst - its pure misery #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

*hits nonnies and you with 🗞🗞🗞*

Some of us have heart conditions! Behave people!

You and many others who keep seeing me answer questions about the darkest timeline:

#asks #seriously i do apologise for all the angst lmao #darkesttimeline!benophie

[bridgertonbabe]

I know you're done talking about darkesttimelinebenophie but... WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONE OF THEM HAS A KID AFTER CHARLIE WITH SOMEONE ELSE???? (My apologies to all your followers for rehashing this)

One of them learns to move on from the other (though there will always be a longing in their heart for what might have been). They meet someone else who understands everything they have gone through, someone who doesn't hold their choices against them, someone who cares a lot about them and at the very least would be happy to simply be their companion. A companionship built on understanding and mutual fondness eventually develops into love, a love which flourishes to the point of welcoming a new child into the world. There will forever be an ache deep within their soul for the life they might have had, an acknowledgement that the love of their life is far behind them, but with this new significant other they are able to find love and contentment, which is something they thought they would never be blessed with, and for that they are grateful.

#asks #darkesttimeline!benophie