#he knew those ladies for like 15 minutes max and they all immediately came to lydia's party when he called

[leelee10898]

Half on a baby: Leo & Alicia- part 1

This is from the Cordonians gone wild AU, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @cocomaxley @riseandshinelittleblossom and myself. Read our other crazy adventures HERE

Leo walked into his and Alicia's quarters after a long conference call. He had been contacted about joining a European motocross tour that started in a couple of weeks. Leo had been itching to get back out there, Alicia knew it and encouraged him to take the call and they would figure out a plan. “Hey babe.” he leaned down kissing her cheek and down on the couch next to her. “So, how was it?” she turned to face her husband. “Not bad. Tour is a short one 3 weeks, 9 races and and a championship.” Alicia sensed the hesitation in his voice. “Ok, what's wrong?” He sat up running his hand over his face. “I don't think I can be away from you that long.” she got up sitting sideways on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Leo, this is what you love, you cant let being away from me hold you back from your dreams.” “I enjoy it yes, but you are what I love.” he paused a moment. “come with me.”

“you want me to come with you? Is that allowed?” “You're my wife, of course its allowed. Besides, you'll give me more motivation to win.” he grinned. “ok, I'll go.” Leo's lips captured hers immediately before she pulled away jumping up. “Leo come on, we need to get ready. We have dinner with Stef and Max tonight.” “that's tonight love?” he gripped her hips pulling her closer. “Stef needs my help with dinner. The words can't feed the huntin dogs came out.” leo gave her a puzzled look and sighed “ok, let's get ready.. but later on.” he stood pulling her fleshed against him. “I know.”

They arrived at Maxwell and Stephanie's, Maxwell opened the door holding Evie “Hey guys come in. Alicia, Stefs in the kitchen, um shes been cursing alot.” Alicia nodded and headed towards the kitchen. “Hey cutie.” Leo cooed. “Awe thanks Leo, I'm glad to see you too.” Maxwell grinned, prompting an eye roll from Leo. “So since the girls are cooking, we gotta entertain Evie.” “ok sounds good to me.” Leo shrugged as they walked into the living room.

Alicia and stephanie made way into the kitchen. “Did you put the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes?” Stephanie nodded grabbing her oven mitts plucking the cast iron skillet from the hot oven. Alicia drizzled a generous amount of olive oil into the hit pan and gave it a swirl, coating the pan. “ok stef, season the meat with the salt, pepper and garlic.” she instructed. They placed the pork loin in the skillet and placed it in the oven. “Thanks again for coming over and helping, I love pork tenderloin but I can't cook for nothing.” Stephanie grinned pouring two glasses of wine. “No problem, it's not that hard. Trick is not to over cook it. Were going to flip it about 10 to 15 minutes in. Once the Internal temperature reaches 165, we should be set.”

Alicia took a swig from her wine. The two settled into an easy conversation, Alicia's eyes kept darting out to the living room, watching Leo coo and fawn all over evie made her heart soar. "So Stef, when did you know you were ready to start trying for evie?" stephanie snorted. "Trying? We didn't exactly try...don't get me wrong, by any means. She is my whole world, but definitely an oopsie baby." "But you wanted kids right? Did you and Maxwell ever talk about it?" Alicia took a sip of her wine. "We did. We knew we wanted to have a couple someday. And we got really lucky with Ev. She's the best little baby. If she not asleep she's happy. Unless she's hungry, which is an easy enough fix."

The timer went off, Alicia instructed Stephanie flip the meat, while the two continue their conversation. "How was being pregnant? Was it really weird?"

"absolutely. But it was also beautiful. The idea that I was carrying around this little piece of the love that Max and I share and one day she was gonna be walkin and talkin..it was really special. What is with all the questions, Alicia? You got a pork loin in *your* oven?!" Alicia choked on the sip of wine she just drank "What?! No. No loins in this oven.. I still have my IUD in." "For now.” Stephanie smirked. “I kinda figured you two'd be the next set of squad parents. What with all the goo-goo eyes Leo has for Evie. I swear the man thinks she hung the moon and he isn't even her daddy." She chuckled.

"He's making my ovaries explode right now. I have an appointment next week and I'm debating having my IUD removed." Alicia gazed at her husband holding evie. "Have you talked to him about that?" "Ahh, well... not really. We haven't actually talked about having kids. Well, not unless you count the time Anitah and I played a joke on Leo and Liam, and said we were pregnant with triplets... he fainted."

"He's ready girl. Look at him! And he can change a diaper better than Maxwell. Remind me to have Leo give him a few pointers." "Yeah, maybe you're right. I guess we should have the talk soon huh?"

Leo sat on the on the couch filling Maxwell in on his upcoming motocross tour. "Hey man, my arms getting tired. You maybe wanna hold her?" Maxwell arched his brow at Leo. "Yup, hand her over." Leo eagerly held his hands out. "She's like the worlds cutest bobble head right now, so make sure you support her here." Maxwell placed her in Leo's arms. "Maxwell I got this.” he faces Evie and coos “Don't I? Yes I do. Uncle Leo is going to spoil you rotten, huh my little goose." "How silly of me, Maverick. I should've known you would know how to handle a lady." Leo smirked "no matter how small, uncle Leo just has a way with the ladies.” he looked up “By the way Beaumont she's not allowed to date, like ever." "I support that decision, man I really do. Unless..." he Grins mischievously "a certain fair-haired former Playboy Prince decided to have a son. I think I'd be okay with the two of them together."

"Who me?" Leo shakes his head smirking "Could you imagine me as a dad? let me ask you Max, what's it like?” Maxwell's face lit up. "It's the most amazing feeling in the world! She's so cute and I get to feed her and snuggle her and wipe her little tushie. I haven't found one thing about it that I don't enjoy...except maybe Stef being crabby in the mornings. Ya know cuz she doesn't sleep through the night yet, but we're learning. Aren't we, Tulip? I could totally see you as a father. In fact I think you and Alicia should start trying right now! I mean if you hurry up, this second by the time your son is born Evie will only be one year older than him. They could totally make that relationship work."

Leo laughs "Your a mess Beaumont. You know, between you and me, I have been wanting to knock Alicia up. We haven't exactly had the kids conversation and I'm not sure how she would feel about it." "Haven't you noticed those girls watching us instead of the food? She's practically drooling over the thought of watching you rock her son to sleep. Trust me. All of the girls are ready for a baby. I hear them all goo-gooing and ga-gaing over Evie. They've all had baby fever since Stef got pregnant, whether they want to admit it or not." "You do seem to have the inside track on them. Thanks man, I think Alicia and I need to have a talk tonight."

“Alright guys time for dinner.” Alicia called out. Leo handed Evie back to max as he laid her in her swing. They sat down making their plates. Maxwell danced in his seat “mmmm this is really good Alicia. Stef you paid attention right? So you can make this again.” “Thanks Max but I can't take credit for this one, it was all Stef. I just guided her.” Alicia grinned. “ Hm...I'm really impressed, Rosebud." Stephanie rolls her eyes at her husband. "no I'm serious, baby. I can actually chew this meat." He let out a hardy laugh " joking aside, it's delicious, Red. Really." “Yes I agree, this is good Stephanie.” Leo Complimented. “ Aw come on you guys are making me blush.” Stephanie's cheeks flushed red.

They finished up dinner when Evie started to fuss. “oh it's time for her bottle and bed.” Stephanie looked st the clock. Maxwell jumped up “I got it Rose bud, Leo wanna help?” Leo nodded and the two scooped Evie up and headed towards the nursery. “Maxwell laid her down on the changing table “ Hey can you change her diaper while I grab her jammies?” leo agreed while max hunted down her pjs and grabbed her bottle. Once she was dressed he sat in the rocking chair, humming a soft lullaby as he fed her the bottle. Her tiny finger grasped his large one. Leo watched his friend put his child to sleep, he couldn't help but smile, he wanted that, he just hoped Alicia did too.

Maxwell lifted evie to his shoulder giving her a few Pat's on the back, she let out a healthy burp. He dabbed her little lips of the excess milk that dribbled out and walked her over to the crib. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “good night my sweet little tulip, daddy loves you. I'll see you in a few hours.” He flicked the light off as the two backed out of the room slowly. “so um Stef and I have been talking wanted to ask you. Would you be Evies Godfather?” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Leo's eyes went wide. “really? You want me to be her Godfather?” “yeah, your one of my best friends and you love evie or goose, like shes your own.. so what do you say?” “Maxwell, I would be honored to.” the two shared a quick hug and headed out to the living room.

“He said yes.” Maxwell squealed. Stephanie grinned “You knew he would Maxwell.” “seriously guys, thank you. I love that little girl.” Leo hugged stephanie and looked towards Alicia. “we should really be heading out, thanks for dinner guys. It was good.” Alicia hugged Stephanie and Maxwell and they headed out. Once they arrived back at the palace they made their way to their quarters.

Alicia changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, Leo changed into his sweat pants and tossed his shirt in the hamper and climbed Into bed, sitting back against the headboard. Alicia walked out of the bathroom rubbing lotion on her hands and arms. “I want to put a baby in you.” Leo blurted out, stopping Alicia dead in her tracks. “Well damn, I guess this is a good time to tell you I was thinking of having my IUD removed next week at my appointment.” she chuckled. She sat down in the bed, Leo grabbed her hands. “You want to start trying for a baby love?” “Yeah, I've been thinking about it alot lately, and seeing you with evie tonight..” she was cut off by his lips capturing hers. “I can't wait. You know the best part about getting pregnant?” he grinned “No, what?

“The practice.” he swiftly yanked her down to the bed, climbing on top of her. “I say we get some practice in right now.”

Two weeks later Leo and the guys were enjoying the day golfing. Drake sat in the golf cart, sipping from his flask. “How come you never play with us Drake?” Maxwell frowned. “swatting balls with sticks, eh. I'd rather just enjoy the fresh air.” Drake waves him off. Liam placed his ball, he picked his club and stepped up to the ball, getting read to swing. “I'm gonna knock Alicia up.” Leo announced. Liam mid swing let go of the club, it flew through the air smashing through someone's cart. Liam tried to compose himself as he turned to face his brother.

“You...you’re what?! Does Alicia know this?”

“of course she does. Do you really think I would get her pregnant without discussing it with her first?” Leo rolled his eyes. “Oh...um....that’s great, Leo!” liam rubbed the back of his neck. "You want to have a baby? The playboy prince, wants a baby. Do you know what a baby is, Leo?"

"yes Rashad I know what a baby is. I change a mean diaper, just ask Maxwell."

“Yes!! I knew it. I'm so excited.” Maxwell squealed as he broke out in a happy dance. "Well I'll be damned. That woman has got you whipped." Rashad "I'm not whipped, you're whipped." Leo defended, a smirk forming on his face. "Yeah we're all whipped. We should probably stop denying that now." Rashad sighed, the rest shaking their head in agreeance. “I hate to tell you guys, but you're next.. All of you.” Leo chuckled. Rashad snorted "we aren't even married yet, man. Slow your roll." Drake grinned walking up shaking Leo's hand “Congrats man.”

The girls sat at lunch enjoying a few mimosas before their food arrived. A lady walked in walking past the ladies, holding an adorable little boy. “aweee.” they said in unison. “Guess I better Enjoy these while I can.” Alicia took a big sip of her mimosa. Genevieve gave her a sideways look. “What the hell does that mean?” Anitah snapped her head in Alicia's Direction. "I umm had my IUD removed last week." She coolly sipped her mimosa. “Forrrr?!” Anitah squealed sure she knew where this was going. Genevieve's eyes flew wide open. "Oh my god! You guys are going to start trying?"

"Yes, we are."

“You are?!” Anitah squealed a little to loud (Shit, shit, shit) she silently said to herself, knowing her husband was now going to start pressing her. "I knew it! I knew you were itchin to put a bun in that oven!" Stephanie grinned, thinking back to their dinner. "That's great, Alicia! Did you, um, tell Leo that you're going to try?" Gen took a bite of a breadstick. "More like he bluntly told me he wanted to put a baby in me." "This was HIS idea? Hell has frozen over. What...How...Why?” Genevieve choked on the breadstick. "It had been on my mind, but yeah he pretty much decided for us."

"I'm just shocked. I thought Leo would be the last of the guys to want kids. I mean Liam and Drake are the two softest ones. I expected them to be first. Don't get me wrong, I think that's amazing. I'm really happy for you guys. I'm just not drinking the water anytime soon." She laughed. “I'm so happy for you guys.” pam reached out giving her hand a gentle squeeze before turning away slightly blushing.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that I won't be alone on the Preggo train long. Besides, it can take up to a year possibly to conceive after removing the IUD. So I have some time." "yeah doctors can say that all they want, but I'm telling you girl life finds a way. I was on the pill and yet now we have Evie" stef shrugged. "Not it" Genevieve shouted out. “Jesus Stef, don't let Leo hear you say that, I'll never get him off me.” the girls all looked at her knowingly “ok, more than he already is.” Anitah awkwardly giggled and chugged the rest of her mimosa. “Choo Choo, you’re on your own for now.” she mumbled, red in the face.

Alicia walked in their quarters after lunch with the girls, to find Leo standing Naked in the bedroom. Her hand flew over her mouth. “I thought we could get a little baby making in before my next meeting.” he grinned. Alicia shook her head and giggled “You are really enjoying this aren't you?” “Oh more than you know love. Now, come here.”

Tag list: @scarlettedragon @speedyoperarascalparty @greyeyedsmile14 @mind-reader1  @hopefulmoonobject @alicars @katurrade @indiacater @bella-ca @blznbaby @blackwidow2721 @liamxs-world @simsvetements @furiousherringoperatortoad @choicesfannatalie @crookedslimecreatorpasta @coldcollectornight08 @museofbooks @syltti78 @ao719 @blubutterflyy @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @liam-rhys-x-mc-x-constantine @riseandshinelittleblossom @laniquelovesworld @gibbles82 @editboutique @gardeningourmet

@annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @ooo-barff-ooo @tornbetween2loves @ownworldresident @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @wannabemc2 @zaffrenotes @enmchoices @lodberg @heatherfilliez @smalltalk88

#cgw trr au #cgw trr #cordoniansgonewild #cordonians gone wild #leo x alicia #choices trr #leo trr #trr fanfic #trr #trr maxwell #stef x maxwell #maxwell beaumont #leo rhys #prince leo #alicia rhys #squad trr #cgw squad #squad babies

[fairlyfantasy-writerblr]

The forgotten

So this is going to be part 1 of a story that I am writing for shits and giggles. It is going to be at least a ten-part story, and I will have it finished, hopefully by September as I am still in high school. So hope you enjoy this!

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Tick. Tick. Tick.

The clock gets louder every second that I wait. 

I don’t mean to, it is just, as every second passes, I don’t get called on and I wait even longer than that. I hate it because I don’t get called on because I don’t stand out.  I was put on mute by my own damn actions and I want to cry.

It’s not like I did it on purpose. The anxiety just caught up to me like it ran a marathon and dragged me under the waves of self-doubt. 

I hate it.

“Kaliana Verand, can you answer for the class what the difference between a chemical and physical change is? I assume since you were asleep in my class that you know all of the chemistry we are doing right now.” I wasn’t asleep, I am never asleep. 

“A chemical change creates a whole new substance and can’t be reversed. I wasn’t asleep, I was paying attention, I swear.” I made a fool of myself. Again. What is Max going to think? I try so hard to not be a failure that reflects on him, but he is a football star, not a studious genius with an eidetic memory. We are compared to each other for our failures and nothing more. We are both failures in our parent's eyes. We should both be the A+ kids with the best athletic abilities in the school. Not one or the other.  We are nothing like Rai, who is both, the golden child, the first-born who they had more time for. Max and I only had each other. We could only hope that was enough.

“Highly doubted Miss Verand, now pay attention because next time you won’t be as lucky.”

I nod meekly with tears in my eyes. The bullies laugh at me, and those I considered friends two years ago shove my books off the desk when I go to leave when the bell rings. 

I should know by now that people change, that every person I know could be completely different in 10 years than they are now. My parents are like that. After Rai graduated, they only shined a light on their eldest. Not the twins who supported each other after that. If not for the fact the neighbours saw us every day they wouldn’t know we lived there. I had gotten that bad. 

I pull out my phone and begin to type out a message to Max.

I am so sorry, our reputation is about to take a hit again, I am sorry.

Within seconds Max replies.

Not your fault, Kal, it's fine. I will keep our parents off our case. I have football practice so you can work on our homework while I put in enough hours for the both of us.

I shoot back an answer just as quickly.

It is. Hopefully, with Rai being in town, they won’t pay any mind to us. If we can stay under their radar, then we are home free. What is the count this week?

He took a moment to answer that, he worked 2 jobs for this. They were high paying and helped us save up. I got 1 high paying job so I had time to do all of our projects. We worked 6 out of seven days and had been for a couple years. We only kept less than 5% of what we made for ourselves. That could come later.

I hit $68,000. You?

I smiled for a moment before answering.

$42,000, Hit that last week, may have gone up.

I turned off my phone as I walked to the football field, just in time to see Max run onto it. We had saved up for 3 years, crunching numbers and doing nothing outside of free activities. We were so close to getting out. We turned 18 in a week, and then we were gone from the hell that is our home. Had my brother and I not known how to care for each other, we would have been dead by now.

I saw Max’s homework and decided to get started with English.

I had to write an essay, “In the world, what is the single most thing that is important to you” I smiled as I knew what his answer was. If his teacher asked, his answer would be immediate-

“Kal”

Just like that, the mood was broken. I dropped Max’s school book and nearly fell off the bleachers. I placed a hand on my chest to calm my heart as I looked back at the person who had frightened me.

“Could you not do that Jackson? I have had quite enough heart attacks for one day, thank you very much. What did you need?” Jackson just smirked and winked at me. If Max had seen that, Jackon would have appeared on his kill list.

“I can’t spend some time with my favourite lady?” His smirk was as sleazy as his personality. I wanted to kick him in his-

“Korland, you have practice, stop flirting with the obliged cheerleader and get down here.” Saved by the coach again. The coach is Mrs. Marlin, and she likes me the most out of all the siblings of the players. Probably because I wasn’t one to complain when she got all the people in the stands to cheer-lead when the guys weren’t feeling up to practice that day. I was a backup cheerleader if they ever needed one, I have the uniform and everything. I was also great at strategies, and she constantly asked me for assistance when it came to the game plans.

“Hey, do you wanna take a ride in my truck with me?” Jackson asked me when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Thanks for the offer, but I like not having every STD in existence.” Almost every girl had slept with him in his truck, I refused to walk past it without Max acting like a buffer. As one of the only girls he hadn’t slept with, I was something of a challenge. Being the only one to have not given in to his ‘affections’ so far. He has asked me out every day since 9th grade, I wasn’t giving in yet... or ever for that matter.

“Don’t be like that Verand!” I then laughed when Jackson got a knee to his crotch when Max had heard quite enough.

I grabbed Max’s essay paper and started writing it out. Our handwriting was similar enough that it could pass for the others if it was needed. His essay was simple, to write from his perspective of me. 

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The practice lasted a total of 4 hours, I had finished all our homework within two. 

So I stood in the bleachers waiting for Max to get changed when I noticed something in the distance. Our parent's car.

I had never run as fast as I did to get to Max, who was just walking out. From the panicked look in my eyes, he must have been able to tell that something was up.

“Kal, what’s wrong?! Are you okay? who do I have to fight?” Those words calmed me marginally, but not enough to feel safe.

“They’re here.” Instantly my brother gained a terrified gleam in his eyes before he steeled himself for what was sure to be a confrontation. I did the same, closing my face down and slipping into the mask I used to stay under the radar. The appearance of a frightened little girl who had done nothing wrong. Max took the appearance of a submissive victim. Lies told by our masks, but the only thing that kept us going till now.

We walked quickly, to our car, the one we parked 5 blocks away from our home with. We all but ran towards it, Max in the driver's seat and me taking shotgun. Max pulled on his hoodie and sunglasses, I shoved my head in my Bio textbook and pulled on my hoodie as well.

We drove out but not before passing our parents vehicle. Rai glanced out the window and made eye contact with Max. She recognized us but said nothing. She didn’t become a surgeon by being stupid, she knew how our parents acted around us. So she let us drive by, listening to our parents ramble on about reckless drivers as she mindlessly nodded along at just the right parts.

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We arrived home in one piece and both got ready for work. Me at the hotel and him at the restaurant down the street. We almost had enough to buy the house we had been eyeing, and the owner was willing to cut 10% off the deal because he knew us individually. 

We only had another 2,000 to go, and we had 2 weeks to do it. Our parents were kicking us out the second we turned 18, so the rush was on. No money was to be taken out this week.

We took off in our separate directions, he took the car while I ran. The hotel was 4 blocks away, the mill was 15 minutes away when the roads weren’t busy. 

So as I started my shift, I met 14 new people with an old couple that came by every 4 weeks to drop by. Most of them were kind and considerate when I mentioned that some rooms were being renovated, so due to this the pool in the hotel wouldn’t be open. Except for one family, which I had to call the manager and then the police for. On average this happens once every 5 days. Luckily, the staff here are trained on how to deal with upset customers. My only saving grace.

Coming home was like going from one hell to the other. My parents were demanding that they know where I was, and then told me I was lying. They demanded to see my paycheck, so I grabbed the one I already cashed in and handed it to my parents. They tore it up and told me to stop lying. Rai just watched on with sad eyes. Seeing her Kal being broken down like this must have hurt since she practically raised Max and I.

But such is life, and the power of such is greater than us. I just hope that Max doesn’t need to go through the same when he comes home as well.

#my story #my writing #drama #escape #Max Verand #Kal Verand #Rai Verand #heroes #powers #the forgotten saga

[fateother]

#05: Poison Heart Part 5

Saber followed her Master’s orders. There was something unsettling about the old woman, but Saber concluded that, after all, they were participants of a war. Such things could matter less at times like those. Saber was a woman in her twenties dressed in what one would describe as male 17th century fashion, and wielded a lance at her hip. This wasn’t so strange, seeing as her True Name was Julie d’Aubigny, also known as Mademoiselle de Maupin or La Maupin. During her life, she had grown bored. Bored of many things. Bored of being a mistress, bored of society, bored of… well, the list goes on. One thing she never got bored of though was fencing. Saber knew that it was the reason she had been summoned as a Saber, although why she had become a Heroic Spirit to begin with was beyond her understanding. Her Master, though, speculated that it was due to her rebellious streak: she had not only run away from being her father’s boss’ mistress to eventually end up an opera singer, but also duelled noblemen left and right. One time, she had kissed another woman, and fought off three men defending the lady’s honor by herself. Eventually, though, Saber had hung up her sword and ended her singing career to enter a convent, where she spent the rest of her years. Due to her peak being in her twenties, that was what Saber had been summoned as. Like the seven Masters, the seven Servants, too, had their reasons for participating in the Holy Grail War. A Heroic Spirit without a wish is rarely summoned as a Servant, and then only under certain circumstances. Saber’s wish was simple – she wanted to live a life without boredom, where she got to be more free, more accepted to be herself. That being said, though, she was half afraid to grow bored of that as well, but speculated that the Holy Grail would have the power to make sure she wouldn’t. Hours before Charlie Fairsworth and Helenah Kendall’s meeting, Saber was on her Master’s orders investigating an area where her Master had found traces of magical energy. According to Saber’s Master, it was likely that an inexperienced or novice magus had performed a magic ritual in the area. It was a chilly early morning, the sun not having risen yet. The indistrual district was empty, and Saber made her way towards the abandoned factory building her Master had pointed out as the area with traces of magecraft. Saber stopped in front of the locked gates of the fence surrounding the building. Something was off. ”Hm? Did you perhaps sense something as well, my Dulcinea?” Lancer appeared behind her with those words. Lancer’s Master and Saber’s Master were allies, which made the Servants forced to work together as well. Normally, Saber would think it a good idea, however, this particular Lancer was… well, Saber speculated that he would have made a good Berserker if not for his, well, frail old body. Saber answered without looking at him. ”As I have told you multiple times, Lancer, I am not your Dulcinea.” ”Oh, this is a horror! How terrible! A spell has been put on you, twisting the words coming out of your mouth! Or perhaps it is my mind that has been cursed? It must have been that evil wizard from last night! No doubt about it! Have no fear, my dear Dulcinea, for I-” ”Be quiet, would you? You’re too loud, and you talk too much. Not to mention, if you keep shouting like that-” A dagger struck the ground between the two Servants. ”-you’ll expose our position.” Lancer took a step back. ”Well! I shall leave you to your mission, then! For I believe in you, my dear Dulcinea! Do not worry, however, for I shall be nearby, ready to aid you and defend your honor when needed! That being said, I-” ”Just leave.” Lancer faded away into spirit form, but Saber could sense him nearby. She stood quiet for a moment making sure his presence moved further away from the immediate area, before she knelt down to look at the dagger. She didn’t touch it, of course – that would have been a bad idea. ”A warning, huh.” Saber stood up and looked at the abandoned factory building. The dagger had come from there. ”Assassin, perhaps? In that case…” Fighting an Assassin-class Servant could go either way -  if they struck from the shadows or concealed themselves, it could be troublesome. Some Assassins were competent in close combat, while it was the weakness of others. On the other end, the Saber class was considered the strongest class, but the fact that it was limited to the close quarters of swordsmanship was a drawback. Saber pulled out a small pebble from her pocket. It was a rune meant to dispel magic barriers and hidden contraptions. She had been given several by her Master. Saber took aim and threw it at the fence, which immediately lit up in sparks for three seconds. The sound of several objects made of metal or something the like hitting the ground echoed from somewhere nearby. So Saber’s hunch was right – the gate was a trap, and whoever tried to open it would most likely have been attacked with hidden daggers or knives. Saber entered the grounds, repeating the process with the large door to the factory’s warehouse. As she entered the dark building, The door slammed shut behind her. She carefully hid another rune in her hand, and readied her rapier with the other. Silence. ”Assassin, I presume?” No answer. Saber stood there quiet for a whole minute, before shouting again. ”Show yourself.” This time, she got an answer. It was weak and soft, and came from further into the warehouse. ”H-help…” Saber squinted. There, somewhere on the floor in the darkness, was a humanoid shape. The light of the slowly rising sun sipped through a hole in the roof, making the shape clearer. It was a teenage girl, seemingly roughed up. She had several cuts and bruises over her body, and she sat on the floor looking helplessly at Saber. ”P-please…” Saber didn’t answer. Instead, she threw the rune she had hidden in her free hand at the girl. She shrieked, and immediately disappeared into the shadows as the rune exploded into small sparks. ”Attacking innocent bystanders, are you?” The girl’s voice came from… well, everywhere. It echoed throughout the building, to be exact. ”The rune was designed to dispel magic. Even if you had stayed on the floor, it wouldn’t have harmed you. But, since you’re a Servant, you can’t afford to take that kind of risk.” ”So it was a ruse, then?” Saber sensed something from behind. The girls hands appeared in her vision, and in a split second Saber did not only realize the girl had appeared behind her, but also managed to make a jump to escape. She turned back, but saw nothing. ”Oh… I see. Not a lot of people can sense me. Oh, well. I was never one to hide in the shadows. I was always more of a hiding in plain sight kind of girl.” Saber sighed. ”So you are Assassin, after all.” ”And you must be Saber. Though I guess both our classes are blantantly obvious.” With that, three daggers shot out from the darkness to Saber’s left. She avoided two by swiftly stepping backwards, and the third by deflecting it with her rapier. Once again, Assassin’s hands reached out from the shadows, this time almost brushing Saber’s left hand. Saber’s thoughts flowed rapidly through her head as she avoided dagger after dagger, touch after touch. Why was she so bent on touching her? If assuming the daggers were were primary weapon, what good would touching her opponent do? She didn’t look strong enough to hold down her enemy and stab them, and that wasn’t usually an Assassin’s style. By that logic, there would have to be another reason as to why touch was important. Seeing as it was an unusual way of attacking, there would have to be something unique to the individual Assassin herself. Saber stood still and breathed heavily. ”I have you figured out.” ”Hmm? Well then, please explain.” Saber sighed. ”It’s your Noble Phantasm – the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolizes one's existence through historical facts and anecdotes.” Assassin chuckled. ”Well, that was certainly an explanation. But yes, you’re right –” Saber felt something grace her cheek, and spun around too late. Assassin had touched her cheek. ”Now, since you’re about to die, I’ll tell you.” Pain jolted through Saber’s body, and she fell to one knee. ”Visha Kanya. That is the name of my Noble Phantasm. It turns my entire body into a deadly poisonous weapon.” ”Poison…” ”Yes. And now, you are going to die within 10 minutes, 15 max. Sad, isn’t it?” ”Kh…!” At that moment, something burst through the wall. ” El Ingenioso Hidalgo de la Mancha!” The wall, along with almost the entire roof, blew away. Saber struggled to keep on the ground, and was almost hit by flying debris. As the dust settled, Lancer stood where the wall had been. Something was off with him, however. Well, at least more than usual. He stood there, almost as if in a trance, and stared at the speechless Assassin with wide, crazed eyes. ”Though ye flourish more arms than the giant Briareus, ye have to reckon with me.” Assassin seemed to snap out of it, because she said: ”Huh? Me?” Lancer plunged towards Assassin with his lance. ”Lancer, wait!” Saber called out to him, but to no avail. There was no need for Saber to be alarmed, though – Assassin didn’t have time nor room to touch Lancer as she barely avoided the lance head. She did, however, manage to grace him with a dagger. ”Hehehe… what are you, Berserker or something? Doesn’t matter though – my hands aren’t the only thing that are poisonous.” Lancer stood quiet, and Saber couldn’t help but to agree – Lancer almost seemed like an all-out Berserker. Was this part of his Noble Phantasm? She recalled hearing him shout the words ’’El Ingenioso Hidalgo de la Mancha. ”Feeling the poison coursing through your veins, right?” Then, Lancer glanced at Assassin, and plunged forward again. ”Fly not, coward and vile being, for a single knight attacks you!” ”Wh-” Once again, Assassin barely avoided the strike, and landed on a pile of debris. ”How… how are you not affected by my poison?!? Even a Berserker would… argh!” Saber asked herself the same thing, but then it hit her. Don Quijote – the man who fought against windmills, refusing to listen to any reasoning that the windmills were nothing but giants. That was Lancer’s True Name and real identity – or at least the man the story was based on. If that story, that event itself was Lancer’s Noble Phantasm, then it was no wonder he kept seeing Assassin as something else, and no wonder the poison didn’t affect him. His Noble Phantasm bended the rules, making him immune to any kind of reason close to a high-level Mad Enchantment of some Berserkers, but also immune to effects of any kind – within normal reasoning, a person would die from Assassin’s poison. On that effect, Lancer’s Noble Phantasm negated that normal reasoning, and thus negated the poison. Then, Saber realized something else. She slowly stood up, and Assassin looked at her in shock. ”Wh… what the?!? How can you stand?!?” ”Looks like… this guy’s Noble Phantasm affects not only himself, but things around him.” ”Kh!” Assassin avoided another blow from Lancer, and landed on another pile of debris. She looked at Lancer and Saber. ”This isn’t over.” With that, she disappeared into the shadows, and Saber lost trace of her spirit form. Lancer took a few steps forward, before collapsing onto the ground.

[itsworn]

1995 SN95 Cobra and Project Car Life: Never.Give.Up.

Life has a way of sapping the once-unrelenting passion gearheads have for our project cars. One day we wake up and realize that weeks have become years and the small setback we intended to fix the following weekend silently sidelined the build for several seasons.

Thankfully, despite all odds, the tale of this 1995 Cobra doesn’t end how you might think. Mel Josafat not only managed to keep his beloved Cobra through the ups and downs of life, but he eventually built the car of his dreams thanks to levels of dedication seldom seen. Each month he stashed $50-$100 into his dream car fund, and 15 years later he built the Cobra before you. How’s that for dedication?

Most people’s project-car story goes a little like this. When we are young and don’t have two nickels to rub together, we sink every last penny into our cars, even if it means eating cheaply until the next meager paycheck. But with age comes more money and more responsibility. There it is, the wretched R-word. Responsibility has a knack of diverting time and money into anything but a project car, no matter how special it might be.

Most would not know that a corner-killing suspension and chassis combo lurks under this clean Cobra thanks to a Max Grip Box from Maximum Motorsports.

The disconnect happens sometime between the days when we spent countless hours daydreaming beneath that poster of our dream car as a kid and the time when we assumed all those adult responsibilities. We eventually abandon our dream builds after realizing the two nickels we finally can rub together are already spent on responsibilities long before they land in the checking account.

But as we mentioned, this is not a story of shattered project car dreams or failure. Instead, this is a tale of steadfast dedication and sweet, sweet victory. To those wavering with their projects, let this be motivation to remain strong!

The slammed stance, negative front camber only looks better when you notice the Saleen front bumper and T1 rear wing atop the GT rear hood—simple, clean, and mean.

Josafat says, “When the SN95 Cobras first hit showrooms while I was in college I immediately fell in love with the sleek bodylines and the proven pushrod motor. I knew I’d do whatever it took to get one after graduation.”

True to his word, in 1996, after landing his first real job outside college, he went looking for his own Cobra. “After realizing that the then-new ’97 Cobras were out of my price range, I went looking for a used ’94/’95 Cobra with low mileage.”

Simple bolt-ons are all it takes to have fun on a road course. Thanks to a BBK CAI and shorty headers, a Bassani X-pipe, and Flowmaster mufflers, this Cobra has plenty of poke on the straights.

It took several weeks, but eventually he found a pristine, low-mileage, one-owner 1995 Cobra. It was love at first sight. “It was pristine, white, and owned by an older lady who only put 6,000 miles on it.”

Thankfully, he had a small pile of money saved up. He immediately add H&R springs and Flowmaster two-chamber mufflers to make it his own. He says, “It’s all I could afford at the time, but the mufflers and springs gave it my own style—I was just happy to finally own a Cobra.”

He daydreamed of building his Cobra into a drag car, then a show car, and eventually into a road-racer after seeing the Saleen SR in 1997. “I still vividly remember seeing the SR for the first time. My jaw dropped. It was so clean and so aggressive with the chameleon paint, the five-spoke wheels, and that wing and front bumper. It was perfect.”

With the image of the Saleen SR indelibly burned into his mind, Josafat decided that his dream build was, in fact, a road-race ready SN95 Cobra with five-spoke wheels, a Saleen front bumper and wing, and full Maximum Motorsports suspension. The only problem was, he was broke. But that didn’t matter in his case because in the absence of money he had diehard commitment.

“I have never had deep pockets, but thankfully I was able to add a few mods in the first year before I could not afford to do anything for over a decade,” he explains.

Few rollers look better on an SN95 than these 18×9.5 front and 18×11 rear Simmons FRs wrapped in Sumitomo rubber and hiding a Brembo front big brake kit with two-piece rotors.

He diligently saved money every month, and in the first year he managed to have a custom set of 18-inch Simmons five-spoke, three-piece wheels imported into the U.S. via Group-A Autotrend. If you ask us, there’s no better wheel for his combo. Perfection!

“I never lost sight of my dream,” says Josafat, “but the responsibilities [There’s that R-word again! —Ed.] of life and the expense of the parts I wanted meant I would not add many parts for over 15 years.”

While he would not mod his beloved Cobra for a long time, in the ensuing 15 years his Cobra served him well as a daily driver for over 140,000 miles and through several moves, all without garages, and it continued to mature with him through a marriage and the birth of his sons.

“For years I daily drove the car and it sat outside, but I always took care of it, keeping it clean and covered every night,” Josafat says. “There were some months it was really hard to put that money in the bank, when times were rough and I sold a lot of things to stay afloat. The thought of selling the car entered my mind, but only for a minute. Thankfully, my wife was always supportive of the car.”

And so month after month, Josafat added small amounts of money to a savings account that slowly grew as the years and miles wore on. “I had my eye on a Maximum Motorsports Max Grip Box for years, and after I got married in 2010 my wife told me that I’d better finish the car before the kids came. Thankfully, she helped me fulfill my goals for the car.”

With the support of his wife and his monthly contribution of no more than $100, he depleted his savings account and threw the books at it with a complete makeover thanks to a Maximum Motorsports Max Grip Box installed by Matt Medeiros of Performance Technic. As you know, a Max Grip Box will turn any Mustang into a complete corner killer thanks to an entire suspension overhaul with a tubular K-member and A-arms, coilovers, caster-camber plates, a torque arm, a Panhard bar, lower control arms, an upgraded steering shaft, chassis bracing, and much more.

Josafat  says, “The Max Grip Box was a complete game changer. It literally took the car from fun to absolutely insane in the canyons and on track.”

The newfound grip and handling prowess drove him to attend several track days, where the car was much better than he was. “I spun out several times at Thunder Hill during my first track day. The car was great, but I needed some work.”

It had taken him nearly two decades to get the car to this point, but with the greenlight before his children were born, he spent the next six months hitting it with serious upgrades.

“Since I was bitten by the track bug, I decided to add some safety, braking, and chassis and engine upgrades to finish it off,�� Josafat tells us. The safety upgrades came in the form of a Maximum Motorsports roll bar, a Cobra driver’s seat with RCI harnesses, and a Sparco steering wheel with an NRG quick-release hub.

When he wanted more speed on the straights, he added a BBK Performance CAI and shorty headers, along with a Bassani X-pipe. Energy Suspension engine mounts keep the motor secured, while a Fluidyne radiator keeps it cool. Ford Performance 3.73 gears also help performance, and a Torsen differential with a T/A girdle and Moser 31-spline axles help put the power down.

Speaking of traction, a performance alignment from Roger Kraus Racing with more negative camber and max caster, along with Maximum Motorsports full-length subframe connectors, added to the Cobra’s handling prowess. Of course, we cannot forget the Brembo big brake kit with two-piece front rotors.

While the OG Simmons wheels make us drool, they would not be anything without the rest of the package, completed thanks to a Saleen front bumper and T1 wing mounted atop a GT trunk lid, which was actually sourced from a local Pick n’ Pull.

We often talk about a cohesiveness that makes certain cars stand out, and truthfully, it’s hard to define it because there is no one path to greatness. For Josafat, his road to Mustang greatness wasn’t lined with deep pockets and a mile-long mod list. Instead, while his car’s cohesiveness is striking, what’s most compelling is the blood, sweat, and tears this car oozes—it doesn’t take long to see this car has heart. Every mile it has rolled, ever nick or blemish it has amassed, is another story to tell and another memory to recall.

“I love this car,” says Josafat, as if there could be any doubt. “It’s been around forever, and it’s part of so many stories. It’s like a tattoo, I remember every story and moment with it—the sacrifice and determination it took to keep it all these years taught me a lot about sticking to something.”

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