#leah cornick

[simonsaysletsgo]

So this bit of Wild Sign has been bothering me for a while:

[“I knew it then, and I know it now. I am not proud of what I did. I bound her wolf to mine by force. She was dying. She was dying and taking Sherwood with her.” He met Charles’s eyes. “I could not bear it, not after Blue Jay Woman. My wolf spirit was looking for surcease, and Leah’s was trying to survive.” He paused, then said, “I do not regret taking Leah as my mate, only that I did it without giving her an alternative.”

Charles gave him a formal nod, though both of them could hear the lie in Bran’s voice.]

Because what was the lie? Charles, I'm pretty sure, thinks the lie was taking Leah as his mate because he compares her to his mother right after. (Or maybe he compares her to his mother because he doesn't think Leah would choose Bran as she did? Its kinda a confusing tangent Charles goes on) But that doesn't /really/ make sense to me because we know that mating Leah saved his life and enabled him to become the Marrok and basically save werewolves as a species. And that he considers himself to be lucky to have found her.

But it just occured to me: the lie is obviously that he regrets not giving her a choice. Bran, the bastard, feels guilty about it but ultimately regrets nothing and would do it all over again. This, I think, is extremely fitting with Brans character as a pragmatic and ruthless dominant wolf.

#leah cornick #bran cornick #alpha and omega series #mercy thompson series #Bran says shit like “Perhaps in my right mind I would have made different choices” #all while ABSOLUTELY knowing he would NOT have in fact made different choices #bran/leah #is there a ship name? #breah #? #maybe

[slowlysointernet]

Anna and Mercy's doormat tendencies.

I dislike how Anna and Mercy are nearly always soooo understanding and forgiving when their husbands treat them like shit. There's that strain of martyrdom/doormatness that i just find pathetic.

How many times has Charles brought Anna around his exes without telling her? Maggie actually meant something to Charles. He loved her once upon a time and Anna is such a martyr of course she never lashes out, gets angry or jealous. She acted more possessive when that schoolteacher flirted with Charles than she did Maggie. How lame.

And let's not forget Mercy, acting like a doormat in Night Broken. Adam would do all these small stupid shitty things, and she never lashes out at him. No its all Martyr Mercy. These days all she does is pacify Adam with sex, sex, sex.

This is why Leah is my girl. Idc if she causes problems between Bran and his sons. I love that when Bran hurts her, she lashes back, hurting him by causing strife between him and his sons. Or not attending the funeral.

#Patricia Briggs #Alpha and Omega Series #Mercy Thompson Series #Mercyverse #Mercy Thompson #Anna Cornick #Leah Cornick

[toasterchan]

I NEED someone to validate my leah and bran cornick fancast of tom and zendaya

Okay first of all SO jazzed that someone is coming to me with Bran and Leah fancasting. Let’s get some photos up in here, and to really play into the Cornick fantasy I’m gonna try to find ones where Tom isn’t looking at Zendaya like she hangs the moon. (As anyone would, really)

Love that Zendaya means Leah is a tall glamazon she deserves to be

Love that Bran is shorter than Leah. Man was born in antiquity, even if he was tall then there’s no way he’s tall now

Tom definitely fits the “could be your pizza delivery boy” and “everyone’s favorite friendly Marrok” vibes Bran likes to project

My big question is, could Tom pull off the darker dictatorial and manipulative sides of Bran? Would I believe him when he brushes Leah off in public? When Charles defers to his will? It’s hard for me to imagine because my brain auto jumps to Spider-Man and “oh gee Mr. Stark” haha.

Final conclusion: I may not be 100% sold, but I definitely want to see that screen test now

#I have no idea how long this was in my inbox because I mostly use the tumblr app #where for some reason the inbox has been banished to the third circle of hell aka the settings menu #but I am answering it now! #if anyone has other Bran and Leah fan casts or opinions on this one #let me know I wanna hear them #leah cornick #bran cornick #patricia briggs #mercyverse

[mearcatsreturns]

I’m rereading the Alpha and Omega series (on Burn Bright—I typically just reread Fair Game) by Patricia Briggs and oof. If I were Leah, I would have betrayed Bran after 200 years of being treated like shit and being called an idiot by the various Cornicks (even Anna is, unknowingly, pretty casually cruel to her in her own home). Anyway, #JusticeForLeah

#leah cornick #i love her #she does indeed get to be a bitch to anyone she wants as a treat for being married to Bran for 200 years #I don’t know that I’ve reread these and OW #no wonder she’s unpleasant! doesn’t seem like anyone’s been very kind to her in literal centuries!

[vicioux]

😇🥰😇 in this house we stan josephides 😇🥰😇

#leah cornick #bran cornick #mercyverse #mercy thompson #wild sign #alpha and omega #irl books #booktalk #patricia briggs #doesn't compare tbh #hello to all fellow josephidestans out there :) #hope we're all having a good one + there's a new fic out :) #me #josephides

[mustlovemustypages]

Yuletide 2022 Letter

Dear potential writer,

I hope this letter finds you well, but if not, then I hope this year’s Yuletide gives you an extra dose of happiness to diffuse these chaotic times. A great story can be the simplest way to turn around someone’s day and make life just a little bit brighter.

Thank you so much in advance for even taking the time to read this and consider writing for me. Due to the new requirement this year of opting in with treats, know that I am open and grateful for any that you may choose to write.

Below are my desired fandoms/pairings and story ideas, but please don’t feel stifled by the prompts. I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom if you decide to go a different route.

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs:

Characters: Leah Cornick and Bran Cornick

The world Patricia Briggs has created with Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega is ever-growing and continues to astound me with its complexity. It feels so real and has such a lush history that every surprise revelation is both shocking and simultaneously feels very organic to the story. I think the urban fantasy/paranormal aspects are handled very well, especially the werewolf dynamics and rules that Briggs has created.

One of the biggest shocks to me from the Alpha and Omega companion series is how much I’ve come to love Leah. I, like most readers, absolutely hated her when she was introduced in the Mercy Thompson books. But as we’ve come to learn more about her backstory and her relationship with Bran, I have a new level of understanding of why she is the way she is. She is so much stronger and more nuanced than I would have ever believed her capable. And while I still like Bran, he’s also a much more flawed person than I'd originally thought. I realize there are a lot of books in this world, so don’t worry about spoiling anything with your potential story. You can include as much or as little of the newer books as you’d like. I’m also going to keep my prompts relatively simple for this pairing. I only ask that Leah and Bran are not broken up. If you’d like to just write them in an adventure story without any romantic elements, that’s totally fine. I would like them to remain together, though.

Story ideas:

What are the dynamics like between Bran and Leah now that he knows more about her past? How has his understanding of her personality and actions changed with these revelations

For a long time, Bran and Leah were together without really being “together” in the emotional sense. I’d love to see them learning more about each other and falling in love all over again.

Leah is constantly full of surprises. What is something that she does that surprises Bran and/or the pack (preferably for the better), and how do they react?

While some of the more recent books have focused more strongly on Leah and Bran than in the beginning, I’d still not consider them the main characters so we don’t always get to see the full fallout of all their storylines. Taking any of the major plots involving them and giving their perspective or showing what happens later would be wonderful.

Becoming Elizabeth (TV 2022):

Characters: Elizabeth I of England and Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester

There is so much that we don’t know about the inner workings of the Tudors. What we do know, though, is absolutely riveting. Who doesn’t love stories of royalty and betrayals and struggles for power? In a world that was dominated by men, Elizabeth I being a queen in her own right is part of what makes her so fascinating. Her refusal to marry just adds to the intrigue of what was going on in her mind during all of these important historical events that we only get glimpses of in books.

Becoming Elizabeth is the first show I’ve seen that dedicates so much story to the early years before Elizabeth even takes the throne. From feeling estranged from her only remaining family to being emotionally manipulated by a man twice her age, she is portrayed as such a flawed yet sympathetic character. The only ocassions where we see her actually act her age and be herself are when she’s with her friend, Robert Dudley, the only one who was truly on her side. We don’t know exactly what happened between the real life Elizabeth and Robert, but with the fictional show versions I wish circumstances were different and they could have found a way to be together. If you prefer them as just very supportive friends, most of the below prompts should still work, I would just ask little or no focus be placed on Robert's two marriages.

Story ideas:

I'm crushed we won't be getting future seasons to see Elizabeth take the throne. I'd love to see a story exploring the progression through her brother's death and sister's ascension to her finally becoming queen. How does Robert support her during any/all of these moments?

Even though I knew she was going to decline him, I still wanted to reach through the screen and shake some sense into our future queen when she turned down Robert's proposal. We know from history that Queen Elizabeth was plenty successful without a man at her side. But it doesn't make someone weak to want to be loved. What could have happened if the proposal was accepted?

I found the scene in episode 8 where Edward Seymour apologizes to Elizabeth for not stopping his brother's inappropriate actions very refreshing as we so rarely see in historical dramas any acknowledgment that these predatory behaviors are wrong. We even got an indirect acknowledgment from John Dudley when he was reading Kat's account of Elizabeth's treatment. It would be interesting to see how Elizabeth's perspective of Thomas Seymour and what he did shifts over time. We can assume that Robert knows some of what happened, but his realization that he may have gotten some of it wrong, reaction to the truth, and support to Elizabeth's emotional recovery would be a nice addition as well.

Political machinations and all of the scheming are part of what make these dramas so fun to watch! Departing from some of my more serious story ideas, I want to throw in a suggestion of just something bantery and tropey. Fake dating for political gain with ultimately friends to lovers! Throw in humorous exasperation from Edward Seymour and John Dudley who don't know how Elizabeth and Robert are so oblivious.

Fate: The Winx Saga (TV):

Characters: Riven and Musa

Despite this show’s flaws, I became instantly enamored with it. Season 2 was an improvement over season 1 in some ways, and a regression in others. One of the main positives that came out of the second season was more interactions between Musa and Riven. I was sold on them from their single (I think?) scene in the first season, and even though they still didn’t have a lot more screen time together, what they did have was *chef’s kiss*.

These two are so natural together and you can see that they genuinely enjoy being in each other’s presence. In season 1, they gave off more enemies-to-lovers vibes and I expected more of the same this season, which we got with their banter and butting heads over Musa’s specialist training. However, I was shocked by how soft Riven could also be with Musa from their discussion of Musa’s lost powers to the image of Riven carrying her prone form after battle. I’m so hopeful for another installment so we can get more relationship development and more of their insane chemistry!

Story ideas:

Episode 5 was a gift sent straight down from heaven. From Riven's pleased expression when we "saves" Musa from Terra's ministrations, to him trying to figure out what's bothering her when they're fighting, to him sitting down with Musa when she's stuck on the track and having a heart-to-heart... I want more soft Riven protecting Musa from her well-intentioned friends and having the serious conversations that need to be had. Whether it's about her not wanting her powers back in season 2 or her learning to cope with them next seadon (or something else entirely!).

It was no mistake the way the ending scenes of the second season were set up, with each fairy being comforted by a loved one. And of course Musa's comforter was in the form of Riven bring her the magic-supressing bracelets and them practicing together. We see you writers... Training sessions are practically their love language at this point. As they start to recognize their feelings for each other, what sorts of conversations do they have and what issues do they work out in the middle of a session?

I like to imagine Riven being the proud boyfriend when he hears of Musa's fighting skills coming in handy when reacuing Flora, while simultaneously being angry that she didn't have any back-up in a dangerous situation. Except, maybe as Sky has to remind him, Riven isn't Musa's boyfriend and perhaps he needs to stop being scared and avoiding the inevitable. This could even be set past season 2 when the gang getting Bloom back. There are a lot of opportunities for Riven to be the doting and overprotective not-quite-a-boyfriend.

Any type of enemies-to-lovers story you want to write would be welcome. There is so much potential here for some wonderfully angst-filled scenes! It could be reluctant allies as they work toward a common cause, fake dating to get information on someone, their friends trying to pair them up despite their protests, etc.

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (TV 2022):

Characters: Elrond Peredhel and Durin IV

To get this out of the way first, no, the first season was not perfect, nor was it even "good" at some points. There were many missteps with pacing and characterization. Still, I found myself sitting down each week to watch the newest episode, and I did become increasingly invested in the characters. In particular, I loved when the episodes focused on the dwarves. Durin was an immediate favorite of mine as I found him to have one of the most compelling storylines.

One thing I did appreciate with the direction the show took was the focus placed on Durin and Elrond's friendship. The actors were absolutely convincing in their portrayls of best friends that had been apart for years and were seeing each other again with a lot of history behind them. They were simultaneously heartwearming and hilarious together. Almost all of my laughs and cries were during their scenes, and each week my main wish was just to see more of their interactions and to hope they didn't become estranged. Durin and Elrond have so much going against them, but I think their bond of friendship is strong enough to prevail. I personally only see Durin and Elrond as friends so would prefer nothing overtly romantic between them. If you want to include a romance, I like all of the canon relationships (both within the show and in general Tolkien lore). I just ask that the main focus is on Durin and Elrond's friendship.

Story ideas:

All the backstory! How did their first meeting really go? It seems that Elrond was actually the one to save Durin, but the tale of the trolls sounds like a wild and hilarious time.

Durin was a better friend than I with how quickly he forgave Elrond for missing his wedding and the births of his children. I would have required a lot more groveling. Show me a Durin that is a little slower to forgive and makes Elrond do some crazy things to earn that forgiveness. Or if you want to go really off path here, change up history and have Elrond and Durin reconnect much sooner than two decades (late to the wedding perhaps?).

I truly have no predictions of how closely the show is going to follow canon given the contents of season 1. That being said, I think it would be interesting to see Durin's reaction to the rings being created, his conversations with Elrond about the rings (and perhaps Sauron), or just in general a scene(s) of Durin and Elrond conversing about the events that just took place. If you are familiar with the Tolkien canon and where the story may go, feel free to include pieces as you see fit without fear of spoiling.

All the times Durin and Elrond have supported each other over the years and have been more like brothers than just friends. Could be funny, serious, or both!

Things I don’t like:

Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.

OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship, please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.

Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters. If you hate my pairings, just write gen.

Things I love:

Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.

Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND at least happy-ish, that would be amazing.

Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up the canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.

Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.

Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.

Dark to Light - Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset or situation and get better is so satisfying.

Happy writing and I hope you get the Yuletide gift of your dreams!

- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net)

#yuletide 2022 #yuletide letter #yuletide #lord of the rings #rings of power #durin iv #elrond #fate the winx saga #fate rivusa #becoming elizabeth #elizabeth i #alpha and omega #mercy thompson #bran cornick #robert dudley #winx riven #winx musa

[incorrectmercythompsonquotes]

Leah : *sarcastically* Do you need a tissue, or a hug or something ?

Mercy : Go hug yourself.

#mercy thompson series #mercy thompson #leah cornick #incorrectmercythompsonquotes #source : grey's anatomy

[sondrawr]

Mercy: You’re an awful person.

Leah: Maybe. But I’m rich and I’m pretty so it doesn’t really matter.

#mercy thompson #patricia briggs #incorrect mercy thompson quotes #moon called #incorrect quotes #mercyverse #leah cornick #source: scream queens

[thewingedwolf]

Ok I genuinely thought that Charles was an adult by the time Bran and Leah were mated - which would still make Leah obnoxious and petty but at least not, ya kno, obnoxious and petty and a child abuser to boot - but apparently not? He was around ten. TEN.

T.

E.

N.

Which means Leah shows ups, sees a *tiny* child desperately in need of guidance or at the very least, a friend who is better equipped to handle a werewolf than the humans he knows, sees her *husbands son* who is p traumatized at this point, and thinks no, instead of acting like a Normal fucking person and a decent human being, let alone like a proper goddamm stepmother, I'm going to make it exceedingly clear to this 10 year old that I hate him, I hate his dead mom, I hate the fact that his father has the *audacity* to love him, and I'm going to spend every conversation I have with him verbally abusing him.

And bran just..........let's this happen. Bc shes His Mate, bc his wolf chose someone that vile and he let this woman around his traumatized 10 year old who bran all but abandoned for thr first decade of this kid's life bc bran was upset about his wife's death, never mind, ya kno, HIS KID IS PROBABLY ALSO UPSET THAT HIS MOM DIED BEFORE HE COULD DEVELOP ANY SORT OF RELATIONSHIP WITH HER. Like. Bran let's this happen.

L I K E

Idk if I'm supposed to hate these two or feel they're ~complex~ but I'm not sure how you could write this and NOT expect me to fucking hate these two

#leah is the devil and bran is the bill clinton of werewolf politics and at this point i wish doc had succeeded in book 1 @ overthrowing bran #alpha and omega #rani makes text posts no one will read #charles cornick #leah cornick #listen u marry someone with kids u be nicr to their kids #she didnt have to be a second mom but charles says he woukd have worshipped leah if she had just been passingly kind #she didnt offer a grieving ten year old passing courtesy!!!!!!!!!!! #she called his mom an indian bitch!!!!!!!!!!!! she tells anna that charles 'scraped rhe bottom of the barrel' for her #and straight up tries to kill mercy bc a) mercy can have kids and leah cant and b) bc bran loves mercy #WHAT THR FUCM #WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK IS THIS LADYS PROBLEM

[simonsaysletsgo]

Todays Bran/Leah thoughts:

-Leah specifically doesn't cross her arms because she doesn't want Bran to see her as more uncomfortable or defensive than she already seems. She doesn't want him to feel bad about it, which makes me think that its (his guilt when she is uncomfortable) something they've struggled with in the past.

-Leah specifically avoids being close to Bran because she's scared of the difference when he pulls away from her afterwards. Implying that this has happened before when he has been more affectionate/comforting and then later pulled away.

I'm not sure what all this adds up to exactly but I think a lot about how Patty mentioned that their relationship was a pattern of behavior they both fell into. And how he was extremely protective of her when they first mated- specifically saying that guilt drove him harder than love did. Like obviously Leah is my girl and I'm forever pissed at Bran, but I don't actually think that the distance between them was 100% Bran enforced (though I think he started it and had the power to stop it at any time); Leah also specifically hides her pain and her struggles from him because she doesn't want him to feel guilty and she doesn't want him to comfort her because she fears he'll pull away again.

Bran genuinely seems to have no idea this is going on until it is literally unignorable and is surprised/frustrated when she keeps rejecting his help. And like clearly part of it is a bit of willful ignorance since he's a smart guy and really doesn't want to rock the boat since their relationship is so fundamental to his mental health. But I geniunely think that, somehow, Bran had no idea how much he was hurting her and Leah wanted to keep it that way because she was afraid he would do something about it (Leave her, temporarily show her affection and then rip it away ect) and in a different way, was also very afraid of rocking the boat. Somehow this also added up to a relationship where Leah geniunely thinks Bran dislikes her and will eventually leave her and she is delaying that meanwhile Bran is frustrated with her because he doesn't understand her behavior and has no idea what's going on in his own marriage, but feels he can't say/do anything because he doesn't want Leah to leave him and changing their relationship might jepordize that. In Wild Sign, Bran reveals that he actually has no idea what's going on with Leah to his son with much embarrassment, he doesn't know her history or her feelings or anything really and realizes Leah doesn't want him anywhere near this extremely personal issue and that the pattern they've fallen into is not working at all actually and opens the matebond.

Anyway I could think of their relationship all day I swear.

#leah cornick #bran cornick #alpha and omega series

[slowlysointernet]

I love that Leah is full of anger and spite and offends the readers expectations because lets be honest alot of the readers self insert themselves onto the heroines Anna and Mercy. Leah is the anti-heroine. She's the anti Anna/Mercy. The anti special snowflake.She's a good person at her core but sometimes acts out on her darker/negative feelings which gives her personality more depth, grit and realism unlike Anna or Mercy in my opinion.

The suffering and hardships that she has endured with the Singer and with Bran. The world has fucked her over and she's not what society expects of a victim to be and to act like. She's spiteful, hard, cold and mean and i love that.

That's the kind of character that keeps me interested and invested in a long standing series. Too bad that she's a minor background character. She would make an interesting protagonist unlike the cookie cutter and predictable protags that Anna and Mercy are.

I hope that Patricia Briggs does her and Bran's characters justice in the future.

#Patricia Briggs #Mercy Thompson #Mercyverse #Alpha and Omega series #Leah Cornick #Bran Cornick

[toasterchan]

🔔 🔔 🔔 🔔 🔔

Ding ding ding this is the super bell announcing a new Josephides fic that looks good and angsty.

Dig in!

#I just finished my final paper for my class #so the timing of this feels like a reward #leah cornick #bran cornick #mercyverse #josephides

[incorectalphaandomegesayings]

Anna: You are the worst human being on the face of planet.

Leah: Aww that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

#anna cornick #anna latham #alpha and omega #leah cornick #patricia briggs #incorrect quotes

[anna-cornick-fanfiction]

Anna: "Why are you glaring at me?"

Leah: "I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust."

#anna cornick #anna latham #alpha and omega #patricia briggs #leah cornick #incorrect quotes

[turtletotem]

Photographic Evidence

A gen fic for Patricia Briggs’ werewolf books, about the photos Bran Cornick, alpha the alphas, leader of all the wolves, keeps in his office. Also on AO3.

(Based on a back-and-forth with @aristo-kitty, who came up with about half the lines)

...

Part 1

A pandemic wasn't good news for anyone, not even the werewolves. They themselves were immune, thank all the gods, but general instability and panic always backlashed against those who were different. Rumors persisted that the disease that had been released by the fae; it wasn't true, as far as Bran knew, and an amateur to the game might have thought that had nothing to do with the wolves anyway. But Bran knew that too many people still lumped all 'supernaturals' together in their minds, even if only unconsciously.

Fortunately, the wolves' complete immunity to contracting or carrying the disease gave them an opportunity to improve public relations. It wasn't hard at all for Bran to fill the newspapers with snapshots of werewolves bringing groceries to retirement homes, volunteering at hospitals, providing childcare for essential workers…

And Samuel Cornick, the only known werewolf doctor, finally got to shine as he deserved.

Bran wasn't there, of course, at the rural Chinese hospital where stricken children from miles around had been gathered. On the whole, the virus was less severe in children, and few of them were in danger. All of them, however, were scared and sick and separated from their parents, not all of whom would be coming back, and the doctors in their necessary but ugly protective gear were not the most comforting presence. The way Bran heard it, Samuel's fellow doctors were horrified when he stripped off all his gear to pick up a toddler who hadn't stopped crying for hours, and had her calmed within a minute.

Samuel hadn't been out as a werewolf until that moment. The Chinese wolves, Bran thought—what few there were—could now thank Samuel for paving their way. Within hours he had acquired a nickname that translated as something like "Doctor Wolf Hero," and his mate, Ariana, had texted Bran a photograph of his son in wolf form—a huge pile of white fluff—lying on a hospital floor covered in sleeping toddlers.

Thankfully Bran was alone when he received the photo, and would never need to admit to anyone that he teared up at the sight. It was no one else's business how much it meant to him to see his eldest son happy again after so long, after coming so close to losing him. Ariana had done a great deal to help Samuel, and Bran was not about to discount that, but this—Samuel helping people, his wolf helping people—would do more to keep Bran's son centered in his own soul than a mate ever could.

That photo made it onto the front page of several Chinese newspapers and went modestly viral on the internet. Bran had it framed and put on his office wall.

Part 2

"When are you gonna put a framed picture of your other son in your office?"

Anna's voice was not pointed or accusatory; that wasn't Anna's style. Bran looked up from the very peculiar goblin-related paperwork on his desk and watched his daughter-in-law read through the news article under the photo, though he imagined she'd read it before.

"When my other son does something cute," Bran said casually.

"Are you saying I'm not cute?" Anna said instantly. Nothing in her body language changed, but the scent of scorching embarrassment flared across Bran's nose as she realized she'd said that out loud.

"Exactly what type of photo," Bran said very blandly, not laughing, "are you proposing to put in my office, Anna Cornick?"

"Okay, but in all seriousness," Anna said, visibly pushing down her embarrassment, "I wonder if you realize how much you… appear to favor Samuel, at times."

"What do you mean?"

"Samuel gets to wander, drop in and out, chase his dreams, while Charles is all but chained here by your side, doing your dirty work. And I think—he hasn't said this, he never would—but I think he feels he can never have the same bond with you that Samuel does. Samuel came from your old life, before either of you were wolves, you've been together for probably a thousand years, how could Charles compete with that?"

"It's not a competition," Bran said, his brow furrowing, but Anna didn't slow down.

"And nobody wants you to love Samuel less! Maybe it's true that your relationship with him will always be deeper, that's not anyone's fault, but if you could just show a little more affection and recognition for Charles, who has sacrificed so much for you and you don't even have a photo of him in your office—"

Silently, Bran reached for the frame on his desk—the one that faced him, tucked in front of the lamp, not easily visible to anyone on the other side—and turned it around.

Anna stopped dead, staring at the framed photograph of herself and Charles on their wedding day.

"It used to be a shot of Charles at my and Leah's wedding," Bran said. "Very handsome in his tuxedo. I replaced it with this one because he looks so much happier."

Anna's face was red. She touched the edge of the picture for a second, glancing between it and Bran with a slightly watery smile.

"I've made enough of a fool of myself for one day, I think," she said, and turned to go.

"Anna," Bran said, and she stopped, although she didn't have to. Any time Anna obeyed him, it was only because she chose to. He appreciated that, as irritating as it could be. It was good for him.

"I am beyond glad that my son has as fierce an advocate as you," he said. "He deserves you. And you deserve him. Not many could."

Still embarrassed, but no longer bowing under the weight of it, she nodded to him and stepped out the door.

Bran set the photo back in its place, and smiled at the images of both his sons, before turning back to his work.

#mercy thompson #alpha and omega #patricia briggs #mercy thompson series #werewolves #my fic

[incorrectmercythompsonquotes]

If I had a gun with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden and Leah, I would shoot Leah twice.

Mercy

#mercy thompson series #mercy thompson #leah cornick #incorrectmercythompsonquotes #source : the office