#mickey and mason

[txemrn]

Detour

Summary: After a nasty run-in with the press, the Daltons spend the day at the twins' soccer tournament; however, fate has a plan of its own.

Word Count: ~1475

Warnings: adult themes; light angst; brief language

A/N: I completely forgot about this fic until we went through our WIPs last week, and I honestly can't remember why I never posted this! I haven't written/released anything TNA in a long time, so this feels good! @sfb123 thank you for helping me with the finishing touches! And @charlotteg234 and @kat-tia801, do y'all even remember this fic? Y'all pre-read it for me last year! lol So ... THANKS! All spelling and grammar mistakes are my own, so please forgive me. All characters and some plots belong to our friends at Pixelberry!

~🖤~

Frantically packing the stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with the freshly diced carrot sticks, she quickly taps on her phone for the time--and to see if Sam was leaving the office anytime soon.  “Mickey! Mason!” She calls out through the penthouse. “We’re going to be late for the first heat of your tournament--”

“Mommy?”

Nearly tripping over her youngest son Matthew, the expectant mom stops to admire the three-year-old’s latest playdough creation. “That looks so good, Matty!" She croons, rubbing his back. "Now put that away for Mommy and wash your hands.”

Her phone begins to ring, jolting her with excitement that maybe her husband was finally tearing away from work. Unfortunately, the name on the screen makes her face drop.  “Michael Weston! Mason Warner! Let’s go--” She hits the green button to answer the call with a sardonic, syrupy-sweet voice. “Hi, Vivian, have you left yet?”

“Yes, dear. We should be at the fields--” she begins talking to someone else in the car,“--less than an hour.”

“Sounds perfect--”

“Sam mentioned you may need some help--” the mother-in-law interrupts. “I can have Mason stop by and--”

“No!” She accidentally shouts, but quickly corrects herself. “I mean, no, ma’am. Thank you for the generous offer, but… no.” The mention of her father-in-law makes her stomach uneasy, especially after her husband’s confession that Mason offered Sam the company in exchange for a divorce from her. “We’ll see you two at the soccer fields.”

With a sigh of relief, she hangs up the phone before gathering her picnic basket and beach tote. As she prepares to call for her eight-year-old twins one more time, they suddenly barrel into the kitchen.

“Sorry, Mom,” Mason sweetly apologizes, grabbing a camping chair. “I had a knot in my cleat.”

“But, we got it out,” Mickey proudly chimes in, sliding a Nike knapsack on his back.

“Okay, perfect,” she smiles brightly, guiding all the boys towards the elevator doors. “Mouthguards?”

“Check,” Mickey chuckles.

“Water bottles?”

Mickey takes an obnoxious swig from his chilled water as Mason answers. “Yes, Mom, we’ve got everything.”

She kisses the tops of their heads, ruffling through their soft chestnut waves with her fingers. “You two are growing up too fast. Soon, you won’t even need me--”

“That’s not true,” Mason pipes up.

“Mom, we will always need you,” Mickey wraps an arm around his mom’s shoulder. “Besides,” he lowers his voice, “Dad’s cooking is pretty awful in comparison.” 

As they all share a chuckle, they head down to their private car, escorted by building security and Carter, their personal driver. But, the moment the family exited the building, they are blinded by flashes of light from shutterbugs and reporters with microphones. 

“Mom, I’m scared!” Matthew cries as she hoists him onto her hip, the men taking her bags and folding chairs. She grips tightly to the older boys, shuffling them quickly into the car.

“Mrs. Dalton! Mrs. Dalton! Over here!"

“Damnit,” she scoffs to herself, buckling up the boys. “It’s okay, guys. Don’t look out the window--” she is quickly interrupted by the brush of a hand on her backside.  She abruptly swings around, her open hand colliding with a reporter's cheek.

"Fuck!" He grips his face. "You're gonna be sorry for that, princess--"

"You assaulted me, asshole--" she swivels around, ensuring their belongings are tucked away before she steps into the vehicle.

"Oh! Such a picture of Dalton perfection!" He spits at her. "Such a great example for your kids. Are you sure you can handle one more?"

As she carefully climbs into the sedan, she holds her arm out the window, her middle finger extended as they finally drive off down the street.

"You okay, Mom?" Mason quietly breaks the tension inside the cab.

Offering a cordial smile, she combs a few tresses behind his ear, stroking his cheeks with her thumb. "I should be asking you that," she titters into a sigh. She squeezes Mickey's knee endearingly. "Never, ever forget how much I love you boys--" 

"And baby Maggie!" Matthew shouts proudly, placing his chubby hands on his mother's growing bump. 

She hugs her arm around Matthew before leaning back. "That's right, Bubba," she slowly exhales in relief. "And Maggie, too." She closes her eyes, relishing the innocence of her boys' chatter. As they draw closer to the soccer fields and closer to her in-laws, a pit grows in her stomach, knowing that her short dealings with the paparazzi will cost her.

Once at the soccer fields, the boys are registered with their team for the day-long tournament.  Together, they set up a tent with their fold-out camping chairs and picnic blankets.  Sunscreen and bug repellant are carefully applied to each of the boys. As their mother sends them out into their first game, she lays down Matthew with a juice box, hoping that he will rest in order to survive the day without any meltdowns.  

She picks up her phone, but of course, there are no alerts from her husband. Putting her phone facedown, she readjusts her short bob into a messy bun before reapplying her Chanel sunglasses. As she begins to sip on an apple juice, a shadow is cast over her body.

“You flicked them off?”

She smirks to herself as she continues to watch the game.

“Baby,” Sam steps behind her chair, pressing his lips into her temple, “did you seriously--?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbles.

“Well, my folks want to talk about it,” he sits down on the blanket next to his resting son, letting out a deep sigh. “Again.”

She pushes her sunglasses onto her head. “What was I supposed to do, baby--?”

“You don’t do anything--you don’t say anything!” He rubs his hands down his face. “Is it that hard for you just to keep your mouth shut?”

“Samuel! He touched me--that’s assault!”

“Are you sure you didn’t--?”

“Of course,” she throws up her hands, interrupting her husband. “It’s my fault.” She stands up, adjusting her sunglasses on her face. “Stop pinning this on me.”

As she begins to take off to get some fresh air, Sam quickly stands up, grabbing her wrist to pull her back to himself. He wraps his strong, comforting arms around her, rocking her back and forth. “Baby, talk to me,” he whispers against her ear.

“I don’t think you know what it’s like to always be under fire with these guys--”

“Um, hello? They are trying to slander my name--”

“--by insulting my character, Sam! By insulting what I’m wearing, what I’m eating, what I feed the boys,” she wipes away a wayward tear. “They took a cheap shot at me today, questioning my capabilities as a mother--”

“Their opinion shouldn’t matter. They don’t even know you.”

“I know, but your parents--”

“Baby,” he silences her, giving her a crooked smile, “they don’t know the real you. The way I know you.” 

“They seem to only care about the press--”

“I know, I know.” He tightens his embrace around his wife, pressing his lips against her forehead. “It’s business. It’s the image of the business. And it’s not fair.” He pulls off her sunglasses, dabbing at her wet eyes. “But I know you are remarkable,” he kisses the tip of her nose, making her wince into a smile. “And you’re the only one who can take my breath away--”

“Heads up!”

Suddenly, a soccer ball flies over the young Daltons’ heads, quickly heading towards a duck pond. Sam takes off, chasing after the ball, hoping to stop it before it hits the water. But, luckily, someone else is there to stop it for him.

“Oh, God, thank you so--” he freezes as a young, petite woman with stormy blue eyes and long almond waves steps forward, offering him the soccer ball.

“Mr. Dalton?”

“Yeah, um,” he clears his throat, shaking the shocked look from his face. “I’m sorry, um,” he titters awkwardly, “do I know you?”

“Oh!” She giggles, offering a bright smile. “I know it must be hard keeping up with all of your employees.  My name is Brynn. Brynn Schuyler. I work in your laboratory department--”

“With Evan, right!” He blushes, running his fingers through his hair. “Well, it’s wonderful meeting another beautiful face– I mean, face… um, I mean, meeting another  employee from Dalton--”

“Sam?” The all-too-familiar voice of his wife startles him from behind as she gently caresses his lower back. Sam quickly pulls her forward, draping his arm around her shoulders. Though she smiles kindly, her chocolate brown eyes narrow in on the young coed.

“Oh, this is Brynn,” he nervously gestures for the women to meet with a chuckle, “Brynn Schuyler from the lab. And this is my... um, this is…”

“Addison.” Mrs. Dalton raises an irritated eyebrow, sticking out her hand for a cordial hand-shake. “His wife.”

~🖤~

A/N 2: If you're new here, hi! Just in case you are wondering what just happened, my MC's name is Brynn Schuyler, and I decided to write this one-shot kinda like a "what if" type situation... what if the subway accident never happened? Were Sam and Brynn still destined to meet? Here's how it might've happened...

~🖤~

Tags (please let me know if you'd like to be added/removed):

PERMA

@alexabeta @ao719 @charlotteg234 @chemist-ana @differenttyphoonwerewolf @foreverethereal123 @issabees @jerzwriter @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @lovelyladyk88 @lucy-268 @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nikirennie87 @peonierose @schnitzelbutterfingers @sfb123 @shannonwrote @shewillreadyou @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

ALL TNA

@bisexualdisasteracd @choices-addict @rookiemartin

@choicesficwriterscreations @thenannyaffair-fanfics

#the nanny affair #the nanny affair book 3 #the nanny affair 3 #sam dalton #m!sam dalton #mickey and mason #mickey dalton #mason dalton #choices tna #choices tna 3 #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #choices tna fanfic #tna fanfiction #choices tna fanfiction

[phantoms-world-and-more]

Danny and his english class go feral

So danny and all of his English class are going to gothem as a graduateing feild trip

By this point in time everyone knows danny is phantom, danny knowes everyone knows, all of amity knowes

But because of the way the government reacted to the ghosts, ignoring the problem and just sending in people who want to commit genocide.. they've made the decision they dont need the government

At this point, danny English class is very protective of eachother

Dash and the a-listers apologised

Once Wes was proven right, he was told of what would happen to danny should outsiders find out about him and apologised

Mikey and the neards have gotten more confident dew to the a-listers and in return thwy help dash and kwan with their grades

The point is, their ALL protective, and because danny is the most protective of all once he heard they were going to gothem he handed out fenton brand wepons like candy

They were all enjoying it so far, it was getting annoying whenever dash or kwan had to knock out a few petty criminals but its going fine...

Until the riddler and penguin decided to make a hostages situation out of them

.

.

.

When batman arrived to a hostage situation he was expecting crying and scared kids, especially after learning they were teenagers from out of town...

What he walked in on was this

Paulina and star making matching scratching posts out of a pair of goons

Wes was full body slamming people left, right and center, your in his way your getting knocked over

Sam was following wes and after he knocked them over she used the fenton-anti-asshole-tazer on them

Tucker was sitting on a chandler and making sure all the coms were disconnected...and recording everything

Mickey ran up to dash yelled "FOOTBALL ME" and dash picked him up like a foorball, threw him several feet in the air where he proceeded to tackel and claw penguin

Danny was fist fighting the riddler while distroying him with banter

Mr.Lancer had a fuckin fenton-lighsaber and was changing from obi-wan canoby and darth vader impressions

.

.

.

Batman went out side for a good 30 minutes trying to processes what he just saw, unfortunately leaving the goons the riddler and penguin to the mercy of feral, overprotective angry amity parkers

.

.

.

When batman walked in later Tucker yelled "THE CONTROLL ISSUE FURRIE IS HERE"

After he yelled that everyone froze

Danny was choking out the riddler

Mickey was holding the fenton-ecto gun at penguin

Dash was mid punch

Kwan was using fenton-sneakers to walk on the roof and was stringing up goons

Stat was using the fenton-lipsick gun to blast people

Paulina was using the fenton-glitter nunchucks with star as backup

Wes was putting a goon in a headlock

Sam was using fenton-thorn gloves to distroy all wepons the goons were using

And Mr.lancer was mid darth vader impersonation

And they all stopped their feralness to stare at him, it went from chaos to silence

Even the goon, riddler and penguin were silent waiting to see WTF was about to happen

And batman had a feeling life was about to get more complicated

#danny phantom #fic prompt #daily prompt #danny fenton #dc x dp #dp x dc #funny #batman #dc #sam mason #tucker foley #dash baxter #wes weston #paulina sanchez #mickey #kwan #mr.lancer #the whole class is feral #fenton weopns #danny is protective #protective english class #Mr.lancer is a nerd #amity park is ecto contaminated #amity hates the government #danny is a gremlin #gremlin a-listers #tucker is going to make this go viral #batman os sensing impending doom #the riddler #penguin

[alienkitty259]

#degrees of lewdity #dol #answer's #a #bailey the caretaker #harper the doctor #robin the orphan #whitney the bully #doren the english teacher #kyler the loner #mickey the hacker #jordan the priest #avery the businessman #leighton the headteacher #niki the photographer #gwylan the shopkeeper #eden the hunter #alex the farmer #sirris the science teacher #river the maths teacher #mason the swim teacher #winter the history teacher #sydney the fallen #sydney the faithful #morgan the sewer dweller #landry the criminal

[savepc2023]

Darryl, Sydney, Mason, Landry and Mickey have slutty waists

#like. itty bitty #😩 #degrees of lewdity #dol #Darryl the club owner #Sydney the faithful #Sydney the fallen #landry the criminal #mason the swimming teacher #mickey the hacker #dol darryl #dol Sydney #dol mickey #dol mason #dol landry

[namedafterflowerstournament]

Botanic Tournament : Daisies Bracket !

Round 1 Poll 4

#botanic tournament #tournament polls #daisies bracket #round 1 #daisy duck #mickey mouse #disney #ducktales #donald duck #daisy robinson #daisy mason #daisy parker #downton abbey tv show #downton abbey movie #downton abbey #downton #period drama

[socalwriterbee]

⚾️A Day at the Ballpark ⚾️

I've been sitting on this incredible artwork by Ainna, since March! Shameful I know!!

In honor of the halfway point in the MLB season and the All-Star Game approaching (GO HALOS) I thought I'd share it FINALLY!!

To be fair, I was going to write a piece for their family outing as it comes to play in another story.. but as you know time and other things push it back.

The Castro/Dalton's time at the Ballpark will be written.

In the meantime, look how awesome it came out. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

*their choice in teams are highly questionable. 🤣🤣

#the nanny affair #choices tna #marie castro x sam dalton #sam x marie #the dalton's team choices are questionable #mason and mickey #choices stories you play #choices art #choices the nanny affair

[secretaryunpaid]

The Long Goodbye...

Rating: Mature

Warning: Intimacy, the feeling of loss

Word Count: 3500 approximately

The Long Goodbye…

It was time…

He wasn’t ready, although he thought he would be…

Boys, get your scarves, Dahlia and I are going to take you on a stroll through Central Park, and then we are taking a trip together to visit someone special to you that you haven’t met yet. Saying “special” cut like a heated knife through his heart, but it would not take away from the fact that he is someone special to them, as he was to their mother… another bitter fact that Sam had come to accept. It had taken him time, but he knew that brooding over the fact wouldn’t change a single ounce of the truth that had burned in his mind and heart for some time now.

He had given him time to adjust to his request for his sons, but would that time ever be enough? No way that it could ever be. Although they were not his biological sons, they had made him the man he was today. For if they had not been born, he would never have found it within himself to care more about his own life… It had been their births that grounded him. Watching the pain ripping through Alina as she so bravely pushed each one into the waiting hands of a very proud father, eventually cutting their cords after the desired time she’d ask them to wait… the last moments they would be totally dependent on her alone for their survival finally showed Sam exactly what he had been taking for granted.

Looking back on it made things bittersweet. How could the best memories of his life be stained with untruth? But he wouldn’t allow any deception to taint his relationship with his boys, until they could no longer reside with him he would give them his all. So, today would start their long goodbye… Mini trips to fun locations and a walk down memory lane, ending in the very place he’d discovered his wife in the arms of none other than their true father. 

Sighing, Dahlia takes his hand and pulls him into a tight hug. “We will get through this, Sam. It won’t be easy, but we will. This doesn’t truly have to be goodbye. I don’t see that you could be kept out of their lives after raising them to be such fine young boys. Their brilliance and love of life is all because of you. Yes, Alina had her share in giving them love early on, but after… Well, love, that was all you!” He bends and rests his chin atop her head, steadying his anxiety in her firm hold of him. She always did have a way of calming the worst storms brewing within him. “Let’s go, we have a lot of activities ahead of us, and our boys are anxious… “

Once at the park, the boys inquired about every scientific thing that they could think of, from the color change in the leaves, to the contrasting landscape, to why they seemed to react differently to the cool weather… Dahlia had on a wool trench, while Sam just had a knit sweater and scarf thrown over his neck and shoulders, but a thin turtleneck was the only protection against the chilling breeze. The boys both had on their fleece lined jackets with hats, scarves and gloves. 

It was fascinating to listen to Dahlia explain the body’s mechanisms for regulating body temperature, the boys eagerly giving their own examples, missing the heated looks between the two adults whose bodies were joined at the sides, arms wrapped around each other like anchors to keep them both from losing themselves in these moments… How would their days be without the energy and life the boys brought throughout their days?

Thoughts were broken as they came across a cart vendor selling the most alluring scented hot drinks and pastries. Answering before the boys’ excitement could settle enough to ask, they followed the boys at a much slower pace to the smiling older gentleman who was reciprocating the smiles plastered on the boys’ faces. As they animatedly discussed which sweets would be best and to see if they could get away with more than one, Dahlia held a quick conversation with Sam which ended in a sweet kiss caught by the boys just as it was ending. “Eewwww, more kissing!” 

“That’s what love looks like, young men, now… what can I get for you?” This man reminded them of Carter once they gave a closer look, but maybe it was just his gentle nature that made them think of him. “Well boys, since we grossed you out just now, I’m sure you won’t want anything but a hot drink, right?” Sam teased them, knowing that they’d plead for more and it would divert them from witnessing their mature actions. As they protested, Dahlia nudged Sam to give in just this once and let them have their pick of things to their delight. After drinks and goodies were purchased, their walk continued until they reached the pond and park benches.

“Your dad and I will sit here while you two explore this area in front of us, but stay in sight, okay.” The boys head straight for the carousel, and once on, chase each other around it until they find just the right spot. As the carousel turns, intermittently waving and calling out to the boys, Dahlia turns to Sam with puzzlement over his distant expression. “Do we get to discuss more about this? I still don’t know who this mysterious father could even be.”

He finally turns to look at her with tearful eyes. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I don’t think it’s something that I can discuss right now. I just want to fully enjoy the remainder of our days together as a complete family. I will explain more on the last leg of our vacation. I am, however, anxious to meet your sister! Is she anything like you?”

“Way to deflect from unwanted conversation, mister… but, not so much. Riley and I are two very different people. Although, she did marry my brother-in-law not truly knowing anything about him… That is similar to us, but I knew a lot about you… You just didn’t see that knowing everything about me would change things. But to add more, Riley carried a lot of the responsibility for me. Our parents traveled for work and were hardly ever present in my life. My Grandma Addie was my lifeline… but after she passed on, it was pretty much Riley. I went off to college at an early age, and Riley eventually went off to medical school but left to pursue “anything different” to quote her directly. She was pretty much a professional student, but our grandmother always told us that you can’t ever have too many degrees behind your name. Life played out a lot differently for me, but I do have my Master’s in Chemistry, Bachelors in Biochemistry and Psychology.”

Sam barely heard much of what Dahlia was saying, eyes flicking between her and the carousel, taking in how excited and carefree the twins were. This had never been his childhood, groomed from an early age to be in the public eye, from his grandfather’s prominent status to his father’s need to surpass the image of his father. He couldn’t help reliving the day of their birth, changing their diapers for the first time when handling them both on his own… a bet he’d made with confidence to his wife that he could handle the task alone and with precision, but two blowouts proved otherwise. He didn’t think something so small could hold so much, but they did, and it was like a competition brewing between them already, or their first ever prank. His memory of dropping them off for their first day of school brings a smile to his face, but is quickly interrupted by the boys’ screaming as they played tag after having gotten off the carousel and playfully raced back towards the two of them. 

Standing, he reaches for her hand with a sad smile which causes her to pause, but she offers him her hand. Pulling her into him for a tight hug, he kisses just behind her ear as he whispers, “I love you, you know that?” As she leans to try to guess his mood, he kisses her on the lips quickly before taking her hands and kissing them before interlacing their fingers together so that they could continue their evening of fun. Each feels Mickey and Mason slide up against their exposed sides, simultaneously ruffling their hair as the boys protest, “Where to next, Dahlia?” She looks at Sam and says, “You boys up to pillaging and plundering a castle?”

“There’s a real castle?” 

“Yes, in the center of Central Park. We have to fight off other pirates as we climb to the top. We’ll need to get to the lookout to search for the potential locations the treasure has been buried. Race you there!” 

“Ugh, dad! Dahlia’s too fast! Catch her!” He can’t help falling into the feeling of family and gives chase, hearing the boys yell, “faster, faster, she is getting away!” Gaining on her quickly with his long strides, he catches her at the waist and spins her around. As he begins to lower her to the ground, the boys join in hugging her waist and laughing, “You’re fast, but not faster than dad!”

“Yeah, duh!!! Do you see those long legs! That’s why I needed the headstart! But… since you don’t know the way, my little admirals, you’ll just have to stay close and follow me!” His heart pangs with knowing these are the final moments with his family in this way. He is so thankful that Dahlia is taking charge of this adventure in his stead because he is slowly crumbling inside and fighting hard not to fall weak in front of the boys.

How had he taken them for granted all of this time … allowing their grandparents the better part of their time? Arm draped around her shoulder, he quietly thanks her for all that she is doing today and he shows his gratitude later when they are alone, kissing the top of her head. She isn’t used to seeing Sam in such a vulnerable state and begins to worry about him. She won’t probe him further about it now, just keep the boys occupied to give him this bit of instant relief.

Finally making it to the top spiral of the castle’s tower, they make a dramatic scene of spotting creatures and pirate ships sailing towards them in the icy lake below. “We can’t let them get our treasure, Admiral Mason!” “No chance of that, Admiral Mickey! We have Dahlia and dad to fight them off for us!” Sam makes a display of suiting up in armor and weaponry as Dahlia fires shots from the imaginary cannons and yells back for Sam to man the bow chaser. Brandishing his cutlass, he screams out pirate jargon and then throws grenades as he runs to the cannon to finally sink the closest ships. Celebrating in triumph, they all perform a signature dance move and fall down in a fit of laughter.

Once hydrated, they move on throughout Central Park, making their way back towards Hyland Planetarium, the place where Dahlia had taken them on her first attempt at babysitting them for Sam. This would be another painful moment, unable to be hidden. “Dad, why are you so sad?”

Both boys rush to take a hand, somberly gazing up into his eyes awaiting some response. 

Every Breath You Take… Aaron Krause  link2

Sam pulls them into a tight side hug, reassuring them that he isn’t sad (a blatant understatement, but a little white lie told to not dampen their moods), but just remembering their happiest moments together (not a lie, but a mask for what he truly feels). As they make their way to their preferred row of seating, the lights begin to lower. After calling out as many of the ones they recognized in competition, the boys noticed a new set they had never seen before, a mirror image representing identical twins. Sam had arranged for the boys to have their own constellations named after them, so that no matter where they were in the world, as long as they were looking up at the starry night sky, there would always be a constant reminder of how much he loved them even though they may be apart. 

“Wow, dad! You really had them named after us?”

“I sure did! I even bought you an advanced telescope so that you can help to discover more… even if they can’t be documented, you boys can have the pleasure of writing your own worlds in the stars above.” Dahlia leaned in close as Sam lifted his arm for her to cuddle into him.The tears in her eyes were apparent, but the boys didn’t catch on due to their excitement of air tracing their very own constellations. Dahlia remembers the exact evening Sam discussed the idea with his mother when they visited her for dinner, and slowly the pieces begin to stitch together. This is what had motivated all of these unexpected yet sentimental acts from Sam. 

Vivian had discussed having their ceiling mimic this exact view with Liam, and he’d agreed to have the renovations completed by the time of their arrival. She made sure that he knew the things the boys were accustomed to and had already begun shipping things unable to be found in Cordonia out of her need to have some control in this unfortunate situation. Liam was beyond grateful for every bit of information he had been privy to because this was already going to be a major change… one, not even he could be sure that Riley or Cordonia would be openly receptive to.

One last car ride with Carter… this time, both sit up front, after a dare made by Mickey that Mason wouldn’t be able to convince Sam to allow this to ever happen, and if by some rare chance he did, he would stop teasing him about the bedwetting prank he’d pulled on him, never mentioning it again to anyone. He’d teased Mason long and hard over this, making sure to tell anyone that would listen to his comedic rantings, so there was no way that Mason wouldn’t give this a try. To Mickey’s disbelief, all Mason had to do was ask and Sam gave in with a gentle smile, rustling his curls saying, “Just this once!”

His strength had completely faltered, and there was no way that he would be able to thwart the onslaught of questions the boys would have given on the journey home. They wouldn’t continue to believe that he was the nostalgic father he’d previously explained their prior concerns away with. The moment the town car began its designated route to the airport, Sam sank down into Dahlia’s lap, his head heavy and eyes brimming with the unshed tears he had been willing away the entire day.

As she gently stroked his beard, she softly pleaded for him to talk to her. Knowing the details may allow her to comfort him better, but he delays the conversation by planting kisses on her inner thigh through her clothing, moving to place a kiss on her mound before easing his way up to kiss her with such a needy force that she abandons any and all conversation. Unfastening the button with a mere hook of his finger and quickly dragging the zipper down, he buries his face in her crotch, teasing her clit as his hands squeeze her thighs… slowly dragging her forward to allow him better access.

“Sam, I love the way you feel right now, but what about the partition?” Only stopping to lean backward to lock the window access to the back of the town car, he turns and eyes her with such adoration in his eyes that she feels her wetness increasing. 

It will take at least an hour to reach the private hanger, where Sam’s plane has been prepped for him to take his family up for the first leg of their air travel. He’s never taken the boys up but feels that this would be the perfect way to ease them into the much longer flight ahead of them. What better way to show his boys how cool their dad is? Their dad…

Desperately needing to get out of his head, he gave her only one instruction, “Don’t make a sound!” The roughness in his kiss suffocated any spurning her mind insisted upon knowing that the boys could potentially hear or see her intimate behavior, soft whispers and cries escaping her. When Sam desired comfort in this way, she knew that whatever was grating on his mind would unravel through the most intense touch he could offer her, and she could barely contain her anxiety to absorb every ounce of feeling that he would pour into her.

He thought that this was finally smothering the feeling of abandonment that haunted him, but her repetitive whisper, “Oh, baby!”, would remind him of the words that escaped Alina’s mouth as he held her, nestled in his lap with each new baby boy held secure in her arms as he firmly surrounded hers… “Oh baby, look how peaceful and beautiful they are!” The push and pull between reality and memory almost proved to be overwhelming, but he would soon remedy this. 

Taking her faster would cause her words to falter, only allowing room for her to attempt catching her breath while moaning her elation, but this would only set him back to square one, answering questions he wanted to avoid. Lapping the remnants remaining of her first orgasm, he unbuttons his shirt, hurriedly ripping it from his torso just before leaning back on his knees to unbuckle his belt.

Dahlia is already upright on her knees in front of him, unzipping his pants and freeing his pulsing erection, straddling it before he’s even removed the belt completely. A pointless idea now abandoned, he steadies her thighs in his grip as she grinds on him, kissing him with as much passionate energy as she felt coursing through her just moments ago. She feels so damned good taking him as he sits idle, enjoying the feel of her using him to bring a climax and hard release that has her trembling around him, embracing him as she pants so heavily that syncope is near.

Sam is still so conflicted in his heart that his release is stunted each time he is on the brink. Only taking complete control will allow him to escape everything consuming him. Dahlia has no recovery time. Sam lifts her and crawls forward pinning her sideways on the seat as he drives into her hard and fast at first, but slows to give him more time. Both watch as he slowly sheaths himself fully within her, withdrawing at the same pace but lifting upward to intensify the feel of him against her clenching walls.

Stretching her each time as his excitement floods into a near-painful hardness, he finally knows that the time has come to empty all thoughts as he forces himself into her not pulling away any longer but pushing with a deep grind that has her clawing and gripping his arms as he hovers close to her. The buildup to their release becomes so powerful there’s a tightness in his chest and he is almost unable to breathe. One arm holds her tightly against him just below her shoulder blades as his other hand cups her ass, lifting her into his deep strokes, whispering for her to get ready, he’s about to flood her.

She holds tightly around his neck as his grind forces her upward, burying her head until she feels she may scream. “Kiss me, Sam!” He can’t have her talking loudly or screaming. She audibly pouts at his withdrawal, her body now torturously aching to be filled. Unable to protest because Sam repositions and fills her mouth instead, “Take it!” He stretches over her and begins to kiss and suck her orgasm from her as she does him, both grinding wildly against each other’s faces.

Release !!!  Finally, a delicious release drowned in barely audible hissing and shivering moans… “Mmmmhm, Sam!!” It takes everything within him to remain silent, but he has to maintain this restraint… The boys can’t know why he so freely agreed to Mason’s request, although this wasn’t necessarily the primary reason. Lazily readjusting themselves and their clothing, “Talk later?” Yawning, her only reply, “Mmmm…” Reaching into the console to retrieve a light fragranced cologne bottle, he squirts a few sprays onto their clothing to mask their adult activities before relaxing back into the seat and holding Dahlia against him as they await arrival at the hanger.

Was this long goodbye truly the best idea? Sure, it gives him more time, but it would still come to an end with the same result… letting go… How the hell was he supposed to do this?

{To be continued...}

#the long goodbye #becoming mrs. dalton #secretaryunpaid #choices fanfiction #choices fandom #choices the nanny affair #tna fanfic #tna fandom #sam x mc #samuel dalton #dahlia schuyler #mickey dalton #mason dalton #intimacy

[marcosvargas97]

[ESP] Me tomó tres días hacer este fanart de River Country, un fangame de FNAF. [ENG] It took me three days to make this fanart of River Country, a FNAF fangame.

#marcosvargas97 #river country #fnaf fangame #mickey mouse #donald duck #minnie mouse #goofy #oswald the lucky rabbit #mason river country

[ceruleanmusings]

Getting back into writing the next chapter for Inconsolable and decided to whip up a new manip to get myself in the right headspace.

The tension between them is one of my fav parts about writing them. It really was only a matter of time until they did something about it, lol.

@theblerdbox I need you to fawn over Jake with me. Imagine him looking at you like that. Mickey was a freakin' goner from the day they met.

#holesedit #holesmanip #holes 2003 #squid #mickey mason #holesoc #my edit #inconsolable

[yourqueenb]

They just be lying for no reason in this book 😂 Jenny isn’t even a good friend and that’s the only person out of this group that MC’s actually close to!

#choices tna #choices the nanny affair #choices #choices stories you play #playchoices #y’all already know which one I picked tho lol #the only positives that come from this marriage are 1) Mason 2) Mickey 3) and the money 🤷🏽‍♀️ #choices app #pixelberry studios #pixelberry

[fentybucky]

another great softie 🤏🏻🤍

#mason mount #england nt #he looks like he just woke up #mickey mount #<3

[txemrn]

Somewhere Else

Book: The Nanny Affair, Book 3

Word Count: ~4730 (I haven't written TNA in a loooong time... I had a lot to say)

Song Inspo: "Paris" by Taylor Swift

Summary: Brynn (MC) reminisces about her whirlwind of a wedding day that was filled with jitters and professions of love.

Warning: a little language; fluff; bits of angst

AN: This is my submission for @moodmusicmonday's the Luck of the Draw! I'm not exactly a Swiftie, but this was so much fun, gleaning inspo from a song I otherwise would never have known! Thank you to whoever sent it, and to my amazing counter-part @sfb123 (who... I don't know if y'all know this, but she has been running MMM for most--if not all--of 2023): thank you for hosting this event, sister! You did a GREAT job!

A/N 2: These characters, some of the plot and even some of the dialogue belong to our friends at Pixelberry! Not truly preread or beta'd, so please excuse my errors!

~🖤~

Present

"... tonight on ET, we have the wedding exclusive of billionaire bachelor Samuel Dalton and his nanny-turned-fiancée Brynn Schuyler–"

The glow of the screen flickers to black before hosting a new picture.

"... I'm here with the groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mason Dalton. Seeing your son at the altar like that, tell us –"

 The soft click of a button changes to another channel.

"...the two are pictured here before they scurried off to an undisclosed location, some believe they are still here in Mexico–"

He turns off the television before tossing the remote onto the coffee table in our suite.  He pulls his phone out of his pocket, running an anxious hand through his thick, chestnut waves. No doubt, he's staring at dozens of missed calls and unanswered texts. 

I don't know if it was the turning of the bathroom doorknob, or if he could hear my nervous, labored breathing, but he abruptly stops, dropping his phone as he fixes his hungry gaze to me. A crooked smile forms as he devours me with his dark eyes, the flecks of copper reflecting in the candlelight.

Butterflies evade my belly as I stand before him, wearing nothing but the white shirt from his tux. I fidget with the cuffs of the long sleeves as they keep falling past my hands. I can feel him watching my body, an innocent awe etching across his face.

"I hope you don't mind me borrowing your shirt." I blush, averting my eyes as the oversized cotton material slouches off of my sunkissed shoulder, exposing my bare skin.  "I don't exactly have anything else–"

"It's perfect," he croons softly. He stalks closer to me, his hands finding mine. "You really think I wanted to see you a moment longer in that dress?" He chuckles, the warmth in his tone exhilarating my senses.

We fall into a comfortable silence, our eyes locked on one another. 

We're finally here.

Him. And me. Forever.

------

Earlier that day

“...So as I look to our… to our–” I pause from my neurotic pacing, glancing down at my notes before quickly darting my eyes away once again.  I wrote my wedding vows weeks ago, and had no problem memorizing them. But something about today… something is freaking me out.

“So as I look to our future, I vow to… I vow to, um… Damnit!”  I hold up my vows again, but with my clumsy, nervous fingers, I accidentally drop the index cards. “Shit! Shit!”  I try to catch them as each one floats into various directions all over the floor, some of them finding their way underneath the furniture of my bridal dressing room suite.  With a heavy sigh, I crawl on my knees, attempting to reach the ones that fell under the coffee table. 

“Happy wedding day–!”

I jump.  The sudden chirp of my best friend's voice causes the back of my skull to meet the glass table with an abrupt thud followed by a tearful groan. "Ow!"  I fall forward, my face finding the ornate rug as my fingers shield my now-aching head.

"Brynn!" Jenny panics, seeing my body now splayed on the floor. Aditya helps me up, assisting me to a nearby chaise lounge.  Marisol fills a tea towel with ice before applying it to the back of my head with care. Jenny plops down next to me, biting her nail in worry. "What were you doing down there?"

I force a cordial smile, holding up a single note card. "Vows," I mutter, the small gesture making me wince from the surge of pain.

"Ahh! Your vows!" Jenny squeals at a higher decibel than normal. "You're finally a blushing bride!  Can you believe it?"

"I… I can't believe it." My eyes widen in shock. I'm trying to match my best friend's enthusiasm, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm missing the bride gene. You know; the one that makes you giggle like a schoolgirl  at even the dumbest jokes and cry happy, pretty tears at everything bridal.

 Me? I think I'm about to hurl.

Jenny grabs my hand, admiring my engagement ring yet again.  I blame her pregnancy hormones, and her desire to be locked down with someone.  No doubt, she'd prefer Aditya, but at this point, I think she'll take anyone.

"Mrs. Samuel J. Dalton," Jenny singsongs, letting go of my fingers. She clasps her hands dreamily with a far-off daze in her bronze eyes.

I stare back down at the heavy rock on my finger, my arm growing fatigue under its weight. The glint from the sun catches the cut diamond just right, casting blinding fractals in my eyes. I hiss from the abrupt intrusion of bright light to my vision.

Mrs. Samuel J. Dalton, I repeat to myself.  "I'm… I'm getting married," I state matter-of-factly as a catch my reflection in the floor-length mirror. "I'm… getting…" my voice becomes softer, more hoarse as I stand to look closer at myself. "I'm marrying Sam Dalton…" I can't seem to catch my breath as I watch my bridal party pop open a bottle of chilled champagne–and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. My voice grows louder, anxious. And terrified. "I'm marrying Sam Dalton… today!"

"Yes!" Jenny celebrates passing me a flute, "isn't this awesome?" She cheers with my glass before I watch the others lift their drinks in my honor. And everyone seems to freeze, staring at me to say something. 

Truth is… I have no words. Oh God, what is happening?

"It's… awesome," I choke out, hoping my bright smile will convince them. And convince me. I quickly down the entire glass.

“I’m so excited for you and Sam," Jenny continues to gloat.

"Me and Sam." I take a deep cleansing breath. Right. Eye on the prize, Brynn. Me and Sam. It's just you and Sam. It's just you… and…

“So how’re you holding up?" Marisol takes a seat on a couch, crossing her legs nonchalantly. "I remember I was an absolute wreck at my wedding. Any pre-wedding jitters?”

Jenny chuckles, waving her hand in the air as if the mention of nerves is preposterous. "Jitters? This gal has been dreaming about this day since she met the hottie."

Aditya snickers. He saunters up close to Jenny, wrapping his arms around her waist before taking a sip of his bubbly drink.

I glance around the room, everyone's attention stuck on me. Damnit, I know I'm the bride and today is about me.  But does everyone have to be staring at me like that, like I've given them a new hope in love, that love does conquer all, that Sam and I are their new favorite fairy tale? 

"Right, Brynn?" Jenny prompts when I stay silent, nodding her head.

“I… feel like I’ve never been more ready for anything." I take a deep cleansing breath before curling my lips into a bright grin.  "No jitters. No doubts.”

Jenny claps her hands, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Then let’s get you to the altar–starting with your dress!”

The dress… my wedding dress… right…

------

Present

My cell phone rings, the chime breaking us both from the haze of the day.  I had put it on Do Not Disturb when we left the ceremony, save for a few numbers. I had a sneaking suspicion of who it was.

And I don't care.

He smirks, nodding over his shoulder. "You gonna get that?"

I step forward, sliding my hands up the firm planes of his chest until I intertwine my fingers behind his neck. I shake my head. "Nothing could be more important than being here with you, being us."

Slipping his arms around my waist, he tenderly presses his forehead to mine. He nuzzles his nose flesh to my skin, eliciting a soft moan from my lips. His mouth is a breath away from discovering my own… when my phone rings again.

He smirks, chuckling at the annoyance and slightly pulling away.

"Damnit," I mutter.

He kisses my temple. "Go ahead," he encourages, "it'll be like ripping off a band-aid." He teasingly spanks my ass.  "And then I'll kiss it and make it better."

“Promise?” I snicker, enjoying his hands on me, but reality quickly sets in. My eyes flutter close as my heart begins to pound like a drum in my chest. Just face the music… 

I walk over to grab my phone, peering at the screen.  I cinch my eyes closed again before swiping to answer the call.

"Hey–"

"Oh, thank God!" Jenny shouts through my speaker. "When you weren't answering, I just assumed the worst–"

"Jenny, I–"

"You guys just left," she nervously titters, "no goodbyes or anything. We went to your room, and–"

"Listen, I can't stay long. But everything is okay. Better, actually. And we're safe. We found another place to stay... You know? Get away from the chaos and the press." I chew on the inside of my mouth. "Can you… tell Moma that?"

"Yeah, of course, but Brynny… are you–"

"Jenny, stop. I promise, I will tell you everything when we get back from our trip. Okay?"  My best friend doesn't respond right away, and I'm not sure if my answers satisfy her genuine curiosity.

"I… I just want to make sure you're happy."

I look at the beautiful man sitting on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. And suddenly, I am overwhelmed with feelings of joy as I see our future play out in front of me. With our kids. The business. With each other. And it all finally seems so perfectly clear.

"Jen," my eyes sting with pricks of tears, "I've never been happier."

------

Earlier that day…

"Brynn! Brynn!"

Startled, I spin around to see my favorite boys bounding around the foyer. "Whoa, whoa, you guys–" They crash into my arms as I bend down to catch them. I pepper kisses into their handsome curls, breathing in their scent that always feels like home. Gosh, my boys… 

Mickey stands tall with his arms behind his back. “Miss Naya told us to give you this!” He pulls out my bouquet of fresh roses, a bountiful collection of gorgeous creams and soft pale pinks. "Tada!"

My breath hitches, taken aback by how absolutely dreamy everything has turned out. This wedding… it… it's really happening. I take the bouquet, the sweet floral notes dancing around me before I turn to look at two pairs of glittering eyes. 

"It's almost as pretty as you, Brynn," Mason pushes his glasses up his nose.

"Just like a princess," Mickey chimes in.

“You two look pretty sharp yourselves,” I wink, adjusting Mason’s bowtie before fixing a wayward curl behind Mickey’s ear. "Do you have the rings like we practiced?"

The twins nod their heads in unison, pulling out the velvet boxes. "I promise we won't drop them," Mickey flashes a worried glance.

"Baby," I cup his freckled cheek, "you're going to do just fine." I place my hand on Mason's shoulder. "Both of you."

"Do we have to call you 'Mom' after you marry Dad?" Mason innocently questions.

Mom. The word hits like a brick in the pit of my stomach. I'm going to be someone's mother… not just one person, but I'm going to be a mother of two… 

And this is no surprise to me. Afterall, Mickey and Mason are the entire reason I even met this family. I've only known the Daltons for less than a year, and yet, I have been one of the only mother figures in their young lives. When I agreed to marry Sam, it was a package deal.

God, I love them so much. They have given me so much joy, even on days I didn't think I was going to make it. Between the incessant fights and the scandals, these two precious boys have seen me and loved me for me. They were my family long before… well, long before Sam and me…

I can't imagine living a day without a joke or a prank from those two… but being their actual mother? Making sure these two boys grow into successful men? 

"Well?" Mickey prompts for an answer to his brother's question.

I pull them both into a tight hug. "You two can call me whatever you want. The most important thing you need to know is I will always be here for you two."

"And Dad," Mickey teases, grinning.

"Right, Brynn?" Mason tugs on my elbow.

"Miss Schuyler," a deep, familiar voice resonates through the waiting area, tearing me from my conversation with the boys. "You are absolutely ravishing, my dear."

"Oh, Mr. Carter, you old dog," I blush as the tall, older gentleman dressed in a neatly pressed tux approaches us. I embrace him tightly as he gives me a chaste kiss on the cheek. 

"Well, let me take a look at you," he gleefully laughs, taking me by the hand. He twirls me in a circle, the skirt of my dress flouncing out like a dream.  Carter playfully whistles. "Enchanting," he grins, his gray eyes twinkling as his voice grows softer. "You remind me so much of my Evelyn on our wedding day." 

My eyes glisten at the mention of his wife. Unfortunately, she couldn't be with us today. Carter says that she has her 'good days and bad days,' I sense the latter outweighs the former, but still the way he speaks of his wife of forty years is precious, the envy of my dreams and future. 

I offer him a kind smile, trying to blink back the tears, but I can feel my face begin to flush. 

Suddenly, the gentle crescendo of music coming from the chapel notifies us that it's time for the ceremony to start. Carter and I give the boys one more glance, reminding them to walk slowly and to smile. Mickey and Mason hear their cue, and just like we rehearsed, they begin their trek to the altar.

And now... I'm next.

Carter begins to leave to sneak back into his seat, but I grab him by his arm.  I start to fidget with the boutonnière on his lapels. "Mr. Carter, I… I… did you maybe… I don't know–"

He takes my hands in his, calming my trembling fingers. "Miss Schuyler, take a deep breath."

I follow his directions, taking a deep gulp of air. "Jitters, right?" I exhale, fanning myself with my hand. "Perfectly normal, right?"

Carter kindly nods, guiding me slowly to the entrance. "When you step in there, find Mr. Dalton's eyes, and you stay focused on them. That's what helped on our wedding day."

"So you were nervous, too?" I glance down the aisle, noticing the twins are halfway to their spots. I quickly step back, my eyes fluttering closed. "And that helped you?"

He curls his lips endearingly. "It helped Evelyn."

"Really?" My eyes widen. "How?

He smirks as he recalls the memory. "We came from different families, you know? And because of that, she was terrified on what was supposed to be the best day of our lives. Seeking the approval of her parents, her family, even some of her friends… It was a lot of pressure on her."

"Gosh, that must've been hard."

"It was," he nods, "but, she said that on that day, she found my eyes… and they said everything that she needed to know."

My heart swoons at the thought. "She saw the love in your eyes?"

Carter coyly shakes his head.  He must see my confusion because he gives a deep, hearty laugh. "You are a treasure, Miss Schuyler, just like my Evelyn. A man that loves you will look at you as such, not with greed over what he's getting… but with fear because he sees how much he has to lose; he realizes he would be wrecked, completely devastated without you."

An overwhelming sense of calm washes over me. 

Find his eyes…

You are a treasure…

He sees how much he has to lose…

I squeeze Carter's hands, pulling him into one last embrace. "Thank you so much," my voice hitches. 

He nods affectionately. "You feel ready?" He helps me adjust my veil.

"Almost." I bite my lip, stifling a mischievous grin. "Mr. Carter, do you mind… walking me down the aisle?"

The most handsome smile sweeps across his face as he buttons the jacket of his tux. With his eyes glittering down at me, he offers me his arm. "It would be my honor."

------

Present

"Is everyone freaking out?" He chuckles, extending his arm for me to take his hand. 

I end the call, tossing my phone across the room.  "I… don't care," I snicker. "Probably." Slipping my fingers into his palm, he pulls me to his side, my body crashing into him.  We both tumble back onto the bed, our grunts turning into boisterous laughter, filling our room.

As our bellies begin to ache and we quiet down, I roll off of him, laying down next to him.  We stare at the ceiling, falling into a comfortable silence… that is until I notice him pointing at the textured surface above us.

"What are you doing?"

He chuckles. "When I was little, I used to dream of traveling the world. I tried using my grandpa's old world atlas to map out the perfect trip, and…" He titters, shaking his head with embarrassment, "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"No," I roll onto my side, resting my hand on his chest. "I love it–I love this." I kiss his shoulder. "Keep going."

He rests his hand on mine, softly drawing circles with his thumb. "We had old popcorn ceilings," he chuckles, "kinda like this textured stuff, and so… I'd imagine it was my own world map. And at night, I would plan my–" he deepens his voice like the narrator of a movie trailer, "--international escape."

"Ooooo, show me, James Bond."

I start to giggle as he takes my hand in the air with his, his fingers curling around mine to extend my pointer finger. "Well, over here is us right now in Puerto Vallarta… and…" he moves our hands together, "up here is New York." He starts to blush, shrugging his shoulders.

"How about–" I guide our fingers to another spot, "--London?"

He chuckles. "I'll pack my knickers," he jokes in a British accent.

"And then Paris," I move our hands again.

"Oui oui, mon chéri," he jokes in his poor attempt to sound French, making me bust out into more titters. He guides us once more. "How about Venice?" He points to another area on the ceiling, his voice growing softer. "Or Athens? Or Bali? Hong Kong?"

I brush my nose against his stubbled cheek, whispering in his ear. "And then where?"

He turns towards me, the warmth of his chocolate gaze fluttering to my hungry lips as he places my hand back on his chest. "To the moon and stars?" The air around us begins to crackle, the electricity igniting our nerves as I feel my heart begin to race. I bite my lip, feeling a rosy swirl dance across my cheeks. "Anywhere. Somewhere else. With you."

I can feel his heartbeat thrum hard against my fingertips, the excitement feeding my desire for him.

I love him.

His large hand intimately caresses mine… but then he stops, looking down at my fingers. Feeling the abrupt disconnect, I follow his gaze and quickly notice he's fidgeting with something. 

My ring.

------

Earlier that day…

I thought I knew what I wanted for my wedding day, but in this very moment as Pachelbel's Canon in D romantically announces my arrival, I am overcome with so much emotion as I look around the room. This is everything I ever wanted: to be surrounded by love. My breath shutters as I try to blink away my tears. This… this is absolutely perfect. 

Carter pats my hand gripping tightly to his arm as he walks me graciously down the aisle.  "There he is," he whispers to me, "look at him."

Sam. He's as handsome as ever in his gray suit and petal pink tie. His eyes twinkle, roaming my body as I draw closer to the altar. He offers me that charming Dalton smile, and everything seems to fade away.

It's just you and me, baby… Finally… after everything you put me through– I mean--that we've gone through…

I can do this... I can do this... I can–

Without warning, Sam gradually turns towards his groomsmen. One of his old fraternity brother's has made some kind of comment, causing some of them to crack up. During my procession.

Sam seems to be responding to the joke or comment. He subtly leans over, but after a few seconds, some of the men snicker, covering their faces and Sam chuckles into his fist, feigning a coughing fit.

It's fine, I tell myself.

Getting himself under control, Sam looks back to me with a mischievous glint in his eye before winking at me.

It was just a joke– an inside joke perhaps. Probably to help with his own nerves. It--it's fine. Everything is fine.

Just… stay with me, Sam. Please stay. I need to see your–

The twins lean up against their dad as he rests his hands on their shoulders. Together, they all watch me with doting glances… that is until one of the velvet boxes accidentally falls out of Mickey’s pocket.  In a panic, he bends over to grab the small package, carelessly backing into his brother Mason, knocking off his glasses.

Giving me a crooked smile and shrugging his shoulders, Sam takes a knee to help the boys out, causing endearing chuckles from the audience.

Those two rascals…

I begin to admire my little mess of a family-to-be… until the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My pulse, without explanation, begins to race as a bead of sweat courses down the slope of my back.

Something doesn't feel right.

I can't help, but feel… as crazy as it sounds, like there's another pair of eyes on me. Of course, I realize I have over two-hundred guests watching me as I finish my march down the aisle, but this? This isn't the same. This stare… it's different. It's piercing, and intimate. And I feel… seen. Exposed. Preyed.

Looking behind Sam's crouched physique, a pair of deep, chestnut eyes feast on my every move. But rather than being filled with adoration or even his typical lust, there's a hint of sadness in them, as if they're watching a funeral procession rather than a wedding.

And for the first time today, my heart flutters as a fire kindles in my belly.

I make it to the altar, Carter placing my petite hand in my groom's grasp. I can feel the desire in Sam's eyes wandering across my body.  He gives my fingers a squeeze, giving me another adoring wink… but I can't stop looking at him.

Focus, Brynn. Just focus…

Naya gives us a cordial smile before taking the microphone to begin. "Dearly beloved friends and family, we've gathered here today…"

It's no use. I can feel the bile rise in the back of my throat as the room begins to spin. Is it getting hot in here? Or are there just too many people?

As Naya continues, I look back to those haunting eyes, that look of betrayal, that look of devastation… and Carter's words begin to replay in my mind. 'A man that loves you will look at you… with fear because he sees how much he has to lose; he realizes he would be wrecked… without you."

Oh my God… I never noticed this before but… he loves me.

"... speak now," Naya bellows, "or... forever hold your–"

"Wait!" Fuck! What did I just do? The entire congregation starts to quietly murmur amongst one another. Sam clears his throat, his eyebrows furrowing as he adjusts his collar. "I–I'm sorry to interrupt, but… I just… I have a question, and I…" I sigh. "I can't do this–I can't get married unless… I need the answer."

A hush falls over the room, concerned looks are glued on me.

I should just shut up, and go along with this. Isn't that what I've been doing for the past several months anyway with the promise of a happily ever after? Does fairy tale magically happen after we say, 'I do?'

No. In my heart, I know this is the right thing to do. For me.

"Robin?" More whispers erupt behind me as Sam turns back to look at his best man, a pained confusion etching on his handsome features.  "Several weeks ago, we pretended to be the wait staff in a restaurant… to, uh… witness a date." Sam raises an eyebrow, looking between Robin and me. "I asked you a question at the beginning of the night. Do you… do you remember my question?"  

Robin coyly pushes his fists into his slacks, nodding his head. He exhales heavily, his nose rosy pink with unshed emotion.

My vision blurs as hot streams pour down my cheeks, but my attention doesn't leave Robin. "You… you answered, 'Sure. Sometimes…'"  A lump forms in my throat, my timbre growing hoarse. "Tell me, Robin… if I asked you that same question right now, what–what would your answer be?" I choke out a sob, wiping my face with the back of my hands.

He just stares at me. Lost. Dumbfounded. Embarrassed.

I know this wasn't exactly the most opportune time to talk about this, but I also knew this would be our last time to talk about it. Damnit, maybe I was wrong. Carter was wrong. My jitters and my awful gut feeling… wrong.

I look at Sam, his jaw ticking in anger. And he has every right to be. I've made a fool of him, of us. 

But I could've sworn I saw something…

"Sorry, everyone," Sam kindly addresses the audience, "we have a case of the wedding day jitters." He fakes a bright smile, the crowd tittering and cooing. At me. Like I'm a joke. Again. Sam takes my hand, but he refuses to even look at me now. 

Will he ever take me seriously? I... I don't want to get married like this.

Sam clears his throat, nodding to Naya to continue. "Let's try this again," she chuckles, "we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of–"

"I lied," Robin blurts out, inviting the chaos to continue amongst the guests.  He steps forward, pushing himself in front of Sam. "Brynn, you asked me if I ever thought about us–" Gasps and whispers crescendo in the room as Robin takes my hands into his. "And I told you… what I thought you wanted to hear. I mean, for Christ's sake, you swore you were in love with..." The corner of his mouth curls, his eyes bearing it all before me. "I knew better," he mumbles, falling into nervous titters, squeezing tightly to my fingers. "The truth is… Brynn Schuyler... Hell, of course, I think about us. All of the time. I dream of you as my bride. As my wife. As the mother to my children… I've never stopped thinking about us since the moment I first met you–" 

Screams erupt as family members and friends jump to their feet. Naya attempts to holler through her microphone to restore order, but it's too late. Our guests that have come to attend a beautiful, romantic wedding have turned into an ugly, angry mob.

I get lost in the shuffle, unable to recognize anyone around me. My name is being screamed in several directions by several different voices, but it's no use. Terrified, I glance around, looking for a way to safety as everything crumbles around me.

Suddenly, a large hand grabs mine, pulling me through the vocal crowd. As we finally make it to the back of the sanctuary, his lips graze my ear. "Do you trust me?"

A rush of exhilaration floods my veins as my natural smile returns. Are you kidding me? With all my heart.

I nod.

"Don't look back, baby," he chuckles, tucking my arm under his. "Run!"

------

Present

"Do you mind, Miss Schuyler?" He smirks, grabbing my engagement ring on my hand.

I roll my lips, trying to hide my smile as I tilt my head side-to-side. "Not at all, Mr. Flores. Please."

Robin slips the jewelry off of my finger before pressing his lips to my now bare knuckle. It was so simple, yet the gesture so intimate; I was finally free. 

This man…

Pulling me into his arms, he tosses the ring over his shoulder, an abrupt clink hitting the wall. With his handsome crooked smile, he leans towards me. "Don't worry," he chuckles, "I made him buy the insurance."

"Robin!" I squeal before our mouths meet in a tender kiss.

"What?" He pulls back, cupping my cheek. "I had a feeling."

"A feeling?" I snicker, raising an eyebrow. "That it wasn't going to work out?"

"Ehh, more .." He brushes his thumb across my lips, a serious expression growing across his face. "That you were the one. For me."

~🖤~

Thank you so much for your support! Every like, comment and reblog means the world to me! 🖤

~🖤~

Tags (please let me know if you wish to be added/removed)

PERMA

@alj4890 @ao719 @charlotteg234 @issabees @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nikirennie87 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

ALL TNA

@annfg8 @bisexualdisasteracd @rookiemartin @sfb123

#the nanny affair #the nanny affair book 3 #the nanny affair fanfic #choices tna #choices tna book 3 #choices tna fanfic #tna fanfic #tna fanfiction #choices tna fanfiction #m!sam dalton #sam dalton #choices sam dalton #m!robin flores #robin flores #choices robin flores #sam dalton x mc #robin flores x mc #mickey dalton #mason dalton

[alienkitty259]

#answer's #a #dol #sirris the science teacher #doren the english teacher #mason the swimming teacher #river the maths teacher #winter the history teacher #kyler the loner #mickey the hacker #landry the criminal #degrees of lewdity

[drramseysrookie]

Sins of the Father

The Nanny Affair Prequel

Summary: Mason Dalton was bred to be at the top of the game, but finding a sturdy foothold is proving more challenging than he initially thought. With pressure mounting from all sides, an unforeseen event could be the catalyst he needs to cement his legacy.

Rating: Teen

Tigger Warnings: Anxiety Disorders, Mentions/Use of Prescribed Substances

Prologue

Mason Dalton leaned heavily on the counter in front of him. The ringing in his ears was incessant and he could feel his chest getting tighter with every breath he took. Just outside the door, dinner was still in full swing. The sounds of laughter and chatter drifting from the dining room were muffled by the heavy wooden door, and Mason couldn't be more thankful for the reprieve. Around him the tiled walls had begun to spin and the ringing in his ears had grown louder. He gripped the counter's edge until his knuckles turned white and forced air in and out of his tightening lungs. With great effort he pried a shaking hand from its place on the counter and began frantically searching his pockets. Goddammit. Where had he left them? He knew better than to go anywhere without his prescription, but each pat of his pockets turned up nothing.

Just when he'd become resigned to his inevitable meeting with the bathroom floor, the door swung open and a wave of fresh air washed into the room. His wife, Vivian, stood in the doorway, her eyebrows drawn with concern.

"Mason?"

"Close the door." His voice came out sounding strangled and small.

Vivian stepped inside the small bathroom and closed the door behind her. "Here. I figured you needed these."

She popped open the small clutch bag in her hands and produced an orange pill bottle.

Mason quickly took it. He fumbled in his attempt to get the white cap off, but in seconds had two of the tiny pills in his hand. He tossed them in his mouth and leaned down over the sink, drinking water straight from the faucet.

"Better?"

Mason gave a single nod in response. The pills needed time to work, but just knowing that he had them in his system provided some relief. He moved over an inch as Vivian came to stand next to him at the counter.

She picked up one of the neatly folded hand towels and ran it under the faucet stream.

"You shouldn't let your father rattle you like that." She touched the damp towel to his temple. "He's just looking to shake your confidence."

"I know that." Mason's eyes drifted away from Vivian's face to the shimmering necklace resting around her neck. Clear cut diamonds. A family heirloom from his mother's mother, given to her as a gift on their wedding day. It was meant to be a symbol of his love for her, a reminder. But as of late it had become a statement piece worn simply to spite his mother. Not that he could blame her.

He forced his eyes back to hers. "Trust me, I've known the man my entire life."

"So, let's come up with a plan." Vivian had sat the towel aside and was now working on straightening his tie.

He swatted her away and made the adjustments himself. "I have a plan. Dalton Enterprises is a success in the making. The third quarter earnings report will show that. All I need to do is keep him satisfied until I have something to throw in his face."

"But you can't do that if you're having panic attacks in the washroom."

Mason shot her a look and her returning gaze was steady. He hated when she looked at him like that. Like he was fragile. He was a CEO. A Dalton, dammit. He didn't need to be coddled. Sympathy and pity were not things he desired. That was her wheelhouse.

Vivian sighed. "All I'm saying is, you can lean on me. We're a team, remember?"

"Leaning on you is like leaning on a house of cards. Especially considering the past four years."  Vivian looked like she'd been struck and that alone should have told Mason to stop, but instead he added, "Or have you forgotten your own prescribed cocktail?"

The silence that followed made the small room feel even more cramped. Mason studiously avoided taking in his wife's expression, pretending to fuss over his shirt cuffs, before finally clearing his throat.

"We need to go back. We've been gone too long."

Not waiting for a response, Mason gave himself a once over in the mirror before plucking his pill bottle off the counter. He began to put it into his pocket out of habit, but then paused.

"Hold these for me. I don't want-"

"I know. You don't want them rattling in your pocket." Vivian snapped up the bottle from his hand and dropped it in her clutch. "You already told me earlier this evening." Her tone was clipped.

A beat passed between them.

"Thank you." His voice was quiet.

He risked a quick peek in her direction and found her expression cool and impassive. She gave a small, formal nod before turning on her heels and striding from the bathroom.

Mason followed a second later. His longer strides allowed him to close the distance easily. He reached out and gently touched her arm, causing her to pause in her tracks. She turned toward him, her face an emotionless mask in the dimly lit hallway.

"Let's go in together." His voice was low so that only she could hear. They were just paces now from the dining room and the voices of the others could be easily heard.

Mason was loath to depend on anyone for comfort. It was one of the few things his father had taught him that he'd taken in stride. But hearing the man's ostentatious chatter even here at this distance had him longing for support.

He offered Vivian his arm and hoped that she would concede even with the mood he'd put her in.

She took it without so much as a glance up at him. He supposed he was grateful for that. Without seeing the contempt in her eyes, he could at least pretend he had an ally in the room.

They began walking again, side by side.

#DaddyDalton #the nanny affair #choices #sam dalton #mason dalton #mickey dalton #vivian dalton #sins of the father #robin flores #sofia russo #palo russo #tony russo #jordan le #addison dalton

[im-a-puma]

Yes baby, your mom meant sleepovers 😭

(I like it when you pick you want your LI to be female, it automatically makes everyone a lesbian 🤣🤣🤣)

#pixelberry #choices #the nanny affair #tna #sam dalton #samantha salton #mickey dalton #mason dalton

[socalwriterbee]

Something New

This story came from a lovely ask and conversation with a dear friend. Thank you so much @txemrn for the idea to this Holiday treat with our favorite twins!

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Marie Castro (MC), Mason Dalton and Mickey Dalton. Appearances by Carter and Sam Dalton

Rating: Fluff

Word Count: ~3700

Summary: Marie wants to bring a bit of home and the memory of her mother to Sam and the boys with a traditional Christmas dinner she grew up with. Marie gets to chance to show Mason and Mickey how to make tamales. What could go wrong?

A/N: This story came from an ask for a holiday treat. You can find the ask here.

*Characters belong to Pixelberry*

🫔🎄🫔🎄🫔

“Thank you for all your help” I tell Carter as I place the heavy bag of ingredients onto the counter of the kitchen island. “Who would have thought it’d be a bit further to find everything that is needed.”

“I sure didn’t Miss Castro.” Carter replies as he follows behind me with the rest of the bags. “Are you certain you don’t need any help with this?”

Looking up from removing the items from the bags, I see Carter placing the remaining bags with the others. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Doing this takes me back home. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to think to share it with Sam and the boys.”

“To be fair Miss Castro, the boys and Mr. Dalton are traditional in a sense. Even when Mr. Castro comes, the Daltons have everything planned and ready. Our traditions get swept to the side, of course unintentional.” He chuckles. “And I don’t mind at all, I do have a few hours to spare.”

“Well, I hope to change that. Even if it needs to be done before or after the holiday they’ve known all their lives. We’d compromise on it, switch it up every year, fair enough right?” Smiling warmly at him but I shake my head at his offer. “Use those hours to unwind and relax before we have to pick up Mason and Mickey and Carter—.”

“Yes?” He gives me a questioning look.

“Please call me Marie, I would like to think after a couple years knowing each other we’d be friends.”

“Of course Miss— Marie.” Carter tips his black hat. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” He says before turning on his heel and walking out of the kitchen.

After taking out all the ingredients out, they lay in front of me. The dry corn husks, waiting to be rehydrated. The dark green of the jalapeños, tomatillos, garlic and onion for the green salsa sitting next to my mothers secret to her delicious red salsa, she would make only for this.

The words I said to Carter coming back to me, I really couldn’t believe that it has taken me this long to show Sam and the boys a part of who I am and what both of my parents instilled in me of our family tradition during the holiday. And about the only one that stuck with my mother from being raised in her type Mexican household. 

The images of my mother around the kitchen getting our Christmas dinner ready come to mind as I unwrap the butchers paper that contains the meat for the filling. 

How she and my father would be talking of how many family members were expected that year and if we had gotten enough to feed everyone. Yes, there had always more than enough and how they would remind each other that the following year they’d get the original amount they always said they would.

That never happened.

I could hear my mother’s voice in the kitchen of our family home, ‘Mija, remember we cook the meat first because it takes the longest. Once we get that on the stove, we need hot water to soak the corn husks to make them soft so they can be folded.’

As I have the first two steps going, the bubbling pot of pork, onion and garlic on the stove and steam coming off the soaking corn husks. I turn my attention to the two salsas that need to be made. Plucking out the stems from the jalapeños, I throw them into another awaiting pot. Biting my bottom lip I debate if I should keep it at two or test my luck and go with three hoping that it won’t come out spicy. I go with my gut and toss in that extra jalapeño. After peeling the papery husk from the green tomatillos they go in with the jalapeños and a piece of onion. Covered with enough water, onto the stove they go.

‘Now Marie Isabel. The red salsa is my little secret. Nothing fancy, no three or four dried chiles rehydrated going into a blender with seasonings and such. When it’s made like that the masa tends to absorb the moisture from it and they became dry. And nothing is worse than a dry tamale, ask your father he almost choked on Tia Lupe’s tamales one year.’

My preteen self laughing at the image my mother had set up for me as she moves about the kitchen getting ready to show me her secret. With a can opener in hand, I open the can of tomato sauce, a can of the Mexican spicy tomato sauce. Emptied into the blender with the rehydrated red chile.  

‘But mom I thought you said no dry chiles?’

‘This Marie is mostly for color. It’s gonna give flavor of course but it’s that nice red color it’ll give us in the end too.’

I had just nodded as everything my mother was showing me, sinking in so that one day I could make them and share a piece of my family with a family of my own.

As the minutes turn to an hour going into two, the tamale station I’ve set up is waiting and ready to go. When Carter walks into the kitchen. “It smells amazing in here M..Marie.”

“Thank you but they are not even cooked, heck they aren’t even spread, filled and folded yet! But I do have two forks at the ready for you to try both fillings.” I grin at him, holding up the two forks in my hand. “And be honest tell me what you think.”

Handing them over to Carter, I begin to remove my apron. I checked the time on my watch and it was time for us to collect the boys from their grandparents. As I’m placing the apron over one of the chairs, I hear a small oh my slip from Carter.

“This is incredible. Your mother would be proud, she has taught you well. In this,” He points to the red and green filling. “And in life.”

My eyes glisten at Carters spoken words. “Thank you, that is very sweet of you. Your are going to make me cry. But I assume you have come to get me so we can pick up the twins?”

“Yes and no. I’ve come to let you know I was off to pick up Mason and Mickey and we’d be home shortly after.”

“Are you sure? I could come along to get them, everything here is ready for the next step.”

“Which is an intensive and laboring step. If I go, it will give you time to get something done before they boys arrive.”

Carter was right about that. It would allow me to get some of the tamales ready before Mason and Mickey came home. And knowing the boys well enough, they would like to know and then learn how to make them or see what kind of prank they could pull off with this. It would be a mix of both for sure. “Ok. I’ll stay and get a step ahead.”

“See you shortly Miss Castro.” He calls out.

“Carter!”

“On the clock Miss. On the clock.” He chuckles.

I drop my and shake my head and laugh. You win some you lose some. Grabbing from the drawer my weapon of choice, the spoon, to take down the five pounds of masa that was purchased and begin to slowly make a small dent.

With a small part of the counter space covered with corn husk and masa spread on them, I hear the chime of the elevator announce it’s arrival. Followed closely by two pairs of feet hitting the floor as they run through the penthouse.

“Marie! Marie! You’ll never guess what Grandpa let us do.” Mickey says as his running comes into a halt and eyes everything on the counter, his eyes growing big with awe.

“Yeah, Marie you’ll never—.” Mason follows, bumping into his brother.

“Hey!” Mickey calls out to Mason.

“Sorry.” Mason turns his attention from his brother to me and what’s before us. His eyes widen under his glasses just like his brother.

“What is this?” Mickey steps closer and pokes the end of the husk with his finger.

“And this.” Mason points to the bowl holding the masa.

“This.” I hold up to them. “Is a corn husk and that is masa.”

Both boys turn their head to the side. “What is it for?” They ask in unison.

“I’m using it to make tamales. A traditional food my family made during the holidays. One I’d love to share with you.”

“Oh. We learned about different culture traditions in school before break. Is it something like that?” Mason asks.

“Yes. The two of you came running to tell me something you two did with Grandpa Mason, what was it?” I ask them as I go back to spreading the smooth masa on to the husk. Two sets of eyes watching with amazement as I finish in a few strokes and place it with the others.

“Can we try?” Mickey asks, his voice a whisper.

“You want to learn how to make them?”

They both nod.

“I’d be happy to show you. When I was a bit older than you two are now my mom taught me how to make them.” I smile at them. “Wash your hands and while you do that you two tell me what you did at grandma and grandpa’s house.”

Mason and Mickey both rush to the sink when Mickey turns towards me. “I’ll tell you later. Right now we want to play—make that.”

“Nice save Mick.” I laugh. 

After the boys wash and dry their hands, they take a seat. “Do we get a spoon to?” Mason asks. “And why a spoon?”

Opening the drawer the holds the utensil, I pull out two spoons and hand each of them a spoon. “A spoon for each of you and I don’t know, it’s what my mom used and it’s the way she showed me.”

“What is ma-sa?” Mickey asks as he tries to pronounce the word.

“Hmm…” I ponder. “Best way to explain it would be a dough made from corn. This—.” I tap the bowl that contains the dough for the boys to know what I am explaining to them. “was already prepared. So I could have used it as is or as my mom taught me she’d add a little more ingredients to it to make it the way she liked.”

Mickey goes for an overly filled spoonful of the mix. “What do we do with it? We just plop it on the husk?”

I smile as I watch Mason copy his brother and fill his spoon as well. “No, no plopping. And less dough. We need a good balance of masa to filling. Before we get our spoons full, we need to have a corn husk to put it on.”

The three of us go to reach for one, and each on grabbing one of different a size. Mickey has gotten a large husk, smooth, prefect really. Mason has a smaller one that is a bit more crinkled, going to smooth it out when he pulls it rips.

Mason eyes widening as if he did something wrong, reminding of myself when I tried to the same thing when I was first learning. “That was an accident Marie. I didn’t know it was going to rip. I’ve ruined it.”

“Oh no Mason, sweetie. You didn’t ruin it, not at all. Here take mine.” I hand mine over to him and grab his two pieces now. “We still could use it, to cover the tamales when they are steaming.”

Grabbing another husk for myself, I grab a spoonful of the masa, showing the boys the amount I got and place it in the middle of the husk. “Ok, so now you both get about the same amount I did and place it on your husk.”

Watching as they reach and grab their spoons and copy me. Mason and Mickey both look up when they have done the first step. I smile at them before moving on. “So now with the back of our spoon we are going to thin it out the masa over the husk.” Slowly gliding the spoon and mix from one end to the other and down to the straight edge, giving the boys a clear view of my movements. “ We need to leave the end that sticks up clear, we don’t want any masa there because when we fill it that end will be folded over.”

“Now you try.” Watching as they begin to spread the masa on the husk.

“That’s good you two.” I encourage them to keep going.

“Marie! I got it on my hand.” Mason shows his brother and me. “It feels so cool. You should try it Mickey.”

“Look at mine. Did I do a good job?” Mickey asks.

Eyeing the beginnings of his tamale, I bite the bottom of my lip to fight back a smile but unable to hold it in at seeing what and amazing job he has done. “Such a good job Mickey.”

“You’re right Mason, it is sticky. Do you think we could get it to stick on the ceiling? Or we can get it to explode mixing it with cola and baking soda.” Mickey plays with the masa between his thumb and finger.

“We should totally try it.” Mason answers.

“We will not be doing that. We could come up with another experiment for you to try and no more honey in the shampoo either.”

They both laugh at the latest and most often used prank.

“Now lets get to work. We have all that to spread.” I tell them, pointing back to the mixing bowl.

After spending a good portion of the rest of our afternoon laughing and me going back to give their tamales a bit more evenness, laughing and talking about my life in California. 

Seeing the boys being covered up with more masa on their shirt and not the corn husk and not knowing how they got it in their hair. The excitement of making something new beginning to wear off.

“Guess I got a bit more than needed.” The three of us stare at the counter covered with a mix of red and green tamales. 

“We have a lot.” Mickey says. “What are we going to do with all of them.”

“Well it’s special when these are made, typically around the Christmas season. My mom and dad would tell me that we make them to share with loved ones. Everyone gathering around, like we did, it brings the entire family together talking, laughing just catching up on everything everyone has been up to. We would even make more to share with our neighbors and share the dishes from where our family came from.”

“I have an idea.” Mason speaks up, the spark coming back to his gray eyes. “We could go around and take some to Uncle Robin, Grandma and Grandpa, our friends from school and even Aunt Sofia. We know she could use some cheering up from being grumpy all the time.”

“Yeah. We would be sharing something we made with the people that we love.”

“I think that is a great idea. I’ll make a deal with you two. I will finish up, get these cooking and clean up the kitchen. While you two get cleaned up and changed, pick up your room. And in no time we would have tamales to eat and deliver.”

“How long would that take?” Mason asks.

“They should be ready in an hour and a half. I’ll set a timer for you and it will let us know when to come check on them. Do we have a deal?” I stick out my hand towards them. Watching as the look at each other, their twin connection coming into play before Mickey takes my hand and shakes it, followed by Mickey.

“Deal.” They both say. Hurrying off their chairs and running upstairs.

*****

The beeping of the timer rings through the penthouse. Mason and Mickey running out of their room and into mine and Sam’s ready to check out the tamales we had made.

“They’re ready. Let’s go!” They run out and down the stairs full of excitement.

Following behind them, when the three of us reach the kitchen Mason goes to turn off the timer. Both boys taking a seat waiting for me to present them with what we’ve made. Removing and placing one green and a red tamale on a plate. 

“It’s going to be soft.” I explain to them. “So we have to let it cool a bit so it can firm up. And boys they look incredible. You did an amazing job.”

“Let us see, let us see!” Mickey jumps in his seat.

“Here they are. What do you think?” I smile at them. 

My mother’s recipe, a fond and one of the best memories of my past and a tradition I love, sit in front of two boys who had captivated my heart the moment I saw them with awe and excitement in their eyes, waiting to try what they had a hand in making.

“It smells so good.” Mason says. “Can we try them now?”

“Just a few minutes and then we can. I’m going to take more out of the steamer. Your dad should be getting here soon and we all can have dinner and then go off on our deliveries.”

Turning back to the pots and removing enough for the boys, Sam, Carter and I to have for dinner. Going us the time needed to try the ones I plated earlier.

“Ready?” I grin at Mason and Mickey.

They both nod.

“Grab your plate, unfold the end piece, the one that is folded in and from there open one side and then the other, just like a present. And voilà we have a tamale to eat.”

The boys follow my directions, cutting off a piece with a fork. Blowing on it to cool it off before popping it into their mouth.

“thisissoooogooooodd!” Mason mumbles.

“yeeeaahsoogooood!” Mickey agrees.

“Let me try.” I reach over and take a piece on my fork. Blowing the piece before the savory taste of the cooked masa hits my lips followed by the tanginess and touch of spice from the green salsa takes over. The whole thing melting in my mouth.

“Try this one Mas—.” Mickey tells his brother before reaching over to Mason’s plate. “I don’t know which one I like the most they are both so good.” He says after trying both.

“Marie, can we call Carter and give him some. He is family and we share with family right?” Mason suggests.

“Of course we do. But I was going to invite Carter to eat with us.” I tell him.

“We can present him with what we helped make and he’d love that, wouldn’t he. Like a present, just like you said.” Mason says.

“You two go get Carter so we can show him and give him what you made.” It fills my heart with much more love for those boys hearing how caring they are of everyone they know. As they leave the kitchen the chime of the elevator rings.  

“Hi Dad.” Mason and Mickey call out. 

I could hear them tell Sam that they are off to get Carter. Sam’s footsteps echo and get louder the closer he gets to the kitchen. “Smells amazing in here. What have you been doing?” His deep voice calls from the entry way of the kitchen. 

Closing the space between us, he takes me in his arms and leans in placing a light kiss on my lips. “Hi.” I whisper against his lips.

Sam’s gray eyes holding my mine with a passion that still burns strong between us. “Hi.” He leans in more and gives me a deeper kiss.

Breaking the kiss, I pull back. “I wanted to make something from home. Mason and Mickey helped.” I tell Sam.

Sam eyes the serving plates. “What did you make?” 

“Tamales. One of the many things mom taught me. I thought it would be nice to share and incorporate my traditions here with you and the boys.”

Before Sam could answer Mason and Mickey come running back, pushing Sam and I to get to the serving plate. “Hey!” Sam calls out.

“Sorry Dad but these are for Carter.” Mason says holding a plate while Mickey loads it up. “And after we have to go and deliver to family and friends. Marie already said we could.”

“Do I get any of these?” Sam asks the boys.

“Nope!” Mickey tells him. “We figured it out. Carter gets these. We are taking some to Uncle Robin, Grandma and Grandpa, our friends and Aunt Sofia. After Mason and I eat our share they will be all gone.”

I press my lips together fighting a laugh. Seeing the mock hurt in Sam’s face. I wink at him.

“Sofia gets some and I don’t?”

“Maybe one or Marie can share hers with you. She showed us what she did growing up for the holidays with her mom and dad and how they would share with others even their neighbors and how happy they would be.” Mason tells his dad.

“We liked making them and really happy eating them and Aunt Sofia needs all the holiday cheer she can get.” Mickey adds.

Leaning up and placing my lips close to Sam’s ears. “Don’t worry, I’ll share.”

After all was said and done, in the end Sam, Mickey, Mason, Carter and I passed around the plates piled with steaming tamales from a recipe my mother passed down to me. 

The night had turned out to be the one of the best as happiness coursed through me at being able to share a bit of my mothers memory and bring a taste of home to the family I call my own. 

#ask turned story #choices the nanny affair #choices tna #tna fanfic #the nanny affair fanfiction #marie castro x sam dalton #mason and mickey