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aplacetosharemyfics · 11 months

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The Downfall of Susan St. Clair: Who are the James Family?

I feel incredibly sad and angry that Paramount Plus has chosen to drop Rise of the Pink Ladies and remove it from its services. But I will endeavor to keep posting this fanfic on a weekly basis to allow the dream of the Pink Ladies to stay alive for 14 more weeks. I hope this helps someone.

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“Have you heard of the James family?”

Susan slipped onto the couch beside her mother. If she posed the question casually, relaxed into the sofa, and didn’t look her mother in the eye, it could be passed off as a merely curious question. Nothing more.

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Through late into last night, Susan had been pouring over her yearbooks, dating back to first grade. In each book, Susan was front and centre, her hair combed, and dress pressed, the picture of perfection. The girl from Home Economics, however, was nowhere to be found. Returning to the latest yearbook, and pulling out a magnifying glass, she carefully studied each and every photo. Finally, in the background of a photo featuring her and Buddy after their narrow loss at last year’s closing Football game, someone else had realized the camera was pointed at them. It was the same terrified eyes that had stared at her from the grass of the Football field. Pleased with her detective skills, and with a more concrete image of the girl’s face, she scanned through the class photos. There were a couple of people who matched the basic description, she’d spotted them the first time through. But then her finger paused. The little photo under her manicured nail was of a dull girl, her mousey hair darkened by the grainy photograph, a plastic smile plastered on her face. Flipping back to the original photo, she compared the two girls. Details were hard to see, and she had changed her hairstyle for the class photo, but there was no mistaking that this was the same girl. Maisie James.

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“Hmm?”

Her mother’s eyes raised from the cross-stitch she’d been dutifully filling in, cold as she regarded her daughter. Susan found her resolve shrinking under the hard gaze.

“I didn’t recognize the name,” she admitted.

She offered a weak smile. Indeed, she couldn’t remember a James family, though she prided herself in knowing all the important families in Rydell. Maybe they were just a little poor, or a little new. Maybe her mother would accept her as a friend.

“I wouldn’t get involved with them, darling.”

Susan felt her heart drop. There were plenty of families Mrs. St. Clair wouldn’t be seen dead fraternizing with, but very few she would speak about with such anger. All hope that she could make Maisie a friend was out the window. Or – she reasoned – a friend her mother knew about.

“Why do you ask?”

Susan straightened her face, smoothing her skirt. She didn’t want her mother to see any emotion.

“I was looking into students to help Buddy with his election.”

It was a lie she’d perfected earlier, and instantly her mother’s face relaxed. Buddy always had that effect. He was the perfect boy, could never do anything wrong, even when it was him who … never mind. Susan had occasionally – bitterly, and never out loud – said that if she liked Buddy that much, she should marry him herself.

“I’m so glad that you’re finally getting back together.”

Susan didn’t bother to correct her.

“So, for Buddy’s campaign, what was wrong with the James family?”

“Ah,” her mother started, settling back into the couch into her gossiping position, hand resting on the arm of the chair and legs crossed under her skirt. “Where to start? Well, for starters, no one has seen the father for years. The mother claims he’s overseas on business, but I’ve heard that he divorced her and moved in with his mistress.”

Susan gasped at the right moment, earning a little smirk as her mother continued.

“And the mother has been seen hanging around pubs and bars, drinking to her heart’s content, they say. I’ve tried to be nice and invite her to tea parties, but she always ends up ruining the mood.”

She shook her head, bemused at the nerve of people these days. After all the effort spent inviting her over, and finding people she should be able to relate to, she could only go and ruin her hard work.

“What about the daughter?”

Brought out of her thoughts, Mrs. St. Clair blinked at the sudden question.

“Daughter.”

There weren’t many questions that could stump Susan’s mother, and she racked her brains quickly to avoid the embarrassment.

“There was a girl who used to attend the same etiquette lessons as you. A few years older, I think.”

Susan considered the information for a second. Did that mean her mother had forced her into lessons meant for older children? Or was Maisie slow at picking up the teachings? It was in the next second that she realized the contradiction in her mother’s answer. How could someone a few years older than her still be in high school? Quickly thanking her mother, she rushed upstairs.

Upon finding her name last night, she had considered the hunt over and hadn’t looked further. Skimming through the earlier issues, she searched through the names. If she was a few years older and had been held back, then, surely, she would have started school in a different year initially. But there was Maisie, in the same first-grade class as her, hair pulled back into bunches. In every book, in the same year, was Maisie.

Taking a deep breath, Susan closed the books, putting the magnifying glass back into the drawer. Her mother must have just been confused.

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“It was a western.”

Maisie looked up from her breakfast to find her mother staring at her.

“The movie at the drive-in. It was a western.”

Maisie made a non-committal noise before returning to her food. It was too early in the morning to be talking about movies or drive-ins. Such things suggested some form of sociability. But her mother wasn’t finished.

“You said it was a high-school drama.”

Maisie swallowed. She’d completely forgotten about the drive-in and the lie she’d told when she returned. So much had happened that it felt like years had passed.

“And it didn’t finish early.”

Raising an eyebrow, she waited for her daughter’s explanation. She thought she had raised her better than this.

“I …”

Maisie winced. There had been a deal riding on the event. But how was she supposed to tell her mother that she’d gotten bullied, so sitting in the seats in front of the concession stand was impossible?

“I ended up …”

The seats were full? That wouldn’t work, so many kids had their own cars that the seats were almost always empty.

Mrs. James sighed. She knew her daughter, knew how much she struggled in social situations, and knew how cruel kids could be.

“I will let this go,” she started, allowing a smile to form on Maisie’s face before dropping the bomb: “If you go to the Pep Rally tonight.”

Maisie’s stomach dropped.

#susan st clair #the downfall of susan st. clair #grease rise of the pink ladies #grease #grease rotpl #rise of the pink ladies #rotpl #maisie james

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ms-rampage · 3 years

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New Dawn: New Horizons Chapter 1 - Prelude

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 3.7k

Summary: It's been almost 20 years since the nuclear explosions that destroyed all of Hope County. A lot has changed, many new faces, old friends and new enemies are all head.

Guest OCs: Cristina Winchester-Smith (FC: Brianna Hildebrand), Bianca Winchester-Smith (FC: Maisie Williams), Daenerys Winchester (FC: Xia Brookside)

Guest Characters: Nick Rye, Carmina Rye, Gabriel [Supernatural], Lucifer [Supernatural], Mickey and Lou [mentioned], God/Chuck [mentioned], Joseph Seed [mentioned], John Seed [mentioned].

Written by @athenalillystar and myself. Supernatural & Far Cry New Dawn crossover. Hope y'all enjoy! 💗💗

Taglist: @wargames94 @rabbitsoldier @mrsladydiana

________

"I was just an infant when all this happened. My name is Cristina Tatiana Winchester-Smith, and life has never been the same, to my parents at least. Half my life I spent living underground in a bunker. All this was just an experience for my siblings and I. My family had to rebuild everything they had established. Saving, helping out those in need, it's our family business.

The next generation of the Winchester family has grown over the last 15+ years. Ever since the bombs dropped, Joseph Seed was right about everything. Everyone in Hope County emerged from their bunkers after 7 long years. The Collapse happened, sending the world into a nuclear holcaust by the Man upstairs, but that still doesn’t mean he, God, didn't play Joseph Seed and his family.

Cristina Winchester-Smith, the eldest daughter to Paige Winchester and Kenneth Smith along with her younger sister Bianca, and their cousin Daenerys, the only daughter to Kate Winchester, and unfortunately the daughter to John Seed, whom she doesn't know anything about because she doesn't know of his existence.

Walking through the ruins of what was once Holland Valley. Everything's destroyed, gone, obsolete.

Paige used to tell them how everything was, how everything was beautiful, the small town of Falls End, the church, the bar, the agriculture. How life was beautiful and simple, before the bombs fell, and now everything is obsolete. Never, not once telling them about the Cult that terrorized the whole town and how the leaders tortured their whole family.

They walk through the tall grass, rummaging through the prepper stashes in the abandoned destroyed houses looking for supplies.

"Did you find anything!?" Bianca calls out, from a nearby house.

"No, nothing!" Daenerys yells back, not far from her.

In another house 20 feet away from them, Cristina is digging, and pushing debris of a collapsed house out of the way. As she's searching for supplies, a gust of wind blows through the house, and a flutter like noise. She doesn't think anything of it. She hears footsteps from behind her, thinking it's her sister or cousin.

"Hey, did you find anything?!?" she asks, not looking back. Digging through the rubble.

After a few moments of no response, she speaks up again, still not looking back.

"Hey, did you find anything?!?!" she asks again. The voice of a man makes her snap her head back.

"Ooh how this world has changed" he whispers. She turns around, and sees a tall blonde man with his back to her, slowly standing up, her hand ready on her pistol.

"Umm who are you?!?" she asks him. 100% suspicious.

He turns to face her. He's very attractive, he looks like he could pass for her dad. He’s so much older than her, and has beautiful piercing blue eyes.

"I go by many names" he tells her, stepping closer to the eldest Winchester.

She narrows her eyes at him and says, "I don't understand. Is that a reference to something?!".

"I'm Lucifer" he says in a calm voice that sends shivers up her spine.

Her eyes widened for a second, taking a few steps back, and let out a soft chuckle.

“Okay!!” she laughs. When he doesn’t respond, and stares at her with a serious, dead look. She internally panics.

"Wha-?!!? No?! You serious??" she whispers, trying to play it off but the fear in her voice betrays her.

"Yes" he responds softly, standing still in front of her, blocking the doorway, the only way out.

"You better be joking” she tells him, after a few moments of no response from him “Are you gonna kill me?!?!".

He steps closer to her, examining her face. He tilts his head to the side while examining her face. She slowly backs up.

"You look familiar" he says softly.

Cristina is a splitting image of her mother Paige. Lucifer thinks that this person is Paige Winchester, but appearing much younger, and with blue streaks in her hair.

He reaches his hand out to touch her face. She backs up against the wall.

She’s able to duck underneath him, avoiding his touch, only for him to appear in front of her again.

She lets out a slight gasp, and drops to the floor. Crawling away from him.

“I’m not gonna kill you” he tells her, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

She crawls back to where she was before, her back against the wall. He kneels in front of her, his hand reaches out to touch her face. Freaking out, she’s never seen, nor met this man before. His huge hand touches her forehead, and he closes his eyes. After a few seconds his eyes open, and are now glowing red.

She panics, and crawls away from him. Her scream getting caught in her throat, unable to call for the other two.

“Winchester” he mutters,”You’re a Winchester”.

“Yeah” she responds, softly, her voice breaking.

“I’m guessing the other 2 are Winchesters as well?!” he asks.

She nods her head, “Yeah” muttering softly.

“Paige Winchester is your mother I’m guessing” he asks, standing up, and taking a few steps away from her.

“Yeah?. Why?” she asks, beyond confused.

He sighs, and with a hint of annoyance in his voice, “I know your mother, and her sister Kate Winchester. Pretty much your whole damn family”.

He turns back around to face her, and says “Sam and Dean Winchester are, or were Paige and Kate’s 1st cousins. So that makes them your 2nd cousins? I’m guessing?!”.

Dumbfounded, and wondering if this is all some dream or hallucination. He’s telling her about relatives that she has never met before, she’s heard her mother talk about them to Kate and her father Kenneth.

“I still don’t understand” she tells him, shrugging. Confusion written all over her face.

“The famous Winchester clan. My dad, God, he was bored of the human race. That he did all of this” he explains to her enthusiastically, with his arms out. Referring to the collapse, and the world being destroyed.

“My mom said that some man named Joseph Seed said that all this would happen” she tells the Archangel.

“Yes, because he was picked by God, but what he didn’t know was that, God, Chuck was playing him, and would lead to the destruction of humanity. Hence The Collapse" he tells her.

Her eyes widened, everything made sense. Everything that her mom, and aunt have said over the years makes sense.

After emerging from the bunker after 7 years, they were able to rebuild their home. Making sure everything would be protected from the Highwaymen. A group of assholes who force people out of their homes, taking whatever they want from whoever they want.

“I didn’t catch your name” he says, breaking her from her thoughts. Crossing his arms.

“C-Cristina” she hesitates.

He claps his hands, “Well Cristina, you won’t see the last of me. I might pay your folks a visit. Most Angels, and a few Archangels were all cast out of Heaven when my daddy farted on humanity. So I’m gonna go find my bros” he says, “But before I leave. One more thing. You look too much like your mother. It’s weird”. He tells her with a smug, disgusted look on his face, as if she were responsible for how she looks. His last words to her before he disappears, or are they?!.

She looks around looking for him. Cannot believe that she met Lucifer. The Fallen Angel. The Devil, Satan himself!!. Her thoughts are interrupted by her little sister and cousin calling out for her.

“Cristina!!” Daenerys calls out. Startling, and disturbing her thoughts.

She steps out of the house, “Yeah!?!”.

“Did you find anything?!” Bianca asks.

She shakes her head, “No I didn’t find anything”. Trying not to show any fear in her voice or in her eyes.

“Well, I found 5 rolls of duct tape, 3 metal springs and some titanium pipes” Daenerys tells her.

“I found titanium pipes as well, and 3 rolls of copper wire” Bianca tells them.

She nods her head, “Okay, well let’s head back to Prosperity then” she tells them.

They jump into their motorcycles and ride back to Prosperity, their safe haven. Cris riding by herself, Bianca in hers with Daenerys in the side cart.

They didn't find much supplies, but enough to fix a car or part of a motorcycle.

The eldest child, Cristina who is still disturbed, and discombobulated after encountering "Lucifer". She didn't say anything to the other 2 because she didn't want to freak out, or have them worry about it.

She would tell her parents but they might not believe her, telling her that it was some Highwayman trying to scare her, but that didn’t explain him disappearing out of nowhere, and his eyes glowing red. Thinking about everything he said. Him saying that he knew her mother, and aunt.

They make it back to Prosperity, walking through the front gate with their supplies. They hand all their supplies they found to Nick Rye, and they go inside the house.

"Hey, are you guys hungry?" Paige, the mother to Cristina and Bianca asks.

"Yeah, sure" Cristina replies. Trying not to look bothered

She hands them plates with different types of sandwiches and chips. They all sit outside on the steps. Paige notices her eldest daughter looks bothered.

“Cri, you okay?” she asks. Putting on her best concerned mother look.

She lifts her head up, and looks at her mother, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired” she replies.

Paige nods, and goes back to making lunch for everyone in the safehouse.

As they’re sitting outside eating, Kate along with Selene walk down the stairs with boxes of medical supplies. Daenerys sees them, and immediately gets up from the steps.

“Hye mom!” she calls out. Kate turns to face her only child.

“Yes Dany!?” she asks.

“Would it be okay if Cristina, Bianca, Jeff, Tom, Carmina and I go to Roughneck’s Crag tonight?” she asks, trying to use her puppy dog eyes that she inherited from her. Kate furrows her eyebrows at her, scrunching her nose. Trying to be a good parent, but also wanting to keep her daughter away from danger, but also wanting her to have fun and be a kid.

“I’m okay with it, but you have to ask your father. He has the final word” she tells her, and walks towards the infirmary.

Daenerys’ adopted Archangel father Gabriel, whom she doesn't know is an Archangel, nor her biological father walks by, going towards the garage. He was one of the several Angels that were all cast out of Heaven when the bombs fell.

“Hey dad!” she calls out.

He stops, faces her and says with a smirk. “Yes Dany boy?”. She rolls her eyes in embarrassment at the nickname he gave her.

“Would it be okay if Bianca, Cristina, Jeff, Tom, Carmina and I go to the Roughneck’s Crag tonight?” she asks, with her blue puppy dog eyes.

He crosses his arms, staring at her, trying to put on his best strict father face. “Did you ask your mother?”.

“Yes” she replies.

“And what did she say?” he asks, looking down at the small pink haired human that is his daughter.

“To ask you. But she said she was okay with it” she replies, using the puppy dog eyes on him “Sooo is it okay!?!”.

He stays silent for a moment, anticipating to answer her question. “It’s okay with me. Just be careful” he tells her.

“Thanks dad” she says, and goes back to her cousins at the steps. He goes to the garage where Nick Rye, and Kenneth Smith are. “What did he say?” Bianca asks her.

“He said it was okay” she answers.

****

Later that night, at the Winchester-Smith compound, Bianca, Cristina, Jeffrey, Thomas and Daenerys leave for the Roughneck’s. Which is a hang out spot for those who survived the Collapse, and need to take a breather.

“Be safe!!” Paige shouts as they drive off the property.

Kenneth taught Cristina how to drive when she turned 15, since there are no cops. Well there are a few cops but they don’t care. No law enforcement officers that survived the bombs cares about their jobs. So she can drive without a license.

All of the adults stay behind. Paige, Kate, Kenny, Gabriel, as well as their old friends Mark, Nate, Martin, Cody, Adrian and their families. Paige and Kate’s mother Mandy, and their godmother Barbara.

They had to rebuild, and expand their house, once they came out from the bunker after 7 long years. Splitting the house into 3 houses once again.

Putting up a 25 foot wall, solid concrete with a 25 foot iron gate. Security cameras pointed at all corners of the property. Always heavily armed.

“I’m not very comfortable about them going out this late” Kenny says to Paige.

She sighs, “I’m not either, but I want them to have fun. They know what to do when they encounter the Highwaymen”.

Kate and Gabriel approach them from behind.

“Daenerys has an ear to detect trouble, they’ll be fine” Kate explains, reassuring them.

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t want them to run into the twins” Kenny tells her.

Kate scoffs, shaking her head “The twins. Mickey and Lou, a couple of little fucks, who need an ass whooping”. Paige chuckles, “Yeah, no shit”.

“They’ll be fine. I know it” Gabriel tells them, sitting on the kitchen counter. They turn to face him, “Are your Archangel senses kicking in?!” Paige jokes.

He nods his head side to side, “Whatever I have left, which isn’t much” he tells them.

“So you’re a human?!” Kenneth asks.

“Partially human” he says, before joking “I hate it. I know I’m fond of humanity, but how do you all live like this?!?”.

They laugh, despite what this celestial has gone through, from being cast out of Heaven, losing his grace but he got to marry his soulmate, even if she doesn’t know it. The soulmate part.

“You know you love it!!” Kate teases, wrapping her arms around his neck. Placing his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him.

“If I have to deal with you, I’ll take it” he responds, kissing her. He gets off from the counter, and heads outside.

“Where you going?!” she asks him. He turns to her, “I’m gonna try, and contact my old man for the 5,678th time”.

“Is Heaven radio even working?!” Paige asks, “Is anyone up there taking the calls?”

He shrugs “It does work, nothing but static. They still should get my calls. Even if the line is busy”. He goes outside, standing far away from the house, so he can get his message through the line.

He looks up at the sky, and prays “Hey dad, it's me, Gabriel. Answer me, or you won’t get rid of me until you answer all of my questions. You’ve been holding off for 17 years and you will reply back”.

A moment a silence, then a gust of cold wind blows past him. Looking up at the night Montana sky with green, pink Northern lights illuminate all day and night.

“Well, well, well” a familiar male voice says. He turns around, and sees his older brother.

“Lucifer?!” he exclaims, surprised to see his fallen brother.

“Gabriel?!” he mocks him, “You’re one of the Archangels that fell?!”.

He shrugs, “Yep. The old man won’t respond to my calls”.He takes a few steps closer to his older brother, “He owns me, and every other angel an explanation”.

Lucifer steps closer to his little brother, he sighs, then his eyes wander up, and sees Kate at a window inside the house.

“Are-are you living with the Losechesters?!?” he asks. Look of disgust on his face.

He looks back at the house, then back at Lucifer, “Yeah, after I fell and landed on Earth. With the very little powers I had, I teleported to them” pointing back towards the Winchesters who don’t see them.

“So they took you in?!?” Lucifer asks, confused.

Gabriel sighs, “Yeah, and I uhh. I eventually had a relationship with Kate”.

Shaking his head in confusion, nothing knowing what to say, “You had a relationship with Kate Losechester?!” he asks.

“Well, I'm still in a relationship with her” he says. Still beyond confused that his brother is in a relationship with a weak inferior human, “I’m practically a step father” he adds.

His eyes widened, “You? A father?. How the Hell did that happen?!” he asks, holding back laughter.

He sighs once again, “Well around the time daddy dropped a deuce on humanity. Kate was pregnant, and when I teleported to their bunker, she was 7,8 maybe 9 weeks, Paige was also pregnant, she had triplets. Kate had a daughter, and that's how I became a step father. Being underground for 7 years because of radiation. I would’ve nailed Kate, and impregnated her myself but you know the whole Nephilim thing, and she’ll die giving birth to it”.

Lucifer trying to take in everything Gabriel said, and trying to process it all at once.

“So. So you’re human?!?” he asks.

“Partially human. I still have my powers, they're just very limited. I have no access to Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. I can still teleport, but I’m not as strong as I was before I fell”. He sighs loudly, crossing his arms, looking up at the night sky. He looks back at his brother, and asks “So why are you here?!”.

Lucifer shrugs, and says “Looking for my brothers, and I found one so far”.

“Hey Gabe!” Kate calls him from inside the house.

“Come on Gabe, I can take you away from here. Away from them” he says, trying to convince his brother to go with him to looking for the other Angels.

He shakes his head, “I’m sorry Lucifer. I live here now, I’m glad you want me to help, but I can’t leave them. I can’t do this to her”.

He rolls his eyes, sighing in annoyance. “Come on Gabe, this is the same Kate Winchester that killed Lilith, and freed me from my cage, which I am thankful for. The same Kate Winchester that watched her own sister get turned into a vampire, and didn’t do shit. The same Kate Winchester that lost her soul, and was a demon. The same Kate Winchester that-”.

“Stop!!. Just stop!” Gabriel cuts him off. “I’m not staying just because of Kate. Yeah I married her-”

Lucifer cuts him off by groaning in disgust, “You married a human?!?. Even worse you married a Winchester!!”.

He ignores his interruption, and continues, “I married her, but I’m not staying just because of her, I’m staying because of Daenerys. Her daughter. My daughter!”. Lucifer crosses his arms, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“She is not your daughter!. She’s John Seed’s daughter. She’s not a damn Nephilim, nor does she have any angelic grace".

He glares at him, “John Seed is dead. I was there throughout Kate’s pregnancy. Since the beginning before Daenerys was even a damn embryo. It’s dad’s fault, he’s responsible, he kept me away from her because of his stupid little game”.

He raises his hands in defeat, “Okay. That's fine. If you wanna live amongst the humans, that's fine with me. But I’m not done with you little brother.”

Gabriel rolls his eyes, turns around, and walks back towards the house.

“Maybe. I’ll pay little Dany a visit” Lucifer speaks out, making Gabriel stop in his tracks.

He turns to face his brother, “If you touch her, or go anywhere near her. I will kill you” he threatens him.

Lucifer smirks at him, “How?. You ain’t gotten any powers”. He goes to grab him but he disappears before he could get to him.

“Gabriel!!” Kate calls out for him again.

***

Bianca, Cristina, Daenerys, Thomas, Jeffrey and Carmina Rye are hanging out at what was once Steele Farm. Laughing, having a fun time, enjoying the Montana night. The radiation caused the sky to have their own Northern Lights. This was always a great hang out for them because you can see pretty everything from this view.

Especially from the second floor of the hut. They spent 7 years living underground in their bunkers, and when it was time to come back out.

Their families rebuilt everything, upgrading everything, their security, their weapons.

The Winchester kids come from a long line of hunters, their parents, their grandparents, their great grandparents, and so on were all hunters, but they don’t know this information because their parents didn’t want them to know of the evil that is out there in the world.

Cristina was always told that “God doesn’t care about anyone. That’s why everything was destroyed. He wanted all of us dead, to wipe us all out of existence because of one man. His name was Joseph Seed”.

She always thought that was a metaphor, or something like that. Yeah everything was destroyed by the bombs, and everything looks depressing. Mainly for their parents because everything was once beautiful, and normal. Life was enjoyed. They lived through it.

To them, to the kids, this was beautiful, and it was just the beginning for them.

Cristina keeps thinking about what “Lucifer” said to her. She feels like she should tell someone maybe not her siblings, or Daenerys or Carmina. Maybe she can tell her parents, her aunt, or her grandmother about that. Maybe this Joseph Seed man, maybe he’s still alive.

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tiawritesgood · 5 years

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Jurassic: The New World, Epilogue

*** Note: this is the epilogue for Jurassic: The New World! But, I’m not done with this world yet. I’m in the process of writing a prequel to Jurassic World that gives Owen some backstory, and then I’ll be posting a part 2 to Jurassic: The New World. Super exciting! ***

Epilogue

Two Months Later

Claire stared at her suitcase and swore under her breath. The hard-shelled black luggage had mocked her for two months, reminding her of her promise. You said you would leave, it whispered. You promised to let them move on without you.

Packing would have been easy. She barely had any clothes to her name, and what she did have was transferred into the new house over the last week. The cabin that she and Owen finished together, despite her talk, despite her conviction, despite her fear that she wasn’t good enough.

“You’ve had one foot out the door since we left the estate.”

Claire jumped. Owen leaned against the cherry wood door frame. Claire had chosen that finish. She picked the burgundy paint for their room, the grey towels for the bathroom, the tile for the kitchen. Owen chose the bedspread, the living room carpet, the dining room table. It truly was their house. Together.

“But I just can’t leave.”

Owen sat on her side of the bed and waited. Claire shut the closet and joined him. “Talk to me, Claire. What’s going on with you?”

No tears came. They saved themselves for the night, when she was alone. “I’m not good enough, Owen. I… Jurassic World was my fault. I dragged you back to that island, I put you and Zia and Franklin in danger. Then the estate, that was me, too. Can’t you see? I’m bad for you.”

Owen had the audacity to laugh. Claire punched his arm, but a smile creeped onto her face as well.

“You can’t be serious. You’re going to take credit for all that shit?”

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

Claire turned away, focusing on the television hung on the wall across from their bed. It was off, but the black screen was a better show than Owen’s face.

He took her hand and squeezed. “I don’t want to be anywhere but here. But Claire, if this isn’t what you want, I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay. You can still be in Maisie’s life, even if you’re not in mine.”

She considered this for a minute, then two. During the week that Maisie was missing, all Claire could think about was getting her daughter back, and leaving. But once Maisie was asleep in her bed in the trailer, that desire to go was nearly gone. It only crept up on occasion, when Claire thought about what she couldn’t bring to their family. Peace, safety. Happiness.

“I’m scared.” Her voice was thin and quiet, nothing like the authoritative tone she used to take on. Too much had happened over the last few years, and not enough of it was good.

“I’m terrified,” Owen admitted. “But we can do this. If we can fight dinosaurs, we can raise a daughter. Together. As a family.”

“We still don’t know what they did to her at InGen. What if…”

Owen squeezed her hand again. “The doctors said that Maisie is healthy, that she’s a normal little girl. As normal as she can be. If InGen did something, then we’ll find out and we’ll figure it out when it happens. For now, let’s enjoy what we have. A beautiful, smart, funny, adventurous daughter. And us.”

Claire leaned her head against Owen’s shoulder. “We are pretty great.”

“The greatest.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it, the sound just spilled from her lips. “I love you, Owen. I can’t promise… I don’t know if I can ever be all in. I might always stare at my suitcases with a foot out the door. But I can promise I love you, and I love our little girl.”

Owen kissed her temple. “That’s all I ask.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until a playful shriek from outside tore them from their peaceful moment.

“Are you okay to join the party? I can tell everyone you’re not feeling well.”

Claire stood and studied her reflection. Her legs were toned, her arms muscular. She looked different in her shorts and tank top than she ever had before. She liked feeling strong. It helped her answer Owen’s question. “I’m ready. And… I’m sorry.”

He bent down to kiss her lips. “Don’t apologize, just talk to me, okay? When you feel like running away, I’ll help you remember why you wanted to stay.”

“You’re a poet now, huh?”

Owen grinned. “For you, babe. Only for you.”

Hand in hand, the couple joined their guests outside. The offending shriek had come from Maisie, who chased her older cousins around the yard. Without the trailer taking up space, they had plenty of room to roam.

Owen had built a couple of picnic tables with extra wood from the construction project, and they were full of adults watching the children play. Karen was the first to notice her sister exit the house. She jumped from her spot at the table and wrapped Claire in a big hug.

“You okay?” she asked.

Claire nodded and promised they would talk later. Karen seemed reluctant, but she released Claire, who was quickly greeted by the other guests.

“Thanks for having us!” Zia said, wrapping her arms around Claire. “This is my girlfriend, Jamie.”

Claire shook hands with the young, blonde woman. She had a fossil tattoo on her right wrist. That alone proved Jamie was perfect for Zia.

Franklin was next, awkwardly hugging Claire with his gangly arms. “I don’t have a girlfriend, but thank you for letting me come anyway.”

Everyone laughed. Dr. Grant had been in the middle of discussing his theories with Zia when Claire made her grand entrance, and the two picked up where they left off the second Zia sat back down. Jamie joined in the lively conversation. Franklin paid more attention to his phone, probably trying to find service. There wasn’t much of that around, unless you connected to the cabin’s wifi. Even that was a bit weak. Owen and Claire didn’t mind, though. They kind of liked the disconnect from society. Plus, there was a grocery store ten miles down the road. So it wasn’t like they were totally in the middle of nowhere.

Claire moved off to the side, beside Owen, to take in the gathering. The house had only been finished for a week, and this was their official housewarming party. All of the important people in their lives were there.

Owen fidgeted nervously. Claire hooked her arm through his. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I’m great. I’m gonna get the grill going. Anyone hungry?”

He left Claire alone by the front porch, but she didn’t mind. She sat down beside Karen and watched Owen prepare the hamburgers and hot dogs they’d bought for the party.

Maisie was the first in line for food. She was a picky eater, but hot dogs were her favorite. She held open the bun for her father. Just as Owen brought the tongs towards Maisie’s plate, a Compsognathus leaped from behind the grill and stole the dog.

Maisie gasped, but Claire couldn’t help but laugh. This was the new world they lived in, one where dinosaurs were as big a threat to picnics as dogs and squirrels. For some reason, Claire didn’t mind it as much as she thought she would. The years since Jurassic World had taught her to live with animals, not against them.

Owen was more careful with the food after the dinosaur incident. He managed to serve the guests without another mishap.

Everyone sat at the picnic tables and chatted, chomping down on delicious food. Owen pushed his potato salad around his plate, and a hamburger remained untouched next to it.

Claire nudged him. “Seriously, Owen, are you okay?”

He studied her with a look she didn’t recognize. Before she could ask another question, not that she knew what she would ask, Owen stood, raising his plastic cup like he was about to give a toast.

“As you all know,” he began, his voice earning the guests’ attentions. “It’s been a hard summer for our family. It’s been a hard year, a hard few years. But we’ve survived it, because we’ve been together.”

Owen looked at Claire, then. Only her, like the rest of the party disappeared.

“I know that you’re scared. I’m scared too. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that it’s scarier to live without you. I never want to be without you again, Claire. I love you too much. And I will love you for the rest of our lives, if you’ll let me.”

He dropped to one knee and held out a small velvet box.

“Claire Michelle Dearing, will you marry me?”

Claire’s hands covered her gaping mouth as she nodded. She may be terrified all the time, she may wake in the middle of the night with horrible memories of the park and the island, but she will never stop loving Owen. She learned that years earlier, and it was a lesson she’d never forget.

“Of course, of course, of course.”

Owen jumped up and hugged his fiancée, then stopped the movement so he could slip the ring on her finger.

“Just so you know, I asked Blue for permission before I proposed. She gave us her blessing.”

Claire had no doubts he was telling the truth. They had planned on sending Blue to the island for protection, but Owen couldn’t part from her. She was safe for the time being, with InGen distracted by their secret project. The time would probably come when Blue had to move to the island, but Owen and Claire liked having her around for now.

Maisie was the first to hug the couple. “He asked me, too. I said he’d be stupid not to propose.”

Claire kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “You’ve got that right, kiddo.”

The rest of the party was a frenzy of hugs, congratulations, and ice cream cake. Claire couldn’t stop staring at her ring the whole time. It was crazy to her that just hours earlier, she was plotting a potential escape. She couldn’t imagine leaving behind what she saw in front of her. Good thing Owen was there to talk her down. That he always would be.

As the sun set, the guests dispersed, promising to visit again soon.

Claire, Owen, and Maisie were cleaning up the trash after Karen and the boys, the last ones standing, drove away.

“That went well,” Owen said, kissing Claire. “I’m glad you said yes. Would have been embarrassing if you didn’t.”

“Did you think I might say no?”

“Absolutely.”

Claire laughed. “I love you too much for that.”

Owen leaned in for another kiss, but a scream from Maisie stopped him. “Maisie, what’s wrong?”

The little girl held her hands over her ears and fell to the ground. “Make it stop!”

“Make what stop? What do you hear?”

A rustling sounded from behind them. Claire and Owen turned to find Blue at the edge of the forest surrounding their home. She clicked a couple times and lifted her chin, waiting for an answer.

Maisie uncovered her ears and turned towards the dinosaur. Her eyes were wide, fear painted on her face.

“What’s wrong, Maisie?” Owen asked again, quieter this time.

Maisie pointed at the raptor.

“I could hear her.”

She paused.

“And I understood what she said.”

#jurassic world #jurassic park #jurassic #dinosaurs #claire dearing #owen grady #clowen #claire and owen #owen and claire #maisie lockwood #maisie #fallen kingdom #fanfiction #fanfic #story #fan story #scifi

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cathygeha · 4 years

Photo

REVIEW

Eternity Springs-The McBrides-Tucker by Emily March

The McBrides of Texas #2

Walking down the road in red with sky-high-high-heels without a clue to location or how to get home, Gillian Thacker keeps moving forward. Tucker McBride, recently free from military commitment is on that road, sees the woman in red, realizes she needs help and stops to...help.

And thinking that was the hook, and it was, I had to WAIT because the two were not destined to move on from rescued maiden to happily ever after immediately. Nope, they had to deal with a pesky fiance that was a no good low down rather useless waste of space guy that should have been dropped by Gillian MUCH earlier. Again...Nope...I had to wait. I think Tucker knew he was attracted but he was still dealing with a bit of detritus from his past and being a good guy that did not poach, well, the moving on together thing had to wait.

What I liked:

* Tucker: what a wonderful man this one was! Smart, rugged, focused, ready to settle down, opening up a new business, a great friend, wonderful with family, all that a woman could ask for...and so much more

* Gillian: a bit of an emotional mess but working to improve. Her sense of trust (of self and others) shaken and unwilling to believe in herself. I liked her but at times wanted to shake her and say...”wake up”...glad she did...eventually.

* Hints of previous characters in book in this and related series. Made me want to find those books and reread them again

* The S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L. and L.I.V.I.N.G. acronym portions and how they helped Gillian cope and grow

* Haley’s porti.on with Tucker

* The cave...what fun and what an impact it made on the story...along with the whole survival thing

* Boone’s situation – kind of curious how that will work out for him as he deals with whether or not to be the guardian of a child and how that will impact his life and how he will find hit partner.

* The play on words that cropped up here and there and mad me think while also making me smile

*The significance and power of red

* Just about everything except..

What I did not like:

* Jeremy: bottom feeder, user, cheater, etc – not worthy of licking Gillian’s boots

* Gillian’s dithering, insecurity and inability to trust her ability to truly know her feelings

* The bridezillas

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to Net Gally and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

BLURB

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emily March comes the second book in the Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas trilogy, TUCKER (St. Martin’s Paperbacks, February 25, 2020, $7.99). Two business owners come head-to-head in a feud with tulle and grit in this passionate story. This tale shows that even when life changes from the stress of a military career to working next to a wedding planner, love always finds a way to begin, even if it was never thought possible.

Meet Gillian Thacker. Her business: Bliss Bridal Salon. Her passion: Weddings. Her own wedding: It’s complicated. Life isn’t turning out like she’d planned. The last thing she wants is for a real-life hero to ride to her rescue, but an unexpected event puts her entire future in Redemption, Texas, at risk. So what’s a broken-hearted bridal expert to do? Maybe a new set of survival skills is exactly what she needs…

Tucker McBride has been proud to call himself a U.S. Army Ranger. But now that his days of service are over, he’s decided to put his expertise to use by founding a wilderness skills training school. He sets up shop in Redemption, next to Bliss Bridal, and so begins life: Part Two. Marriage has been pretty low on his agenda, but as soon as he meets Gillian, Tucker can’t help but contemplate the ultimate challenge: Convincing the reluctant bride to take his hand and leap into the adventure of a lifetime . . . until death do them part.

EXCERPT

Chapter Two

Tucker was a sixth-generation Texan, small-town born and bred. Certain behaviors were stamped into his DNA. A real man tipped his hat to the ladies, opened doors for females of any age, and never, ever failed to stop and assist a woman in distress.

So, of course, he had to turn around.

That this particular woman in distress was a total smoke show dressed in fire-engine red only made playing the role of Texas gentleman that much sweeter. He wondered how she’d managed to find herself out here in the middle of nowhere, no car in sight, not a house anywhere around, and the closest town a good ten miles away. Unfortunately, hot looks and a bright mind didn’t always go together.

He pulled to a stop beside her and flipped up the visor of his helmet. His assessing stare met a wary gaze shining from big, periwinkle-blue eyes that were swollen and red-rimmed with tears. She had an abrasion on her cheek just above her chin. Had someone hit her? When his quick visual sweep of her body revealed additional redness on both of her arms, he reconsidered. Airbag deployment, most likely. “Do you need some help, ma’am?”

He watched her intently and saw her quietly repeat the word ma’am. After a moment’s hesitation, she licked her lips, swallowed hard, and said, “Well, um, I, um. May I borrow your phone?”

Her voice was smooth as Tennessee whiskey with just enough Texas in her drawl to sound like home to ears too far away for too long. “Yes, ma’am.”

She took a small step backward as he set his kick- stand and climbed off his bike. She’s scared of me.

It was a perfectly natural reaction and showed some sense, but Tucker didn’t like scaring women, so when he pulled off his helmet, he was scowling. Her eyes widened, she took another step back, and he realized he’d made the situation worse. Well, hell.

He reached deep inside him for the charm that had grown rusty with disuse, made a stab at a reassuring smile, and addressed the elephant in the cotton field. “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you. I came back to see if I could help. That’s all. I give you my word, and a McBride’s word is his bond.”

“That’s so old-fashioned,” she said.

“Yes, well, that’s how we roll. Now, I’m going to reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.”

Her gaze dropped to his hand, and she gave a nervous little laugh. “No gun?”

“No gun.” That was in a different pocket.

Tucker unzipped his jacket and reached into an inner pouch for his phone while trying his best to look unthreatening. Their fingers brushed as he handed it over. Her fingernail color matched her dress.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome. My name is Tucker.”

“I’m Gillian.” Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip as she stared at the phone. “Do you have Google maps? I need to send a pin of my location to my—”

She broke off abruptly, and her head came up. Those glittering blue eyes—puffy and swollen from tears and framed by long, thick lashes—went round and big. Distracted, he fell into them. “Tucker Mc- Bride? Your name is Tucker McBride?”

He blinked and pulled slightly away. Now it was his turn to be wary. “Yes.”

She gave him a once-over, and some of the stiff- ness melted from her spine. “I know Jackson. Boone too. You’re the third cousin, aren’t you?”

Well, this was unexpected. “Yes, Boone and Jack- son are cousins of mine. Have we met?” He didn’t think so. He’d damned sure remember her.

“No.”

“I’m surprised you’d connect me to them. We’re a long way from Redemption.”

“Are we?” She gave a short, strained laugh. “I wouldn’t know. I’m lost. But you look just like them, and Tucker McBride is an unusual name. Plus, I re- member when the three of you arrived in Redemption the first time. You all rode motorcycles. My friend Maisy laughed that you had your own little McBride gang, so you were perfect for Ruin.”

Tucker grinned. “If you only knew.” He extended his hand toward her for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Gillian . . . ?”

“Thacker. Gillian Thacker.” Her grip was firm, her smile filled with relief. “I’m a friend of Caroline Carruthers. Are you on your way to visit Redemption?”

Caroline was the woman Jackson was seeing, Tucker knew. He nodded. “Yes, I am. So now that you know I’m not a serial killer, want to tell me what you’re doing standing in a cotton field in a sundress and stilettos? Not exactly apparel for farming.”

She glanced down at her feet. “Technically, I’m not in the field but on the shoulder of a road. A narrow, two-lane, never-ending road. And no, cotton is not my thing. I’m all about satin and lace.”

Satin and lace? A vision of Gillian in lingerie the same shade of red as her dress flashed in Tucker’s mind as she continued, “I sell wedding gowns at a bridal shop in Redemption. Bliss Bridal Salon on Main Street.”

He tore his thoughts from the fantasy and listened when she began babbling about a pig and a pecan and a purse without a phone charger. When she finally wound down, she left Tucker shaking his head at her foolishness. He held up his hand. “Let me get this straight. You weren’t joking about being lost? You literally don’t know where you are?”

“No. Not exactly.” She lifted her chin, and her voice sharpened defensively. “I know I’m still in Central Texas. I’m somewhere between I-35 and I-45. I’m north of Austin. I think.”

He slowly shook his head. “Where is your car?

How far have you walked?”

“That way.” She hooked her thumb over her shoul- der. “Maybe two or three miles. I’ve been walking a while.”

“In those shoes?”

She gave a rueful smile.

AUTHOR BIO

Emily March is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.

BUY LINKS

Macmillan: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250314932

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250314933?tag=macmillan-20

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eternity-springs-emily-march/1132730238;jsessionid=9CB8E792D66DAE517D48FA46AF244A7C.prodny_store01-atgap02?ean=9781250314932#/

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250314932?AID=42121&PID=7992675&cjevent=0a0b322d393511ea828c00f10a24060e

Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250314932?aff=macmillan

Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/eternity-springs-the-mcbrides-of-texas-tucker-9781250314932?partnerid=33241

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @emilymarchbooks (https://twitter.com/emilymarchbooks?lang=en)

Facebook: @emilymarchbooks (https://www.facebook.com/emilymarchbooks/)

Instagram: @emilymarchbooks (https://www.instagram.com/emilymarchbooks/?hl=en)

Author Website: https://emilymarch.com/

Macmillan Author Page: https://us.macmillan.com/author/emilymarch

#Emily March #St. Martin's Paperbacks #NetGalley #The McBrides of Texas 2 #Contemporary Romance

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cookinguptales · 7 years

Note

For the one word prompt: bacon

Y’all like your food, don’t you? lol

Just a little ditty about a ghost diner. f/f again.

It wasn’t true, what they said. Back when Kate had been a child, had been alive, her older brothers had scared her with stories about ghosts moored forever to where they’d died horrible deaths. That they could only pass on once their bones had been properly laid to rest. But Kate hadn’t died that horrible of a death, not really. It’d been quick, anyway. Just one tumble down the stairs of the boardinghouse and she was done for. She hadn’t been pushed or anything. She had nothing to avenge, no one to curse. And perhaps most surprising of all, she could travel.

Kate hadn’t traveled much when she was alive. Where would she go? After she died, though, after she’d had nothing to look at but weeping relatives and stairs stained red, the answer had quickly become “anywhere but here”. The world was large, she’d quickly learned, and life was short.

Usually.

Kate thought she might get bored. She thought it might become tiresome, being unable to interact with the living. But there was just so much to do. There were movies to sneak into, furtive though the living couldn’t see her. There were concerts she could watch from the balconies, or even up on stage. There were books she could read and some she couldn’t, thousands and thousands and thousands of them, somehow easy to pick up just so long as no one was looking. Maybe magic just worked like that, easy and effortless and free until reality butted in.

Kate hadn’t been able to have any of those things when she’d been alive. They’d been poor, pitifully so. Who wasn’t, those days? There’d been the crash, after all. Kate hadn’t understood it much when it’d happened, but its effects were clear enough. The lines around her mother’s eyes. The bread lines winding round the block. The fact that none of that bread ever seemed to make its way into her belly.

Maybe that was what gave Kate her real purpose, her posthumous raison d’etre. Maybe it was just all that food. She couldn’t really eat, not the way she had before. But again, like the books, she could taste it if only no one was looking. It had taken practice, and a hell of a lot of it. But it had been worth it. More than worth it, it’d been sublime.

Kate traveled the country trying things she’d never even seen before. Delicate cream soups served on fine china she was grateful she could no longer break. Hot sauces that burned her tongue and made her blood race – or would have, if she had any. Bizarre fruits found only on sun-kissed shores. New foods that hadn’t even been invented when she was alive, strange and inventive and utterly delicious. She loved it all, or thought she did until she found something even better.

It was called the Hallow’s Eve Diner, and she saw it spring into existence right before her eyes. Nothing at first, and then a full-fledged diner sitting out in a previously-abandoned lot in the middle of the city. The city’s name wasn’t important. As she later learned, the Diner was never in the same place twice.

This time, though, the first time, was like a revelation. She went to float through the door as she had a thousand times already, only to find it solid beneath her hands. And when she opened the door wide, every head in the restaurant turned to see who’d walked in. They saw her. Every last one of them saw her. And not one person screamed.

They looked her up and down, saw her tatty old dress, old-fashioned even when she’d gotten it, saw an outdated hairstyle and wide, luminous eyes. She was a ghost. She was so obviously a ghost. And yet all she received was mild interest, like she’d walked in wearing a strange hat rather than a head injury.

A woman walked over to her then, with dark skin and long legs and a smile that felt like home. Kate took one look at that smile and her heart started to beat double-time. Honest-to-goodness started to beat in her chest. She rubbed vaguely at her chest, wondering at the nostalgic sensation, and thought back to those women she’d seen a lifetime ago, ducking out of not-so-secret speakeasies and wearing fine suits like men. She’d felt like this then, too, even as her mother had caught hold of her hand and dragged her as far away as possible.

The woman just kept smiling, though, even though Kate probably looked like she’d just been fish-slapped. “Haven’t seen you around here before. Welcome to the Hallow’s Eve Diner,” she said, and hell, what a welcome that husky voice was.

It was All Hallow’s Eve, Kate realized. It had been from the second that diner had arrived from nowhere. And Kate, she’d never gotten much schooling, but that didn’t make her a fool. “This is for ghosts, isn’t it?” she asked, gesturing around at the diner. “This place.”

“Sure is,” the woman had answered. “And I’m the proprietor, Miss Maisie Bell. Have been for a long time. Probably will be, too.”

“Can I…” Kate hesitated. She could have sworn that the place was packed to the gills when she walked in, but now there was a space at the counter just as pretty as you please.

“If you’re here, you’re welcome,” Maisie said, a bit more cryptically than Kate would’ve liked.

“Thank you,” Kate said before following Maisie to her seat. There was a menu sitting there waiting for her. Each thing on it looked better than the last, but… “There are no prices.”

Maisie shrugged, one long graceful movement that made Kate’s breath stick in her throat. “Who would I give your money to? The ghost delivery men who drop off my ghost eggs in the morning?” she asked.

Kate felt herself blush, an alien sensation after so many years, and dropped her eyes back down to the menu. “Sorry,” she muttered.

Maisie just patted her hand. “Don’t apologize. Just a little ghost humor. Not thinking you’ve had much of that over the years.”

No. She hadn’t. Kate swallowed. “I didn’t even know we could talk to each other.” She hadn’t, really. She’d known there were other ghosts, there had to be. But she’d never once talked to one. Not in more years than she cared to think about.

“We can’t, usually.” Maisie shrugged. “But there are few places. Special places. Special times. This isn’t the only one, but there aren’t many. Ask around after you eat. Maybe someone will tell you about a few more.”

Maisie didn’t move to leave, and Kate realized what she was waiting for. “Oh! Um…” She glanced down at the menu. “Actually, ghost eggs sound pretty good.”

Maisie laughed, and Kate felt herself blush even deeper. Pealing bells. “I’ll have it right out. Sit and relax a little. Halloween only comes once a year, you know.”

The food didn’t take too long. Not nearly long enough. Kate had nearly lost herself in the sheer sensation of it, the steady hum of conversations that she could interrupt as she pleased, if only she were a little less shy. The clatter of her plate on the counter broke her out of her reverie, but the smell of her food was more than worth it. Bacon and eggs. Lord above, the smell was better than anything she’d “tasted” in the decades since she’d died. She’d forgotten how clear the senses of the living were. How vibrant.

The first bite was like magic. Hell, every bite was. She could feel the runniness of the eggs, that bacony crunch. The flavor of it was enough to make her eyes water – because she’d never admit to crying real tears over a simple breakfast.

She didn’t look up again until the entire plate was cleared, her breakfast devoured. When she finally did, it was to see Maisie watching her with a half-smile on her face. “You’ve been dead a long time, haven’t you, honey?” she asked, her voice gone soft and fond.

Kate ducked her head. “About thirty years, I think,” she admitted. “Maybe forty.” It was hard to keep track, after a while.

Maisie leaned against the counter, watching her. “That’s a long time to go without real bacon and eggs,” she said.

Kate gave a little half shrug, feeling strangely embarrassed to have been caught feeling so happy. “I’ve never had real bacon and eggs. We couldn’t afford them when I was alive,” she said. It would have been foolish to even ask. Even when she was young, before things had gotten so bad, treats like bacon had never been a priority in their household.

Maisie gave a low whistle and shook her head. “Then maybe I’d better get you another plate.”

In later years, it would be difficult for Kate to pinpoint when she’d fallen for Maisie, but she had a strong suspicion that it had been exactly that moment. Or maybe the moment a little bit later, when Maisie’d brought back more food along with a fresh cup of coffee. When she’d taken the now-vacant seat next to her and asked her about herself. Her life. Her death.

It’d been so long since Kate had talked to someone, and Maisie was like an oasis in the desert. The prettiest damn oasis in the world. It had taken her breath away (literally, embarrassingly enough) when Maisie had leaned close when she was done to whisper where the diner would be popping up the next year.

That was how ghosts became regulars, Kate supposed. It wasn’t a traumatic death or unfinished business. It wasn’t death that tied someone to a location. It was love. And after one year became two, became three, became forty, Kate was forced to admit that she’d become a hell of a regular – and she was so, so in love.

Maisie didn’t throw folks out until closing time, Kate had learned. There’d been no need for her to leave so quickly that first year. There was room enough for everybody who belonged there. There always would be. That second year, Maisie’d invited her to stay awhile and enjoy her coffee. And that was how she’d become part of the Closing Time Club, those lonely folks who idled away the whole day until, laughing, Maisie’d have to shoo them out the door.

Kate was always the last one. The threshold felt a little more agonizing every year, and maybe Maisie could sense it in her. Maybe that was why she’d taken to giving her one big hug before she walked out the door. A long one. A tight one. It was having all the air squeezed out of her and replaced with Maisie’s, and it was the highlight of Kate’s entire year. A few plates of food. A few hours of conversation. A hug she’d dream about for weeks. It was a pattern that the two of them followed like clockwork, after a while. Until they didn’t.

Kate saw the sun starting to set that day and felt the beginnings of despair growing in her stomach. The setting sun was always a bad sign. No matter where they were across that country, a setting sun always meant that Halloween would be over soon. Kate looked down at her plate, empty long ago, and did her best to collect herself.

Maisie just watched her. They’d been doing this dance for a long time, too. Kate’s quiet, shuddering breaths. Maisie letting her keep her pride by not commenting on it. Except this time, she did. “You know I hate seeing you go,” Maisie murmured.

And Kate did, which was the worst part of it. She wasn’t the only one who’d talk. Maisie did, too, and every morsel that she gave up was like a hard-won battle. She’d had a hard life. A hard death. A hard afterlife, for that matter. It wasn’t until she’d found a diner that things had started to turn around. It’d been a living diner, of course, but a good enough place to haunt as any. She’d learned to cook. She’d learned to waitress. She loved that place just as much as she’d loved anywhere, and when the diner was torn down in the early ‘50s, Maisie had stayed. But love breeds a haunting, and this time, the diner had haunted her. That had really been when her luck had turned around. When she’d finally found what she wanted to do. When she had a place all her own. When she started to feel complete.

Well. Almost complete.

Maisie took Kate’s hands in hers. “I’ve been running this place for a long time,” she said, and Kate knew that was true. “And I’ve had a lot of customers. Good people and bad people and people who could never tell you the difference between the two. But I’ve never had one of them that I love like I do you.”

And hell, Kate knew that, too. Things had changed a long time ago for them, and they both knew it. There was no point in secrecy for things like that anymore. Death had a way of breaking down walls.

Maisie kept her hands, running a calloused thumb over her knuckles, and looked a little lost in thought, which was unusual. Maisie was usually more of a doer than a thinker. Kate had always admired that about her. “I think this place loves you now, too,” she said.

Kate blinked at her, but Maisie wasn’t smiling. That was unusual, too. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Exactly what I said,” Maisie said. “Every time you leave this place, it sighs like a broken lover. I think it misses you when you’re gone.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “This place or you?” she asked.

Maisie huffed at her then, the corner of her lips tilting up and ruining that serious face. “Both of us, silly.”

And that was bizarre, was ridiculous, even for a ghost. But Maisie knew this old place better than anyone, had confessed in a quiet moment that she felt it like she felt her own breaths. Maybe it was a person of its own, now, a little bit. It had become a ghost, hadn’t it?

Kate breathed out slow. “What does that mean?” she asked. She bit at her lower lip. “For me?” For both of them.

Maisie sat back in her seat a little, as far as she could without letting go of Kate’s hands. “I was thinking that maybe this old place could use another person to keep it going. An assistant, of sorts.” She paused. “Or a co-owner.”

Kate went very still. “You want me to stay?” she asked, her voice gone hushed.

What did that even mean? Maisie had never told her where the diner went when Halloween was done. If it even resided in their world. If it even existed at all.

Kate found that she didn’t care one bit where that creaky old diner went as long as Maisie was in it.

Maisie, who was giving her that crooked half smile now, the one she always wore when she was nervous. “I think you can now. If you want.”

And that… That… Kate blinked again fast, trying to keep her tears in her eyes where they should be. Then she bent her head and pulled their joined hands up to her lips so she could kiss Maisie’s fingertips. “That’s all I want.” She paused. “You’re all I want.”

“In that case,” Maisie said, pushing up off her seat with one hand and using the other to pull Kate along with her for the back room. “I’ve been saving some dessert for the two of us just in case you said yes.”

Kate laughed as she went, tears choking her a little bit, but not nearly enough to keep her quiet. She’d had enough of quiet. Decades and decades of being quiet.

But now she had someone to laugh with forevermore.

#fic stuff #origific #femslash #a bit weird even for me I'll admit #but it's fun to experiment sometimes

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