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damnredthing · 2 years

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Hijinks ramblings – SNW S1E05

This post – naturally – contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and do not want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

This is not an episode review but rather just a bunch of ramblings which I’ve tried to at least sort a little bit into categories.

Season 1 – Episode 5 – Spock Amok

This was more of a funny, goofy episode with some character development built in. And of course we do have to discuss THE green wrap uniform. But one at a time.

Pike’s inner demons - continued

Erm nope. Nada. Nothing at all in this episode, not even hinted. So lets just move on with the next topic.

Correction to my last rambling

Because I’m stupid and scatterbrained, I mixed up Lt. Mitchell with Ensign Christina. But the message stays the same, for both actually! I hope we keep both in SNW for a long time and we’ll see more of both! Especially Ensign Christina is so cute, I want to cuddle her!

T’Pring and Spock

I do love, love, love T’Pring being played by Gia Sandhu. Not only is T’Pring very beautiful, she’s also extremely well characterized. In TOS T’Pring wasn’t very likeable, because she flat out requested kal-if-fee on Spock who by then was already one of THE most liked characters. Of course we’d be biased by the time T’Pring was trying to hook up with a new partner.

But SNW now allows us to learn what’s leading to that point. And we learn what T’Pring’s desires are. I hope Spirk shippers don’t lynch me for saying this (btw, just because Spock is in a relationship now doesn’t mean all is written in stone) but, even though the relationship was arranged (as it usually happens on Vulcan), Spock’s and T’Pring’s love for each other is true, yet conflicted. The little nuances of affection and love we see from T’Pring (who is a full Vulcan mind you!), hidden within stoic logic, are a treat and joy to watch. And when both swapped bodies, it was a lot of fun to watch both actors pulling off the opposite traits so well.

For comedic reasons, I wish they had kept their secret towards Pike a little longer. IMO it would have been funnier if Pike only found out by himself while the diplomatic talk with the R’Ongovians was already ongoing. But on the other hand, Pike seems to know both well enough that he most likely would have found out way before the meeting anyways. The writers would have to be super careful not to turn it into a farce, so maybe revealing it as early as they did was the best way, as it was believable.

Pike’s reaction was super cool though. It was kind of oh, another day on the Enterprise, another of the usual problems. Today is body swap Tuesday. Haha! Okay, let’s get this done anyways. And I also love how he’s totally unabashed when Spock calls him Chris (before he knew it was actually T'Pring).

(Dimple alert!)

Pike is a diplomat through and through

I begin to understand why all his Timelines cards have a high diplomacy score. This episode demonstrated so well why Pike is an expert for intercultural diplomacy. He doesn’t just go by protocol, he really tries to understand the people he’s talking to.

To find out that the R’Ongovians don’t just imitate their respondents, but that one of their prime traits is empathy, and that their desire is to be understood, wasn’t so easy to conclude from their behavior. Even though they even told Pike that right in his face when Captain Vasso said “We too listen. Empathy is a hallmark of our people. Few understand that.”

But who would go that far and realize that is their main desire?

Pike analyzed all encounters and came to that conclusion anyways, while everyone else was more or less confused about the R’Ongovian’s weird behavior. Pike also took a lot of risk when he talked like a waterfall about why they should NOT ally with the Federation. I could literally see Robert April die a little bit more inwardly with every word Pike added to his speech.

(Robert April be like “Shut up you idiot!”)

And that cocky grin Pike had when the R’Ongovians left? At that point he KNEW he hit the bulls eye.

I begin to wonder with all of Pike’s diplomacy (omg I misspelled it at first and wrote dimplomacy! haha, Freudean slip!) skills why he didn’t become a Federation ambassador after his time on the Enterprise. Instead he became Fleet Captain with the focus on overseeing the cadet education. Sure, you need a lot of empathy to train cadets (which Pike totally has! And which is a trait I am missing on his Timelines cards as well btw!!). But what a wasted opportunity not to use Pike’s diplomacy skills even more after his active duty on the Enterprise.

The green wrap uniform

I cannot write about this episode without talking about THAT! I gotta admit when I saw the trailer, I wasn’t too fond of it as I only saw a small part of the uniform. And that color on Anson was just….

But when I saw Pike in the full uniform, I changed my mind. I am still not 100% fine with the color, but the uniform cut and the level of detail was a wonderful homage to TOS. Needless to say that Anson rocked the uniform as he fit very well into it, if I may say so.

The only complaint I have is that undershirt was not needed at all. 😇

I am not sure what the official purpose of this uniform version is though. Is it for diplomatic meetings only? Wouldn’t Pike wear it for every first contact situation then as well? Or is Pike going to change between uniforms whenever he feels like it, just as Kirk did?

Some Randoms

The way Spock’s and T’Pring’s katras were switched back to their own bodies felt like a quick and dirty fix for me. On one hand it fit into the comedic episode. It’s hilarious that the solution is some stuff smeared on their foreheads with some crystals stuck into them and then magically, their katras are made to travel. But I’d much rather have seen this issue being fixed in a Vulcan way. I just don’t see a human finding the solution for a centuries old Vulcan procedure, even though I have no doubt that M’Benga is one hell of a doctor. Surely situations like these must already have happened in the Vulcan history? Even if it’s rare, I am sure a solution could be found in the Vulcan database. But this is just a minor nitpick as it fit into a comedic episode.

Una and La’an felt a bit out of character, and then again not. Especially La’an’s usual no-nonsense behavior makes her behavior in Spock Amok a bit unbelievable. But it seems when she’s around Una, she is a lot more opened up and ready to just enjoy her life. The contrast is stark though. It makes me wonder why she has so much trouble to open up to other people even though they already have proven to La’an that they want nothing but her well-being. But maybe that is her story in this show, that she’ll slowly overcome her deep trauma and is able to open up to other people. Time will tell.

We got Robert April again! YAY! I am so happy about that. I love his dynamic with his former Number One and I love how close they apparently are. There is no rank calling involved at all between the two. And around April, Pike can act like one of his protégés. For a change he can be the one who gives April the headaches. 🤭

In my last rambling I wrote that we’d make a time jump in this season to have the Enterprise repaired offscreen. It looks like that assumption was wrong. Instead this episode is a bit of a continuation from the last episode and the Enterprise gets repaired at Space Station One while most of the crew is granted shore leave. I didn’t know space stations also have space docks. I always thought space docks were their own kind of orbital stations.

Speaking of shore leave, I would have loved to see what Pike had in mind for his. Also, can we appreciate his civvies for one moment please? Please more of that!

Kyle is mean? 😱 Can we please also see that and not just get told?

So Una and La’an punish the two ensigns, and then do exactly the same things? I would have preferred once they completed their bingo cards they had gone to the transporter room and told the Ensigns that their punishment was lifted. But from now on the air lock part has to be scratched from the bingo card. It feels a bit mean and hypocritical to me that they didn't.

What exactly is this thing in Pike’s quarters? Is it some sort of moving picture? A video frame? An aquarium but for a forest? Or is it a hologram (which would make all the canon crusaders go berserk)? It is very pretty, that’s for sure!

#strange new world spoilers #snw spoilers #christopher pike #anson mount #Ensign Christina #Jennifer Hui #Lt. Mitchell #Rong Fu #Robert April #Adrian Holmes #una chin riley #rebecca romijn #la'an noonien singh #christina chong #christine chapel #gia sandhu #Spock #ethan peck

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promosbrasil · 2 years

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Dynasty 5x21 Promo “More Power to Her”

Dinastia 5 Temporada Episódio 21 Promo

youtube

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startrekwintergiftexchange · 1 year

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The 2023 Star Trek Winter Gift Exchange is here!

Q: What is the Star Trek Winter Gift Exchange?

A: This is an anonymous fanworks exchange for any fandom within the Star Trek universe, from The Original Series to Strange New Worlds!

Q: How does it work?

A: When you sign up, you’ll make three requests. Once sign ups close, the mod will send you the url of the person you’ll make a fanwork for and their requests. You’ll have the month of January to fill one of the requests. Make sure your ask box is open so I or your Secret Santa can contact you!

Q: Do I have to make fanart/fanfic for the exchange?

A: Nope! All types of fanworks are welcome :) Fics, art, edits, moodboards, podfics, among other things! As long as you’re creating it, it’s welcome.

Q: What are the important dates I should know?

A: December 29, 11:59 pm EST: signups close

January 1-3: I’ll let you know who your recipient is

January 21-31: Post your gifts! Details here.

Q: Sounds awesome! How do I sign up?

A: Fill out this form!

Q: What if I only want to be a pinch hitter?

A: If you ONLY want to be a pinch hitter, fill out this form!

If you have other questions, check the about or send an ask. And don’t forget to spread the word! LLAP <3

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genevieveetguy · 2 years

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War Pony, Gina Gammell and Riley Keough (2022)

#Gina Gammell #Riley Keough #Franklin Sioux Bob #Bill Reddy #Jojo Bapteise Whiting #LaDainian Crazy Thunder #Robert Stover #Ashley Shelton #Jesse Schmockel #Sprague Hollander #David Gallego #Christopher Stracey #Mato Wayuhi #Affonso Gonçalves #Eduardo Serrano #2022 #woman director

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grandvhs · 2 years

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lista de nomes masculinos que estava no meu bloco de notas e eu só lembrei agora

starting with A ;;

aaron.

adair.

adam.

aiden.

ajax.

alec.

alfie.

allistar.

anderson.

andrew.

andy.

angus.

antonio.

anthony.

archer.

archibald.

archie.

aries.

arlo.

arthur.

ashley.

ashton.

austen.

avery.

axel.

starting with B ;;

bailey.

beau.

beckham.

beckett.

bellamy.

benjamin.

bennett.

bentley.

blade.

blake.

blaine.

blaise.

blue.

bobbie.

bodhi.

brad.

brandon.

braxton.

brayden.

brent.

brett.

brock.

brody.

brooke.

bryson.

starting with C ;;

caleb.

callum.

calvin.

cameron.

carlisle.

carlos.

carson.

carter.

casey.

chad.

chandler.

charlie.

chase.

chaz.

christian.

christopher.

cody.

colby.

cole.

cooper.

colton.

connor.

conrad.

corbin.

corey.

starting with D ;;

dakota.

dallas.

damien.

damon.

dante.

darian.

darron.

darryl.

david.

dawson.

declan.

demetri.

dennison.

denver.

derek.

diego.

diesel.

dimitri.

dixon.

dominic.

donovan.

drake.

drew.

dustin.

dwayne.

starting with E ;;

eason.

eaton.

eddy.

edmund.

edward.

elijah.

elior.

ellias.

elliot.

ellis.

elyas.

ember.

emerson.

emery.

emilio.

emmett.

enzo.

eric.

ernie.

ethan.

ethaniel.

evan.

everett.

everson.

ezar.

starting with F ;;

fabio.

fallon.

farah.

felix.

fernando.

ferris.

felton.

finn.

finnegan.

finnick.

fitz.

fitzgerald.

fletcher.

floyd.

flynn.

foley.

forest.

francisco.

franco.

frankie.

franklin.

fraser.

frasier.

freddie.

fredrik.

starting with G ;;

gabe.

gabriel.

gale.

gallagher.

garcia.

gareth.

garrett.

gary.

gavin.

gene.

george.

gerard.

gilbert.

giovanni.

glenn.

gordon.

grady.

graeme.

grant.

greggory.

gregor.

greyson.

griffin.

gus.

guy.

starting with H ;;

hadley.

hale.

haley.

hamilton.

hamish.

hansel.

harley.

harris.

harrison.

harry.

harvey.

haven.

hayes.

heath.

hector.

hendrix.

henrik.

henry.

holton.

howard.

hudson.

hugh.

hugo.

hunter.

hyde.

starting with I ;;

ian.

ibrahim.

icarius.

idris.

igor.

iman.

immanuel.

imran.

indi.

indiana.

indigo.

indra.

inrique.

irwin.

isaak.

isaiah.

isaias.

ishmael.

isobell.

israel.

ivan.

ivey.

ivor.

ivory.

izzy.

starting with J ;;

jack.

jacob.

jagger.

jai.

james.

jamie.

jason.

jaspar.

jaxon.

jaydon.

jed.

jeremy.

jesse.

jett.

joel.

jameson.

jonathon.

jordan.

jose.

joseph.

joshua.

jude.

julian.

junior.

justin.

starting with K ;;

kade.

kai.

kalen.

kameron.

kane.

kasey.

kayden.

keaton.

keegan.

keenan.

kellan.

kendall.

kendrick.

kevin.

khalil.

kian.

kiefer.

kieran.

kingsley.

kingston.

klaus.

kohen.

konrad.

kristoff.

kyle.

starting with L ;;

lachlan.

lamar.

lambert.

lance.

landon.

langston.

lawrence.

lawson.

leeroy.

lennon.

leo.

leonardo.

levi.

lewis.

liam.

lincoln.

lionel.

logan.

lorenzo.

louis.

luca.

lucas.

lucky.

lucis.

luke.

starting with M ;;

mackenzie.

madden.

maddox.

malaki.

malcolm.

manuel.

marco.

marcus.

marley.

marshall.

martin.

mason.

matteo.

matthew.

max.

micah.

michael.

miguel.

mike.

miles.

miller.

milo.

mitchell.

morgan.

moses

starting with N ;;

nadir.

naiser.

nasir.

nate.

nathan.

nathaniel.

naveen.

naydon.

ned.

nico.

neil.

nelson.

nero.

nicholai.

nicholas.

nila.

niles.

nixon.

noah.

noel.

nolan.

norman.

north.

nylan.

nyle.

starting with O ;;

oakley.

ocean.

octavius.

odell.

olaf.

oliver.

ollie.

omar.

omari.

orion.

orlando.

osborn.

oscar.

o’shea.

osten.

oswald.

otis.

otto.

owen.

oxley.

starting with P ;;

pablo.

page.

palmer.

parker.

parrish.

patrick.

paul.

paulo.

pax.

paxton.

payton.

penn.

percy.

perry.

peter.

phineas.

phoenix.

pierce.

pierre.

prescott.

presley.

preston.

prince.

princeton.

puck.

starting with Q ;;

qadim.

qadir.

quain.

quenby.

quill.

quimby.

quincy.

quinn.

quinten.

starting with R ;;

randy.

raymond.

reese.

reid.

remy.

reuben.

rhett.

rhys.

richard.

richie.

ricky.

riley.

robert.

robin.

roger.

roman.

romeo.

ronan.

ronnie.

ross.

rowen.

ryan.

ryder.

ryker.

rylan.

starting with S ;;

sage.

sailor.

salem.

samson.

samuel.

sascha.

sawyer.

saxon.

scott.

sean.

sebastian.

seth.

shane.

shiloh.

simon.

sinclair.

skyler.

sonny.

spencer.

stanley.

stefan.

steven.

stevie.

storm.

sullivan.

starting with T ;;

tamir.

tanner.

tate/tait.

tatum.

taylor.

teddy.

theo.

thomas.

timothy.

tobias.

toby.

todd.

tommy.

tory.

trace.

travis.

trent.

trevor.

trey.

tristan.

troye.

tucker.

tyler.

tyrone.

tyson.

starting with U ;;

umair.

umar.

urien.

usama.

starting with V ;;

valentine.

valentino.

vance.

vaughn.

victor.

vincent.

vinn.

vinnie.

vladimir.

starting with W ;;

wade.

walden.

wallace.

walter.

warner.

warren.

warrick.

waylan.

wayne.

wendall.

wes.

wesley.

west.

whitley.

wilbert.

william.

willis.

wilmer.

windsor.

winslow.

winston.

wolf.

wren.

wyatt.

wynter.

starting with X ;;

xachary.

xan.

xander.

xavier.

xeno.

ximen.

xylon.

starting with Y ;;

yahto.

yakub.

yasin.

yasi.

york.

ysrael.

yuri.

yusef.

starting with Z ;;

zachary.

zahir.

zander.

zane.

zavier.

zed.

zeke.

zion.

zolten.

#name ideas #male names #nomes masculinos #rpg #prompt #writing help #list

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k-evans-reads · 2 years

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On Deck

Chapter 17

Summary: Although they grew up in the same small town, Chris and Sam had both gone their separate ways a long time ago. Chris moved up to become a MLB star, one of the best in the business, while Sam stayed stuck in the same small town. But when multiple injuries ended the Red Sox prodigy’s career, he winds up back in the same small town he swore he’d never be back to. The past may not stay in the past any longer, as old wounds begin to creep back up.

Pairing: MLB!Chris Evans X OFC Samantha “Sam” Merrick

Word Count: 4,268

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None!

Previous | Main Masterlist | On Deck Masterlist

The clacking of Sam’s fingers on the keyboard of the laptop echoed throughout the apartment, reminding her of Dodger. The dog was laying on his bed near the kitchen as he stared at Riley’s cracked doorway, waiting for the teenager to come out of his room. But despite Sam’s attention focusing on the web page in front of her, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at Chris from his position, lying on his back against the rug, a band wrapped around his ankle as he lowered his foot from mid-air.

“Christopher Robert, that was not thirty seconds," Sam told Chris with a shake of her head. Despite her attention being split, she could still tell when he cheated on his stretches. And while he hadn’t needed to do much more than what would be considered normal stretching in a while, the intensity of his training sessions was catching up with his worn down body, resulting in both Sam and Chris being well-acquainted with the worn printout of exercises from his physical therapist back in June.

He huffed out a sigh as he pulled the band out from around his ankle, rolling his eyes as he muttered, “You’re signing up for your college shit, how would you know?”

Sam’s lips twinged and she resisted the urge to smirk, retorting, “Because I know that was nowhere near thirty seconds.”

But Chris’ lips spread into a smirk of his own, his hands moving to push himself up and off of the ground, his voice teasing as he murmured, “Just take that sexy smirk off your lips and turn back around otherwise I’m going to have to take you to the bedroom and get a different kind of workout.”

“I CAN HEAR YOU!” Riley shouted with a groan in his voice from the other room.

“Nice try, Evans," Sam laughed before she pointed at the rug again. “Sit your ass down and get back to your stretches.”

The door to Riley’s room opened all the way as the teenager came out dressed in a pair of jeans, sneakers, and his work shirt, smoothing a hand over his messy hair and asking, “I’m going to make a sandwich for dinner before work, does anyone else want one?”

“No, I’m going to take Sammy out for dinner,” Chris sighed, but smiled as he met Sam’s eyes from across the dark coffee table. “We’ll drop you off at the theater and then I’ll come pick you up when your shift is over later tonight.”

Riley nodded, frowning a little bit. “Sorry you have to take me,” he whispered, his attention elsewhere as he began pulling sandwich stuff out of the fridge.

“Riley, we don’t mind," Sam interjected. Chris and Sam had been trading off on driving Riley to and from work the last several days, thanks to Sam’s beat-up green car needing a trip to the mechanic. He’d begun working at the movie theater in town, finally able to get a job of his own thanks to Sam’s career shift and sudden free time. She shrugged, adding, “Besides, the car should be fixed by the weekend so it’s only a few more days.”

Chris watched as he just nodded his head before getting to work making his dinner. Chris stayed on the floor, working on his stretches for a few more minutes before heading into the shower to get cleaned up while Sammy came in to change her clothes. It didn’t take them long to all be piled into Chris’ Audi SUV and heading toward the movie theater, where Riley had now started working a few shifts a week. After dropping him off, Chris drove just a few blocks down to park in front of one of their favorite restaurants and wrapped an arm around his girl while they walked inside.

His arm loosely wrapped around her hips, smiling to himself as they walked down the street towards the restaurant. “You look cute, baby,” he told her quietly, his eyes moving over her and meeting her gaze as she looked back at him.

She had a sheepish look on her face, shrugging half-heartedly and deflecting, “I look like a disaster but I couldn’t do anything with my hair today.”

His eyes moved to look at it, remembering how she’d thrown it into a messy bun several times that day as she frowned at her computer. “You know I like it. Especially those little pieces that fall out at the bottom like this,” he smirked while reaching over to loop a finger through a loose piece and pull it down, making Sam smack his hand away while he just laughed.

“You’re such an asshole,” she laughed, dodging another one of his hands as he made a move to pull her hair again.

He shrugged with a wide smirk on his face, sighing and saying, “Yeah but you’re dating me…”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Hey, I’m being serious though baby, you look so cute,” Chris told her, but as they stopped at a crosswalk he turned to look at her head-on, his eyes catching on the beautiful white button-up shirt she was wearing. “Is that a new shirt?”

Sam nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah, you bought it for me,” she whispered.

“We talked about this. I didn’t buy it for you, you used our money,” he reminded, eyebrows raised. “And I’m glad you are. I hope you buy whatever you want when we’re in Boston this weekend.”

This weekend was the last one before Riley was going back to school and Chris had been determined to make it a special one. In just the past two weeks, their lives had drastically changed with Sam being unexpectedly fired, Sam and Riley officially moving in with him, Riley getting a job at the movie theater, Sam deciding to go back to school, and Chris training more intensely. So much had happened, but as Chris looked at this short time period full of change, he couldn’t help but feel that warmth inside his chest. All of it had brought them all closer, becoming more and more of a family and nothing made him happier.

But with all of these changes, Chris wanted to do something special for his favorite people. He knew how hard this all had been on Sammy, and he had been so insanely proud of her for being willing to accept his offer and go back to school. Chris felt like they all needed some quality time together and he felt like Boston was the best place to do it to be able to finally take Riley to a Sox game, go out to their favorite restaurants, tour some colleges for him, and to just relax.

“I’m so excited to take Riley to a game,” Chris admitted as he reached for his beer bottle, taking a small sip as he looked at her.

“He literally hasn’t stopped talking about it all week," Sam chuckled as she leaned back in her seat, but her eyes stayed locked on Chris fondly. “Although neither have you.”

“I just miss going to games and being around it all,” he shrugged, his lips pursed. It was something that’d been all but a daily routine for over ten years of his life, and while he didn’t miss some aspects, he found himself wondering how it would’ve gone down the first time around had Sam and Riley been by his side, as they were now. “But I’m most excited about getting to be there with you and Riley. That’s the only part of my life that I didn’t have you in so I want to get to do it with you.”

“Just so you know, I’m wearing my Evans jersey to the game," Sam mentioned, her brows raising as a smirk appeared. “Even if that Evans guy is a retired bigshot now.”

A laugh rose from Chris as he shook his head, eyes moving around the restaurant behind Sam before they returned to her wide brown eyes. “Very funny,” he muttered.

Sam opened her mouth to reply but her attention suddenly shifted away from the man across from her and to someone out of Chris’ sight, but once he followed Sam’s gaze his brows furrowed in confusion a little and his face fell at the interruption in the form of a dirty blond man approaching their table, a small smile on his face.

His eyes were locked on Chris and Chris’ schooled his expression, forcing a small smile on his face to wrap up the interaction quickly. “Wait a minute… Evans? Is that Chris Evans?” The man asked, and Chris refrained from sighing at the words, focused fully on saying a hello to the apparent fan before he got back to enjoying his night with his girl. But that intention suddenly shifted as the man introduced – or reintroduced – himself quickly, saying, “I’m Jake Walters from high school!”

Chris’ jaw dropped a bit, relief flooding his once-tensed shoulders as he laughed, “Oh my god, Jake! I didn’t even recognize you at first. How are you, man?”

“I’m pretty good, but I didn’t expect to see the Red Sox shortstop here,” Jake smiled, nodding to Chris and telling him, “it’s so good to see you though.”

Chris reached a hand out, shaking Jake’s hand before he gestured to the empty chair between his and Sam’s seats. “Sit down with us for a minute.”

Jake shook his head, glancing quickly towards the woman on the opposite end of the table before dismissing the offer, “Oh I don’t want to interrupt your date.”

Chris could tell Jake didn’t realize who was sitting across from Chris and told the man, “Take a little closer look at who my date is.”

Jake shot Chris a slight look before he moved his eyes back to Chris’ date, and the surprise was evident on his face as he – in shock – asked, “Sam Merrick? I would say I don’t believe it but I’m not really all that surprised to see you two together.”

She smiled, greeting him politely with an amused look, repeating Chris’ offer and telling him, “Sit down with us for a minute if you have time.”

“Alright, I’m meeting my brother for dinner but he isn’t here yet,” Jake agreed, the host pointing out where Jake and his brother’s table would be before Jake sat down between the couple. “So what are you guys doing here? I didn’t expect to see you both still in town.”

Chris leaned back in his chair, catching Sam’s eye and giving her a small smile before replying, “We could say the same about you. Didn’t you move to Florida or something after high school?”

“Yeah I went to school there but then ended up coming back up to Connecticut a few years after teaching high school English. Now our old high school offered me a job teaching here so I decided since my family is still here, I might as well take it so I just moved back,” Jake shrugged as he answered, but sat up excitedly. “But I’m a lot more interested in how this finally happened between you two.”

Chris raised an eyebrow, tentative as he admitted, “It’s kind of a long story.”

But Sam rolled her eyes, correcting him – as usual – and informing Jake, “Not really. Chris got injured, came back here, ate at the diner where I was waitressing and we hated each other for a little while but then ended up getting together and that was it.”

“Leave it to Sam to get right to the point,” Jake laughed, but turned his head as a familiar frame entered the small restaurant. “It looks like my brother just sat down, but are you guys coming to the get together tomorrow night?”

“What get together?” Sam asked curiously before she took a sip from her own beer.

Jake’s expression turned excited as he leaned forwards, telling the couple “A bunch of the old group from high school is getting together out at Sarah’s parents’ house out on the lake where we used to go,”

Chris listened carefully, remembering his last phone call with his younger sister a few days ago. “Oh I think Shanna might have mentioned that,” he recalled, knowing it was the reason Scott and Shanna were each coming into town for the weekend.

“Yeah she said she was coming and so is Scott. You guys should come, we’d all love to see you,” Jake offered, looking between both of them.

Chris lifted his shoulder, looking at Sam’s willing expression and replying, “Maybe we will.”

And with only a few more words, Jake had filed off to his own table, leaving the couple alone once again. Chris leaned back in his chair, finally looking over to meet Sammy’s gaze. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her while he reached out to grab his beer, wondering, “So do you think we should go?”

She let out a long sigh, a falsely-unsure expression on her face as she informed him, “Well I’m sure you’d be the center of attention so you and your big head would love that.”

He laughed, shaking his head at her words and fell into their easy banter. “I was more thinking that I want to go because I’d get to have Sammy Merrick on my arm,” he shrugged.

“According to Jake, nobody will really be surprised," Sam laughed, shrugging back as she blushed. “Which I don’t understand… I didn’t think you knew I existed anymore by the time we got to high school.”

“Well I might have been an aloof douche who was only focused on baseball, but I don’t think it really was a secret that I always had a crush on you,” Chris chuckled, remembering the countless times he spent dreaming of her, never ever imagining their childhoods would lead them here, all these years later, together.

She rolled her eyes, muttering, “Apparently I was the only one who didn’t know about it.”

“Well I think I’ve made up for that now,” Chris reminded, thinking of how different their lives are now, even compared to just this past April, a mere four months ago. They were a united front, supporting each other endlessly, even if his girl was currently kicking him lightly from across the table.

“Yeah you’ve shown me plenty, bigshot," Sam muttered as she rolled her eyes, a laugh escaping her as he caught her foot between his calves.

Both brows lifted to Chris’ forehead and a quick, wide smirk spread across his lips. “I can show you more if you want,” he offered, grinning as she minutely sputtered.

“Keep it in your pants, Evans," Sam murmured, but a smirk of her own appeared as she continued, her voice low, “...At least until we get in the car.”

Chris could hear the loud voices and laughter when they climbed out of the car at the familiar lake house. He remembered spending a lot of time here in high school with virtually every party always taking place at this house and he found it a little bit ironic that a little over ten years later, he was back here for another gathering, making him feel a little bit like no time had passed at all.

But it had. A lot of time in fact, and if he could somehow travel back in time and tell his younger self he’d be back here one day with Samantha Merrick tucked against his side, he never would have believed it. He also knew that there was a time not very long ago that he couldn’t have been bothered with things like this, hanging out with people from his past. He knew that being the shortstop for the Red Sox had gone to his head in a big way, and going through his career ending injuries may have knocked him back down to size, but it was Sam who helped show him who he really was and brought out his true self.

They followed Chris’ younger siblings around the side of the house and onto the back patio, seeing all their old friends gathered around a table, Jake, Sarah, Katie, Kelsey, Rachel, Brandon, Mike, and Justin cheering as the Evans siblings and Sam made their way over, pointing them in the direction of the cooler to grab themselves a drink.

Chris was surprised at just how easy it was to fall in with the people they grew up with, seeming almost like no time had passed at all. They all caught up over dinner, finding out what everyone had been up to but as the evening grew on, they migrated down near the lake, sitting around the firepit as they started sharing old memories.

Sam reached over to the spare chair near the cooler for Chris’ black sweatshirt, pulling it over her head. Chris watched her with a faint grin on her face, seeing the way the bulky material engulfed her lanky frame, shielding her from the chill of the late summer evening. Once another beer was in hand, she made her way back over to the fire pit, plopping into his seat and curling around Chris with a content sigh, one he himself felt warm him from the inside out as his girl relaxed in his arms. He leaned his head back against the Adirondack chair, listening to the chattering before the sounds of the lake water settled in the forefront of his mind, taking his full attention. But it didn’t last long until Brandon’s shrill voice interrupted Chris’ thoughts, saying, "Last time we were all here, Merrick and Evans were making out in the kitchen.”

He felt Sam stiffen in his arms, surprise flooding his frame as well at the words. Thankfully Scott’s sarcastic voice interjected, laughing as he told Brandon, “No, I think you’re talking about tonight.”

“Oh I do remember that party! I think it was right before graduation in 2010,” Rachel recalled, and Chris’ brows furrowed at her words, trying to remember the night. Admittedly, parties at Sarah’s – or Mike’s, Rachel’s, Jake’s, and the Evans’ – house were a regular occurrence in high school, and while the alcohol had definitely been flowing, Chris couldn’t remember ever kissing Sam at one. “I just remember walking into the kitchen seeing the two of them lip locked and thought it was about time.”

Sam laughed at their words, shaking her head in a way that Chris knew meant she found the prospect unbelievable. “Shut up! We did not make out,” she stated, her arms accidentally nudging Chris as she shifted, sitting up in the chair.

He shrugged, his voice a little low as he admitted, “I mean I would have liked it.”

“You guys totally did,” Katie affirmed as she hid her smirk behind her beer bottle. Sam looked over her shoulder at Chris, raising an eyebrow in a silent question at him. He shook his head back at her and shrugged, mouthing “I don’t remember” at her before she turned back around.

Her arms crossed over her chest, over the crest of the faded Red Sox emblem. “No we didn’t. I would have remembered that,” she replied, her voice firm but her expression showing a hint of doubt as Chris leaned forwards, meeting her eyes and shrugging again.

Brandon chuckled, standing up to get another beer as he told her, “Well you both were drunk so I’m not really surprised neither can remember.”

Chris listened to the rest of their friends affirm the story, skipping over Scott and Shanna as they laughed at something quietly, asking the group, “Did we really kiss at a party? Are you sure it was us?”

“Yeah, trust me, seeing Evans with his tongue crammed down Sam’s throat wasn’t something I can easily forget,” Kelsey groaned, rolling her eyes fondly but the smile on her face said otherwise as she looked at her long-time friends sharing the chair together.

Chris’ arm wound back around Sam’s waist, pulling her against him again as he playfully muttered, in a tone loud enough for everyone else to hear, “I cannot fuckin’ believe I don’t remember that.”

“You two both were pretty wasted,” Mike sighed, leaning down to place his empty bottle in the grass before he took a beer from Brandon’s hand, quiet as the other man moved back to his seat. Mike then chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at Sam and Chris and told them, “I honestly thought you two were going to start going at it if Chris didn’t end up throwing up out on the lawn and Sam passed out on the couch.”

Chris felt the corners of his lips twitch and he pressed a kiss to the side of Sam’s face, only slightly noisily, and totally on purpose as he watched the way Sam grinned and her cheeks blushed. “Well I guess I made up for it now,” he laughed.

“I’m still not at all surprised you two ended up together," Sarah mused from her spot across the fire pit from them, her legs tucked underneath her as she watched them. She paused as the rest of their friends gave noises of affirmation and continued, “I remember earlier this year hearing that Chris was coming back to town and I knew it would only be a matter of time.”

Chris let out a loud laugh, his hand landing on his shorts as he confessed, with a large smirk, “I don’t think Sam got that memo because she pretty much hated my guts at first.”

“Well it’s not my fault you were a stuck-up asshole!” Sam protested, causing everyone to burst into laughter. He pinched her side teasingly, groaning when she jabbed a knobbly elbow into his side in retaliation.

Once the laughter had dissipated, Jake turned his attention back to the couple, asking, “How did you guys meet up again?”

Sam leaned back into Chris’ hold comfortably, playing with his fingers as she took a sip of beer before answering, “My little brother Riley was on the baseball team that Chris was coaching and he came into the diner a lot.”

“Hey speaking of that, I haven’t seen you there lately,” Justin pointed out, his brows furrowing as he thought. Chris knew it was common for Sam to run into old friends and classmates there, and she was all but the only person in town who was able to see and know practically everyone, but the sudden change in her employment status sent waves not only personally, but in the operations of the diner and it was evidently enough to notice from the other side of the counter.

Sam tensed immediately at Justin’s innocent question, hesitating slightly before sputtering, “I’m um, well… I actually–”

“Sammy’s going back to school!” Chris interrupted her excitedly, his voice rising into the loud tone that Sam – and Riley – often complained was “nearly obnoxious, Chris,” but he was too excited to share the news. “She just signed up for classes and is going to college this year.”

“Really? Sam, that’s amazing!” Jake praised, a genuine smile on everyone's faces as they congratulated her happily.

She blushed in the dim lighting, her eyes in her lap. Chris pressed a kiss to the top of her head just as she thanked them and confessed, “I’m a little nervous but also excited.”

Chris didn’t mean to monopolize the conversation but he couldn’t help but start gushing a little bit about his baby. He was so proud of her, so fucking proud. He had seen firsthand how much she had overcome in her life with absolutely no support and so getting to see all he knew she’d do with him encouraging her every bit of the way made him know, without a doubt, just how far she’d go. But that wasn’t what he was most proud of her for.

He looked around at the group surrounding him and knew that not one of them had experienced anything remotely close to what Sam had. None of them dreaded going home as a child. None of them had to go straight to work after school everyday in high school. None of them went to bed hungry. None of them had to wonder if their mother would even be at home at night let alone who she might be with. None of them had to basically become a parent at fourteen years old. None of them had so few choices and opportunities in life, living from one paycheck to the next, and yet he felt like none of them were even close to being as incredible of a person as Sammy was.

Chris didn’t feel like anyone even came close to having her wit, determination, huge heart, and genuine compassion for those around her. He was so wholeheartedly in love with everything about her and he knew that he’d take her down to a courthouse tomorrow and marry her if he could. Although Chris knew that there had been so much change in Sammy’s life especially lately, that proposing might not be the best choice in this exact moment, he knew that it was going to come soon because he simply just couldn’t wait. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her forever, in fact there hadn’t been any doubt in quite some time, but getting to sit around a fire pit with old friends, having Sammy practically glued to him with her arms around his waist as they curled up together in the oversized chair seemed like a pretty good trade off for the time being.

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