ｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｅｄ．

we're back !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[a-e-c-r]

phillipsheather‌:

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Maxwell,” Heather said innocently, wondering if Ayden had accidentally unpacked the Scrabble box and left it out for Evan to see. She wasn’t drunk enough… yet. Heather drank her beer cautiously, taking a moment to process Evan’s words. Was that it? Was that the basis of their friendship? The two of us knew it was some sort of miracle that their partners had settled for them. “Well, here’s to miraculously scoring way out of our leagues,” she said, offering her beer to clink his. 

Heather laughed, shaking her head, although secretly she was pleased she had Alice’s approval. “I think she likes me because I treat her like an adult, you all baby her too much,” Heather pointed out. “But still… you wouldn’t let me babysit her for like, a week. Lindsay’s mom, as strange as she is, she was a good mom when we were growing up. And Linds’ dad was the best. Linds has good parenting genes, I don’t. I am not meant to bring children to this world,” Heather said seriously, not an ounce of self-deprecation. 

“C’mon, it’s been so long. I’m sure I lost all of my skills,” Evan applied his most innocent expression when he nodded just past Heather’s shoulder where the Scrabble game did in fact lay waiting to be enlivened. “Cheers,” he returned enthusiastically, downing another sip.

“I do not baby her,” he contradicted, amused. “If anything, I forget that I’m supposed to still be helping her with things. She’ll piece together sentences with vocabulary words impressive enough that she’d probably beat both of us in Scrabble, and I forget that like ‘oh, yes you do still need me to operate the microwave for you.’“ Evan laughed lightly, affectionately. “She’s so much like Lindsay, you know? Self-sufficient. And kind.” Finding himself trailing, he shook his head. “Anyways... what were you saying?” 

[a-e-c-r]

phillipsheather‌:

“Your secret is safe with me… for a price, of course,” Heather said with a smirk. Heather watched him as he looked outside the window, wondering what crazy plan was being formulated under his messy hair. “If by going to the beach you mean taking a book and a beer to the beach and laying down where I can watch you read shirtless… count me in.”

“Deal. Maybe that’ll be how I pay you back for keeping my secret about Noah,” Ayden countered. Enthusiastically, he found his feet, freeing Heather from his bodyweight. A new life cheered his features that hadn’t visited him since they arrived back at Helios. “The weather is just perfect for this. I’m gonna go change, okay?” 

Ayden extended a hand for Heather, if she wanted to take it, before he wound over to his unpacked suitcase. “When’s the last time we even went to the beach?” he considered, rummaging for his swim trunks. 

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lindsaymcampbell‌:

Lindsay gladly allowed him to pull her close, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face on his chest as he kissed the top of her head. As much as she wished she could stay there––timeless, worryless––eventually Lindsay knew they had to pull away. Instinctively, as he cupped her cheek with his hand, Lindsay pressed a kiss to his wrist before sighing, his eyes heavy on hers. You can’t promise that, Lindsay thought to herself. In the end, only Alice got to decide who her mother was. Lindsay kept her eyes on his for as long as she dared before looking away, stealing a glance of Alice and Noah playing. “Maybe we should… tell her, I mean,” she said, biting on her lower lip. “How do we do that? How do we tell her the truth and shield her from the worst of Helios’ ghosts? And… I mean, Oliver, Athena… how much of them should she know about?” Lindsay asked, clearly overthinking about the task ahead. 

Evan gathered that his words hadn’t left his wife fully convinced. Wishfully, he maintained their gaze for as long as she permitted, wanting somehow to convince her of his own certainty. He knew, however, of Lindsay’s rampant mind, how she could spin things, just as he could, churning over worst case scenarios. He knew this self-doubt quite well. “I mean, you know,” Evan began softly, running a hand over her hair. “I think we keep it simple. She’s still so young, Lindsay. I think she deserves the truth, the big pictured truth, but these details, they can come with time. That’s what I think, anyway.” He followed Lindsay’s gaze to their inquisitive and sharp-minded daughter. “She might have a lot of questions, and I think it’s best if we answer those, but I worry about.... sharing too much. Overwhelming her? What do you think?”

[a-e-c-r]

lindsaymcampbell‌:

Lindsay watched his smile, taking in the way his eyes flickered as indicators of the conflicting emotions that their places and memories brought up. Lindsay’s cabin, where she had first turned a room into a nursery by herself. Alice’s first birthday party under Lindsay’s care, the day Evan came back for the second time. The hospital where they had taken her after Alice’s dollhouse fell on her. How do you begin to untangle such a story? Lindsay watched him carefully, smiling warmly as he listed the stops on their tour. She raised her hand to his cheek, caressing it lightly as she added her own suggestions. “The coffee shop where we first met and you flirted with me, the old police station where you used to work, the spot in the park where you taught her how to throw a football…” she said.

“I know where she gets it from,” Lindsay said warmly. “You were always so understanding with me, you still are. Even through the worst. You get that from your mom,” Lindsay said sincerely before staying quiet, letting Evan put his thoughts in order. She listened patiently until he was done and she swallowed, picking the best words to use to figure this out. “Alice adores you, Evan––she could never think less of you. She has no reason to. Aren’t you right here? Didn’t you choose to work from home to spend as much time as possible with her over the past few years?” Lindsay stroked his arm gently before crossing her arms over her chest, trying to quiet her racing heart. “Your bond with her, there’s no breaking that. Even when you were gone, I remember she used to sleep in the same position as you.” Lindsay swallowed, looking down at her feet. “But I promised Athena. I promised her Alice would grow up with a mother, not with an Aunt Lindsay… and I am not ready to give up the title. I don’t think I’ll ever be,” Lindsay said quietly.  

Evan tilted his head back to the sun when Lindsay mentioned their very first encounter, letting buried memories flood back like Helios’ ocean waves. He tutted, beaming as he considered how far they’d come since that first day. As she continued to relay their warmest moments, Evan pulled her into an embrace, placing a grateful kiss against the top of her head. He held her as she mentioned his mom, thanking her, before he did pull away to think through his reservations. As always, Lindsay’s words quelled his shortcomings. He stood in front of her more secure in this decision than before. He stole one more quick glance in their daughter’s direction before he caught how his wife too held concerns of her own. Directing his entire self to her direction, Evan instinctively reached out to hold her cheek against his hand, tucking her soft waves behind her ear. “Hey,” he began softly with resolve. “You mentioned my mother before, and I when I think of her, I think of how she would light up every time I entered a room. If I ever felt like I wasn’t enough, her smile told me otherwise.  And that’s a mother. You support and you love and you celebrate Alice everyday, just like my mom did for me when I was growing up. And from the moment you agreed to be in her life, you have never faltered, even other people did,” he paused, a pang in his chest below. “Even when I did.” He kept eyes fixed on her’s. “For those reasons, Lindsay, you are her mother. And always, always, always will be, and Alice knows that too. Do you hear me? Always. You have nothing to worry about.” 

[a-e-c-r]

phillipsheather‌:

“Suit yourself, you paid last time too,” Heather told him with a wink, throwing his wallet (which she had snatched earlier) back at him. “Switzerland was cool, it was cold though and expensive. But the Alps were gorgeous, it was definitely worth the climb,” Heather said fondly, thinking back of the days where it was just her, Ayden, and their backpacks. No Helios, no lab coats. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Maxwell. I am a cool nerd, the kind that can put rockets into space and shit. You are a lame nerd, the kind that swoons when he catches sight of a gold band,” she clarified with a grin, taking a swig of her beer. “Why did you get married anyway? It’s not like Linds was going anywhere.” 

Heather couldn’t help but cackle at his question, not feeling pressed at all but amused. “You are kidding, right? Could you imagine me as a mother? Goodness, I couldn’t even stay in a room alone with Alice until she turned six, and even then it was only when Linds want to the bathroom or something.”

Wide eyed and open mouthed, Evan realized the stunt she’d pulled. “Impressive,” he gave over, expertly catching his wallet when she returned it. “Careful who you mess with, Phillips. Don’t make me challenge you to another round of our..... most favorite game,” he threatened, tapping his temple with a pointer finger when he referenced their infamous Scrabble tournaments. “Okay, don’t talk to me about ‘swooning.’ I’ve seen you when a certain someone you climbed Swiss mountains with walks into a room,” Evan gloated cheekily, before he worked to soften the blow. “We’re both hopelessly in love with two people who could clearly do much better, but they chose us for some reason.” He grinned, grateful and took another sip. “I know.” I finally believe that, he thought to himself, running a hand against his jaw. “But I really admire what it symbolized for us. My parents never had much of a marriage,” he outlined without a trace of self-pity. “But I knew I could do better than that, that I would do better than that. I just want to do right by her always. For the rest of my life,” Evan shrugged. “I dunno. You get it.” 

Evan relaxed with her reaction, feeling himself suppress a chuckle at her amusement. “Alice loves Auntie H! I believe she’s called you ‘Mommy’s Friend.’ That’s the highest of compliments, really,” he played. 

[a-e-c-r]

phillipsheather‌:

“I don’t know why you think an alarm at 3 am will help me have a more positive outlook, but suit yourself,” Heather teased him, watching him as he closed his eyes, knowing he needn’t look at her face to read her expression. Heather raised her eyebrows at Ayden’s reaction. “You are good with kids, Noah likes you,” Heather said. “Besides, bold of you to assume that Mike would let me so much as help babysit their children. No thank you. I will fix the radiator.”

“That’s just because I give him candy before dinner,” Ayden confessed laughing lightly at himself. “Don’t tell Mike that,” he tidied quickly. From his cozied spot against her, Ayden brought his gaze to the window of the living room. He watched the breeze comb through the trees and suddenly longed to breathe in the same way. “Hey, this might be crazy, and you can completely shoot me down, but...” Ayden faced her, wrinkling his nose. “Do you wanna maybe go to the beach?” 

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alaskaawrites‌:

      “Married life is nice, I mean other than the fact when Mike has to go for work and I’m with the kids, it’s kind of crazy to think about honestly. To think that I once wasn’t able to age and now we’re being told we’re starting to age again…it’s a little weird like it’s a dream I will be waking up any moment now.” 

“Hm, see, that sounds hard,” Ronnie returned bluntly. “But it’s worth it? All that familial love and shit?” 

“I know exactly what you mean. I just want to get back to New York. Keep doing what I was doing. I was really starting to figure out my life. What an interruption.”

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lindsaymcampbell‌:

Lindsay laughed as his voice dropped at the suggestion, watching his green eyes flash with a plan. She then followed his gaze to Alice and Noah, the two lost in a world of their own as always, swinging back and forth as high as they could. “What stops would you include on Alice’s tour?” She asked him, linking her fingers with those on his free hand, looking down at their joined hands before looking up, seeing the bench where she had seen Athena last after scheduling a play date for her and Alice. “Sometimes I wonder if she was right, you know? Athena. Maybe Alice should know the full story, get the full tour. How does it make sense for us to wait until she is eighteen?” Lindsay sighed, looking up at Evan and smiling warmly. “But then I think it’s for the best, not every stop has to be on the tour, right?”

He easily met Lindsay’s question with a smile, parting his lips to relay his intended itinerary before he paused realizing many of their happiest moments were forever tangled in something much more painful. He thought of when he’d kissed her for the firs time, the magic he’d encountered, but how that paired with two sets of adultery and a wounded ankle. When she saved his life, it was the aftermath of a rather devastating car wreck. Their trip to the carnival with Alice was after they had fought. Their story never was the result of a straightened path, but he found “I would show her the moment when your book was published, when we first got Mac... when we baked m&m cookies....” some piece of him quieted himself before, “when you were with me when my dad died.” Feeling his heart lurch, Evan scurried towards a slight smile. “There’s a lot I’d love to share with her.” 

He watched a new thought grace her features. “Lindsay, I agree with you,” he unfolded carefully, taking his hand back to run it over his hair. “Everyday, I’m more and more blown away by her capacity for understanding. I don’t know where she got that from,” he laughed dryly. “I think she deserves to know everything too. And I want that. I want her to know that we will always be honest with her. I hope I’m not...” Evan focuses past Lindsay’s eyes, organizing his thoughts before he meets with her again, looking her straight on. “There’s a lot in my past that I’m not proud of. I just don’t want her to think less of me. That’s all. That’s the only reason I hesitate.” 

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phillipsheather‌:

Heather rolled her eyes at him, simply grabbing her phone and ordering another pizza and an order of garlic bread, just in case. “It’s Swiss but close. The label’s in German,” Heather said, finally looking up from her phone once the order was placed. She caught him looking as his wedding band and scoffed, shotting him a smirk. “Nerd,” she teased him, having said the exact same thing to Lindsay the many times she had caught her admiring her rings. “Listen, just because you and Linds decided to stop living in sin doesn’t mean Ayden and I will,” Heather said defensively. “Why would we want to get married anyway? We are more than fine.”

“I’m paying this time,” Evan insisted without his humor in tow, eyeing Heather over the curve of his beer as she programmed in their order. “Ah, Switzerland. How was that?” Partially, Evan teased her, engaging in the sort of highbrow conversations that he never usually would, but he also approached with genuine curiosity. Outside of the traumatic endeavors the immortals had taken through Helios, Evan had never really travelled. “Who would’ve thought you would ever be calling me a ‘nerd?’” he reminisced. “I’m almost complimented.... So,” Pressing himself up into a seat position, Evan thumbed at the German label in his hand, continuing without judgement. “Kids or no?” Fearing he may be pressing to much, he lifted his arms into a sort of surrender. “I mean, to each their own. You two do seem really good.” 

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phillipsheather‌:

“Fine, I’ll be the positive one every night from 3 am to 6 am. You are on duty the rest of the time,” Heather said, offering him her hand to shake. Heather rolled her eyes, sighing exasperatedly. “Well I don’t know, it wasn’t his birthday… so I don’t understand why she was getting him a gift but she was and I said maybe he would like a soccer ball… he like that I think. Oh… and I volunteered you to babysit whenever she needed a day off. ”

 “I’ll set an alarm,” he chuckled, returning her gesture to seal their compromise before he stole her hand between his own, tucking it under his head. Ayden shut his eyes picking up on the rolling of her own without needing to look and feeling her exhalation under their hands. “That’s nice–” he paid his complements to the soccer ball, letting her cut him off. “You did what,” Ayden deadpanned lifting his head. “It’s not that I don’t want to help them, but I can do other things? Like fix their radiator for them or, I dunno... what else am I good at?” he posed without deprecation. “If she asks me to babysit, you know you’re coming with me.” 

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lindsaymcampbell‌:

Lindsay turned around to see where he was nodding at, smiling warmly even before the beach came into focus. “Of course I remember,” Lindsay said softly, looking at the empty beach for a moment before turning around to face Evan again. “It would be very hard to find a spot on this island that doesn’t spark a memory of you, all kinds of memories,” Lindsay added. “Maybe we can go on a hunt for such a place, a place with no existing memories. And then we can fix that.” 

“Oh, Mrs. Campbell, I like where your head is at. Do you mean like a.... just you and me memory?” he unfolded suggestively, green eyes dancing. “Or not so much? Not so much is good with me, too,” Evan backpedaled sweetly. He stole one more glance in Alice’s direction. “Truly, though. I’ve been thinking that it could be nice to give Alice a tour of the good moments. Show her how we became us, this family. I think it would help all of us. I know I feel like I’m tiptoeing around this place when I know it wasn’t all bad. I just need a refresher.” 

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phillipsheather‌:

“Lindsay often tells me that when I have nothing nice to say sometimes it’s best to not say anything at all, so I am not going to answer that question for your sake, Maxwell,” Heather said, clinking her beer against his before sitting down on the couch to work on her pizza. “And for my sake, Lindsay will never let me hear the last of it if I make you cry… again,” she joked. However, it was difficult for Heather to repress a smile altogether as Evan finished his reasoning for their relationship. “So you are telling me I can count this as community service?”

“Mm, how mature of you. You’ve really grown,” Evan delivered sarcastically, eyes narrowed over a lazy arm draped across his chest. His long legs were crossed, spanning the length of the carpet where their ravished pizza box laid depleted. “It was just one time!” he lied, pretending to wipe away a tear. “But, yes. You can reassure the court that you’ve performed your civic duty,” Evan teased, enjoying himself a little too much when he took a swig of his beer. “This stuff is good. Is it German or something? I saw you and Ayden went there a few months back.” Returning his beer to its place on the coffee table, he caught sight of his wedding band. So much time had passed and yet spotting it still made him smile. “Speaking of Mr. Time Magazine....... when are you two going to get hitched?” 

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phillipsheather‌:

Heather examined his smile for a moment, her brain always in need of gathering data for future use. In this case, the evidence was enough for Heather to relax and wrap her arms tighter around him. “This is why I keep you around. One of us has to be positive,” she said with a smirk. Heather rolled her eyes at his teasing. “Very funny, sir. For your information I have many shopping talents… like… nutella, I know how to find that,” she defended herself. “She wanted to buy a gift for Noah? I think.”

Ayden hummed contentedly feeling Heather hold him more tightly, feeling her arms across his back, feeling his worries sort of shed away like autumn leaves. “Maybe we can start taking turns?” he posed not expecting her to go along with his suggestion, though of course he didn’t mind. “Oh, yes. How could I forget? And alcohol. You’re good at finding that too. And I love you for that,” he tacked on cheekily, remembering many wine soaked and giggly nights. “’You think?’” Ayden laughed heartily. 

[a-e-c-r]

sophie-x-stratford‌:

“Wow…that’s bleak. Usually that’s my job to be the debbie downer.” Sophie commented before continuing; “But honestly, I’m aging like fine wine so I really am not all that bummed.” Sophie shrugged. “At least the weather is nice and welcoming even if the memories of this place are anything but.” The blonde reflected, “Anyway–how was your flight?”

“I’m trying something new,” Ronnie grumbled, folding arms over her chest. “You do look fantastic. Nice work,” she livened ever so slightly, a smile peaking over her horizon. Even if she wanted to deny it, Ronnie could not combat the reality that the weather was sublime. She felt the tropical sun beat down on her bare shoulders. Didn’t mean she didn’t miss the griddle that was New York City, however. “It was fine. It was fast. I watched Knives Out,” she rattled off. “How was yours?” 

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lindsaymcampbell‌:

Lindsay kissed him again, making sure he didn’t stare at Alice for too long and gave their cover away. After all, her husband was known for gazing lovingly at their daughter. “I’ll think it over, let you know what I decide,” she teased with a grin which promptly fell off her lips as Evan continued, knowing exactly what he meant. “There is nothing I want more,” she agreed quietly. 

Evan let Lindsay guide his gaze away, for he certainly didn’t wear ‘unobtrusive’ very skillfully, especially in a place like this. Something deeply rooted told him to keep a close eye on his two favorite people. He threaded an arm across her low back so a hand could rest against her waist. “For all of the nightmares we endured here, I can remember the good stuff just as vividly.” Evan nodded his head over her shoulder. “That beach. It’s where we skipped stones, remember?” 

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phillipsheather‌:

Heather threw a pillow at him as he teased her, not allowing herself to smile until she was in the kitchen and out of his sight. Refraining to show Evan her amusement, she reached into the fridge and pulled two beers before Evan even mentioned he wanted one. “We can order another, but that slice is still mine!” Heather called out as she made her way back, using the bottles to pop each other open before handing him his beer. “So why are you here again?”

“Cheers.” Evan raised his beer to clink against hers. “What?” he deflected, feigning offense. Sitting up again, Evan trapped the tip of his tongue between his teeth, his grin childish. “I have to have a reason? Didn’t you miss me, Phillips? You’ve been quite the world traveler. I haven’t seen you in months. And if I don’t have people like you around to keep me honest. I start to get a little full of myself.” 

[a-e-c-r]

phillipsheather‌:

“Well, it definitely isn’t helpful. But I am glad I am not alone in this,” she said with a sigh. Heather closed her eyes as if that would help her put things into perspective. But it didn’t. “Did you talk to Mike yet? Izzy and I went shopping earlier.” 

Ayden laughed lightly, lifting blue eyes up to see her. “Sorry to be so bleak,” he sealed with a tilted smile, the soft kind, the warming kind. “We will be okay. We always are.” He laid his head back against her. “No, not yet. I’ll text him. I saw Beca though. Marissa too.” Furrowing brows, he elected to tease her, just a touch. “Shopping? For what? I’ve never seen you buy anything except cereal. And books.”