A The Nanny Affair fic, starts at the end of chapter 10. Male Sam x MC (Kara Schuyler)
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Endings and Beginnings - Complete
This takes place after Kara breaks up with Sam in Book 2 (for the all of 2 seconds), instead of Jordan coming to see her it's Robin.
Open Heart
Miami - One Shot
My take on the Miami chapter (Open Heart Book 1 Chapter 10). Ethan Ramsey x MC (Athena Robins), Bryce Lahela x MC (Athena Robins)
Fallout - Complete
A rewrite of Chapters 8 and 9 of Open Heart Books 3 Ethan Ramsey X MC (Adrianna Mason)
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Torn
This takes place after Chapters 10 and 11 in book 2, featuring Athena, Ethan and mentions Bryce
The list above is complete as far as my Choices Fanfics go. I may end up adding the few Dragon Age and Skryim fics that I have done, until that time you can always also find me on AO3 as CalyRose
The next chapter of Say My Name (Say it Twice) is here! Read it below, or over on AO3.
A visit to Treviso never failed to make Lucanis feel better. The night sky overhead coupled with the warm glow of lanterns reflected in the canals were as comforting to him as a favored blanket to a child. He walked the market, slowly purchasing the items on his list while Spite flitted around, smelling everything.
Bellara wanted to make a Dalish fish soup that required some very specific spices and, of course, fish. He would buy the protein on his way back to the Lighthouse. For now he chatted with the merchants, stopped to trade good-natured barbs with Neri and Noa, and made his wending way to Café Pietra.
Spite raised his face to the sky and inhaled. Coffee, he said. But, no Rook?
Of course, the only other time the demon had been to the café had been with Rook. It made sense that he would associate this place with her.
“Not today,” he murmured as they found a table near the water. It was early in the evening and there were fewer patrons than there would be later in the night. He ordered an Andoral’s Breath and a small plate of cantucci, then settled in to enjoy the moment of quiet. Viago was punctual, but Teia was not. They would be late and Lucanis did not mind in the slightest.
Spite leaned over the table, inhaling the scent of the almond pastries with unabashed hunger. What. Is. That?!
Lucanis sighed and answered in a low voice. “Cantucci,” he said. “A biscuit with almonds.” There were many different interpretations of the form, but Café Pietra favored bold flavors – their cantucci were baked with amaretto for additional punch.
Goes. With coffee?
“Yes,” he said, although Lucanis would never dip biscotti in a brew as complex and delicately crafted as Andoral’s Breath. Instead, he took a bite of the cantucci – careful to keep the powdered sugar out of his beard – then took a sip of his coffee.
He savored the blend of the bold, rich roast with the gentle, bittersweetness of roasted almond. A combination that took the best of each to create something exquisite. He sighed. He’d needed this. Though, he had to admit, it would be even more pleasant if Rook were there.
Where. Is. Rook?
“Lucanis,” Teia said as she approached his table.
He stood to greet her with the customary kisses at each cheek, though no lips touched skin. House Dellamorte might view the Seventh Talon as family, but none of them were foolish enough forego the basic precautions.
Behind her, Viago scowled. Not for any particular reason that Lucanis could tell, that was simply the man’s default expression.
Lucanis gestured to the table. “Please, sit.”
The Talons sat, each oblivious to the demon flickering between them, sniffing with abandon.
Smells like leather and lavender, Spite said of Teia. Soft and supple. He inhaled, then grinned at Lucanis. Deadly!
Viago seemed harder for the demon to catalog. He sniffed and sniffed, circling the Fifth Talon like a dog scenting a bone. Smells like… death. Like sour, scorching death. Like numbing ice. Like – another deep inhale – bitter fruit.
The poisons, Lucanis realized. The demon scented all the various vials Viago no doubt had secreted across his person. Finally, Spite left Viago to sit at the only remaining chair, as if he too were joining this meeting.
Teia gave an exaggerated look around the café. “Where is Rook?”
Lucanis shrugged. “I think she’s in Arlathan.” He knew she was in Arlathan, with Davrin and Bellara. “Something about Venatori in the forest?”
Viago shook his head. “They’re growing bold.”
“They’ve been bold,” Teia said, her tone dark. No doubt she was thinking of their raid on the casino. Of Caterina.
Lucanis gave her a grim smile. “Rook will handle it.”
Spite grinned. Rook. Will. KILL. Them!
Teia shot him an appraising look. “You know,” she said. “I like Rook. She’s good for you.”
Lucanis spluttered into his coffee. “What? That’s not–”
Teia laughed and Viago’s eyes went wide. “Shit,” he said, side-eyeing Teia. “You were right!”
She grinned at him. “You owe me a night at the opera!”
Lucanis frowned. “You bet that Rook and I–”
Teia’s smile vanished into shock, while Viago’s smile suddenly bared teeth.
“Our bet was that you’d caught feelings for Rook,” he said.
“Not that she returned them!” Teia’s eyes shone in the lantern light, wide and hopeful.
“Mierda,” Lucanis said.
She likes. That we like. Rook?
Viago chuckled. “She’ll be planning your wedding in no time.”
The blood drained from Lucanis’s face, even as his stomach flipped at the thought.
Our Rook. Forever?!
He needed to get this conversation back under control. “There’s nothing to plan,” he said. “Rook and I are not together.”
Teia scowled and sat back in her chair with her arms crossed. “Yet.”
Viago snorted. “She is tenacious, this one.” He said it with such uncharacteristic fondness that Lucanis’s chest ached. Not because he had once desired that fondness, but because it reminded him of Rook. The softness in Viago’s eyes for Teia was a faint echo of the way Rook looked at him.
Rook. Loves. Us?!
Mierda! Lucanis scowled to tamp down that train of thought.
Teia shrugged. “You’ve never complained about my tenacity before.”
“Yes, he has,” Lucanis said.
“Yes, I have,” Viago said at the same time.
Teia rolled her eyes. “You two are no fun.”
Lucanis sighed. “I asked to meet for a reason, if you’re finished harassing me?” He glanced between the Talons, but they kept their silence. He lowered his voice, aware that his cousin might have spies in the café.
“Illario is working with the Venatori.”
Hate him, Spite said. Kill. Him.
Viago went utterly still, his blue eyes locked on Lucanis. “You’re certain?”
He growled. “Heard it from the lips of Zara Renata herself.” She had been dead at the time, but he would spare them the details.
Teia looked uncertain. “She could have lied.”
Lucanis tilted his head in assent. “Perhaps.”
The Talons exchanged uneasy glances. “But,” Teia said. “Illario has been…”
“Acting suspiciously,” Viago said.
“At first, I blamed it on your…” Teia winced. “Disappearance. Then Caterina’s death.”
“But, if he’s the one who betrayed you…” Viago’s voice was low and ice cold. It was the voice of one the most lethal men in all Antiva.
Teia looked down at the table. “It would explain his behavior. Not just grief, but–”
“Guilt,” Viago said.
Teia gasped, her head jerking up to look at Lucanis. “Does that mean–? Caterina?”
“Yes.”
She let out a string of decadent curses. “I’ll kill him myself!”
Viago put a hand on her shoulder. “Patience,” he said. He looked to Lucanis. “If we are to move against him, we need information. Proof.”
Lucanis sat back, bringing his nearly empty cup with him. “Precisely why I am here.”
Viago nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on him. See what we can discover.”
Teia winced. “You should know,” she said. “He’s been spreading rumors about you.”
Now Lucanis stilled in his seat. “What kind of rumors?”
She looked to Viago, who gave Lucanis a guarded look.
“He’s telling anyone who will listen that you’re an abomination,” she said.
Viago added, “that you tried to kill him.”
Lucanis focused on keeping his breathing even, but said nothing. He just stared into his coffee cup.
Lucanis raised a hand to forestall their questions. “It’s complicated,” he said. “But, the short version is that Zara used the Ossuary as a sort of lab to create abominations.” He scowled, blocking out the memories of that place as he spoke. “And she wanted to make the Demon of Vyrantium more than just a clever title.”
“But,” Teia said. “You seem fine!”
Both Lucanis and Viago gave her dubious looks.
She scoffed. “I mean, fine for being imprisoned and tortured for a year!”
Viago raised an eyebrow at her. “Maker, Teia.”
Show. Her? Spite grinned at Lucanis hopefully.
Lucanis shook his head. “Like I said, it’s complicated.
“Which part?” Viago asked. “The demon, or trying to kill Illario?”
He snorted. “When haven’t I wanted to kill my idiot cousin?”
“Big difference in wanting to and trying,” the Fifth Talon said.
Teia gave him a hard look. “Does Rook know? About the demon?”
“Of course,” he said, almost offended. “I never kept it from her.” Never mind that he couldn’t. She was a mage and had noticed Spite right away.
The Talons shared a weighted look, as if his honesty with Rook held some deeper meaning.
“What do you want us to do about the rumors?” Teia asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “Illario cannot suspect you of taking my side.”
Viago nodded. “Not if we’re to remain close enough to learn his plans.”
“Very well,” she said, though she clearly didn’t like it. “We’ll be on our best behavior.”
Vaigo snorted. “That won’t be conspicuous at all.”
She glared at him and Viago smirked back.
Lucanis sighed. “You two are disgusting.”
Viago scowled at him, but Teia just laughed. “Us? You should see how you look at Rook! Like she hung the moon.”
He made a disgusted noise. “Don’t you have an opera to attend?”
Teia grinned at him. “We do. Although…” she glanced at Viago, then back to Lucanis. “We could always postpone. You could invite Rook! Make a double date of it?”
Both men groaned.
“Enough, Teia,” Viago said. “Leave him be.”
She sighed and shook her head. “See? Like I said, no fun at all.”
Viago smirked and opened his mouth, eyes glittering at whatever he was about to say, but Lucanis stood abruptly.
“I’m fairly certain I don’t want to hear the rest of this conversation,” he said. He gestured to the plate of cantucci. “Help yourselves.”
Viago scowled. “And where are you going?”
Lucanis smiled. “I have to see a Qunari about some fish.” He gave a shallow bow and hurried back out into the market before the Talons’ flirtations made him nauseous.
Leather and lavender, Spite said. Death. Flirting?
“Yes,” he said as he wound back through the market toward the fishmonger’s stall. “They’re together. At least, right now.” They tended to be on-and-off-again, though they’d been steadier since House De Riva had moved to Treviso after Salle fell to the Antaam.
Together. Like us. And Rook?
“No,” he said. “Rook isn’t… ours.” It was strange to talk about her this way, but he needed to use words Spite would understand.
Noooo, Spite said. Rook is ours! Our Rook!
“No,” Lucanis said, more firmly this time. Like reprimanding a dog.
We. Like. Rook.
He sighed. “Yes.”
Rook. Likes. Us!
Well, she liked Lucanis, at least. How she felt about the demon was less clear. “Maybe,” he said.
No! No maybe. Rook. Likes. US!
Lucanis shook his head. “Even if she does,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re together. That doesn’t make her ours.”
Why not?
“Because there’s more to being together than just liking someone.” He browsed the fishmonger’s stall, selecting two of the fresher whitefish he knew had a mild, sweet flavor and flaky texture. They should meet Bellara’s needs perfectly.
Like. What?
Mierda, did he really have to explain commitment to a demon? What had become of his life? He ignored Spite’s question and paid the fishmonger, who grunted their thanks.
Spite remained quiet until they were in the Crossroads. They walked through the spirit market side-by-side when Spite looked at him. Explain. Now?
Lucanis sighed. The demon had been patient, and this was the most polite request Spite had made of him, maybe ever. Either he felt guilty for his outburst with Davrin the night before, or he genuinely wanted to know. Perhaps a little of both.
“Being together is…” Mierda. He didn’t have any experience with this. “Choosing to be with one another. Spending all your time with each other.”
Like. Us?
Lucanis winced. It was easy to forget sometimes, but Spite had even less experience than he did. “We didn’t choose this, Spite.”
The demon didn’t respond to that.
“And,” Lucanis continued. “When people are together there’s usually romantic feelings. Attraction. Love.” He shrugged. “They care for one another.”
Attracted to Rook?
“Yes.” As strange as the fact still was to him, he couldn’t deny it. He was very attracted to Rook.
They walked in silence to the dock, and Spite pointedly ignored the Caretaker as it ferried them back to the Lighthouse eluvian. But before they reached the mirror, Spite stopped.
Lucanis. Loves Rook?
He blinked at the demon, then considered what to say. The fact that his response wasn’t an immediate ‘no’ was more than a little terrifying. After a moment, he shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. He didn’t think so, not yet. But it was all too easy to imagine a future where he did.
He should be careful. Guard his heart and hers, because the odds of this contract getting a happy ending were not high. But even as he considered walling himself away from Rook, he knew it was too late.
Regardless of what was to come, Lucanis’s course was set.
I. Like. Rook! Spite said.
Lucanis snorted at that. “I think everyone knows that by now.”
The demon beamed at him, and they stepped through the eluvian and back to the Lighthouse. Back to Rook.
My Crow Rook headcanon is that sometime during the story Rook goes home for family dinner and is like ‘… so I’m seeing someone … he’s a Dalish grey warden’ and Viago spits out a five hundred euro mouthful of wine (which Rook has poisoned just to see if he notices) and experiences one million catastrophic war flashbacks to the last time an Antivan Crow was ‘seeing’ a Dalish grey warden and gets up to find a quill to put a contract on Davrin’s life and Teia yanks him back by his coat and is like ‘ooh is that the handsome one’ and Rook is nodding enthusiastically while Viago stares into his dinner plate like it’s the abyss
actually @ every fanfiction writer whether you wrote something that got thousands of reblogs and comments and became a staple in your fandom, or you wrote one fic and deleted it, or you write mutilchaptered fics that never get a final update, or write short fics, or long fics, or used to write and now you don’t, or you deleted/orphaned your works, or you only share with friends:
thank you.
sharing your writing is hard. and sometimes it’s thankless. sometimes it’s such a negative experience that I wonder how anyone does it at all. but you are needed; you are wanted. whether or not we properly acknowledge it, you are a vital part of fandom culture. thanks for sharing.
I got inspired to write a Saints and Liars drabble ^_^ So here's Reyes and Liam having a little, erm, 'moment' on the Tempest when Liam gets curious about Reyes, Cerys & Harry.
-
“So are you three like, together together?”
Reyes froze at Liam's tactless question about his relationship with Cerys and Harry, and slowly turned to face the younger man. Liam was sprawled untidily at the table in what passed for a kitchen-come-mess on the Tempest, a collection of empty wrappers and drink cans around him. Reyes frowned at the sight.
Liam perpetually reminded him of a teenager whose parents had gone on vacation and given him the run of the house. He didn't eat properly, he didn't seem to exercise properly, he'd brought that stupid sofa with him from the Milky Way, and he had all the subtlety of a dump truck driving down a residential street when talking about nuanced and personal matters.
With a sigh he didn't bother to stifle, Reyes lowered himself into a seat at the table, well aware that Liam found his height “annoying”. Though Liam found a lot of things about him annoying: his height, his competence, his presence on the ship, and even his accent. He'd found that out when he'd overheard Jaal and Liam having a loud and obnoxious conversation about him in engineering, unaware that he was checking over the Nomad on the cargo deck below them.
The conversation had been enlightening. Jaal thought he was an untrustworthy violent criminal, but worth keeping around because he was good in a fight, while Liam had complained at length about him and made it clear he didn't think he was good enough for Cerys.
On that count, Reyes agreed with him: he'd never be good enough for Cerys.
They'd started dissecting Harry’s character when Reyes deliberately made some noise to alert them to his presence. No doubt Cerys would have been next in their bitching session. Or maybe not. He suspected Liam's, and possibly Jaal's, unfriendliness came from jealousy because she'd never looked in their direction.
He couldn't blame her.
Reyes loathed them and their high school bullying tactics of excluding him whenever Cerys wasn't around, and fought hard to stay civil to them. The rest of the crew had been friendly and welcoming, but both Jaal and Liam remained distant and, in Reyes' opinion, they were a little too interested in Cerys’ personal life.
Their blatant disapproval of himself and Harry joining the Pathfinder crew didn't do much to endear them to Reyes, and he avoided them as much as possible. He didn't want to make things difficult for Cerys by starting something with them, but he was well aware that if he wanted to he could both start something and end it.
“We're both dating Cerys,” he clarified, setting his mug down on the table and wishing he had some whiskey to take the edge off.
“Yeah,” Liam nodded as though this was obvious, “I know that. But how does it work with the three of you? Are you and Harry together too? I don't get how it works.”
Reyes narrowed his eyes the tiniest amount. “Why do you need to know?”
The other man offered him an overly familiar grin, as though the two of them were friends. “Well, I don't, I guess, but I figured I should ask the awkward questions now so I don't get the wrong idea later. You get me, bro?”
Ask the awkward questions so you can run off to gossip with Jaal more likely.
“So like, how does it work? Do you guys take turns spending time with her like a timeshare apartment? Or are you both with her all the time? Are you and the good Doc also together-”
It was the second time Liam had asked about his involvement with Harry. And this time he'd managed to insult Cerys too.
Reyes saw red.
“Did you just compare the Pathfinder to a timeshare apartment?” Reyes asked quietly, pinning Liam with his gaze.
Something in his tone or eyes must have clued the younger man in that he'd gone too far, and he shifted in his seat and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I, uh, didn't mean anything by it. I just-”
“All you need to know is that myself and Doctor Carlyle are both seeing Cerys.” Reyes stressed her name. “It's not an open relationship, the doctor and I are not involved romantically with each other, and if you know what's good for you, you'll drop this before I start asking questions about your dating life. Or lack thereof.”
Reyes pushed away from the table and stood up while Liam spluttered, half-embarrassed and half-indignant.
“Keep in mind I was Black Ops, Kosta. That means my moral compass doesn't work quite the same as yours. I'm being nice for Cerys’s sake, but push me too far and…” he trailed off and shrugged, enjoying the way the other man had drawn back fearfully. “Well, let's just say I know half a dozen ways to maim someone and make it look like a very unfortunate accident. No one would ever know. Not even you.”
Liam dropped his face and nodded, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but in the kitchen with him.
“Sorry.”
Reyes picked up his coffee, took an appreciative sip, and whistled in what he hoped was a nonchalant way as he walked away, almost running into Harry who was lurking in the hallway and looking amused.
“Listening in, were we?” Reyes asked dryly.
Harry grinned. “I didn't want to interrupt you when you were on such a roll. Besides, he tried the same thing with me last night.”
His eyebrows shot up. “What did you tell him?”
“That if he ever asked me personal questions like that again there was a chance I might mix up his next vaccinations and accidentally infect him with Angaran Measles. The nasty kind with open sores that scar.”
Reyes looked at Harry in surprise for a moment and then chuckled. “And to think, Cerys thinks you're the nice one.”
Harry winked at him and slipped past into the kitchen where Liam made a small strangled sound that could have been a greeting and scuttled in the other direction.
I was today years old when I learned that when you type "otp: true" in AO3 search results it filters out fics with additional ships, leaving only the fics where your otp is the main ship
i love you purple i love you lavender i love you lilac i love you wisteria i love you violet i love you mauve i love you periwinkle i love you amethyst i love you
Not sure who is planning to participate, but I figured I'd start this thread to talk about it and share info for anyone that is playing.
If you find the hidden item, please share where and when (what chapter + scene)! All clues and hints welcomed. I'll try to update this post with whatever info I see so that it's all in one place for anyone checking in quick!
Day One: December 12
Book: Mother of the Year
Chapter 1
Scene: MC's daughter has the option for the uniform. The Partridge in a Pair Tree is on the stairs in the background.
Day Two: December 13
Book: The Duchess Affair
Hint: In chapters 1-3
Chapter: beginning of chapter 2
Scene: The location is the breakfast room, in front of the large painting and next to the Christmas tree.
Thanks @lizzybeth1986
Day Three: December 14
Book: Bachelorette Party
Hint: "3 French hens, 3 blind mice, 3 is the number you'll want to check twice "
Chapter 3
Scene: The Abracadabra Lounge, right at the front of the room.
Thanks @lizzybeth1986
Day Four: December 15
Book: The Cursed Heart
Hint: "You didn't hear this from me, but it's in a prime number chapter greater than 3!"
Helpful Math: Prime Numbers include: 5,7,11,13,17,19
Chapter 5
Scene: At the stables talking to Sir Montgomery, perched on the ceiling
Thanks @lizzybeth1986
Day Five: December 16
Book: Ms. Match
Hint: "Five Gold Rings: Starting from the left, which finger is your ring finger? 🖐️"
Chapter 2
Scene: walking home from the bar with jack, they very impressively transformed a building
Thanks @alasforher
Day Six: December 17
Book: Untameable
Hint: "Six Geese A-Laying: (four) The perfect amount of geese to have is four! 🪿"
Chapter 4
Scene: The stables, at the very beginning of the chapter.
Thanks, @lizzybeth1986
Day Seven: December 18
Book: The Unexpected Heiress
Hint: "Seven Swans A-Swimming: You'll spot them right away! 🏊"
Chapter 1
Scene: On the ship, immediately after the MC is introduced and says goodbye to her mother and brother.
Thanks, @lizzybeth1986
Day Eight: December 19
Book: Slow Burn
Hint: "Eight Maids A-Milking: You'll only need two maids to get this job done. 🥛"
Chapter 2
Scene: Bunting when you are first in the New Orleans ‘Hushpuppys’ restaurant
Thanks, @alasforher
Day Nine: December 20
Book: Queen B
Hint: "Nine Ladies Dancing: You'll need to be FOURtunate to find this item! 💃"
Chapter TBA
Scene: TBA
Day Ten: December 21
Book: Laws of Attraction
Hint: "Ten Lords A-Leaping: These lords are leaping VERY early on. 💯"
Chapter TBA
Scene: TBA
Day Eleven: December 22
Book: Wake the Dead
Hint: "Eleven Pipers Piping: You'll need five fingers to play this pipe. 🖐️"
Chapter 5
Scene: TBA
Day Twelve: December 23
Book: Roommates with Benefits
Hint: "Twelve Drummers Drumming: These drummers are marching in twos. 🥁"
Chapter 2
Scene: TBA
More to Come
*Note, according to PB, you don't have to click on the item or do anything special, once you past that scene/chapter, the app will remember it and the rewards will be granted at the end of the event.
I went back and looked over the discussion where the MC and Ruby discuss the body and its placement. I will be speaking from my own educational background in legal studies and criminal justice and from my own work experience past and current present in the same field as well, so take that as you will.
The MC and Ruby note that Sebastyan's blood was found mostly outside of the box not inside of it. They also discuss the fact that if this was a hit job, they would've left his body dangling over the railing, but from the fact his body was turned around and placed in a chair, they conclude the suggestion that someone cared about him enough to make him look presentable and preserve some dignity.
Two things. First, any type of strangulation/suffocation/asphyxiation indicates that the person knew their killer, or knew them well enough to not be on top of their guard. Being in quarters that close with someone else never happens unless you comfortably know the person to let them invade your personal space in such an intimate manner.
Second, Sebastyan's body was placed into a chair, indicating his killer took the time to set up the crime scene. If anything gets altered in a crime scene, it usually means someone is trying to hide something or conceal something. In this case, Sebastyan's killer may NOT have been someone who had a close/caring relationship with him as the MC and Ruby seem to suggest. Sebastyan's body could've been placed in that manner to lead the MC in that direction, which effectively throws the suspicion off of them. Same thing what happens with arsons quite a bit. Normally, in some arsons, the person sets the place on fire to cover up another crime they committed or to destroy evidence of the first crime they committed. Either way, the original crime is altered to throw off suspicion and lead the investigators onto a different trail.
If the story is moving towards Astrid being the killer, which makes sense and she's one a of my top 2 suspects at this point in the story, it would make more sense for Astrid to arrange Sebastyan in a way that points to someone else, namely, someone who cared about him, i.e. Vasili and Lydea to throw the suspicion off of her and onto to someone else.
Remember, Olivia said that Astrid was smarter than she appeared and a master manipulator. But remember the one thing Olivia mentioned about Astrid before as well...
Astrid was never able to be definitively tied to any murders or crimes in which she had been suspected in.
