I'm bigger than my body

Lauren van der Linden Goyle Bartender / musician It's your girl, Lauren, here. Hogwarts graduate, Slytherin Alumni and former member of the Birds of Prey. Currently working as a bartender at Freedom Bar Soho, inbetween gigs. Visit me if you want but don't bother buying me a drink. You're not original and I can't pay my bills with free drinks. Lauren/Alice AGH spin-off 1x1

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Faking It || Gochill Para

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Aidan and Maddy sat down at their respective seats, the kids rushing in and beginning to scarf down their food so they could get back to their respective things they had been doing prior. Alice had barely managed to take several bites of her food before the kids were excusing themselves, running back out of the room. Alice just blinked at the sight, Aidan laughed jovially at the sight, wrapping an arm around his wife as he leaned over and kissed her temple, whispering something into her ear that made her giggle and hit him lightly on the shoulder. 

And just like that Alice was back to feeling completely uncomfortable. She didn’t do this kind of bullshit anymore, it just reminded her of a happier time when she couldn’t imagine her life without Jules by her side. Look how that turned out, Alice thought, stabbing her fork into the mashed potatoes before realizing that Aidan and Maddy had turned to look over at her with confused expressions. “Sorry, it was just a long day at work.” She offered in a feeble attempt to get them to ignore her and go back to being all loving and… Gross. 

She needed something to ground her, something to make her not feel like she was drowning in memories of her. Her senses were swirling at the last time she’d been here. Remembering that laugh, those cute dimples, the dirty blonde hair and the falling, falling, falling deeper in love and now Alice couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t breathe and her mind was swirling and everything was feeling darker and she was not realizing that Maddy and Aidan were once again looking at her, most likely accompanied by Lauren but she couldn’t be sure. Her vision was narrowing and the color had most definitely ran out of her face by now, Alice standing up so quickly that her chair slammed over as she ran out of the room. 

Out of the house, out of the house, get out of the house. It rang louder and louder in her head as she managed to escape to the backyard, rushing over to a tree as she felt her chest tighten more than she knew was possible. All the while a voice rang in her head or was it over her shoulder she couldn’t tell anymore. It kept ringing, haunting, nagging, biting. “Why did I have to die….” Alice clamped hands over her ears, not realizing that wouldn’t do her much good since the haunting came from within as she slammed her eyes shut, trying desperately to not see all the memories that came with this house. 

[onceuponagoyle]

One minute everything was fine. If anything, Lauren figured she was doing a good job at playing into this happy families bullshit that she’d gotten pulled into in her attempt to mess with Alice. Meeting the family wasn’t a thing she did because for that to happen she’d actually have to be in a relationship, but Lauren felt it was safe to assume that she wasn’t exactly the type to make a good impression. Although she also didn’t make a habit of lying either so this was clearly a night full of surprises. And it continued to be when Alice abruptly stood up and left the room. Shit, guess I jinxed it.

For a moment, all eyes were on the door, nobody really knowing what had just happened or what to do next, but when the remaining occupants turned to Lauren instead, it dawned on her that they were expecting Alice’s ever supportive and loving girlfriend to do something. The squeak of Aidan’s chair as he pushed himself away from the table and stood up, was enough to draw Lauren out of her stupor and say something. “She wasn’t feeling too great earlier either but was really excited about tonight. I should uh...I should go check on her.”

Not waiting for an answer, Lauren hurried out of the room in pursuit of Alice, her search eventually taking her out to the garden where she found Alice hunched over, hands over her ears and her eyes clenched shut. Seriously, what the fuck was this girl’s damage. Who runs out of dinner to go freak out in someone else’s garden. Alice fucking Churchill apparently. 

Sighing, Lauren pulled out a cigarette, lit it and plopped down next to the other woman. Taking in a deep drag, she cocked her head to the side and regarded Alice for a moment. “Cigarette?” she asked, holding the pack out. Lauren figured Alice wouldn’t take one but it was the only thing she could think of to say. Comforting people who were crying was the exact opposite of her forte. "It was either me or your brother and well...they think I’m your girlfriend so...” Her words failed her halfway through her sentence, when Lauren found there was nothing she could really add to that. 

Faking It || Gochill Para

[onceuponagoyle]

Tagging → Alice & Lauren

Location → Aidan Churchill’s home

Time Frame → June 2029

Summary → Aidan ended up inviting Lauren over to a family dinner thinking that she was dating his sister but of course, the poor guy was dead wrong and so Alice had to unfortunately put on a show for the evening just to appease him. This couldn’t possibly end well.

Alice

Aidan shook his head at the offer, taking the bottle of wine and placing it on the counter so it was away from the kids questioning hands. “No, just have a seat! We’ll bring everything out for you guys in a moment. We’re happy to have you! It’s been so long since Al had that sparkle in her eyes.” He spoke the last sentence soft enough for only Lauren to hear, making sure his sister’s back was to him before he nodded his head in the direction of his sibling. “Go have a seat. We’ll be there in a moment.” His wife, Maddy, nodded with a wide smile before turning back to the food she was preparing.

The former Ravenclaw knew that her brother and her “girlfriend” were having a small chat but as soon as she realized it stopped, Alice moved towards Lauren and grabbed her wrist, not wanting to touch her wrist as she led her towards the table. Pulling out a seat for Lauren, she waited till she sat down, Alice taking a seat next to her. Her eyes zeroed in on the plate, remembering the last time she’d actually sat at this dinner table to have a meal with her brother. Looking up, she caught her brother’s eyes on her as he was talking to Maddy, as if knowing exactly what she was reminiscing about. He mouthed ‘you okay’ to her and she nodded wordlessly..

Turning to Lauren, Alice pressed a kiss to Lauren’s jaw, soon turning her head to kiss her again, biting softly on her lower lip before she swiped her tongue across it to soothe the ache. Just as she had slipped her tongue past plump lips, fingers locked into Lauren’s hair, she heard Maddy call from the kitchen that dinner was ready. Alice pulled back with hooded eyes, breathing heavier than before as she focused on the family that soon joined them at the table. She’d spend the rest of the night convincing herself that the kiss meant nothing despite it being a way to forget how hard her chest hurts every waking moment.

Lauren

This wasn’t her first dinner party by any means, but it was the first where she was a guest whose presence was actually wanted. It was...nice. And for the first time in forever, Lauren felt normal - like any other person in their 20′s who was spending their evening in good company. Of course Lauren wasn’t normal by any means, but even if it was just for one night, it was nice to play pretend. And to see Alice squirm. Although hearing Aidan talk about the sparkle in Alice’s eyes, made Lauren’s squirm instead. Him and Maddy were good people, and deceiving them had the adverse effect of making Lauren actually feel guilty for the charade that was going on, but it was too late now. All she could do was play her part for the rest of the evening, getting what she could from it before she was guaranteed to never see any of them again. 

Still, as Aidan spoke, Lauren found herself silently observing Alice, wondering what exactly it was that he saw and how he could be so blind to the fact that Alice clearly hated her. She chalked it up to wishful thinking on the part of a loving big brother who clearly only wanted what was best for his sister. Not that she knew what that was like. Her own brother was scum who was currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban. Shivering at the thought of Gregory and completely distracted by what was going on around her, Lauren allowed herself to be led to the table, and graciously sat down in the seat offered to her by Alice. It wasn’t like her to just go along with it, but she was mostly grateful that no one had noticed the fact that she’d zoned out for minute. 

But any chance of continuing to linger in bad memories was cut short by the urgent pressing of lips to her jaw, followed by a kiss that had Lauren only thinking of one thing: how to prolong it. The kiss was nowhere near what Lauren would call rough, but it was still enough to send her in a tailspin as her hands found purchase on Alice’s arms, grounding her before she could drift away for entirely different reasons. And then it was over. Alice was pulling away and the rest of her “girlfriend’s” family was coming into join them, and all Lauren could do was stare ahead, ignoring the urge to look over at Alice and ask her what the hell had just happened. Instead, she gave herself a couple of seconds to breathe, before a smile slid into place and Lauren was back to playing the doting girlfriend she was meant to be.

[jacquesdemys]

Joanne Woodward has a drink in A New Kind of Love (1963)

Faking It || Gochill Para

[onceuponagoyle]

Tagging → Alice & Lauren

Location → Aidan Churchill’s home

Time Frame → June 2029

Summary → Aidan ended up inviting Lauren over to a family dinner thinking that she was dating his sister but of course, the poor guy was dead wrong and so Alice had to unfortunately put on a show for the evening just to appease him. This couldn’t possibly end well.

Alice

She didn’t have to wait long before Lauren managed to wake herself from her stupor, feeling the girl pull at her hips until their bodies were pressed tightly against one another, Alice once again letting out a small moan from the feeling. Only one person had ever kissed her like this and… No, she didn’t want to think about it. Lauren was kissing softly though, despite how intimately her body was being pressed up against Alice’s, which made her that much weaker. And Alice hated being weak, even before Jules had died. Most everyone knew that fact about her and here she was, with a former student for God’s sake, kissing them like her world depended on it.

Which, if she truly thought about it, it kind of did seeing as Aidan thought they were together. Lucky for her, Lauren pulled back only to kiss her softly once more before fulling pulling away. Just as she was about to say something in retort to Lauren’s mauling comment, she realized that Lauren had taken her hand. Her head shot down to look at the intertwined fingers, her breath catching in her throat before she turned her head slightly once she felt eyes on her. There in the entrance to one of the hallways was Jules, leaning against the doorframe with a look of sadness on her face.

“You haven’t held hands with someone since me. Feels weird, doesn’t it?” Alice looked down at her fingers that were being held by Lauren’s slender ones before looking back up at Jules. Tears had reached her eyes and her chest felt tighter than it had from the kiss. “And here I had thought you’d forgotten about me. Does she kiss better? Does she hold you like I did? Will her hand ever feel like mine? Answer me, Ali.” The ghost of her former girlfriend mocked her, Alice unknowingly shaking in reality as she seemed to have zoned off while looking at the doorframe.

“I could never forget you.” She stuttered out, a tear falling down her cheek before she realized where she was, blinking swiftly and looking at Lauren to gauge her reaction. Looking back quickly at the doorframe, her tormenting ghost was no longer there, Alice letting out a rush of breath as she let go of Lauren’s hand. It was in these few seconds that she steeled herself, knowing right then and there that she couldn’t let herself feel. Or else she would come back to haunt her. “Lets go get dinner.” She said in a soft and yet equally harsh whisper, moving swiftly towards the dining room.

Lauren

Maybe the handholding was a bit much. Not that she’d know. The last time she’d properly held hands with someone had been well over 5 years ago, unless you counted the times that Becca or Isabel would take her by the hand and lead her places, which she didn’t. But even if you did, this was something else entirely. It was intimate in ways the kiss hadn’t been, which was saying something because damn, there was a reason she didn’t kiss people gently and that was because it messed with her head in all sorts of ways.

Even caught up in her own thoughts, there was no missing the five words that tumbled from Alice’s lips. Or the tear that glistened in the soft hallway light as it made it’s way down Alice’s cheek. And Lauren couldn’t bring herself to look away, no matter how awkward the situation was. What the hell was going on? Lauren pursed her lips, ready to ask just that, but Alice broke the spell. She turned away first, eyes flickering to the doorway ahead of them, before letting go of Lauren’s hand completely.

She watched the blonde leave, eyes searching for whatever Alice had seen that had spooked her, but nothing jumped out at her. Sighing, she flexed the fingers of the hand that had recently held Alice’s, confused at why she suddenly felt so weird, before following Alice into the dining room. The night had barely begun and she already had a headache from the hot and cold nature of the former TA. Lauren had gotten herself into this mess, but she was only behaving now because she felt she owed it to Alice and because Aidan actually seemed like a nice guy. 

Moving past Alice, Lauren headed over to her “girlfriend’s” brother, offering him the bottle of wine she’d brought with her and had nearly forgotten after the little performance she’d put on with Alice. “Is there anything I can help with? It’s not every night I’m invited round for dinner, so thank you for having me by the way.” The more she spoke to him, the worse she felt about the lie, but it was one evening and then she’d never have to see either Churchill again. She could do this. All she had to do was keep calm and breathe. 

Faking It || Gochill Para

[onceuponagoyle]

Tagging → Alice & Lauren

Location → Aidan Churchill’s home

Time Frame → June 2029

Summary → Aidan ended up inviting Lauren over to a family dinner thinking that she was dating his sister but of course, the poor guy was dead wrong and so Alice had to unfortunately put on a show for the evening just to appease him. This couldn’t possibly end well.

Alice

Just when she thought her fake girlfriend wasn’t going to show, a knock at the door jerked her out of her thoughts, Alice immediately stopping her pacing. Aidan’s head shot up, a grin spreading across his face as he bounded towards the door. Before he could even say hello, Lauren was greeting him and saying that she knew a lot about him. Looking back at his sister, he looked impressed before turning back to Lauren. “It’s great to finally meet you. I wish I could say the same but Ali here has a habit of keeping her cards close to her chest. But come in, come in! Dinner should be ready soon.”

Alice swallowed thickly as she stood there, watching as Lauren came inside the house. Aidan looked over at her in confusion before motioning for her to come closer. “Aren’t you going to give your girlfriend a proper hello? Honestly, I thought you learned manners over at Ho–” He stopped himself, looking at Alice with wide eyes. He had no idea if Lauren was a muggle or not but soon got his answer when Alice nodded, giving him his cue that it was all good. “Oh thank Godric. Anyway, I thought Alice here had learned her manners over at Hogwarts but I can’t be sure. Now get over there, slugger. I’m going to go check on the food.”

The blonde swallowed thickly as she made her way to Lauren, sizing her up and deeming her outfit to be nice. She was more laid back than the former Slytherin, Alice wearing jeans and a button up blouse, the sleeves rolled up a quarter of the way. Finally moving to stop in front of Lauren, she noticed Aidan was watching them out of the corner of his eye from the kitchen, Alice wincing before going up on her tip toes and kissing Lauren soundly on the mouth. This kiss was much more gentle than the one from the alleyway, arms wrapped around Lauren’s neck as she pulled away only briefly to mumble against her “girlfriend’s” lips. “He’s watching us. Sell it, you git.”

Lauren

As much as Lauren loved partying and nights out, social situations like the one she was currently in, made her uncomfortable as fuck. There were too many rules to follow and practices to observe. She had to hold her tongue and make sure not to say anything inappropriate. But that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to fake being a social butterfly. Between coaching by various family members and Isabel, Lauren had the role of perfect guest down to a T. “I’m afraid that’s probably my fault. We’ve known each other awhile, but only started dating a couple of months ago and I wanted to wait before we told our friends. I didn’t think Alice would be this tightlipped about it though.” Lauren peered around Aidan to lock eyes with Alice. “Anyone would think you were trying to hide me, babe.”

There was an awkward lull in conversation where it was obvious that Aidan was trying to assess if she was a witch or not. Clearly he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he knew nothing about her. Which meant her last name was also still under wraps. Thank fuck for small miracles. And with a casual jab at Alice’s manners, Aidan was gone and it was just Lauren and her “girlfriend” standing awkwardly in the foyer. Without any distractions, Lauren finally was able to stop and take in what Alice was wearing. It was simple and casual but a welcome change to what she’d seen her wearing the last two times their paths had crossed. 

What with the whole fake girlfriend thing, Lauren figured they’d end up having to kiss again, but she didn’t think it would be this soon or anything more than a casual peck. But there Alice was, leaning into kiss her, her arms looping around Lauren’s shoulders, effectively holding her in place. And once again, Lauren was caught off guard. It wasn’t until Alice was mumbling against her lips, telling her to sell it, that Lauren made her move. If Alice wanted convincing, she’d give her convincing alright. Lauren’s hands moved to Alice’s hips, pulling her in even closer until their bodies were flush and she carefully started to kiss her back gently, almost tenderly. 

This wasn’t her normal thing. Lauren didn’t do relationships. Hell, sometimes she didn’t even get round to kissing some of the people she’d hooked up with, but when she did the kisses were harsh and bruising. Not at all far off the kiss she’d shared with Alice the night before, although far more coordinated at least. But in that moment, she was playing the part of a caring girlfriend. They weren’t in a rush; it wasn’t about who was in control. And well...it was kind of nice. In a weird way. 

Knowing they had an audience, Lauren pulled back slightly, lingering for a moment to brush her lips against Alice in a chaste kiss again, before stepping back and slipping her hand into Alice’s. Leaning into the former Ravenclaw, Lauren’s mouth ghosted over her ear as she whispered, “At least you didn’t maul me this time.” 

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Faking It || Gochill Para

[onceuponagoyle]

Tagging → Alice & Lauren

Location → Aidan Churchill’s home

Time Frame → June 2029

Summary → Aidan ended up inviting Lauren over to a family dinner thinking that she was dating his sister but of course, the poor guy was dead wrong and so Alice had to unfortunately put on a show for the evening just to appease him. This couldn’t possibly end well.

Alice

After Lauren had left her office, not even Jerry was able to calm her down. Yelling at the poor guy, Alice ordered him out, keeping the glass tinted as she had slammed her hands down on the desk before throwing her favorite mug across the room, shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces. Tears had began to fall and that only enraged her further. Needless to say Jerry who had been back and sitting at his desk, had fallen over in his chair at hearing another angry scream.  But now? Now Alice was considerably calmer and that was both a blessing and a curse.

This was not a magic free zone. Aidan and Maddy were still very much in tune with the magical world, both working in it. Aidan was an Auror and Maddy was a Healer. And their twins were both now displaying signs of magic as well. Alice was happy for them, she really was. But each time she saw a spell or heard them mention something about things happening in the Ministry, Alice could only recoil and remove herself from the situation. It had been bad enough when Aidan had mentioned how he’d seen the Birds out one night. Luckily they had learned enough to not make a big fuss anymore.

Alice paced in the foyer of her brother’s home, wringing her hands together as she waited for Lauren to arrive. Aidan soon came out from the kitchen, watching as Matthias chased his twin Ashlyn down the stairs and into the kitchen to find their mother. Putting an arm around his sister’s shoulder, he forced her to stay put, looking down at her with confusion. “What is going on with you? Aw! You’re nervous about bringing her around the family! Don’t worry sis, I won’t embarrass you too much.” Alice could only wince as she stared expectantly at the door. She was going to hate tonight.

Lauren: 

Despite the disaster that had happened at Alice’s office, the rest of Lauren’s day proved to be far more successful. She’d actually gone out and bought groceries for once, done her laundry and cleaned up the sty that was her flat. All in all, it had been a productive day, and while she would’ve loved to attribute her sudden motivation to trying to be a better person, Lauren wasn’t the kind of person to lie to herself. It was obvious that everything she’d done that day had been part of an effort to keep her mind off of Alice and off of the fact that she was expected over at Alice’s brothers place. And all because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Although to be fair, she also hadn’t known at the time that Alice was going to go psycho on her. 

At first she’d contemplated simply not turning up and just staying home and going one better than Alice’s earlier promise of never seeing her again after dinner. But that would involve leaving the older girl in a shitty situation. One where she’d either have to make up a lie about why Lauren wasn’t there, or come clean about the fact that Lauren had been messing around with her. Neither option exactly sat right with Lauren, although she didn’t really get why considering she owed Alice absolutely nothing. But Lauren still found herself standing in front of her closet, carefully choosing an outfit that was suitable for meeting the family of her fake “for one night only” girlfriend. 

After finding something that was the perfect mix of casual, stylish and form flattering without being too revealing, Lauren hurriedly changed, adjusted her make up and left her flat carrying a bottle of wine she’d bought earlier. Apparating to Aidan’s place would have probably been easiest, but Lauren wasn’t all too familiar with the area and after the mess apparating had gotten her into a few hours ago, Lauren wasn’t exactly feeling magical transportation. So instead she did things the muggle way and just hailed a black cab from outside her apartment. 

Arriving at the right address, Lauren took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A moment later and she was met with the same guy she’d seen on Alice’s screen earlier that day. She could do this. This was just going to be like every family dinner she’d ever been to, except hopefully more civil and most definitely more awkward. “Hi, you must be Aidan. Alice has told me so much about you,” Lauren said a bit too happily as she held out a hand for Aidan to shake. 

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

If it had been three years ago, Alice would have backed up so many steps due to the lack of space between them but now, oh no, now she held her ground and couldn’t help the slight rush and thrill she got from watching Lauren be the one to back up. Arching an eyebrow as she listened to Lauren she felt only slightly bad for what she’d said. It was just that Lauren was pushing buttons that hadn’t been pushed in ages and, well, Alice wasn’t such a forgiving person as she used to be. “My curiosity got the best of me but I can see that that was a terr–” She interjected, however stopping abruptly once Lauren mentioned how she walked away. Like she always did.

Anger swirled in her gut, her hands moving to clench at her sides. Lauren had absolutely no bloody right to bring that up. And when she mentioned how she’d brought up Jules, Alice had to restrain herself to not punch Lauren the hell out. Her brother had insisted she had done kickboxing with him after Jules had died to get some of her anger out but unfortunately for her, that had only just made her angrier. Didn’t mean she still didn’t attend the sessions with him until one day she’d finally snapped and gone too far, punching her brother so hard that she dislocated his jaw. Magic had soon healed him up but after that, Alice had just taken to practicing on her own, setting up a punching bag in her weight room back home.

After several moments, Alice having calmed down immensely once she remembered that she couldn’t actually assault someone without getting into serious trouble, she managed a small smile. “I’ll see you tonight at this address.” She wrote it down for Lauren on a post-it note before handing it to her and moving back to the safety of her desk. Once she was seated, she looked up at Lauren, eyes red from holding back tears after the mention of Jules. “And then you’ll never see me again.”

[onceuponagoyle]

If seeing an angry Alice was unnerving, then nothing prepared Lauren for silent!Alice. This was what she’d been trying to avoid for the entire time she’d been in the former Ravenclaw’s office. As both a Goyle and a Van der Linden, finding someone’s weakness and exploiting it, was second nature to Lauren. But the intention had never been to actually hurt Alice - just to push her buttons. Her own temper had gotten the better of her, though. Somehow it always did, especially when her own weaknesses were exposed. Jules was a corner Lauren didn’t ever want to get backed into, because she would do anything, say anything, to get out of it. 

Her eyes couldn’t help but switch between Alice’s face and the balled up fists at her side. She was probably going to get decked, and she was 95% sure she wouldn’t even try to dodge it either. Lauren did deserve it after all and she knew how to take a punch. She’d suffered through far worse in her life than any physical blow Alice could throw her way. But the punch never came. Instead Alice handed her an address and told her she’d see her tonight only and then never again. As Lauren reached out to take the post it, she thought about saying something, anything, to Alice. But all the words in her head sounded flat. What was there to say? Hadn’t she said enough? Alice’s shining bloodshot eyes gave her every indication that now would be a good time to leave. If Lauren had been in that position, she’d have hoped most people would have the sense to leave, after all. And she’d had her fun, and it wasn’t worth it. Not when both of them had so much at stake. 

Giving Alice one final look and a curt nod, Lauren apparated out of the office and back to the safety of her apartment. Collapsing onto her couch, she brought the post-it to her face and read over the address again. Earlier she’d had every intention of going, but now Lauren didn’t even know if she wanted to see Alice again. Sure, Alice hadn’t punched her, but the emotional blow that Lauren had been dealt, was not one she cared to repeat. “Fucking hell, Jules. This is all your fault.”

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Aidan was clearly confused by his sister’s behavior, Alice having changed after Jules had died but it’s not like she was completely bad when she was home around her family. Hence why she was still seemingly her flaily old self, at least partially. Alice on the other hand of the spectrum was wanting to kill herself, especially when Lauren began to take the initiative, soon moving to wrap an arm around her, Alice turning to look at her with a disgruntled face as she felt lips being pressed against her cheek. Before she could say anything, Lauren was agreeing to Aidan’s request for them both to come over. 

“Lauren…” She hissed low only to have Lauren nuzzle into her neck, Alice’s breath hitching as her eyes fluttered. A growl escaped her throat however when Lauren kissed her cheek again. “I’m going to kill you.” Alice spoke under her breath before looking up at her brother and giving him a bright smile that of course didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, Aids, we’ll be there.” She couldn’t help the giggle that left her lips as her brother groaned loudly before hanging up, knowing how much he hated that nickname. 

As soon as he hung up, Alice was turned to Lauren noting how close they were and using it to her advantage. “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing,” She hissed, making the distance between them that much closer, stepping into Lauren’s personal space.”But I promise you one thing… Whatever game you’re playing. It’s not going to work. I’m not the same person that you knew three years ago. That girl….” Alice realized finally just how close they were, eyes searching Lauren’s as she felt her throat tightening, taking a step back before continuing. “She’s dead.” Setting her jaw, Alice looked back up at Lauren with a fire in her eyes that most people that knew her from before had never seen. “Just like her.”

[onceuponagoyle]

The point hadn’t been to piss Alice off. Okay, maybe it had been a little. But for the most part, Lauren just wanted to remind her that when it came to social situations and manipulation, she was Queen and Alice was fooling herself if she thought she could get the upper hand. Everything she said, everything she did, Lauren would always have an answer, a way to retaliate that would send Alice reeling. “Just you try,” she whispered back, making sure to keep a smile on her face until the call had disconnected and Alice’s brother was gone. She’d expected some kind of backlash, but not anything close to the way Alice was behaving. And then the girl had to go and mention Jules and Lauren just lost it.

“Whatever game I’m playing?” Lauren was livid. Three years on and Jules was still a sore subject for her, so much so in fact that she’d turned her back on her friends and colleagues because the constant reminder of what she’d allowed to happen was almost too much for Lauren. And she’d done a pretty good job at hiding too, until Alice had shown up. Alice and her stupid lips. Lauren could’ve just let it go and gone back to her routine, but there were too many unanswered questions and a competitive nature that needed to stay on top.

There was practically no distance between them now, and for once that didn’t sit well with Lauren. So she did the only thing she could do. She scoffed and took a step away from Alice before she could do anything rash and unwise. “You started this, Churchill. You walked into my bar and I’ll buy that it was all a crazy coincidence but you could’ve just left. But you didn’t. And then you followed me outside. You kissed me and then you just walked away again. Like you always do. So yeah, I’ll believe that the old you is gone, because I barely recognise the person I’m talking to right now. The old you wouldn’t have brought up Jules to make a point.”

[daftorpunk]

It’s important for little girls to have characters to look up to, and also be entertained by the fantasy parts. There are a lot of not-so-good role models out there for younger kids, it’s good to have someone they can relate to on television.

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

“I had just drank multiple martinis after already having drank at the office. Forgive me if I was a bit sloppy while intoxicated.” Alice spoke, still not paying any mind to Lauren or even looking in her direction for that matter. Fingers flew as she typed on her computer, glad that Lauren couldn’t see the screen as she switched a camera on in her office, recording a scan of Lauren’s face to work into an algorithm for later use. She didn’t really know why but she wanted to know what Lauren had been up to since she’d last seen her. So what if she kind of abused her powers of hacking, no one would ever know. 

Cracking her neck, she stopped what she was doing, closing all of the windows just in time for a face to appear on the screen in front of her with a beep. Aidan, her older brother, was sitting down with a young boy on his knee, his smile bright as he saw his sister before it pulled into one of confusion upon seeing Lauren. “Hey sis. I was wondering if you were going to make it for dinner tonight.” Alice’s eyes widened, she’d completely forgotten about dinner. Oh God, this was not what she needed. And then, before she even knew what was happening, her brother was further ruining her day. “Why don’t you invite your girlfriend? It will be lots of fun!”

Alice felt her heart stop, head whipping towards Lauren as her eyes widened. “No!” She about shouted, Aidan raising an eyebrow in confusion as his son looked up at his aunt. “I mean… She’s–She’s very busy. Lauren has a lot to do. And she’s not my girlfriend. Just because you caught me two months ago with someone in my office does not mean everyone else that comes in is here for… That.” This was the closest she came to being the old Alice; the flailing and little bit of ramble shining through before she pulled herself together, pinching her nose and calming herself down.

[onceuponagoyle]

It didn’t go unnoticed by Lauren that Alice had ignored just about all her questions, save for the insinuation that Alice was a bad kisser. It was annoying as hell, but Lauren hadn’t expected much in the way of answers. New Alice wasn’t exactly forthcoming. “Sure blame the martinis,” she grumbled, feigning interest in her nails. 

When the screen in front of her suddenly flared to life, Lauren jolted to attention, a little confused by what was going on. Her three years of living in the muggle world had taught her a lot about technology, but even this was considered high tech by a regular muggle. Sis? So this was the brother she’d heard about. He was cute, but obviously taken if the kid on his lap was any indication. Pity. At least he seemed to be on good terms with Alice. Lauren wasn’t sure why she cared, but the idea of the blonde having at least one solid connection made her feel infinitely better. But the fleeting fuzzy feels didn’t make her hesitate for a moment when she saw an opening that she couldn’t resist. 

“Babe, I know we only just started dating and I know I said I wanted to keep this to ourselves for a bit, but I didn’t mean you should hide it from your brother.” Walking over to stand behind Alice, Lauren draped herself over the older girl’s shoulders and placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek. “And you’re in luck. Today’s actually my day off and I’ve got no plans so I’d love to come. Don’t listen to Alice. I’m sure she’s just worried I’d get all shy at the idea of meeting family, but I think it’s about time.” Nuzzling into Alice’s neck, Lauren suppressed a giggle and kissed Alice’s cheek again. “Right, love?” Even though she wasn’t the one who’d made Alice all flustered and flaily, Lauren couldn’t help but admit that it was nice to see her this way again. She’d missed it a lot more than she figured she would. Weird. 

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Instead of having Lauren back down, the woman stood up from the chair, using her height against her. Luckily for Alice, she was wearing heels so the height difference wasn’t really much of anythi–Scratch that. Lauren was also wearing heels. Fuck. Despite her best efforts to not pay her any mind, the moron was right, it was probably best if she didn’t send for anyone. Besides, it would probably just infuriate her old friend even more if she just ignored her and acted like she wasn’t there instead. The woman returned the former Raven’s gesture from earlier, letting fingers trail up her arm, leaving goosebumps in her wake. 

Pulling back her arm, Alice was about to make a quip before her brow furrowed in confusion. “What the hell are you on about?” It took a few more seconds before she realized what Lauren was referring to. “Oh. Well I had told your friend at the bar that you and I had been on a few dates and I needed your number because I’d forgotten it. He liked that idea and then when the bloke came out to get you, well, I improvised. Trust me. I don’t kiss random people in the alley just for fun.”

With that, Alice moved away from Lauren, heading to her desk and sitting down in the chair. It was easier to ignore her unwanted visitor when she was seated at the safety of the desk. With her knees under the safety of the metal, she could keep a portion of her body away from Lauren and that was good enough for her. The glass to her office was still tinted, Alice beginning to type away at the computer as she adjusted her glasses, speaking one more time. “Besides, I’ve had better kisses in my life. You’d think that someone with such a pretty face wouldn’t have a mouth that tasted like shit.” 

[onceuponagoyle]

Scrunching up her face, Lauren thought back to who was working that night and sighed when she realised Alice was talking about Eric. His face did kinda scream “I’m a perv who loves the idea of lesbians a bit too much”, she had to admit, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t any less confused by what Alice had done. “Yeah, that’s Eric. He hits on anything that moves. But that still doesn’t explain why you needed my number or why you just had to come out to an alley in the first place when I was obviously on break. You say it was all just to sell a story, but I still don’t get why you told the story in the first place.”

While she would’ve loved to follow Alice and keep the distance between them minimal to further annoy the blonde, Alice had other ideas and sat down behind her desk. The best Lauren could manage was to go back to her previous spot on the corner of the desk. Clearly something she’d said earlier had struck a chord with Alice, because she no longer seemed to be in a hurry to kick her out of the office. Which could only mean bad things in the long run, but whatever. At least she wouldn’t have to risk pissing the Ministry off with small things like exposing the magical world to a bunch of muggles. 

Lauren scoffed at Alice’s words, finding the whole thing a bit rich. She knew she was a good kisser, regardless of what Alice said, and that the blonde was probably just saying things to piss her off but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be annoyed by it on the inside. “I’d apologise, but that’s what you fucking get for planting a surprise kiss on someone who was in the middle of a fag break. Not like you were much better. As the person who initiated it, and therefore knew what was going on, you were a little sloppy. Sorry, not sorry.”

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

She should have known that something like this would have happened, especially because it was Lauren and there had always been something about her that screamed needing to be the one in control. Normally Alice would have been all for it and had she been the same girl she was three years ago, then maybe she would have reacted differently. Hell, she never would have gotten herself in this pickle to begin with if it had been a different time. She would never be in this position if Jules had never… 

Alice was torn from her reverie as hands tightened on her wrists and warm breath puffed into her neck. Soon enough her ear lobe was being bloody well molested and she couldn’t hold back the shudder of her breath or the soft moan that escaped through now-clenched teeth. Despite her best efforts, Alice was failing at having the upper hand, feeling her legs give for a moment before she felt her bottom hit the table, losing her ability to properly stand. With as much dignity as she could, Alice cleared her throat, blue eyes piercing at Lauren once more, but this time with a much hazier and darker tint. 

“If you think… For one second, that you’re going to expose me and my past to anyone here, you can think again.” She spoke with labored breathing, struggling to regain her composure despite how unexpectedly turned on she was. It was then that she remembered just how Lauren had barged in here, no wait, not barged in… Apparated. The anger reignited in her bones and she finally managed to get a hold of herself. “Just go.”

[onceuponagoyle]

The moan was really all she wanted from Alice. Something, anything, to indicate she was still an actual human being. It didn’t matter that the moan was so faint that she could have easily imagined it, because one look at Alice’s face when she staggered back away from Lauren, was all it took to confirm that she’d broken through the former TA’s mask. She’d would probably pay for what she’d just done, but for now Lauren was going to bask in her victory and take whatever she could get. 

And then just like that, the mask was in place again. It was so subtle and so well done, that Lauren was even tempted to slow clap the transformation. As someone whose entire family also hid behind carefully constructed masks, she’d seen it all and Alice wasn’t far off the best of the bunch. But what impressed Lauren the most was the fact that she found the whole thing kinda hot. Pushing Alice’s buttons, getting her to moan, had been fun and all but nothing compared to seeing boss lady Alice in action. And while she maybe should’ve been a little more worried about the whole thing, Lauren also knew she could hold her own no matter what Alice threw at her.

Standing up and using their height difference to her advantage, Lauren once again closed the distance and stared down at Alice. “If you don’t call anyone, then I won’t have to.” She smirked and ran a hand up Alice’s arm, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.  “We’re not friends. We’re not anything and I don’t know what weird Christian Grey shit you do in your life, but you don’t get to waltz into mine, kiss me and then leave again.” There was so much more she could say, but Lauren refrained, remembering just how much Alice had once meant to her. She’d never really had much in the way of actual family that she liked, but at one point Becca, Alice and Jules had all been a part of the one she’d made for herself, not including her Slytherin’s of course. 

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Rubbing her temples at what Lauren had done, aka ripping up her peace offering before moving into her conference room. Alice all but slammed her hands down on her desk, eyes going shut as she tried to reign in her temper. Lauren was pushing all of the wrong buttons, which if she knew her old friend at all, that’s exactly what she was wanting to do. After Jules had died, Alice had completely disconnected from everyone for several months, requesting a leave of absence from both jobs. Not even her family had known where she’d disappeared to. If she were honest, Alice wouldn’t even be fully able to tell you where she’d gone. Lots of alcohol. But eventually the pain turned into anger and that just hadn’t left. 

She knew the signs, she’d actually taken a psych course on her own, had read up on Kübler-Ross but hadn’t really paid any mind. It was easier to point the finger or turn the focus on someone other than her. And that’s why she was now moving towards Lauren, her moves calculated as she carefully, despite her desire to throw them off, placed Lauren’s feet off her table. It was then that she bent over, placing her hands on either side of Lauren’s arm rest. A sweet smile that could almost be considered genuine worked its way onto her face as she let herself impose on Lauren’s personal space.

“Lauren… As lovely as it would be to have you stay. I’ve got an important meeting with a group called Syndicate Industries in a half hour and I need to prepare.” She spoke softly, words dripping with too much sweetness before she leaned closer to Lauren, pressing her lips to her ear, her chest now invading Lauren’s personal space as well as she husked out her next sentence. “And if you don’t leave in the next five minutes, I’ll have you thrown out. Babe.” Alice added the final word, knowing the old term of endearment would get under Lauren’s skin as she didn’t make any move to get away, letting her warm breath puff against the shell of the younger woman’s ear.

[onceuponagoyle]

Plans had never really been Lauren’s style, which was why when she’d turned up at Alice’s office, she had no idea what she was going to do. Because if anything, Lauren was the type to play things by ear and Alice herself was doing a good job of being unpredictable for once. And as if to further prove that she had indeed changed, Alice followed her right to the conference area and removed her feet from the table. Rude. Clearly Alice had something in mind because now she was playing the gallant host and Lauren was just waiting for her to get to the point and just say what she wanted to say.  

Babe. It’d been awhile since anyone had called Lauren that. So much so that just hearing the word practically guaranteed that she’d think of Alice. But whatever the blonde had hoped to achieve by using the term of endearment, she wasn’t getting it. Lauren to her credit remained completely stony-faced and stayed perfectly still for a moment, just enjoying the warm caress of Alice’s breath against her ear, before she decided to make her move. Even though Lauren was sat down, she’d still managed to manoeuvre Alice to just where she needed her to be. Huh, maybe she should’ve tried her hand at chess when she was younger, because she was clearly a master at this. 

Lauren’s hands wrapped around Alice’s wrists and all she had to do was turn her head slightly and her lips would also just be by Alice’s. But unlike Alice who’d simply gone for the option of whispering sweet threats into her ear, Lauren chose an entirely different approach. She nuzzled into Alice’s neck and without warning nipped lightly at her ear before taking the lobe into her mouth to give it a gentle suck, before letting go. “We both know that would solve nothing, Babe. I’d be back in here before you could even sit down. So why don’t you save the bullshit threats for someone who’s going to listen to them, and take a moment to talk to your old friend, Lauren, who came all this way to see you. You know me, Alice. I was good at making a scene in the magical community. You don’t want to see what I could do here.”

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Lauren didn’t respond right away like how Alice would have liked, taking her sweet ass time as she wandered around her office. With a disgruntled sigh, Alice leaned against the glass table in her overly large office, letting her hands rest behind her as she raised a perfectly arched brow in Lauren’s direction. Finally Lauren responded, Alice noting the phone that was brought back to her. She decided to pop in, quite literally, over a fucking phone? Alice was fuming, eyes wandering to a cabinet where her alcohol was stored before remembering Lauren was here to spite her so she had to focus on that, not drown herself in red liquid.

“I don’t need it. I’ve got plenty more where that came from. But I suppose a thank you will do.” Alice put on an overtly fake smile, the bile in her throat being swallowed down as she made her way past Lauren who was seated on her desk, trailing her fingers down the expanse of her forearm before moving to write her a check for £351. Once she was finished, she tore it out of her checkbook, handing it to Lauren. “There’s your finders fee. Now. If you could please get your arse out of my office, I have business to attend to.” She spoke, her blue eyes fiery as she made her point known. The point being that she had more things to do than be in the same vicinity as Lauren. Especially after last night, not needing to think about the kiss that inspired a wet dream she won’t be forgetting for a while.

[onceuponagoyle]

“Right, cause you’re Miss Fancy-pants now.” The phone was just an excuse for turning up, and one that was working out nicely because Alice was more than a little bothered by her presence there. It was just like old times. “Don’t overexert yourself for my sake. Wouldn’t want you to strain something.” Her arm tingled gently from the touch of Alice’s fingers, making a chill run down her spine. It wasn’t at all unpleasant but she kept that to herself. 

“I don’t need or want your money.” She ripped the cheque into neat little pieces and placed them down onto Alice’s desk. “That’s not what I came here for.” Lauren would have liked to have said that little action was all for show, but the idea of Alice trying to pay her off was more than just a little insulting. Maybe that’s how she treated everyone around her now, but Lauren wasn’t the sort to ever be bought off in any kind of way. She made a living that enabled her to survive without needing to accept payouts from anyone. But Alice’s point was clear. She wanted Lauren gone and unfortunately for her, Lauren had no intention of leaving. Instead she got up and sauntered over to where the conference area was and sat down on one of the chairs, with her legs crossed and her feet propped up on the table. “But I’m so comfortable here. I think I might stay for a bit.”

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

It had been the very next damned day when Alice had realized she’d somehow left her work phone at the bar. It hadn’t bothered her however due to the fact that the company probably had a thousand phones at her disposal. In fact, here she was, sitting in her office with said new phone. She was sure she wasn’t going to ever see Lauren again so it didn’t bother her that she’d left the phone there. Besides, after what had happened the other night, Alice had woken up cursing herself and wanting nothing more to never see her former friend. What kind of idiot had she been?

All of that was forgotten, for the most part, when she went to work and got back to the grind of spreadsheets, unavoidable powerpoints made by employees and the semi-useless assistant that always brought her coffee late. For some reason he’d managed to be early this morning so that her coffee had, for once, not had the ice melt in it. Alice was currently sipping on her usual, eyeing the latest report he, Jerry, had brought in. Just as she was about to send him on his way so he could get back to whatever the hell it was that he did, there was a loud crack. Alice froze, knowing that noise far too well. 

She turned, seeing Lauren in her office before noting how Jerry’s jaw was dropped open. Fuck. Fucking fuck. She was going to kill Lauren. Quickly turning to Jerry, Alice slapped the report on his chest as she began to back him up and out of her office. “It’s a magic trick, Gary!” She tried as Alice continued to back him up towards the glass door. “It’s Jerry.” He managed to utter after finding his voice. “Right, yes, of course.” She said, shutting the door on him before snapping her fingers, the glass going from clear and see through to tinted so no one would be able to see in. After doing so, Alice rounded on Lauren. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

[onceuponagoyle]

The urge to laugh was almost unbearably strong as Lauren watched Alice attempt to diffuse the situation by trying to provide a believable explanation for Lauren’s sudden appearance in the room. It technically was a magic trick, although clearly nothing close to what the muggle employee would have seen before. But what made Lauren finally break and give in was the fact that Alice didn’t even know the poor fool’s name and as she ushered the boy out of the room, Lauren found herself raising her hand to wave goodbye to Jerry. 

Finally alone with her old friend, Lauren didn’t immediately answer Alice’s question and instead took her time to look around the room, casually glancing at everything and taking it all in. Reading about it was one thing, but actually being in Alice’s swanky corporate office was another. It was just so weird. Stopping at Alice’s desk, Lauren perched on the corner and finally met the angry blonde’s gaze.

Plucking Alice’s phone out of her pocket, Lauren waved it around in front of her like it’s very presence explained everything. “Returning this. You left it last night. I was going to sell it, but then I figured I’d be a good little girl scout and return it. If I’d have known you’d be this ungrateful, I wouldn’t have bothered.” She had no idea how Alice would react next, but for now she had her angry and on her toes and that’s exactly how Lauren wanted her. Pushing Alice’s buttons had always been her favourite part of their friendship and now that they were both older, there were new ways to do that that Lauren was very much looking forward to exploring.

[onceuponagoyle]

Surprise, Bitch || Gochill F2F

Alice’s phone lay in the palm of Lauren’s hand, as she lay splayed out on her couch, mulling over her next course of action. She had two choices: get rid of it or return it to Alice. The former was obviously the easier choice in every way. Lauren had a number of people in her life who’d be willing to take it off her hands and she’d be able to reseal the chapter of her life that Alice had unknowingly reopened by randomly appearing in her life.

But then there was the matter of that kiss from last night. Her fingers trailed along the base of her lower lip, remembering the clash of tongues and teeth. It had been a fucking mess, but there was no denying that it had been a hot one. One that had played over and over in her mind since it had happened, but not for the reasons most would expect. She’d had better kisses in her life, that was for sure, but what bothered her was that throughout the whole thing, Alice had had the upper hand and during their past friendship, Lauren had always prided herself in always being in control of their conversations, despite Alice’s position of power over her.

They weren’t at Hogwarts anymore and so much had changed, but that was something Lauren hadn’t been expecting to change because in every relationship in her life, she was the one in control. That was what she loved about her life. And yet Alice had waltzed in and kissed the living daylights out of her before disappearing again. What right did she have?Lauren’s hand clenched around the phone and she suddenly knew what she had to do. She had to return the phone and tip the power scale back in her favour. If Alice thought she could just kiss her and not face any kind of consequence, she had another thing coming.

Finding her would be easy. One google search of the word “Primatech” had brought up several articles about her one time friend and her rise to CEO of the company. Alice had done well for herself, but Lauren had always thought that her position at Hogwarts was a waste of her potential. But now came the hard part. Actually getting access to her office would be another story. Lauren checked the time on the phone again and gnawed on her lip for a moment before settling on a plan. It was risky, but she had faith in herself and her own powers. All she needed was a lot of imagination and focus, two things she’d never had much trouble with. Standing up, Lauren stared at the photo in front of her and visualised herself there, and a moment later she was.

Arriving with a loud pop, Lauren steadied herself and looked around the room, spotting not only Alice but a terrified looking young dude who clearly had never seen anyone apparate before. Well, shit.

“Nice place you got here, Churchill. It’s a little too cold for me and what’s with all the glass everywhere? But it’s very you, I guess.”

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

To Be Alone || Gochill F2F

[lucasofcontrol-deactivated20180]

Sizing the younger woman up, Alice took the few short strides to where Lauren was standing, a look of disgust stuck in place, not even wanting to know what had happened in this alley. When she was offered a smoke, Alice just raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Unlike you, I don’t want to ruin my lungs. I’ll stick to the fucked up liver any day.” Waving her hand dismissively, she looked around the alleyway. It was a wonder that she was actually out here, perhaps she should call her driver to come pick her up since her so called friends had left her to her own devices. Besides, why the hell should she even stick around with Lauren. They weren’t friends. Not anymore. 

Before she could call her driver, Lauren was speaking again, talking about how she was on break and clearly made it seem like Alice being there was an annoyance. Huh. On second thought, she could definitely stick to annoying Lauren some more. “Well,” she began, leaning against the wall herself as she looked up at the taller girl. “I somehow managed to run into an old pain in the arse of mine and who would I be if I didn’t see what kind of trouble she was getting herself into these days? I don’t even have to ask, by the way.” She looked Lauren up and down, a knowing grimace on her face.“You’re not with the Birds anymore. If you were, you’d still have the same number and well, honestly, not going by Goyle anymore. I can see why, I mean, it was quite the rubbish name to begin with. Reminds me of a gargoyle and you know what everyone thinks about those blasted things.” 

Before Alice could continue her thought, she heard a rustling before she noticed the man from before, the one that gave her the number. In that split second before he could fully see them, Alice made a decision. Not even uttering an apology for her next action, Alice turned to face Lauren, knocking the girls wrist so the cigarette would land on the ground, before crashing their lips together. Pressing Lauren’s body into the wall, Alice didn’t even care about the fact that this was a girl she once threatened with detention as her TA. This was a girl who was how many years younger than her? But that didn’t matter, what mattered was that a hand was entangled in Lauren’s hair and the kiss was all tongue and teeth, something she readily accepted that Lauren was reciprocating, if only because she was confused.

Thankfully the man got the hint, letting out a chuckle before leaving them be, Alice only stopping when she could no longer hear his footsteps. Pulling back, Alice smirked, shrugging before Lauren could even open her mouth. “Your mouth tastes like shit, Goyle.” She called out over her shoulder as she walked down and out of the alleyway, leaving Lauren to collect herself as she got into her car that had arrived to pick her up.

[onceuponagoyle]

There was the judgement Lauren had anticipated, providing her just the tiniest glimpse of someone she’d once considered a friend. But that’s all it was, a glimpse. Everything else that came out of Alice’s mouth was just so foreign that Lauren had to keep her eye on her the whole time and pinch herself to make sure she hadn’t just imagined the entire conversation. To most it might’ve been a change for the worse, and even Lauren was having a hard time getting used to it, but there was something about it that she actually really liked. Something that would’ve been a total turn on if it came from anyone else other than her ex-TA. 

Lauren had left so much in the past and there was a reason for that. It’d been almost three years since she’d run into anyone who’d called her Goyle, and while she knew Alice was trying to push her buttons and garner any kind of reaction from her, Lauren couldn’t help but play right into her hands. Anger was building up inside of her and she was so close to walking right up to Alice and slapping her hard for having the audacity to make assumptions about her based on what had gone down in the past. Her life was far from perfect, but it was hers and she was doing okay for herself. But most importantly, Lauren was free. Free from everyone’s expectations, free from any preconceptions people had about her and free from the people who reminded her of how royally she’d screwed up the day she’d let Jules sacrifice herself instead of letting Lauren die. 

But fate had other ideas and no sooner had Lauren taken one step towards Alice, than her colleague, Eric, arrived to tell her that her break was over. And before Lauren could open her mouth to tell him that she’d be right there, Alice’s mouth was on hers and in her shock, Lauren let herself be pushed back up against the wall she’d just been leaning on. Tongues duelled and Lauren would’ve loved to say that it was all shock, but even after she registered just who she was kissing, she kissed back with full force, not wanting to let Alice dominate for even a second. 

And then it was over. Alice was moving away and yelling something at her - only Merlin knows what because Lauren was still trying to get her head around the fact that Alice had kissed her - and Lauren watched on as she walked back onto Wardour Street and climbed into a swish looking black Audi. Lauren stood there for a few more seconds before she finally let out a loud laugh, startling a couple that happened to walk by the alley at that very moment. “Motherfucker,” Lauren whispered under her breath, still laughing to herself, as she slowly made her way back into the bar. Eric was already there, smirking at her in his typical fashion, but Lauren paid him no attention. What the fuck had just happened? 

The rest of the evening went by in a blur, the bar gradually getting busier as the night went on, something that Lauren was grateful for because it meant she could avoid the 100 questions Eric was obviously dying to ask her. And then it was time to go home, and as Lauren gathered her things and got ready to leave, her other colleague, Gabby, sidled up to her and handed her a mobile phone. “Hot blonde chick from earlier left it here. Eric said she was a friend of yours?” By the way Gabby emphasised the word friend, it was clear Eric had used a different word, but Gabby was the good kind of colleague that rarely asked questions when she knew it was none of her business. Thanking her, Lauren swiftly left before Eric could talk to her again, and it wasn’t until she was out in the cold again, that she hit the home button. 

It was locked of course - Lauren hadn’t exactly been expecting anything else - but she was curious to see what photo had as the lockscreen. Disappointingly it was just the company logo, Primatech, but after a second or two of staring at it, the gears in her head started to grind and Lauren had an idea. Maybe she’d pay this “Primatech” a visit and surprise Alice, because nobody got to kiss Lauren Goyle and walk away on top. That position was reserved exclusively for Lauren. And with a smile, she pocketed the phone, and disappeared into the night.