WHERE: the ink well & brewbacca, a coffee shop in portland
Smiling, Sam ushered his latest client out the door and turned back to clean up his station. It'd been a day of back to back bookings, with new clients, regulars and returnees. He preferred the busyness of it all. His mind tended to wander with downtime, about things...well, if wandered, is all.
This way came with zero though beyond sketches, shading, and ink. The occasional small talk alongside the buzzing of the needle that now, felt more familiar than anything. It was easier to keep moving, to mask the weariness and the myriad of other feelings that seemed to overtake him for the last two months.
In Portland, the questions didn’t come as frequently. There’d been talk about the goings on in Castleport and the occasional raised brow when one of Sam’s co-workers, in the midst of chatter about the missing woman asked him ‘Hey, aren’t you from there?”
He simply nodded and went back to his sketchpad, shutting down any further discussions that involved flat out interrogations.
It was evening, late and cooler as fall settled in good and proper, and Sam wasn’t looking forward to the drive back to Castleport. The ugly, lurching jolt that tugged at the pit of his stomach whenever he drove past the spot. There would still be markers there, flowers and tokens of remembrance placed at the site of the crash that baffled Sam almost as much as it irritated him. Who would willingly stop along that road? He couldn’t stand looking at it. Recalling the night of the storm, wandering in the dark, the sound of the heavy rain pelting his rain jacket and the thin beam of light as his only guiding souce in the pitch blackness.
Until he’d spotted the car....
Shutting his eyes, Sam took a deep breath and grabbed at his things. He couldn’t go home just yet. It would mean driving down that road again, and taking the familiar route to check on the bar and do all the extra work that’d been dumped in his lap since Quinn had taken off with nothing more than a text.
He cleared out for the night, shrugging into his black leather jacket, thankful for the warmth against the cold. He’d only managed to slip his phone into the pocket when a sound made his shoulders tense. It was a voice, husky and very familiar, and the nickname he hadn’t heard in a very long time.
“Sev?”
He turned, olive eyes meeting chestnut ones, and his own widened in surprise. “Sloane?”
“I thought that was you. I would’ve been here sooner...but traffic.”
Sooner...? He wasn’t expecting her...ever. But there she was, painted lips and dark, slinky braids that hung to her back and a smile that seemed nervous and that confused him more than anything.
Her arms were crossed and he knew she was cold, despite the layers under the leather jacket she wore because she was always cold, and he liked that he remembered that...even if the remembering itself annoyed him.
And Sam should have asked a number of things in that very moment.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Where’s the shirt you stole from me and never gave back?’
‘What do you want, the check should’ve already cleared?’
A number of perfectly logical and reasonable questions. Yet he went with the most unexpected.
“Wanna get some coffee?”
Brewbacca was only a block up, which suited him fine as he didn’t feel like walking much and at least coffee would do a better job of filling up a silence he wasn’t used to with her. They’d found plenty of ways to communicate without words. But that was then. This was now, one divorce and one big ass settlement later.
Still, she looked good. And they fell instep together. And he still held the door for her, because they were divorced, yes, but he was still raised with manners. He ordered an Americano, while she opted for a latte and their drinks were piping hot when the server delivered them to the table they’d managed to snag near one of the wide windows.
He’d dumped two sugar packets into his cup, along with a generous splashing of cream, and watched as her tanned fingers, delicate and inked toyed with the sugar before stirring with her spoon.
And it was only after taking that first sip did he pose the question he should have when he first spotted her on the street.
“What are you doing here?”
“Wanted to check out the new spot,” she replied, sipping her latte. “You’ve posted about it enough on social media, figured it was worth the trip. And...well I know what happened. I wanted to see how you were.”
It didn’t make much sense, considering their contact for the last year and a half was entirely through social media. But Sam had documented his move back to Castleport, leaving his job in Boston, and finding a new one in Portland...so perhaps it wasn’t farfetched that she’d know where to find him.
But the why…
Okay, that wasn’t hard to understand, either. Sloane wasn’t a cruel person. She was prickly but so was he. The tender side was slow to show but he knew her warmth well.
...Well.
That kind, as well.
So perhaps the why wasn’t a total mystery. The circumstances were different. This was the closest she’d ever been to Castleport but he’d spoken of his hometown often. They traded stories, of her bayou upbringing and his on a different kind of water, in small towns that were thousands of miles apart but with streaks of similarities. Namely two people who’d wanted to do nothing more than escape, meeting in a bigger city and connecting in the most whirlwind of ways.
“How are you…” Sloane trailed off, filling the awkward pause with a sip from her cup and considering her words before trying again. “I’m sorry. About your friend.”
“Thank you.” It was a sincerity to his gratitude, and he buoyed it with a smile, quiet and crooked before lifting his cup. “For that, and for coming out.” He wasn’t okay. And he wasn’t going to talk about it. They both knew that.
Still, the conversation was pleasant even after the bout of weirdness; mostly Sloane talking and Sam listening. The rhythm of it nothing new; he wasn’t much for the gaps but he liked watching her, animated as always but this time not as dialed up.
Soon their cups were empty and Sam knew they would more than likely be parting ways. Which was for the best. The alternative of inviting her back to town didn’t sound the least bit appealing. Still, it was late, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you driving back to Boston tonight?”
He was relieved when she shook her head, his curiosity not lasting long when she added, “I’m staying with a friend. She lives twenty minutes from here, in Bay Harbor.”
Sam nodded. “I know it.”
And so he walked her out, their trek back far less awkward then the walk to the shop. Her car was parked not too far from his truck and he waited until they reached her driver’s side to speak again.
“Thanks...for checkin’ on me.”
Sloane offered him a small smile and before he could protest, wrapped her arms around his middle.
Sam was surprised, but his body reacted reflexively, muscled arms curling around her slender shoulders and pulling her towards him. His cheek resting at the top of her head was instinctual and Sam worked to suppress his shudder because he didn’t know how long it had been since he allowed himself the concept of comfort.
Much too soon, she was pulling away. He drank in the sight of her full lips, painted red and twisting into that familiar grin and he hated how much he still warmed at the sight of it. They weren’t suited in most of the ways that mattered but he was grateful to her all the same.
“Take care of yourself,” he told her, opening her car door and watching as she slipped inside.
He caught the ‘you too, Sev’ before shutting her door, his gaze following the car as moved out of the lot and disappeared down the road.
With a long sigh, Sam pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. The caffeine jolted him awake but he still felt weary, and dreaded the drive ahead of him. No point in stalling any longer. He hopped into his truck and and made his way out, pointedly ignoring the heavy feeling already settling in the pit of his stomach.
Patrick had just returned from a long trip around the world, promoting the DVD for his newest film. He was exhausted and really just wanted to lay down in his bed. But he had his sister staying over at his and Cassie's house, as well as Cassie's sister who had a toddler with her, so there was no time to really relax; especially not when Cassie was also heavily pregnant and ready to pop anytime soon. Letting out a long yawn, Patrick was standing in the kitchen, wearing his comfiest sweatpants and a hoodie, knowing that he relaxed best in it. It wasn't the glamour that came with Hollywood, but Patrick liked it. Grabbing the two mugs of coffee from the kitchen counter, the Evans boy headed upstairs and into the guestroom, where his sister was staying during the reunion. Knocking lightly on the half-open door, Patrick went in, making sure not to spill any of the precious coffee, and handed over the mug to Maria. "So what do you need my help with?"
Maria was putting away a few items of clothing in the drawers Cassie emptied out for her. She heard the door slightly open and she put on a warm smile and took one of the mugs from Patrick. "Thank you." Maria sat down on the bed and took a sip of the coffee before going on, "Well, not so much help. I just wanted to talk with you. Catch up and shit. It's been a while since we've been in the same room together and I have a lot to tell you and I'm sure you have a lot to tell me."
Patrick nodded, sitting down on a chair across from the bed and taking a sip of his coffee. It was definitely needed. Listening to Maria, he could only agree. It had been too long since he had last seen his family; that was why he was now taking a bit of time off, so he could be with everyone, without being interrupted by a phone call, or having to leave the country. "Sure," Patrick started, leaning back into the chair. "I'm working on a new film, from a script written by my friend, Sam. It's really great," Swallowing, the boy actually didn't have a lot to talk about. His life was pretty much working and award shows these days, and he was pretty sure that Maria didn't care much about that. "Did you have anything that you wanted to tell me?"
Maria "That's exciting! I'm excited to see what the outcome of that is, but you're talented as all hell so you'll kill it. Just like you do with every project you work on." Maria shot him a sincere smile but it soon faded as he asked about her. "Well, working the the Red Sox has been amazing. I love every second of it. There has been a small outcome from it. You know their highest paid pitcher? Rick Porcello? He's kind of my boyfriend and has been for the past two years." Maria took a quick sip from her mug before speaking up again, "I'm sorry I haven't said anything but we keep it kind of quiet. I could lose my job and neither one of us want that. So unless we get engaged or I find another team to take me we're just keeping it to ourselves and close family. So now you know."
Patrick smiled to himself, his gaze falling to the coffee that swam around in his mug. He knew that he had a talent with what he did, but he wasn't going to get arrogant about it. "Thank you, sis," He said sincerely, looking up at her. He noticed how her smile faded and a frown appeared on his own face as he couldn't help but get a bit worried about what was going on. Listening, Patrick could feel his jaw clench. It wasn't because she had kept it away from him for so long, it was more worrying about whether or not the guy was good enough for Patrick's little sister. "Is he treating you okay? There aren't any problems between the two of you, is there?" He asked, wanting to know everything about the guy and how well he was treating Maria.
Maria chuckled when Patrick went into big brother mode, "No, no he's a perfect gentleman. He treats me like a queen." Maria set her coffee mug on the nightstand next to her making sure a coaster was in place before speaking up once more, "He's a really good guy but things have been rough lately. It's not his fault but it's also why I might not stay here. I appreciate you and Cassie letting me stay here but it's kind of too much for me right now." Maria looked down and twiddled her thumbs together trying to get the words out. "Cassie is pregnant as hell and I swear one wrong move and that baby is gonna slide out. Then her sister is here and she's got her little girl and I don't know if I can be around that right now." Maria knew she was being very cryptic but now that the moment was here she was terrified to tell Patrick the truth.
Patrick felt relieved once Maria told him that he was treating her well, although he still wasn't convinced about it. He knew he had to meet the guy and sit down with him properly, before he could be sure about it all. Nodding along, Patrick couldn't help but worry when she started to say that she couldn't stay in his house because of Cassie and Tori and her child. It was all very strange, and the first thing that came to Patrick's mind was one of the worst thoughts ever. "What happened? Did you..." Swallowing hard, Patrick had to gain courage to say the next sentence. "Miscarry?"
Maria's eyes grew wide when Patrick asked if she had miscarried. Maria shook her head no instantly and pulled her knees up to her chest. "No, no. That's not it. Or at least not that I know of." Maria closed her eyes for a moment and went back to the doctor appointment where she found out her fate. Opening her eyes she let out a shaky sigh, "I'll stay. It's just gonna be hard but I'm good at faking happy. Anyway, my body has been out of whack for a while now. It started a month or so after graduating from PSU. I didn't think much of it but my cycles and stuff were just way off and weird and things were not right. Finally, I went to my doctor to get things checked out. I probably should have gone sooner but whatever." Pushing a piece of hair out of her face she finally managed to lock eyes with Patrick, "Well, after many blood tests and other kinds of tests they wanted to give me I had to wait three weeks to get answers. I am apparently infertile. I know adoption is a thing, obviously. Look at me but it still sucks because it's fresh. I found out two weeks before coming out here and Rick and I are getting serious and he wants kids and I do, too, but how? I just...my mind is all over the place and I just-" Maria looked up trying not to cry in front of Patrick. "I just can't help but think why do people like Silvia get to have kids- granted I'm awesome but people like me. Good people can't. I'm not knocking anyone in this house, I swear. I just...why did this happen to me?"
Patrick let out a deep sigh when he heard that Maria hadn't had a miscarriage. That would've just broken Patrick's heart. He really couldn't think of anything that could be a problem, until Maria started talking about her body and how it wasn't well. He listened intently to her, not wanting to miss a single word, but the news finally broke to him and when Maria looked into his eyes, he could just feel his heart break into tiny little pieces. He couldn't believe what was happening; his own little sister couldn't have kids and he knew that it was something that she wanted. He knew that Maria had wanted to prove herself as a good mother, to show that Mary Evans had had a good influence on her. Setting his mug down, Patrick moved over to the bed and sat next to Maria, his arms instantly moving around the girl and pulling her into his side. It was so hard for the guy to process, he couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for Maria. Stroking the girl's hair, he swallowed hard before opening up his mouth to speak. "It's not because it's you," He whispered, holding the girl closer. It felt like his heart had been swallowed and was in his stomach now. "Have you tried looking into surrogacy?"
Maria was glad Patrick came over to comfort her but the moment he wrapped his arms around her she just rested against him and she busted out into tears. She just let herself cry for a moment before answering Patrick's question. "Not yet. Or not a lot. I'm still processing all of this, you know? It's rough. It sucks." Maria wiped the tears away from her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. "It would be a long process and I don't know if I would trust anyone with that responsibility. I don't know. I don't know what I know anymore. My boyfriend was supposed to come out with me but we've been fighting a lot lately over this. So it makes me question everything but I do love him and I know he loves me but this has just been so crazy." Maria gently pulled away from Patrick trying to gain her composure back, "I've had these thoughts. Not that I would do anything bad but I don't know how to react to this. I always thought I'd make a good mom one day and maybe I will with another option but right now I'm just... I'm not okay."
Patrick swallowed hard, not knowing how to process any of the information that had just been laid out for him. It all felt so wrong. Maria deserved to be a mother, and she deserved to have that for her. She hadn't done anything bad, so why she was being punished made no sense at all. Rubbing her back, Patrick nodded. He could understand that this was all such a hard thing to process. "Take your time and figure it all out," He told her, his voice a bit lower. "No one's rushing this. If you and this guy can sit down and sort it out together, let him know how you feel and vice versa, I'd say that's the best option," He told her, keeping his eyes on her face. "Take all of the time that you need."
Maria looked to Patrick with a warm smile. "Thank you. I didn't want to unload all of this on you especially not now when this whole reunion thing is happening but I just needed my brother. I know I can go to mom and dad and stuff but when I first found out the first person I wanted to tell was you. You're a total idiot but you're smart about some things and you know how to listen. Please don't tell Cassie or Tori. I just want to keep this within the family for right now as I'm still trying to figure everything out between this and where Rick and I are gonna stand in the future. I just really needed my brother. That's all."
Patrick continued to rub Maria's back soothingly, nodding along. He was glad that she wanted to tell him, it meant a lot to him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must've been for her to tell Patrick, but he was so glad that she had, and hadn't decided to keep it hidden. "I'm proud of you for being brave enough to tell me," He started, his eyes locking on Maria's. "I think the most sensible thing right now, is to think everything through and just take however long you need for it. I won't tell anyone about it, it's none of my business to share with anyone anyway," He assured Maria, his hand moving to her red hair and stroking it softly. "I know you're going to figure this out."
Things with Marley and Ryder had been going well. She had fallen hard for him and he was being so amazing. After everything with her tattoo, things seemed to get even better. Of course things weren’t perfect, but she wasn’t naive to believe that they would be. That was okay because they were both in a really good spot and she was happy about that.
They had spent six months together and while it hadn’t been easy, they had managed. It was a lot for their friends and family to get long, but they made each other happy. Marley felt like it was time to take a risk. She trusted and loved him completely. This was something she felt she was ready to do. Of course she wasn’t going to make it really cliche like some people did. She did want him to know how she felt and that she was ready.
Tonight was about celebrating six wonderful months together. She went over to his place to make dinner and let herself in while he as at practice. Marley made both of their favorites with some extras. While the food was cooking, she even cleaned up his apartment a big. She just wanted everything to be perfect about tonight. As the food was almost finished, she heard Ryder opening the door. “Hey. I hope you don’t mind. I made us dinner to celebrate,” she greeted.
WARNINGS: Cobie is an idiot who doesn’t address the fact her bff could be 40% dead, just because she wants everyone to be happy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kenzi let out a final grunt as she slammed open her own front door, bringing her fists to her face to muffle her silent rage scream. Her head was a raging mess and her forehead and left fist were throbbing from beating Ofelia, but she didn’t want Cobie to see her like this. She never wanted anyone to see her like this. Clenching her fists hard, her biceps flexed, Kenzi felt her eyes tear up with trying to force herself back together. She was just so damn angry. She needed Cobie to feel better. Walking slowly, Kenzi made her way up to her bedroom, pushing the door open and quickly finding Cobie’s gaze. She knew she must have looked a mess, having beaten someone up with rage and then running all the way home to let off some steam. “She better not touch you or my kid again. I’ll kill her.” She stated flatly, keeping her distance. She wanted to hold Cobie so badly, to kiss away her pain and really show her how much she loved her.
Cobie was laying on Kenzi's bed, flicking through comic books as she waited for her girlfriend to return. Her anxiety was getting more and more out of hand by the minute. As she tried to focus on a particular section of the comic where Harley Quinn threw an entire family off a pier, she heard the front door slam. Kenzi was back, and by the sounds of the way she let herself in, she wasn't happy. Pressing the ice pack she'd made to her lip, Cobie sat up on the bed, waiting for the girl she loved to walk through the door. When she did, she looked like nothing Cobie had ever seen before. It was...frightening. Her eyes were dark, and her hand was bloody and bruising. Swallowing thickly, Cobie placed the ice pack on the bed before getting off the bed, crossing the room to stand in front of the smaller girl. "What happened?" she asked, her hand coming up to Kenzi's face to run her thumb over her forehead gently, noticing the reddening mark.
Kenzi let out a soft puff of breath when Cobie walked towards, her heart pounding in her chest for an entirely different reason now. She was still horrifically angry, but at least she knew she wouldn’t hurt Cobie. She was just about the only thing keeping her level. “I punched Ofelia in the face. SHe fucking laughed.. Then I knocked her out with my head,” Kenzi replied simply, her eyes fluttering shut as Cobie outlined the bump on her head. It was such a simple answer, but honestly, she wasn’t sure what else to say other than just how it was. Fumbling with shaking hands, Kenzi found her girlfriend's waist, holding her gently. Resting her aching forehead against Cobie’s, Kenzi clenched her jaw. “I need you to calm me down. I don’t want to hurt you.. Or pequeño.” she asked with a whisper, moving to press her lips to the sensitive skin below Cobie’s ear. “I need you.”
Cobie sucked in a sharp breath as Kenzi told her exactly what happened. Ofelia laughed again. She wasn't okay. Not at all. There was a painful lump forming in Cobie's throat as she thought about her ex best friend probably laying there on the floor. "O-okay. Okay. Alright." Right now the main priority was Kenzi, and Cobie could worry about Ofelia later. "You won't hurt us, it's okay. Shh, baby," she whispered, her hand coming up to cradle the back of her girlfriends neck as she pressed her lips to her temple, wincing at the pain in her lip slightly. The kiss that was pressed beneath her own ear caused her skin to breakout into gooebumps. She had no idea how to help Kenzi, but she had to try. Taking two shaking hands in her own, she pulled the girl over to her bed. Cobie took a seat, then pulled Kenzi down into her lap. She needed to do something about the lump forming on her forehead, because if it hurt half as much as her lip did, then her girlfriend was probably in a lot of pain. Grabbing the ice pack from behind her, she pressed it to the reddening skin. Her free arm wrapped around Kenzi's waist, holding her close as she pressed light kisses to the sensitive skin of her neck. "Everything is okay. You're back with me now, and she doesn't matter. None of that matters. All we need is each other. Tell me what you need to feel better. I'll do anything for you."
Kenzi followed Cobie obediently over to the bed, falling down onto her lap, knees either side of her slender hips. The ice against her painful head, the lips against her neck and the sweet words spoken while she was held close - it was all exactly what she needed. All she wanted was Cobie, and she was all she needed to be calm. She was the one person who made her truly happy. “Te quiero tan jodidamente mucho,” Kenzi sighed, her arm wrapping around Cobie. “I just need you… I wanna hold you. I wanna fuck you.. I want you to tell me about Pequeño,” Kenzi whispered, feeling the anger seep from her head, sitting heavy in her torso, but on it’s way out. She loved Cobie, so she shouldn’t have been too surprised about her reaction. Her girlfriend was safe - Ofelia wasn’t going to touch her again, so Kenzi could ease. Moving away for just a moment, Kenzi pulled off her jacket and shirt, feeling entirely too overheated to be able to cool off. She needed the contact and to be able to feel something other than anger. Finding the hem of Cobie’s short, Kenzi tugged it away and let out a low breath, her eyes never leaving Cobie’s face. “I’m so fucking sorry,” She whispered, her hand coming to Cobie’s cheek, thumb lightly grazing below the angry gash on her lip. With a softness she wasn’t sure she would be able to accomplish while still burning under her flesh, Kenzi pressed a gentle, feather light kiss to the cut and peppering a few more across her jaw.
Cobie smiled softly as Kenzi told her that she loved her in Spanish. Being around her girlfriend so much probably wouldn't be good for her healing lip, considering that she was practically always smiling when she was in her presence. " Te quiero también." She listened to everything Kenzi wanted carefully, nodding her head. "Well, I can do all of those things. I downloaded an app on my phone while you were gone, and it tells me all about the baby at whatever stage it's at," she grinned, grabbing her phone from the pillow behind them to show the girl in her lap. She watched with careful eyes as Kenzi began to strip, putting the ice pack down for a moment so that she could remove her shirt, too. Her brow furrowed when her girl began apologizing. Why was she sorry? She hadn't done anything to her. Cobie let out an unsteady breath as she felt lips press below her wound, a shiver running down her spine as they then began to pepper kisses along her jaw. "You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. Nothing at all. You did what you had to do, and I love you." She gently gripped Kenzi's face with her hand, just to bring their lips together. It hurt, but Cobie couldn't care less in that moment. She wanted Kenzi to know that everything was okay. Her arms wrapped around the girls body tightly, pressing their chests flush together. "I love you," she repeated, then took one of Kenzi's hands, leaning back a little so that she could rest it against her stomach. "Pequeño loves you. You're already protecting both of us, and that's amazing. But neither of us want you to be angry or upset," Cobie said softly, her lips pressing against the lump on Kenzi's forehead tenderly.
Kenzi was honestly so amazed by the idea of a baby. Since finding out Cobie was keeping it and telling her she wanted to be there through the whole thing as a parental figure, she hadn’t had any alone time to really reflect on it, which was perfectly okay with her. If she was alone, her reflection would only consist on asking Google about stages of pregnancy and what to look out for and how it all worked. Though she wanted to learn as much as she could, and probably ask her mom and Bailey J about a lot, she wanted to learn it all with Cobie. For some reason, an app that could tell Cobie exactly what the baby was like in her stomach sounded like the best invention in the world. Kenzi didn’t quite realize how much she needed to hear that she had done the right thing until Cobie told her she did what she had to do. She still loved her, even seeing her at her most violent and ugly. She was thankful for the kiss, her eyes snapping shut and her body surging forward to press their bodies closer at the contact. “I-..” Kenzi started before Cobie took her hand and moved it to rest on her stomach, making Kenzi’s mouth split into a goofy grin. “I love you both too,” She smiled, teeth flashing as she felt most of her anger just die away. “I’ll do anything to protect you. You’re my girl and.. Uh..” She stuttered, letting her thumb run soothing circles over where the baby had to be. “My family too.” It were as though Cobie’s lips were magical in the way they took away her pain the instant they brushed against her forehead. It was almost insane how Kenzi could go from horribly furious to contented in just the space of fifteen minutes, but she’d never been in love before. Love worked in mysterious ways. “You make me feel like the happiest person that ever lived anywhere. LIke my insides are made of thousands of sparkly gemstones.”
Cobie felt a wash of relief come over her as she finally saw Kenzi smile. Nothing else in the world mattered right then other than seeing that. It was like all the worries she'd previously had that night were gone, because her girl was finally genuinely happy again. Every single thought was wiped from Cobie's mind as she saw those teeth. That was how she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this girl. When Kenzi was happy, nothing else mattered. Not the fights, the pain of her mouth, the worry of being pregnant. Just seeing her smile was enough to make Cobie's entire body relax. When she heard the word 'family' fall from Kenzi's lips, she was 100% sure she felt her heart leap from her chest into her mouth. Family. Fuck. Wow. A family. That's really what they were. Together, along with Cam, they were going to raise a baby. That thought should have scared the hell out of Cobie, but for some reason, it made her excited for what the future was going to bring them. She couldn't have stopped the huge grin that spread across her face if she tried, and she definitely didn't want to. "Wow. A family. I guess that's really what we are now. We're gonna be so happy, babe. And so will the little baby bean." A chuckle escaped her when she heard Kenzi describe how Cobie made her feel inside. "Gemstones, huh? That makes sense, 'cause you're a rare gem yourself. Only right that your insides be made up of 'em." With a proud smile on her face, due the excellent pick up line she'd just delivered, Cobie leaned in and began peppering kisses over Kenzi's face, trying to use the less painful side of her mouth as much as she could. "No more fighting people, though. I don't like seeing your precious face hurt, and right now your forehead is looking pretty sore. That means I'm gonna have to kiss it everyday until it heals, and that means wasting time that could be spent kissing other places, Mackenzie. More...sensitive places."
Kenzi couldn’t help the way the idea of family sent a warmth over her body. She was lucky to have such a great mom and dad, and even a super supportive albeit very racist and quite possibly bizarre Chilean grandmother. But the idea of this little family unit of Cobie, herself and of course, Cam, raising an actual human baby? It was pretty out of this world amazing. When Cobie started peppering her face with kisses, Kenzi couldn’t hold back the best of the smile that had been threatening to break free, her nose scrunching as she let out a light chuckle. It was gross. The way she acted around Cobie was gross. She was so smitten and would honestly follow her anywhere like a little lap dog if she wanted her to.. Or maybe even if she didn’t. It would have probably been called being whipped, but Kenzi just prefered to call it being happy. This was just the way she was when she was in love. She loved so fully and unconditionally, nothing else seemed to matter too much when they were together. If that was healthy or not, she didn’t know or really seem to care. They made each other happy and that’s what counted. “My hand hurts a little too,” Kenzi offered, bringing her bruised and angry looking left fist between them for some attention. She didn’t want to actively get hurt, because she promised she’d at least try, but getting kisses better wasn’t the worst thing in the world. At least it wasn’t until Cobie mentioned it was taking time away from other things. “Oh..” She breathed, sitting up in Cobie’s lap and throwing her arms around her shoulders. “I’m feeling totally better,” She nodded innocently, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Maybe you should just.. Check me over everywhere to be sure.” She grinned. “I mean.. Your lips sore and so’s my loving hand but we can totally make do.”
Cobie looked down at Kenzi's fist as she raised it to be inspected. It was all kinds of cute that this girl was practically begging for healing kisses. "Oh no. Look what you did to it! What if you can never use it again?!" Cobie asked, her tone dramatic. Taking the hand in her own, then bringing it up to her lips so she could kiss every bruised knuckle. She must have really gone in on Ofelia. Either that, or she'd been hitting walls to get out her anger. Cobie seriously hoped it was the latter, because if she thought about her fist being that damaged from hitting Ofelia's delicate face, she'd start getting some serious guilt. She didn't want that. She rolled her eyes playfully as Kenzi told her she was feeling better, knowing full well that she was trying to get her to agree to another fuck-a-thon. "Check you all over, huh? Hmm, I guess I could do that. What a pity my nurse outfit is at home," she teased, nipping the tip of Kenzi's nose playfully before eyeing her forehead again briefly. At least the redness was starting to fade after icing it. "Make do? We gotta do more than make do, baby. Maybe we can use something other than hands and mouths, seeing as you're the most badass of them all, and I'm the most dominant one," Cobie teased, wrapping her arms around Kenzi's back, pulling her down on her top of her as she lay back against the mattress. "I feel like you deserve to have some fun after such a stressful night." She closed her eyes as she held Kenzi against her tightly, her nails lightly running up and down the length of her back in a soothing manor. "Or we can do whatever else you want," she whispered, her lips lightly pressing kisses to her girlfriends hair. "As long as it makes all your hurts stop, we can do it."
Kenzi grinned like a kid in a candy store as Cobie pressed soothing kisses against her beaten up knuckles. He had half a mind to start pointing out other places on her body that were ‘hurting’, just to feel the touch of delicate lips against her skin. She knew Cobie wouldn’t mind so much. Her stomach flared when Cobie once again mentioned that damn nurse uniform, knowing exactly where it made Kenzi’s mind travel. She cursed herself for being so easily pleased.. Or at least being so easy when it came to Cobie. Too caught up in that particular thought, Kenzi was blindsided by another as Cobie wrapped strong arms around her and pulled her down to lay on top of her. “Yes please,” Kenzi answered simply, a wide smirk lighting up her face. Honestly, Cobie could offer to fuck her every which way and she’d say yes, but something about Cobie topping her like that was oh so appealing. And Kenzi topping too. Obviously. She was a badass. Shivering as nails ran up and down her spine, Kenzi’s eyes fluttered shut in peace, her head lowering softly onto Cobie’s chest. She briefly wondered if it was possibly to be this blissfully happy, or this blindly uncaring about anything happening outside the four walls around them. She could be facing the end of the world, surviving a natural disaster or being in so much hellish trouble. She could lose everything and still be happy as long as she had Cobie. Because, oh god, she couldn’t lose her. Letting her bruised hand rest on Cobie’s opposite shoulder, she let fingers dance around soft skin, watching the goosebumps form beneath them. “I just want you,” Kenzi replied with a whisper, turning her head to start littering Cobie’s shoulder and collarbone with lingering kisses. “Nada y todo.” Kenzi stated with a soft smile against skin, hand gliding down to tickle at Cobie’s sides and hips. Pulling back, she sent her girlfriend an impish grin before she started to kiss a trail down, between her breasts and over her stomach. “Quiero mostrarle lo mucho que significa para mí,”
Cobie was surprised at how peaceful everything could be between them and around them, considering what had happened previously during the day. Cobie couldn't be sure that Ofelia was okay, or that anything was going to be okay ever again. But for some reason, as long as she was safe, along with the baby, and everyone important in the baby’s life (Cam and Kenzi), she couldn't bring herself to worry about it right then. Maybe she'd worry about it tomorrow, when everything was calmer for everyone. All she really knew was that she wanted everything to go back to how it used to be, when there was no violence or anger. She sighed contently as she felt soft lips pressing against her shoulder, and fingers tickling her skin. It was as though everything else melted away when Kenzi was anywhere near her, and Cobie couldn't be sure whether it was a good or bad thing. But right now while she had a baby growing inside her, it had to be a good thing. If she felt all the emotions from the day, she'd surely be under a lot of stress. "I want you, too," Cobie said with a smile, opening her eyes to watch Kenzi's lips make their way down her body, her breath catching in the back of her throat at the view, and definitely at the feeling. "Muéstrame." Who knew what tomorrow was going to bring, but for tonight, Cobie just wanted to relax and forget all the trauma of the day and evening. She wanted everything to just be okay for once. For the world to stop being so fucking crazy, and for her to be able to just have a normal few hours where she could pretend to be blissfully unaware of all the shit surrounding her, and just enjoy her girlfriend.
Stiles picked up Lydia at ten in the morning. He opened his jeep door for her and allowed her to get in before jumping in the vehicle himself. “Are you excited about the beach? It’s gonna be fun. I think at least. Scott and Allison are meeting us there in about an hour. Scott had to work the morning shift at the clinic.” He was just spouting off words but mainly because he was excited. Lydia and he had been together, officially, for around four months now. Their relationship meant a lot to him and he adored her more than he could ever say.
The boy took her hand as he drove towards the beach. He liked just having her with him. It made things that much better. “I have towels, food, sunscreen...drinks. Pretty much everything we will need for a good beach day. You have your bathing suit, right? Or do I need to stop at a beach shop?”
WHO: Sebastian Smythe & Miriam Smythe, his mother (mentions of Hunter, his sister, and father)
WHEN: October 13. Night.
WHERE: Sebastian’s home
WHAT: Sebastian and his mother finally share some true words. The result is not a very happy one.
Miriam Smythe stood at the kitchen counter as Sebastian traipsed in, phone pressed to her ear and pen working furiously over paper as she murmured to the person on the other line. Sebastian moved past his mother to the fridge, pouring himself a glass of juice as she talked, peeking over her shoulder to try to figure out what the call was about. She said her final goodbyes and sat her phone on the counter as Sebastian twisted the cap back to the juice, turning to her after replacing it in the fridge.
“I haven’t seen your friend down here recently,” she stated casually, still scribbling across the paper. Sebastian pursed his lips, shrugging his shoulders a little.
“He’s feeling a bit under the weather,” he took a drink from his juice, he wasn’t really lying this time at least. “He’ll be fine, just resting.”
“You two have been spending an awful lot of time together up there.” The casual tone was obviously forced, she refused to look up at him, and he knew what she was digging for. Just another reason to be lectured, his sexuality.
“He’s sick,” Sebastian rolled his eyes, refusing to give her anything more.
“He should move to the guest room, then. Don’t want you getting sick, too, now do we?” She finally flashed a smile to him, it made his stomach twist.
“I’ll be fine. How much longer are you in town?”
She dropped her pen, looking at him with her classic feigned hurt expression. “Is that really something you should ask your mother like that?” Sebastian gave her an apologetic smile, “Just wondering how much longer we’ll be blessed with your visitation.”
“That was my boss on the phone,” she admitted a moment later. “But, I told him that I’m not leaving until I feel like you are safe here.”
Sebastian couldn't help but roll his eyes again, muttering into the lip of his glass, “I’ve been safe for the last twenty four months you’ve been gone.” Ms. Smythe’s lip curled as she turned back to her son, paper forgotten on the counter and hand finding its way to her hip.
“Sebastian, there have been two murders in this town—”
“Not that you decided to show up until, what, half a week after the second one?”
“And in that time, you have allowed a stranger to move in here. How can I trust you to stay here alone?”
Sebastian furrowed his brow, sitting his glass down as he narrowed his eyes at his mother. “A stranger? Hunter’s my best friend, if you had been home more often you would know that. His asshole of a father kicked him out—”
“Language, Sebastian.”
“—and I wasn’t just going to deny him a place to stay. Getting abandoned by your family sucks, and I’m sure getting kicked out of your own house sucks a little worse.”
“You were never abandoned, Sebastian.” Miriam’s annoyed expression matched her son’s.
“So, dad leaving? That wasn’t abandonment,” he started, crossing his arms and meeting green eyes that matched his own, a familiar stand off. “And Alisha’s gone, but she’s in college, so that’s a fair excuse to leave, right? And you’re just always so busy with work, never actually home anymore—”
“It’s my job, Sebastian, and it’s what keeps food on the table and a roof over your head so you don’t find yourself back out—”
Miriam stopped herself, dropping her eyes. She never wanted to admit that she knew what Sebastian had done to help pay off Dalton tuition when she first lost her job, but she had been more than aware of Sebastian’s late night endeavors. She still couldn't bare to admit them, as if they weren't really true until it was said aloud.
“How convenient that you lost your job at the office and found one that makes you travel so you can be far, far away from your disgusting son,” Sebastian muttered, clenching his jaw. He looked away and blinked hard as he turned to a cabinet, pulling out the bottle of whiskey Biff had given him in that ‘care’ package and pouring some into his juice. Miriam moved quickly, snatching the bottle from his hand.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Trying to deal with you,” he took a long drink before his mother snatched the glass from his as well.
“Sebastian Nicholas Smythe,” she spat. “This is why, I can’t trust you to stay here alone. Are you still attending your meetings? Do you need to be sent back Have you ever tried to be less of a disappointment?”
The last one stung, but Sebastian didn’t let it phase him. At least not visibly. His hands clenched at his sides, Miriam seemed to realize what she’d said and quickly tried backtracking. He ignored it, shaking his head, “That seems to be what I do best, Mother. Disappoint everyone. I must’ve learned it up from you.”
“Sebastian,” his mother hissed, dropping her gaze to the floor and shaking her head. “I do everything I can to take care of you, I’m sorry I haven’t been around but— I tried, I took you out to dinner so we could catch up—”
“You ordered crab puffs and a salad with blue cheese,” Sebastian interrupted flatly. She gave him a blank expression, urging him to continue, “I’m allergic to those, mother.”
“You’re allergic to cats and you let that Hunter boy bring that beast in here,” she countered, glancing over her shoulder as if Mr. Puss could have heard her and attacked. Sebastian felt tired already, he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the blow out to finally happen, and it looked like tonight was the night.
“Cats aren’t going to kill me, he also bought me allergy medicine. Shellfish, however? My throat would have closed up—”
“You are just an ungrateful brat, Sebastian, and that's all you have ever been. You can’t be happy with anything I give you, you always have to find something to complain about. If you were that upset over it, you should have said something at the restaurant.”
“What do I have to be grateful for?” Sebastian scoffed. "You should have known, you're my mother. Even Hunter knows, is it so much to ask to have a mother that gives a shit?”
“No one can care about you, you won’t let them,” Miriam snapped, eyes meeting Sebastian’s once again. “We have tried to love you Sebastian, your father and I gave you everything you wanted and more, but you are the one that fucked that up. You are the one that— you tore this family apart, you have no right— we raised you right and you still came out wrong, it is your own fault that no one can ‘give a shit’ about you!”
No matter how many times he heard similar words from his family, it never lessened the sting. He wasn't sure if it was just his mother saying it so plainly to him, or the events of the past week piling onto him, but something inside of Sebastian snapped. He squeezed his eyes shut for a long minute, resisting the burn of tears. The silence was heavy in the room, until he finally pulled himself together enough to take a few steps closer to his mother.
“You’re right.” His voice was quiet and he struggled to keep it from cracking. “You should just leave, let your disappointment of a son continue to ruin himself. Since there’s no hope for me.” He snatched the bottle of whiskey back from her before turning on his heel.
Once he was on the stoop he took a long pull from the bottle, not entirely sure what to do. Usually he would talk to Hunter, but Hunter was not in any state to be his emotional support right now. Plus, that would mean going back into the house. One more person crossed his mind, and he started making his way there before he had a chance to talk himself out of it.
SUMMARY: IT'S BEEN A TERRIBLE NIGHT, but Rachel's making Bagel Bites and -- oh my god, is she CRYING WHILE MAKING BAGEL BITES?!
RYDER LYNN
SO, tonight had sucked some serious ass.
See, it all started with the bagel...... okay, okay, old news, everybody already knows about the bagel. They probably don't know about how Ryder totally cried like a baby in the hospital waiting room and how his phone died before he could even call Sam to COME PICK HIM UP or how he'd had to pathetically flirt his way onto a nurse's computer just to get a hold of anybody.
Eventually, though, a drunk and definitely on edge Rachel had come rushing into the hospital in time to see Ryder sitting propped up in a bed with his leg already wrapped in a pre-cast. A boot sort of thing. The actual cast would happen in a few days, and Ryder was already dreading it. He'd broken plenty of bones as a kid obviously, but that was one of those things that he had totally hoped that he'd grow out of when he got older.
Apparently not. Because apparently twenty-three year old men just wandered off into the street to retrieve dropped bagels like it was just a normal thing for a normal person to do. God, he was stupid. Everyone was right about him.
Ryder Lynn was fucking stupid.
But, see, now he was home. He was home and he wasn't nearly as self-loathing as he had been when he'd been miserable and pathetic in the hospital, because at least now he could sit in his comfy recliner and hang out with his girlfriend (had he dropped the L-bomb on her earlier tonight?), and he may have had a little too much Vicodin in his system right now, but Rachel was making Bagel Bites. And that was freaking exciting.
He could tell the whole way back to the apartment that something was bothering Rachel. He thought she mentioned something about Marley and Santana, but she was texting through a lot of it and Ryder wasn't sure if she was talking to him or talking to herself.
When he thought he heard her give a little gasp, though, he turned around in his chair to look at her, nervously. "Rach?" he asked. "You okay?"
NOTES: Sam comes over to watch Star Wars with Marley in Spiderman pajama pants because he is just. that. awesome.
MARLEY ROSE
Okay, so under normal circumstances, Marley would never ordinarily be all over the idea of watching Star Wars in the wee hours of the morning. However, this was not by any means normal circumstances – namely because Sam was coming over to watch it with her and when it came to Sam, Marley’s pretty sure she would sit through the entire saga in one sitting so long as he was next to her while doing so.
Since getting home from the trip, the two had been spending quite a bit of time together. Marley didn’t want to waste time not being with Sam – that was the thing. She knew that right now, the two of them were on limited time, borrowed time, and Marley didn’t know when the well was going to run dry and Sam was going to be heading back to California. She’d been lucky so far. Two weeks of Sam without the added stress of significant others or being on the road… it was borderline bliss, really, and she was already dreading the moment when he wasn’t going to be there anymore.
They hadn’t really figured out the terms of their relationship just yet – were they dating? were they back together? – but Marley figured that in due time, they would get to all of that, they would figure it out. Right now, she was going to focus on any of it. It was one in the morning and Sam was coming over to watch Star Wars in his pajama pants and that was the important thing here. Together time. That was what she was going to focus on.
She debated between her bedroom and the living room before figuring that Kitty, who was out at the moment, could come home at any time, and the last thing Marley really wanted right now was to get ragged on for cuddling on the couch with Sam while watching the Star Wars saga. She picked up the blankets she had dropped on the couch and carried them to her bedroom, propping up all of her pillows and sliding Episode IV in to the DVD player. When she heard the knock at the door, she skidded out into the hall and into the living room, pulling open the door and all but beaming back at Sam. Scratch that, she was totally beaming.
“Hey you,” she greeted him, leaning in and enveloping him into a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek and then another quick one to his lips before pulling back. His kiss still gave her butterflies, still made her blush, and it was a feeling that she really, really hoped wasn’t going to go away any time soon. “Okay, so I figured we could start with Episode Four and go from there?” she asked, taking Sam’s hand in hers and closing the door with her other free hand, walking backwards through the apartment and toward her room, keeping her eyes fixed on Sam all the while.
