#this was supposed to be short and sweet but harry got me in a quarter-life crisis mindset

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 10 of it’s always ourselves we find is here!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 

[kristanna / m / modern au / coworkers & enemies to lovers ;) ]

Once again, he was woken up by a hand shaking his shoulder and Anna’s voice as she said, “Kris. Kristoff. Wake up, I need you.”

“Mmff...what?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

“Remember how yesterday you said you owed me a favor?”

“Uh-huh.”

Through bleary eyes, he watched as she bit her lip, her eyes nervous. “I need to call it in.”

That got him waking up. He pushed himself up on an elbow with a wide yawn. “Okay, I’m up. What do you need me to do?”

Her face melted into a fond smile. “Nothing. I just need to borrow one of your shirts.”

“What for?”

“To wear.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s gonna fit you.”

“I’ll make it work. I have to. We’ve got that conference call with Harry today doing the dry run, remember? And I, um...I forgot my nice dress was bunched up in the bottom of my suitcase, and I just realized my shampoo leaked all over it, and--”

“Alright, alright, yeah, just grab one from the closet, no problem,” he said with another yawn. “But it’s really not gonna fit.”

A sigh of relief escaped her. “Thank you so much, seriously.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Quick as lightning, she leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. “Go back to sleep, Kris, it’s not even half-past six.”

The only reply he could conjure up was a nod, hoping the room was still too dim for her to notice he was blushing. Mercifully, she only lingered long enough to squeeze his shoulder before darting towards the bathroom.

The next time he woke up, it was to the beep of his alarm at a quarter past seven. He sat up, swung his legs over the side, and stretched, his back cracking as he arched his arms over his head. Anna peered around the corner of the bathroom then, her hair falling in soft curls over her shoulder. “Morning, sleeping beauty,” she said cheerfully.

“Morning. How’s the shirt situation working out?”

“You tell me,” she said, a little shy, before stepping out so he could see her.

Fuck, he’d never been so glad to be wrong. The shirt didn’t fit the way it was supposed to; it hung loosely around her slender frame, the hem hitting a couple of inches above her knees and revealing the graceful line of her freckled legs. She’d pulled a cardigan on over it, hiding the way the seams had to be falling off her shoulders, and left the top buttons undone, showing off her collarbone and a delicate gold necklace that nestled there. Kristoff didn’t know a hell of a lot about fashion, but he did know that she looked like she’d walked right out of one of the giant posters he saw stuck up at the mall-- and that he’d be more than happy if she wore his clothes for the rest of her life.

“Is it that bad?” she asked timidly, and he realized he’d been gaping at her in silence for what was probably an embarrassingly long amount of time.

“Jesus, Anna,” he breathed, “you’re keeping that shirt, okay?”

Her cheeks colored at that, but when she crossed to stand in front of him, she was wearing a smile. “Will you help me roll the sleeves up? The shirt’s all bunched up under the cardigan, but I think if I roll them up and over and get the cuffs right it’ll look better.”

“Of course. Let me see.”

She lifted an arm, and he began carefully rolling up the sleeves the way she’d requested, feeling his mouth go dry as he saw how delicate her wrist was next to his broad hands. He wanted to linger there when he was done, trail his fingers over the pale, silky skin of her forearm and press a kiss to her palm, but instead moved to the other arm without even looking up.

“Thanks, Kris,” she said when he had finished, catching his hand in hers before he could pull away.

He gave her fingers a soft squeeze and glanced up at her with a lopsided grin. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. This almost makes up for all the times you’ve stolen my post-its. Now hurry up and get ready before the line for the waffle maker gets long.”

“Knowing you, feistypants, you’ll just elbow your way past anyone who gets between you and something sweet.”

“And knowing you, you’ll just glare at anyone who takes too long at the coffee pot and they’ll melt away on the spot.”

“I glare at you all the time, and you’re still here,” he pointed out.

She grinned at him then, and something about it made his heart constrict. “Yeah,” she said warmly, “I am.”

---

“Excellent work, you guys,” Harry said with a grin. Behind him, Elsa gave them a thumbs-up and mouthed fuck yeah.

Kristoff set a hand surreptitiously on Anna’s lower back, like he’d been doing during the whole presentation, as if to steady himself. “Thanks, boss,” he said, his relief palpable.

“Any suggestions for how we can improve it?” Anna asked. “Do you think using Prezi slows it down too much? I can remake it in Keynote if you want, or I already have a backup PowerPoint.”

“No, I--”

“And are there enough pictures? I know people get overwhelmed with blocks of text, but for some of this the pictures felt extraneous, so I just thought--”

“Anna, no, it’s--”

“And did I talk too much? I know I tend to go on and on and--”

“Miss Delle,” Harry said firmly, and her mouth snapped shut. “I typed a short list of critiques. Once Elsa has a look over it and adds her own thoughts, I’ll email it to you. But it’s all very minor stuff, really. The important thing is that you two really know your stuff about the tech we’re using and our online sales and engagement strategies. Seriously, great work. We’ve got a conference call in a minute, though, so if you don’t mind--”

“Oh, of course! Thanks so much, Harry, really,” Anna said breathlessly. “See you Monday!”

She headed over to where the laptop was perched on a lectern, moving to click the red button and end the call. Before she did, though, she watched as on the other end, Harry turned to her sister and said, “Don’t know why the hell my brother’s always requesting we review their department, do you?”

For a moment she froze, hearing Kristoff suck in a breath behind her. Harry glanced over his shoulder then and said, “Oh, sorry guys, forgot to hang up.”

“I’ve got it!” Anna squeaked, ending the video call before he could say another word.

She turned on her heel and saw Kristoff hadn’t moved, his expression inscrutable. She crossed back towards him, but his eyes didn’t move from the now-black screen. “Fucking rat bastard, huh?” she asked softly, setting her fingertips lightly against his forearm.

He sighed and looked down at the floor, not meeting her eyes. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip, lingering for a moment to see if he said anything else, but his thoughts were clearly miles away. She slid her hand down then to give his fingers a brief squeeze before turning away to retrieve her laptop and settle back down at the table they’d been working at in the most out-of-the-way meeting room they could find. 

Kristoff joined her after a moment, already slipping his reading glasses back on as he hunched over his laptop. “I gotta finish running these reports,” he said, not looking up, “then I’ll help you with whatever Harry said.”

“No worries,” Anna replied, tapping her fingers against the table as she waited for the email to come in. 

Harry, despite being one of the baker’s dozen and one Westergaard brothers, was, all things considered, a more than decent boss. He never got too in the way of the work, was always willing to listen to new ideas, and-- most importantly, in Anna’s opinion-- kept Elsa, who worked as his executive assistant, from overworking herself like she always tended to do. When Anna had been hired on, he hadn’t known the two of them were related, but he’d grinned when he found out and said he was looking forward to having the pair of them around.

As far as Anna knew, he was higher up on the ladder than Hans in terms of who was likely to inherit the company when it was passed down to the next generation, and she was grateful for it. Hans saw everything from a sales perspective and didn’t bother to consider the people involved, and he was outright cruel to people when it suited him, whether it made sense or not. She couldn’t help but wonder why Kristoff in particular was--

A large hand settled over her still-tapping fingers, pressing them flat against the table, and she jumped in surprise. Her eyes flicked up to see Kristoff looking at her, half-amused and half-irritated.

“You’re gonna drive me insane if you keep doing that,” he teased, his voice light.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “just got lost in thought.”

“S’alright,” he reassured her, sliding his thumb under her palm so he could squeeze her hand. “Is the email in yet?”

“Oh-- I wasn’t even looking!”

She returned the squeeze before pulling away to refresh her inbox. “Here it is-- yeah, Harry says....’switch slide four and six….bigger font for the headers...great job.’ And Elsa says ‘relax, both of you’.” 

When she looked up, Kristoff looked stunned. “That’s it? Really?”

“I...yeah. Shit, maybe we work together better than we thought.”

They exchanged shy smiles, each of them unsure of what exactly to do next. The fixes would take less than five minutes; there was nothing left to do but present tomorrow. Well, Anna corrected herself, he probably has lots of emails still about IT problems, probably wants me to get out of his way--

“Do you...do you wanna take a break?” Kristoff asked suddenly, raising one hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Like...we’re at the beach, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Anna replied, trying to quell the tide of excitement in her chest that was going to overwhelm her if she wasn’t careful.

“And we’re the only department with something big like this, so everybody else has already been doing fun stuff, you know?”

“Definitely.”

“So...we could have a turn. For a little bit, anyway?”

She couldn’t fight her smile any longer. “So...what do you wanna do?”

He grinned. “Race you to the room and then down to the beach?”

Before he could say another word, she was on her feet and running for the door, her laughter trailing behind her.

#kristanna #my fics #iaowf

[annakie]

Am I once again posting about the Voyager Relaunch Novels?  Yes.  Yes I am.

I am re-reading the Post-Endgame Voyager Relaunch novels and marathoned reading The Eternal Tide over the last two nights and all I have to say is Janeway and Chakotay love each other so much, I was literally sobbing through about six sections of the second half of that book.  

The Kirsten Beyer books are SO GOOD.  And as I’m re-reading them I love how she handles every single one of the Voyager characters but especially Chakotay.  I feel like she understands Chakotay and gives him everything the writers of Voyager never quite grasped about his character in seven seasons.  Full Circle is such a powerful story of his love and his grief, and the rest of the crew’s love for him (especially Tom, B’lanna, Harry and Sev-- wow his friendship with Seven is so awesome throughout the Beyer books, everything it should have been in the show and not what we got in Endgame.  The support they have for each other without forcing a cringey relationship back onto them adds so much to BOTH of their characters.  Hey this paragraph went way off the rails but I don’t care.)

Anyway I really love the plots of each of these books, I love how they handle EVERY character (well, I miss Tuvok -- at some point I’m gonna get to the Titan novels) and the new characters are pretty great (oh man Cambridge is a fave, and so much better than the new consular that was introduced in the Spirit Walk books.  Loved Eden, love Farkas.)

I made a post a few days ago about how Chakotay is the whole “upstanding, solid, good guy” archetype that some people dare to call “boring” I’ve previously talked at length in a post about Mass Effect about how that’s just... my favorite kind of character.  And Chakotay is just... so that.  It also made me realize that the Janeway / Chakotay dynamic is also very similar to a Shepard / Kaidan dynamic (powerful commanding officer of her own ship woman character, solid, good, honorable mature right-hand man first officer (or close to it) male character and maybe that’s why they’re both two of my favorite ships.

Anwyay here’s some spoilery thoughts about The Eternal Tide.

Chakotay telling Seven about his relationship with Janeway evolving before she died, and how he doesn’t think he’ll ever love any other woman!

Confirmation that Chakotay was thinking about proposing when they were supposed to met in Venice!??!  What!?

Janeway thinking about Chakotay right after her resurrection and how deeply she feels for him and wondering about how her death affected him!  Also I kind of love that Chakotay DIDN’T come to her mind when deciding whether to return to life or not?  This was her decision and making it about A Man I think would have made it feel less about her and how she knew she would be taking responsibility for The Multiverse, which is what it absolutely should have been about.  Realizing what her death would have done to him basically the second she was alive again... that part was so well written.  I loved it.  Her relationship shouldn’t become the basis of who she is -- but it adds to her.

Their... reunion... scene... almost being ruined by Q... Chakotay’s utter shock and disbelief and the description of him slowly beginning to have his heart open up to the possibility, him inching closer to her as she’s thinking that maybe she’s made a mistake and understands just how deeply her death hurt him... that.... entire... SCENE.  (Actually about once a year I dig that book and Full Circle out just to read their getting together / reunion scenes.)

Getting Seven’s reaction to Janeway was also very, very good.  I wish they hadn’t cut past the scene where the rest of the Voyager staff sees her for the first time but we did get a little taste of it.

Um okay and then Janeway tells Chakotay she loves him for the first time and he says it back, naturally but like, this is as Chakotay was preparing to go on a suicide mission?  SOBBING.  They didn’t even get a day together, but at least they got to say goodbye this time.

Janeway forcing herself not to think about Chakotay’s death because things just got so much more dire.

Yes they won, but Janeway all alone on the battle bridge and she can’t even bring herself to contact Voyager yet because she just needs time to mourn Chakotay for a few seconds and takes a few seconds, a few breaths, a few moments... and then... OMG.... Chakotay is returned by Godson Q just before his death and they’re so happy... I CANNOT.

THE EPILOGUE where they’re in bed and had spent every possible moment together and so casual and free and happy together... it’s everything we ever wanted for seven seasons and seven more books.

--

Oh I started this post now almost a week ago and now I’m a few books forward and hey am I now going to talk about Protectors?  Yes, yes I am.

J/C don’t get to spend a lot of time together in this book.  Janeway gets sent back to the Alpha Quadrant to undergo counseling and evaluation which, tbh, is totally valid considering she DIED A VIOLENT HORRIBLE DEATH and then WAS DEAD FOR FOURTEEN MONTHS and then you know RESURRECTED AND IMMEDIATELY HAD TO SAVE THE MULTIVERSE oh yeah not to mention WAS REUNITED WITH THEN HAD TO TELL CHAKOTAY GOODBYE FOREVER A FEW HOURS LATER then oh wait THE MAN SHE LOVES WAS ALSO BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD (or the brink of death, whatever.)

There’s a short and sweet goodbye scene then for the bulk of the book Janeway is back on Earth going to counseling (which, that second counseling scene was so great, and seeing her slow down and enjoy life with her mother was so great, and um also that scene with her and Picard?  Wow.  Just Wow.  Also I can’t wait to go back and read some TNG books because I need to see JL/B actually get together.)  And the entire time she’s just like... not even doubting her relationship with Chakotay even a little.  She thinks of him and is excited to be reunited but every time it’s like “the man I love” “The person I plan on spending the rest of my life with” and even “the love of my life.”  WOW.  Just Wow.  Chakotay worries a bit but never doubts.

Oh and then she basically tells her commanding officer “yeah um, thanks but I absolutely have no plans on curbing my relationship with Chakotay to make you feel more comfortable.  Also JL/B and Riker/Troi are all married so fuck you?”  She does agree to keep separate quarters on another ship which is like.. fine... whatever.  But also her going “Yes he’s my subordinate but we’re not going to let that affect our working relationship, we’re adults.” Fuck. Yeah.  Montgomery asks if they’re gonna get married and Janeway is all “IDK, probably? We’ll let you know.”

And B’Elanna asks Chakotay the same thing and his answer is also basically “Yeah at some point, we haven’t talked about it yet but yeah we’re spending the rest of our lives together now stop prodding me.”

Their reunion when she returns doesn’t go as planned and it’s a teensy bit worrisome at the end but with notes of positivity.

--

OK I’m only about 1/3rd into Acts of Contrition but I got to a part last night that made me put the book down for a minute and thank Kirsten Beyer out loud.

J/C finally get to spend some time alone several days after she makes it back to the fleet in the Delta Quadrant.  They have a brief discussion about The Plot, then Chakotay is like “Know what?  We’ll talk about The Plot Stuff tomorrow in the briefing.  Let’s instead talk about us.”  And then he stands up for what he wants!  And Janeway listens, and they talk, and agree!  And then Chakotay is like “Okay, now I really want to hear about what happened to you back on Earth for all those weeks!”  So... literally they just... sit and talk for several hours like, I don’t know, real people would?  There’s no drama!  And they both affirm their commitment to each other and their relationship!

It’s just... it’s... so good?  Their relationship is so solid!  They LOVE EACH OTHER and it’s based on their solid friendship (something else they actually say out loud!) and they talk to each other and there’s no like drama for drama’s sake about their relationship so far and it’s like, better than even any fanfic I’ve ever read (and there’s some great fic out there for these two) because nearly every other character is also getting their screentime and character development (minus Tuvok -- who’s off with Riker and Troi on the Titan and Neelix isn’t around much -- though he’s spoken of and we see him a bit when they visit New Talax).  Also it’s... beta canon.  No matter what, this is real and accepted beta canon.

I have been going back and listening to all the episodes of the Literary Trek podcast episodes about these books, and for Eternal Tide and Protectors Beyer herself was on the podcast and listening to her talk about Chakotay and Janeway both individually and as a couple her love for them both is clear, she loves the show and knows what she’s doing and is allowed to do it, and her writing is so damn good.  One of the hosts of the podcast has said in several episodes that he used to really dislike Chakotay as he was in the show and now book Chakotay is one of his favorite characters.  And honestly? I do love show Chakotay but book Chakotay is... everything show Chakotay should have been.  But he’s also been through hell and back and I love how Beyer used that experience -- and now Janeway’s resurrection experience -- to advance them BOTH individually and how that’s affected them as a couple now that they actually get to be that.

There’s so much other good in these books.  Tom and B’Elanna’s storyline and the way she writes them and their marriage... I could write so much about it.  Harry gets better characterization!  A plotline!  A promotion!  A love interest that may actually work out?!!? We’ll see.  And SEVEN. Wow. So much happens with Seven and it’s so great, I love her so much and Book Seven is again, even better.

Two more books have come out since the last time I read the series and the final book comes out next month, I can’t wait to see all the great moments Beyer has coming up for them.  It also makes me twice as happy that Beyer is so involved with Picard. It’s so clear the love she has for these two and I can’t imagine J/C not still being Alpha canon with her involved.

#star trek #voyager #janeway x chakotay #kathryn janeway #chakotay #Kirsten beyer #annakie's misc stuff

[bluestwitch]

That look in your eyes Chapter 4. She took off her shirt

A/N. This chapter may be a little disappointing. I'm sorry, but no explicit sex is going to be found in the story. I'm comfortable with allusions and innuendos –and had a lot of fun researching info about them- but I feel embarrassed even writing a heated kiss (I'm no prude, I just can't)

The chapter is super short, but I wasn’t inspired to make it longer, and I didn't like resolving the cliffhanger just after it.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who are reading this story, and an extra one to those of you who take your time to leave a review. Folks, I'm having big time. You are wonderful.

2003

“The moment I took off that shirt, I felt I was losing my virginity,” recalled Ginny.

 Harry looked at her, amused. “Technically, that happened more than a year later. Back that day, we only ditched clothes and…”

“Sex is much more than coitus, darling,” interrupted Ginny. She stretched in the bed before resuming her speech. “That day marked the first of many firsts and it was sex, even if we did ‘nothing’, “ she made the quote signs in the air. “And you behaved like a gentleman, letting me take the lead in all of them. For me, taking off that shirt was a big deal.”

“For me it was a big step, too,” said Harry. “I had my own issues about taking off shirts, if you recall the night at Gryffindor common room. Besides, after what Zabini did to you, I was terrified of hurting you in any way. So I vowed myself not to push you into any form of intimacy and wait until you felt ready. And I don’t regret it.”

Ginny turned to look at him. “Did you read it in that book Ron gave you on your birthday?” She smiled and winked.

“How did you know about it?” asked Harry. “And no! I figured that on my own. Besides, I think women should always take the lead in sex. If things go south, consequences are worse for you… well, they can be, er… I don’t know how to explain myself.” He let out a big breath.

“You don’t need to. You’ve always been sweet.” Ginny planted a kiss on his cheek. “Luckily for both of us, I inherited the randy genes of the Prewett side of my family, or we would have been still holding hands and kissing on the lips,” she giggled.

“These days I take the initiative, too. I learned from the best.” Ginny shoot him an alarmed look. “You, of course,” he said, chuckling. He began to tickle her. She laughed and fought him until she got off.

“I learned from the best, too,” she replied, catching her breath. “Fleur.”

“And I thank her for that,” said Harry. “It still amazes me how you two went from despising each other to getting on so well. Not that I’m complaining,” he smirked.

“It’s called sorority. Nothing makes you bond with another person like being attacked by Death Eaters on a wedding day. Fleur put herself in front of Gabrielle and me. She tried to defend me like a true sister. On the days that followed, she offered words of comfort. It’s only natural I turned to her for sex advice. Hermione and Luna are great, but Fleur outsmarts them in the matter.”

 “Too true. You really surprised me on the night we technically did it. There I was, sneaking into Harpies quarters under the Cloak, up for some innocent snogging and cuddling-“ Ginny snorted as she heard that-, “and you practically assaulted me!” Harry feigned being scandalized.

Ginny snorted again. “Oh, come on. It’s not my fault if the Harpies have an excellent potioneer in the Healing team. Every month they gave out Contraceptive Concoction freely. All my mates took it, well, the straight ones at least, so what was I supposed to do? Refusing it would have been like saying ‘hey girls, I’m dating Harry Potter but we’re not shagging’. No way I was doing that. So I figured I might as well took it. Forgot to tell you, but I don’t recall you complaining afterwards. Quite the contrary,” she said playfully.

“You should have warned me. I carried Muggle condoms in my pocket, to be prepared, just in case, and I didn’t even have time to fish out one. Until you told me about the potion, I was terrified I could knock you up.” Ginny shook with laughter. Harry sighed. “Oh, not again”.

He resigned himself to wait until the laughing subsided. Eventually Ginny sobered up and asked him: “And what are those condums things?”

Harry blushed. He tried to hide it while racking his brains trying to come up with the best way to explain it, but Ginny was no fool.

“Hmm, Potter, I think I can tell there’s a good story behind that condim stuff.” She winked at him.

“There’s one indeed, Weasley, but it is a long one and it doesn’t involve your blazing look, so Scheherazade here will keep it for another occasion.” And before she could protest, he quickly added, “Condoms are little, er… raincoats for the… well, you know…” Ginny doubled over in laughter again.

“Oh, please, tell me,” she said, wiping tears. “For the love wand? Custard launcher? The Fun-tastic stick? The flesh fiddle?”

Harry frowned. “You know perfectly well what a condom is, don’t you? You just love teasing me. Am I right, Weasley?”

“Oh, I only wanted to see you struggling for avoiding to say penis,” she said. “Of course I know what a condom is. Some of my teammates have dated Muggle boys. Condoms are useful for avoiding STD as well as pregnancies so they used them in addition to the potion. The wizarding equivalent is a spell, but you can’t cast it in front of an unsuspecting Muggle, so it’s the best option for one night stands with them.” Harry gaped at her. “Oh, don’t look me like that. The Harpies’ lockers room is a real school for life. I just never considered using it because I knew neither of us had been intimate with another person, so the Concoction was enough… of so I thought…” She nearly whispered the last part.

“You thought… wh-“

But Ginny changed the subject. “One thing I want to know, did I have that famous look of mine on that night?”

“How could I know?” he said.” It was dark, remember?”

“Oh, it’s true. Damned Florence! I swear she could detect a privacy charm in her sleep. She’s the main reason I hated living at the quarters. So, after my birthday, when was the next time?”

Harry looked down. “Hogsmeade trip, Halloween.” He saw Ginny stiffen. “When you broke up with me.”

#hinny #hinny fanfic #harry potter #fanfic #harry potter fanfiction

[dontshootmespence]

Magical Morning

A/N: Day 20 of the 25 Days of BAU Christmas! The BAU members in Harry Potter World, all of whom are staying at Hogwarts this year and celebrate Christmas together! Featuring as many BAU babies throughout the seasons as I can fit in to a small piece. :D

“Get up! Get up! Get up! Happy Christmas!”

The Hufflepuff common room was basically empty - only fourth years Spencer Reid and Penelope Garcia, and prefect Alex Blake remained behind. 

Year after year, Blake stayed behind, preferring to keep those alone at Christmas company, rather than going home. Muggle Christmas was fun and all, but she had a great family, she could be with them anytime. Penelope was an orphan, living with Kate’s family, and Spencer preferred not to go home - as a muggleborn four years into magical living, he was still astounded by all that he saw and Christmastime was no exception. 

Although girls and boys weren’t supposed to go into the others’ living quarters, Blake, Penelope and Spencer were the only ones there, so Blake let it slide when Penelope ran up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory, complete with Callahan family sweater emblazoned with the letter “P.”

“Get up, Spencer! It’s Christmas!”

A huff of air escaped him as Penelope jumped on top of him. “What time is it?” Always such a heavy sleeper. 

“It’s time for food in the Great Hall! Christmas with friends! Without having to care what house we belong to! Co-mingling! Presents! Get up!” Penelope levitated a pillow and sent it flying towards his face as she turned to run back down the stairs, letting Blake know he’d be down momentarily. 

As he roused from bed, he looked out the window at the grounds; it’s what he’d done every year since he started, and it was no less amazing today. Everything was covered with snow - from the Quidditch Pitch to the tips of the trees in the Forbidden Forest, so dangerous and deadly, yet so beautiful with shimmering crystals floating above it. With a swish of his wand, he carried his gifts down the stairs for his friends. 

A beater and a chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, both Matt Simmons and Jennifer Jareau had been drilling all week for the upcoming games. Exhausted didn’t even begin to cover it. “Simmons! It’s Christmas!” Aaron said, pulling the bed off the younger man. 

He popped up in bed, immediately aware that he overslept. “Thanks, Aaron. Practice has been killing us. Should we go wake JJ? Wouldn’t want to be late for breakfast with everyone.”

Matt quickly changed his clothes and followed Aaron up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory. There were a few other girls staying behind, but they tended to stick with each other, though they were always invited to the festivities. JJ however was staying at school this year. Her family wasn’t the same after her sister had died; it was too hard to go home. “I’m up!” She screamed as they approached the door. “I’ll be there in a few. Go ahead without me!” 

Without hesitation, Matt and Aaron turned around and headed out of the Gryffindor common room and toward the Great Hall. JJ probably just needed a moment alone; she’d be down soon, and then they’d all make sure she had a Happy Christmas.

“Are we all ready yet?” Prefect Rossi screamed. He, Emily Prentiss and Elle Greenaway had left their Christmas shopping until the last minute. They’d had to run to Hogsmeade on super short notice and grab what they wanted to for their friends, coming back to wrap things late last night.

Elle strode down the stairs, with Emily right behind, with a smile on her face. Her last gift was wrapping itself as she walked. She’d gone home for Christmas some years, and others she hadn’t. Emily had a muggle mother; she was something called a diplomat, so she was rarely home of Christmas anyway, making it easy for Emily to choose to stay at Hogwarts. “I wrapped mine last night.”

“I was too tired,” Elle laughed. “I passed out as soon as we got back. What about you? Prefect Rossi?”

“Stop calling me Prefect Rossi! You know how much I hate it.”

Elle patted him on the shoulder as the three walked out of Slytherin house and down towards the Great Hall. “That’s why I do it.”

“Your babygirl and my best friend are waiting!” Kate yelled. “Everyone is waiting for us! Derek Morgan and Luke Alvez, get up right now!” Kate had barged into the Ravenclaw boys’ room and ripped the blankets off them without even taking two steps inside. 

Both boys’ stomachs grumbled as they groggily got up. Luke had been up late talking to Spencer from Hufflepuff - one of the reasons he had stayed behind this Christmas, and Derek had been practicing with the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. “Why are you so loud?” Derek asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“Because it’s Christmas and I’m hungry!” She smiled. She walked over in between their beds and smacked them both. “Now get up. Get changed. Get your gifts and let’s go!”

She was already decked out in her family sweater stitched with a “K,” and considering she’d barely had anything to eat last night she couldn’t stop thinking of roast turkeys and boiled potatoes and buttered peas. Her stomach started to growl. “Hurry up!”

Both Luke and Derek ran down the stairs, chocolate frogs in hand for Kate. “Eat these or you might kill us.”

“I might anyway,” she laughed.

As Spencer, Blake and Penelope entered the Great Hall, there eyes immediately floated upward, following the enchanted snowflakes as they fell towards the table and disappeared. 

In the days following up to Christmas, giants had been hired to carry in trees almost taller than the Weeping Willow. They were decorated in gold and silver, green, red and blue, baubles and tinsel and lights - the tree could barely be seen. But it was beautifully bewitched.

Ahead, already seated at the tables were Jennifer Jareau, Matt Simmons and Aaron Hotchner of Gryffindor, as well as Elle Greenaway, Emily Prentiss, and David Rossi, who lived in Slytherin House. On Christmas, no one bothered with assigned house tables, and instead just sat together. At this time of year, they could all sit together without having to worry about what others in their house might think. “Happy Christmas!” Penelope exclaimed, running over to her friends and embracing them with all the warmth of Christmas Day.

While the nine students exchanged holiday greetings and stared in wonderment at the enchanted ceilings above, Kate, Luke and Derek entered through the mile-high doors. “Happy Christmas!” Kate called, still nibbling on one of her chocolate frogs. Derek had insisted she eat something, lest they die on the way down the stairs. “Should we eat first? Or gifts?”

“Eat!” They all called.

Smiles and laughter abound as they all sat on either side of the Gryffindor table. Kate immediately grabbed a little bit of everything, but managed to pass things over to Luke and Derek in the process. Spencer, who rarely ate all that much, being too nervous about getting chastised by Professor Snape, much like that Harry Potter kid a year behind him, filled his plate to bursting and barely said a word as he ate. Penelope fixated on the roast turkey as she always did, while Rossi, Emily and Elle did more flinging of food than eating. 

It was nearly an hour before they all stopped eating, and the plates still looked full. Turkeys still fat and plump. Potatoes still piled high. Peas still swimming in their basin and cranberry still full to bursting in its bowl. “Gifts now?” Penelope asked as she bounced up and down in her seat.

Slowly but surely, everyone rolled towards their presents, too full to bother standing up. One by one, each of them handed out boxes of all shapes and sizes, some packages too, wrapped up in colorful bags and tied in neat bows. Only one of them had packages of one size and shape - Spencer. He stared at them happily, knowing full well that all of his friends had gotten him books.

“Open now?” Emily cried. She was too excited. Her mother was her mother, but she never really felt a ton of love and warmth from her - with her friends, it was different. 

As the prefects, Rossi, Aaron and Blake gave the go ahead, watching as paper went flying in all directions. Spencer unwrapped book after book, as was expected. He’d devour them within days, but he loved them all the same. Most Potente Potions, Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, Important Modern Magical Discoveries - all fascinating, at least as the son of two muggles. 

JJ and Matt got memorabilia from their favorite Quidditch team - the Banchory Bangers. Derek received a new broom, courtesy of everyone chipping in. Emily and Elle got a mountain of items for pranking their friends. Everything from Zonko’s was wonderful, especially the inflatable tongues. And Rossi took joy in eating his gifts as soon as he opened them - he had a weakness for Fizzing Whizzbees. 

On the other side of the table, Kate unwrapped a mountain of Chocolate Frogs, which was good, considering she was still in the process of collecting all the cards, and Luke received a love potion, though he wasn’t sure from whom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Spencer and wondered, a smile plastered on his face.

Practical as always, Aaron asked for quills and self-tying ties - anything that could make life a little easier. And Blake received a mixture of books, some sweets and a new perfume that smelled of freshly-cut grass and newly-laundered clothes. 

From Kate and Penelope came matching sweaters! Kate’s mother had taught them the knitting spell and the two spent all year trying to perfect it to make sweaters for their friends. 

Despite the early morning hour, everyone was excited and awake, desperate for something else to do. “Well, it’s snowing out,” Matt said. “Snowball fight? Guys versus girls?”

“I mean that’s not fair,” Elle laughed. “You boys are obviously going to lose.”

Luke scoffed. “I don’t think so Greenaway.”

“I say we settle this,” Aaron replied with a smile. “Everyone should return to their dormitories, put away your gifts, get into your sweaters from Kate and Penelope of course, and meet out on the grounds in 15 minutes.”

The hoard of students bounded up the stairs and returned to the grounds promptly all wearing their matching sweaters. “Okay, this goes the muggle way,” Emily said. “No enchanted snowballs.”

The boys all groaned, but agreed. Snowball fights were one of the few things that muggles did better, plus, it would force Luke and Spencer to team up making snowballs. She hoped it would get them to see that they liked each other. Although maybe she should take her own advice...

JJ was waiting with the other girls, a snowball in hand that she passed over to Emily, their hands grazing slightly and sending chills up their spines, much different than those the weather brought. “We all ready?” JJ called.

“Ready!” The boys shouted. 

Rossi walked into the middle of the two teams and lifted his hands. “Let the best team win! On your marks! Get set! Go!”

Among the gently falling snow, in matching sweaters, it could not have been a more perfect morning. 

@unstoppableangel8​​ @coveofmemories @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 @jamiemelyn @sexualemobitch @rmmalta @lukeassmanalvez @reddie-for-mileven @original-criminal-fanfics @lookwhatyoumademequeue @hogwarts-konoha @rt8815 @amarislestrange @sarahkay-19 @bagelsofdoom @xxfeelmylovexx @psychoticantisepticeye @bitchinprentiss @dsgirl4987 @captainreid @teatimewithtiya @queenanneslace4 @the-awesome-one-with-pigtails @tippy06 @ultrarebelheart @static-001 @remember-me-forever-silent-angel @dependsonthering

#25 days of bau christmas #spencer reid #derek morgan #luke alvez #aaron hotchner #david rossi #matt simmons #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss #elle greenaway #penelope garcia #kate callahan #alex blake #dontshootmespence #harry potter #gryffindor #slytherin #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #magical morning

[whenstoutmetablonde]

September 3 - Day 19

We got to Uig after a 2-hour ferry ride from the port in Harris. While the weather wasn't that bad on our route over, the other fleet out was delayed and potentially cancelled due to the rough winds! Our time was pretty smooth, thank goodness!

We luckily were able to have the guy in charge of shuttles caravan us up to our hostel for a small fee. While our place doesn't look that far away, Google Maps said it was a 40-minute walk and it was all up hill. Oh, and did I mention the rain had really decided to give it a go at that point? We would have been soaked and miserable but as luck would have it, we were neither of those things :)

The hostel is incredibly well-kept and is pretty posh, honestly! The kitchen is large and has nice cooking utensils and cutlery and large green sofas situated alongside large wooden tables. When you look out from the kitchen, you get a view of the town and port below. While the weather may have been a bit shit last night, the view was definitely not!

Fortunately the front desk has food for purchase, so we settled on a can of soup and beans (really soul-warming food with the chilliness outside!) and we ate amongst the rest of the hostellers here.

Everyone has their own private bunkhouse that is up top from the main entrance/kitchen area. The flight of steps is a bit aggressive but when you reach your little house, the exercise is worth the set up your given. The field behind and next to your sleeping quarters is a field littered with baying sheep, running around and foraging. While I wasn't a fan of the whistling wind (it's always given me the heebie-jeebies), the pitter-patter of the rain softening over the course of the night was a sweet lullaby.

Pretty sure the weather isn't supposed to clear up on our trek towards Portree, but luckily the bus stop is at the bottom of the hill and a very short walk. I'm hoping that there will be a bus stop cover! 🤞

I will also try and have @stanley_flat make some more appearances, but with the fickle weather in Iceland and Scotland, I'm afraid her raincoat just isn't that strong to protect her entirely from the elements that change at a minute's notice. (And only having pictures of her drinking may give cause for concern, which, she just doesn't need that kind of negativity in her life. Let a flat stick live!)

#Scotland #travel #adventurethenbeer #adventurethenscotch #worldtraveler #globetrotter #explore #sheep #flatstanley