InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "GROUP HUG!"

Maryanne Elizabeth Walker (maryanne_walker) wrote in spinningcompass,
@ 2022-05-17 02:28:00

Entry tags:

alexander hamilton, maryanne walker (oe)

Who: Maryanne and Alexander
Where: Crawley's Game Room
What: An Education, and Billiards
When: Tuesday Evening.
Rating: Erm, enter at your own risk, it got steamy.
Open: Nooooo
Status: On going

Maryanne felt a little bad, but only a little, walking into Rawdon's game room in just a short, red, trench coat. The rest of her ensemble hidden beneath, save for the sheer black stockings that covered her legs. And, of course, the black platformed pumps. But Alexander had said he wanted to see them worn, and who was she to disappoint? It was a promise after all. The coat was a decent length, and could be mistaken for a dress, if you weren't used to ankles and collar bones being hidden.

She made sure she got there before Alexander, more so she wouldn't look weird pulling the bottle of Jose Cuervo, quartered lime, salt shaker, and two shot glasses out of her pocket. Just in case he actually wanted to try it, she couldn't make him drink alone. She set all this down on a table close to the billiards tables. Then she went about seeing if there were speakers to pair her phone up with, so she could play a bit of Elvis. But she was no techie, so she gave up after two scans, and pulled out a little mini speaker that gave good sound for its size. That was already paired with her phone, so she just had to turn it on, she placed that on the same table as the drink.

Once she was through setting up she turned toward the door, and sat up on one of the table's edges. Her legs crossed, so not to give a peepshow. Unlike their last one on one meeting, she wasn't nervous at all. She wasn't going to be talking about herself, except for just a little bit, and no big deep dark secrets were going to be revealed. Though what didn't he know?

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-18 04:35 am UTC (link)

"Hey!" If it wasn't obvious with the smile on her face, that she was absolutely pleased to see him, then that one drawled word would have said it all. There was no mistaking the genuine chipperness in her tone. "I'm doing pretty well, today. How are you doing, Alexander?"

Maryanne eased off of the table to her feet. There were things that she could never resist doing, it was part of her makeup, she gave him a once over. She didn't miss the ink stain on his finger. A touch of guilt slid up her spine. "Did you stop to eat?" She didn't know if it was because there were more than a few nights that she went hungry, before she figured out how to provide for herself, or if it was her maternal nature, but she didn't like the thought of someone else going hungry. Especially if they were doing so to help the community.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-18 10:32 pm UTC (link)

Alexander's smile mirrored hers; it was nice to see her looking happier, so many of their conversations had just been painful. He'd seen a different side to her when she'd joined him and Philip for drinks - although no doubt she'd seen a very different side to him too.

That was a difficult question to answer these days, but he was there to switch his over-active mind off, not for a therapy session. "Yeah, I'm good," he shrugged, not offering much more than that.

At her next question a small wrinkle of a frown appeared on his forehead. "Um... no, but I had lunch, and uh... I mean, lime is food?" he joked, gesturing to the little set up she had prepared for them. He couldn't imagine the doctor would be particularly impressed - that he would report tingling fingers and light-headedness and then persist in meal-skipping, but he sometimes just forgot. He wasn't overly good at looking after himself.

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-19 05:23 am UTC (link)

She had noticed a very different side to him. It had been good to see him let loose and have fun. And what she could remember of the karaoke had been fabulous. Even with the hangover, she would absolutely do it again.

While she would have sat and listened to anything he had to say, no matter the subject, she was glad to hear him respond with 'good'. That meant, at least, in that moment he was good, right? And she was going to do her very best not to wreck it.

Maryanne chuckled softly, temptation to smooth that little wrinkle away with her finger was strong, but she resisted. "I figured that. I wish I would have figured it out sooner, but I do have leftovers. And because Tequila on an empty stomach would be bad, I'll go get them. You can set up one of the tables while I do." She pointed over her shoulder at the billiard tables. She would admit that she did want to see him naked, she didn't want it to be because of one shot of Tequila had been had on an empty stomach. She had no idea how it would affect him, she only had memories of how it had affected her when she'd been much younger. She'd know better next time.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-19 10:40 pm UTC (link)

Alexander tilted his head, the frown deepening into a curious sort of expression. She was going to feed him, too? Maybe it was just a motherly instinct, but he really didn't hate it.

"Oh, are you sure? You know you don't have to, I..." he shook his head and sighed a little, not sure why he was arguing with a woman willing to bring him dinner. "Alright, if you're sure, then thank you," he changed his tune, sure that she wouldn't accept his half-hearted protestations anyway.

He headed over to the billiard tables. It had been a while since he'd played, but he remembered the basics at least, and so he got to work setting it up for them.

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-20 04:55 am UTC (link)

"I am absolutely, positively, sure." She almost continued with a teasing remark, one that had been along the lines of her thought process, but she closed her mouth. She didn't really have to behave, but she didn't want to start the night off like that. Maybe after he had some food on his stomach. "I'll be right back." An easy promise made as she walked out the door.

And really it didn't take more than a few minutes, dinner was often left on the stove for night time grazing, until beds were settled into, and it was fully cooled. But she did warm what she snagged, and covered it. And snagged a few other things, and she was back before she could be missed.

"Alright, I don't know if you've had pizza yet, but that was what was left. My kiddos had demolished the chicken nuggets and fries. Applejack sent some cookies, and said 'hi'." Maryanne set the platter and little baggy of apple cinnamon cookies on an empty table. "I brought a bottle of water, because I haven't snooped to see what Rawdon keeps to drink in here. And I didn't know if you'd tried any modern drinks." The bottle was set next to the platter. Coffee was still a no-go for her. But she didn't want to drift into thoughts like that, so she avoided mentioning it.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-21 09:16 pm UTC (link)

While she was gone, Alexander set up the table, and then spent some time being nosy. He looked curiously at the salt and lime, opened the bottle of tequila and sniffed it. Ooft. He picked up the little speaker, and turned it over in his hand, not really certain what it was or how it worked exactly.

Maryanne reappeared, and Alexander put it down with a bit of a clumsy thud, as if he'd been caught doing something he really shouldn't.

"Um. No, I haven't, but I've heard good things," he admitted with a smile. He took a seat and uncovered the plate with a small smile. He wasn't really used to being cared for like this, and at times it threatened to be overwhelming.

"Water's great. Here, anyway. Clear as glass," he commented, tipping the bottle to examine the filtered water with some interest. "Is Applejack with the children?" he asked after a moment, realising that although Philip was all grown up, he hadn't asked about Maryanne's little ones in a while.

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-22 04:31 am UTC (link)

Her attention snapped to him when the speaker thudded back down, she snorted softly. She had children, she knew the 'I wasn't touching it' thud. But besides the grin on her face, and the snort, she chose not to say anything. Alexander could have been going through her phone, and she wouldn't have chided him for it either.

"Well I hope it's as good as the things you've heard. I made it myself." Only a couple pieces had been taken from the pizza, the couple she'd eaten earlier. And she wasn't a fair judge of her own food. She pulled up a chair and sat across from him. She didn't want to miss anything but she didn't want to be obvious about it either.

Leaning her arm on the back of the chair, she watched him. It was fun seeing someone admire the things you took advantage of, or didn't really think about. "Yeah, she was cuddling with Tim and Richie on the couch. The other little 'uns, were in different stages of fighting sleep around the house." Maryanne paused and considered what she had just said. "I've never explained them all to you, have I?"

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unimpeachable
2022-05-22 07:13 am UTC (link)

"Ah, you're always keeping us well fed," Alexander smiled. No matter how well they got to know each other, there would always be a part of Alexander that just remembered her as 'the woman with the good snacks'. Although, he was strangely sure that he could just show up at her place anytime and demand to be fed, and it would happen.

He placed the bottle back down, and carefully picked up a slice of pizza. She hadn't offered any cutlery, so he had to assume that lift and eat was the correct way to approach pizza. "Damn, I'm almost sorry Darcy isn't here to see this," he joked. He liked the guy, but my god he had a stick up his ass.

Alexander took a bite as she started to explain about AJ and the kids. It was good, a pleasant mix of flavours and textures.

"Um, sort of... I saw the list you sent to Liberty about baby names," he told her, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. What the fuck was he doing?
"And you said that you had only given birth... what was it, two times?"

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-22 10:38 am UTC (link)

"Feeding people, and cooking in general, is one of my top three." Maryanne confessed. It genuinely made her happy, it kept her busy and away from crushing thoughts. But she would only tell him the other two if he asked. She was sorely tempted to show up at his office with left overs if working past dinner was a habit.

Well, he definitely made her laugh, one that felt good too. She partially covered her face when she did. "Yes, us Americans are heathens." She couldn't resist another chuckle. A blush raising to her cheeks when she recalled their hungover discussion. She wasn't sure if she could ever look the man in the face again.

Her brow knitted together, she only sort of remembered the list she'd given Liberty. "I got really really drunk after that, I mean I remember doing it, and remember that was why I had to get drunk, but..." Her nose scrunched up just a little. Maybe she should join the AA group. Drinking was starting become a trend. "Oh, three times. Eight of those names are biologically mine. Tim is my first born, and he was born by himself, conceived while I was human. Then it was Mitchie, Howie, and Barney, who were planned, and then I had Mack and Georgie, and Little John and Little Loki. All sets have a different father. Applejack is Richie's Mother. And Clint is Maria's Mother." There was a little pang when she mentioned Clint, her fingers reached for her wedding ring, her index pushing it to turn around on her finger. But that was the only indication that she was bothered. She was curious what his reaction would be to Clint having given birth.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-22 12:46 pm UTC (link)

"Top three what?" he asked curiously. "Talents? It's good. Thank you again," he nodded, as he continued to eat. He was grateful, honestly - he didn't always notice when he was getting hungry, his mind was far too full of other things.

Alexander was glad that she laughed, and he chuckled along with her, feeling light and easy for the moment. "He was very polite about my cooking, but you should have seen how awkward he was about corn on the cob."

When she explained her feelings about the list she had written for Liberty, Alexander frowned a little in confusion. "I don't understand. Why did it upset you?" he asked. The custom of naming children for family members and loved ones was normal in his time, but he didn't quite make the connection to fully understand what she was going through.

She started listing off names, and he found himself counting on fingers trying to figure it out. He was no stranger to people having eight, even ten children, but them all having different fathers, and sometimes mothers, made it more difficult to keep track.

Where did Bucky come into all this?

But he had another question to actually verbalise first. "So, is Tony Maria's father?"

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-23 05:15 am UTC (link)

"Top three favorite things. In fact, since I drop Constantine off leftovers, how about I do it for you too. I'll text you, of course, to see if you're still in the office, or if you've eaten, and if you haven't I'll bring by what me and the kiddos have had. What do you say?" Rather than just drop by like she did with John. The warlock had told her that he wasn't picky, and she did basically dingdong ditch with food.

"I think it would take a lot for him not to be polite. Did he try to cut the corn off the cob?" It wasn't nice finding amusement in the other man's discomfort, especially if he was trying new things. But what she would have loved to be a fly on that wall.

"Liberty will probably never know the people that they were named after. And they were absolutely worth knowing. Besides Steve of course, he's here, in a different capacity. Plus the trip down memory lane dead ends at the bottom of a bottle. I like Liberty, it was a trip I didn't mind taking for her." Though the subject was an emotional one, she did retain a small smile on her face.

"Yes. He's also Richie's, Mack, Georgie, Little John, and Little Loki's." Maryanne couldn't hide the little bit of pride in her voice. Both at the fact that he'd caught that, and because "And I bet you're thinking I left out someone. I didn't. I was saving him for last, because his story is more than me being overwhelmed by scents, and attractive men. A door opened to a time when he was five years old. AJ and Tony were going to adopt a very young Steve Rogers, he was four I think. Bucky and Steve are best friends, so it seemed like the perfect plan for me and Clint to adopt him. We went through all the legal channels, to make sure it was done right. And then we got to meet him. Alexander, I'm not a believer in love at first sight, but when I saw him it was Maternal love at first sight." She smiled through the whole telling, enough that it was starting to make her cheeks hurt. She brought her hands up to rub at them.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-23 03:46 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, that's..." Alexander started, and then cut himself off as he realised the change in circumstances since he had last spoken to Maryanne. "It's very kind of you, but I don't think it'll be necessary. I don't think Liberty would like it much," he added, with a bit of a guilty look. The only reason he'd rushed off without eating tonight was that he hadn't exactly told Liberty who he was meeting, or for what. It was a little underhand of him, even if it was something that had been organised before.

"Yeah, you know he did!" Alexander chuckled. He actually liked Darcy well enough, but the man gave as good as he got with the cheeky comments on the others' culture. Oh, they disagreed on almost every subject, but that was no reason he couldn't like someone.

"Sure," Alexander frowned a little, remembering when Maryanne had told him to go and look at the memorial wall. It was a funny old place, wasn't it? You couldn't grieve people as if they were dead but the loss was just a real. "Oh, shit..." he took a drink of water, and tried to shake the more concerned look from his face. Tequila was not a good plan.

"I don't mean to make you drag it all up, Maryanne, even if you don't mind taking the trip for me either," he told her. "Yeah, I was wondering about Bucky," he nodded, as she started to explain that story from her point of view. It was off-kilter from the version of events he'd received from one of the Buckys. He knew that there were two sides (actually, hundreds of sides) to any story, so any thoughts he had about that whole affair he kept to himself. It wasn't his family, it wasn't his place to comment.

He sighed a little, thinking about 19 year old Philip, 9 year old Philip, and the daughter he wouldn't get to meet for at least ten years, and Liberty's baby that wasn't his but felt like he had some part of. Families were strange things, they didn't always come in the shape you expected. And she didn't even know where he was.

"Umm... listen, thank you so much for the meal, but I don't think the alcohol is a good idea. And uh... whatever you've got under the coat.." he gave her a quick up and down and then shook his head. "As much as it pains me to say it, I'm gonna... say no. I'm sorry, I know you've gone to a lot of effort for me."

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-24 06:27 am UTC (link)

Oh. Oh that was a change. That was new. And oddly she found she was delighted by the prospect. "Waaaait. That means things have changed." There was no mistaking the delight in her voice. "Does that mean you two are together? I mean... I kind of thought you were already, but when you said you didn't know what modern underwear was, and then the flirting..." She trailed off, implying she had put two and two together.

Maryanne chuckled softly. "I know he would hate every second of being called it.. but He's adorable." She could just picture it, and how likely it was that he was getting more messy than just eating it from the cob.

"Oh shit, what?" She hadn't meant for it to be an Oh shit moment, when he said it her eyes refocused on him. Which was kind of needed, the smile did waver just a little, almost like it was kind of a shield. Fake it until you make it moment.

"Oh, I don't mind. They deserve to be remembered." In case she wasn't here to do it. Though she wouldn't want him to be left behind doing the remembering. Writing down the names. Carving them in bits of metal, or stone. "He's supposed to be thirteen. Instead he's 106, give or take." But she still loved him all the same. He was still her boy. And it was something she would never get used to, another fake it until you make it moment.

"Alexander, I didn't bring it here, or you here, to get you drunk. It's here for a taste, if you would have wanted it. Tequila doesn't do anything for me anymore, hasn't since I was around sixteen. But yeah, that door is closed sir." She chuckled at him, waggling her index finger just a little. "I'm a slut, not a homebreaker. And I want you to find your Clint, and if Liberty is that for you I don't want to do anything do hamper, or damage that in any way. But I do wish I would have brought my dress form, because likely her underwear is more like mine than anything you're used to, and you need practice." She teased, since he teased her.

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unimpeachable
2022-05-25 10:14 pm UTC (link)

Alexander's whole expression changed in an instant, as the guilt vanished and was replaced with genuine excitement at actually telling someone. He grinned, and nodded as she spoke.

"Yeah. I know, I think everyone assumed, but we weren't, and now... yeah, things have changed," he explained happily. "Just after the flirting, really. You said that Eliza wouldn't want me to be miserable, and... it's a bit of a leap, I know," he shrugged. People could think what they wanted. He loved Eliza, that hadn't changed, but he wasn't going to spend a decade alone just so no one thought badly of him.

"Oh shit, the memories drive you to alcohol," he explained. "I ask a lot of questions, send you down memory lane again, and then get to drinking. Oh shit, I'm a terrible person for putting you in this position."

She said she didn't mind, but he couldn't help feeling badly about it. Like he was just another man taking advantage, when it hadn't been the plan. "Sure, I guess it puts 19 into perspective," he shrugged. It was weird though, his grown up son. He was still his baby boy, but he was his own man. It was a lot to process, he understood that much.

He felt himself relax further, and he laughed softly when she waggled her finger at him. "Ah, I forgot that regular alcohol doesn't do so much for you. I was..." he laughed and shook his head. "Overthinking, so unlike me, I know."

Alexander really wasn't sure about her underwear, and suddenly it was all he could think about. He'd told Liberty that he needed time, that he needed to take things slowly, but all of a sudden he wanted to know. He shook his head to try to clear the thought away. "I don't know. I mean, she's from about as far into your future, as you are into mine. It could have changed just as much."

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-26 05:51 am UTC (link)

She was glad to see the guilt leave his face, he had no reason to feel guilty. Especially not from following his heart. "Eh, it's not too much of a leap, she likes a lot of the same things you do. She's clearly an intelligent woman." That might have been a little cheeky, because Liberty had agreed, and Maryanne did know she had a little bit of a bias. "Plus the heart wants what it wants, and it will likely make you miserable if you deny that want. If anyone wants you to go through that kind if misery, I will fight them." Maybe she felt a little prideful that it was something she said that pushed him to make a move.

"Oh, you are absolutely not a terrible person. The questions you ask tell me you care enough to learn. Caring doesn't make you a terrible person, just because I have problems dealing with my emotions. It makes my gaping hole feel a little warm that you care." She joked a little, placing her hand over her heart. "Alexander, I would happily bore you to tears about every person that's been here that touched me in some way. Especially, Daryl, Clint and Tony... And Mitchell."

She snorted softly at his comment about 19 being put into perspective. "Oh, don't get me wrong, it's still fucking weird. I just can't outwardly project how weirded out I am because I don't want my kids, or yours, to feel rejected, or bad about it, in any sort of way. I've been here for ten years, and it doesn't get any less weird. If anything it's more weird now than it was when it first started happening, because they're now swapping places with their younger selves." She had to wonder if her older self still found it weird.

The thing that she had tried to do since he had got here was finally achieved. He was placed in that friend box. The one with 'no touchy' scrawled all over it. It wasn't quite the Steve Rogers box, but it was close enough. "Just a little, I think it's the gentleman in you, because most women get drunk easier than you." She chuckled softly.

Maryanne shrugged. "It could be, I hope it is at least more comfortable, but... Shepard is from 2186 and her military issue underwear is almost exactly the same. Don't ask how I know, I just know. The bottom half is easy, because whoever invented them was a god, or a goddess, because they're perfection, for the most part." She drew the basic shape of panties in the air with her fingers. "And when you see them, I suggest take them off with your teeth. Because if her knees aren't already jelly, they will be." She sat up straighter, twisting an arm behind her. It only took a second before she was dragging her bra out of the sleeve of her coat. She took the time to rehook they eyes on the back before she put it on the table. "Here, take that, wrap it around one of your pillows and practice taking it off. It is worse case scenario bra." Because it had five hooks on the back, but besides that it was black, lace and silk. "And also, that was lesson one as to why, if we ever drink and do karaoke again, that I can't wear a skirt. It makes it too easy to take the underwear off and fling it at the singer."

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unimpeachable
2022-05-26 09:02 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, I didn't mean about Liberty. I meant, it's a bit of a leap to assume that because Eliza wouldn't want me to be miserable, she would be okay with me starting a relationship with someone else," he explained. "Knowing my wife, she would probably say that she's fine with it, but she'd be lying because she tends to put other people's happiness before her own. It's a difficult one to really consider, because it is not as if I ever asked what the agreement was if I ever time travelled, or ended up in outer space," he added with a bit of a chuckle. "I don't think people would want me to miserable, but I can understand if they had a moral objection. It... it doesn't concern me, they are entitled to their opinion," he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.

There was clearly either something very wrong with his mind, or Maryanne was deliberately talking in innuendos. Either way, he wasn't sure he fully disguised the befuddled look when she mentioned her gaping hole and all the people who had touched her. "Uuuhh... well, okay!"

"I know exactly what you mean," he nodded when she mentioned her outward projection. "I think that is precisely why I tried to keep it together for so long. Just because I am deeply unsatisfied by the prospect of staying on this space station for a decade, I certainly didn't want to project that disappointment onto Philip. It could easily be misinterpreted as my unhappiness at some aspect of the young man he has turned out to be, and that could not be further from the truth," he explained. "It's just that when I first arrived here, Eliza was about as far along as Liberty is now. Then there was the malaria, and after that I knew him at two. Then he came here at nine, and then... well, you know," he shrugged. "I know people say that they grow up fast, but this is extreme," he took a drink, seemed like he was done, and then started again. "Oh, and you know I didn't want to tell him we were from different years? He figured me out at nine, apparently, because I never talked about Angelica. Not my sister in law, but my daughter. Apparently we're super tight, and there's no way in hell I'd not have talked about her. So that's... really great, and also really shit," he paused for all of two seconds. "Sorry, I know I talk too much."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Told you - total lightweight here. Two glasses of wine and I'm giggling," he smiled.

Then the conversation took a huge turn, and Alexander wasn't sure what to do with it. It was a lot of information coming at him all at once. She'd seen Crawley's missus in her underwear for some reason he wasn't meant to ask about, then she was talking about a bottom half and drawing some sort of... triangle? Take what off with his teeth?! What the hell was the bottom half?

He nearly asked, but considering she then pulled off the top half and it was now sitting on the table between them, he didn't dare ask about the bottom. He looked at it curiously for a moment, and then laughed nervously. "No, no, because then you know, she finds it one day and asks why the fuck I have some other woman's underwear, you know?" he shook his head.

It still didn't make sense. "There's nothing under the skirts in 1784, so I can't picture it. Do not take it off and show me," he added quickly, and held out a finger as if stopping her in her tracks before she got any more funny ideas.

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-28 05:00 am UTC (link)

Maryanne knew, from what she knew from history books, that he was right. Because Eliza lived another 50 years past him and didn't remarry, and spent it caring for Angelica, and securing his legacy. But she had a feeling that Alexander would grieve himself to death, or work himself to death, if he spent the time he had here alone. So while it wasn't truthful... "I don't think Eliza would want you alone Alexander. If she knew what this place was like, especially in the quiet of the night..." She closed her eyes and shook her head lightly, as if keeping herself from going all the way to that place. "And she probably would have handpicked Liberty." She said after a moment. "If anyone has a moral objection, they had best have a spick and span record themselves. Because if I know one thing about the bible it's God does not like hypocrites 'Judge not, lest ye be judged'." She punctuated that quote with a stern nod.

No, he didn't hide that befuddled look very well. "Instead of asking you, what put that look there, I'm going to elaborate. Because I realize in hindsight, that might not have come out how I wanted it to. I was referring to my heart as the gaping hole, because while I have plenty of room for familial, and platonic love, I don't have the area required for romantic love." And while that sounded sad, she chuckled just a little. "And in case the mention of 'touched me' was taken the wrong way, because I mentioned the fathers of my children... I meant people who made me care about them, I never slept with M..." She stopped partway into his name, because a memory that had been buried resurfaced. "I never slept with Vampire Mitchell." She elaborated instead. Because that wasn't a lie.

She propped her elbow up as she listened to him. Sure their circumstances were different, but it was like he knew exactly how she felt every time. And like she promised she was tuned into his every word. "First, that's what we get for having smart kids. They're always going to figure stuff out that we don't want them to. Second, you never talk too much. Never." She would hammer that last point in every time she felt like she needed to. But there was also the point that he could have gone back, like with his 'fever dream' and just didn't tell Philip about it. But, to keep from any backward steps, she wouldn't mention that part.

"I vaguely remember the giggling. And can I call bullshit? Because I was absolutely trying to keep up with you that night." She teased, with a little bit of a chuckle. Because why not?

"Then you don't hide it, you tell her the truth. It's a learning aid because otherwise there might be difficulties being sexy and removing her bra. Unless giggling while you're trying out your moves on her wont be a turn off... And if she hasn't found it, just throw it in the garbage when you feel like you've aced it." She wasn't pushing too hard, but she felt that it was important. Especially for their first time together. "The reason I have eight children is because Tony's mad skills with taking off a bra. I mean I could've been minding my own business cleaning up after the kids, and he'd walk in from tinkering in his workshop, just walk past me like barely pause, and I wouldn't realize he'd undone it until he was on the couch with a 'cat that ate the canary' smile on his face." And she hoped with his overestimation of her powers that he'd get what that meant.

She did end up giggling at him though. "I wasn't going to. You're just going to have to wait, and find out. Panties aren't hard. But I am also fully aware that there were nothing but skirts for women in 1784. I felt fully exposed even with that gigantic dress on at Adam's."

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unimpeachable
2022-05-29 12:00 am UTC (link)

Alexander scrunched up his nose, not sure what to make of the idea of his loving wife picking out what would essentially be a mistress for him. He also wasn't particularly thrilled at the idea of Liberty as a mistress at all, it was too empty and shallow a descriptor for what he felt for her. But that seemed like a lot to get into, over a very new relationship. "Bible's not big on adultery either, but hey," he shrugged, and gently laughed it off.

"Mm, yeah, sure. I got the true meaning as well, I just... have a filthy mind apparently," he cleared his throat, feeling a little stupid. He just never knew how to take some of these modern women, and Maryanne in particular always seemed to shock or surprise him in one way or another.

Alexander tilted his head and gave her a curious look when she insisted that he didn't talk too much. He would have begged to differ, but she certainly looked like she was having none of it. "Hmm. Okay. Well, I guessed he'd figure me out eventually, he's obviously not traumatised by it at least. I just... I don't know. I feel very torn," he admitted. He still longed for Eliza, and he desperately wanted to be allowed to meet his daughter... but he also desperately wanted Liberty, and the life they could make for themselves in this place.

He laughed at her calling bullshit and shook his head. "No, no, I don't... that was an exception, not the rule. I do not drink like that, I was a fucking mess," he chuckled. Oh, God, the singing, the photos, his kid having to put him to bed.

There was a lot to consider, and the more that Maryanne talked... maybe she was trying to help, but he felt like he'd been given a lot more to worry about. Would Liberty really find it so awful if he fumbled and couldn't do it in one smooth movement without her noticing? What? He felt his breath quickening in slight panic as he glanced at the discarded underwear again. Shit. He wasn't a man that often felt crushing self-doubt, and definitely not over his abilities with the ladies. Was it really something that required extensive practise and research? Was he going to be disappointing to the point of embarrassment? Fuck.

"I think I'm in way over my head," he said mostly to himself. He got to his feet, feeling his cheeks flush and lungs sting suddenly. "I know you're trying to help, I just- I need to go and- I don't know, scream into a pillow or something now," he told her.

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maryanne_walker
2022-05-31 04:47 am UTC (link)

"Eh, how much of it is the actual Bible, and how much of it is King James being a big bag of dicks? I mean, he was a English King, they have a habit of being asshats. I read somewhere that there isn't anything at all about homosexuality in the text he had it translated from, but it is instead a line about pedophilia. So who's to say there is really anything about adultery." She spoke matter-of-factly, as if she knew, as if she wasn't an adulteress heathen herself. But he was her friend, and she wouldn't let him beat himself up for following his heart.

Maryanne lightly rubbed the toe of her shoe against the leg of the table. "I... happen to love your filthy mind. I just felt I needed to elaborate, because I'm unapologetically a slut, and Mitchell was very pretty..." She unlocked her phone and turned it toward him after she pulled up a series of pictures. "And he had the loveliest Irish accent..." She trailed off, because she'd already said she and that particular Mitchell had not slept together. There was more to it, but she didn't want to bring down the mood.

She sat back a little, putting her hands on the table, letting her phone sit where she'd placed it. "I definitely understand where you're coming from. You want to protect him, I do it too. And sometimes it's easier when they find out, rather than telling them." She knew the kids, and AJ still didn't know about Tony's inevitable demise. She just couldn't bring herself to tell them.

"I don't know, I think I need a repeat performance. Was it really that bad? I mean sure the drum beat in my head was unforgettable, but I remember enjoying myself before the hangover." But that was really all she remembered, it was clear she was teasing, mostly, by the chuckle in her tone. "God, I almost whined at you and begged you to come over with coffee, so I would be able to drink it."

She caught his scent change way too late. He was standing up and she realized how badly she fucked up. She knew in the depths of her soul, if he walked out that door right then, that she probably would never see him again. She did something she didn't do with anyone, but her kids, she reached out and grabbed his hand hoping it would stop him from leaving. "I'm sorry, I'm an asshole. Please don't go."

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unimpeachable
2022-05-31 11:19 pm UTC (link)

Alexander gave a soft snort of a chuckle at her comment about King James. He wasn't buying it, he knew she was just trying to make him feel better. At the same time, it was all too common in his own time, he just would've tried to be a little more discreet about it.

"Oh, yeah? Huh. It gets me into all kinds of trouble," he told her, as he leaned forward to look at the photographs she was showing him. "Sure. What's not to like," he shrugged. He couldn't have guessed at any of the significance of her sharing - to him, he was a dear friend that she has lost, and not gotten over at all. It just highlighting how cruel this world was.

"Mmm. He had a lot to deal with already, you know? He's got me, but he lost everyone else," he explained. His mother, aunts, grandparents, friends... his whole little life.

Alexander would have questioned her comment about the coffee, but he was far too lost in his own anxiety by that point in the conversation. She grabbed his hand, and just for a second it panicked him even more. His heart leapt with fear, and then her words followed and the feeling seemed to settle again into more of a sadness.

"No, you're not an asshole. You're just being realistic," he conceded.

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maryanne_walker
2022-06-01 04:23 am UTC (link)

She hoped her attempt worked at least a little bit. "Well that's half the fun of having a dirty mind, isn't it? The trouble you stir up..." Maryanne bounced her eyebrows just a little, as her words trailed off. She had showed him the pictures to put a face to a name, to make him more real. She sighed softly. "I forget the point I was trying to make." Because she had been looking at the photos too. "That baby is Tim, my oldest, the picture taken shortly after Mitchell moved us into his home, after Daryl had been killed. I can't say I'd ever known someone as kind as Mitchell, that cared as much as he did, before I had met him. He adopted Sophia, you know, made it legal after one of the first doors opened up."

She knew exactly what Philip was going through. What Alexander, himself, was probably going though. Her head bobbed in a bit of a nod. "But he has you," She aimed his words back at him. "And having a loving, caring, father is so very important. I'm more than sure that there isn't a second in his life that he's ever questioned whether you did or not."

Maryanne very nearly dropped his hand like it was a hot pan when he was enveloped in the smell of fear. But instead she held on. Hoping she was grounding him, even though she'd caused the trouble to begin with. When the sad look crept over him her heart sank.

"I should have been more optimistic. You're smart, and quick witted. And you still have that player vibe. Likely you'll have her knees quaking, and thighs damp before you even get to that point, so if your fingers slip, and brush over skin, you'll illicit a throaty groan from her, and maybe a whispered plea of 'Don't stop'." She had demonstrated each as the words left her lips, without thinking.

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unimpeachable
2022-06-01 10:18 pm UTC (link)

"Depends on what sort of trouble," he shrugged. Sometimes it was harmless fun, sometimes it risked absolutely destroying everything you'd worked for. And that tended to depend on the other person involved, now he thought about it. He gave a small nod at her explanation of Mitchell. "He's been gone a long time now, hasn't he?" he asked to clarify.

"God, I hope not. I'd never want him to have any doubt that I love him," he beamed. "I've thought he was perfection since... I was going to say since the day he was born, but probably even before that I'd made my mind up," he gushed a little.

Maryanne held on, and as the surge of fear passed again he let his fingers curl around hers and he gave her hand a light squeeze. She won a small smile from him as she started talking, but the turn of the conversation went a lot dirtier than he was expecting, and very quickly. His teeth grazed his lower lip as he watched her practically acting out something of a fantasy, now starring him.. and Liberty? Or was that not who she was imagining anymore?

"Hmm. It sounds like you've spent a good amount of time thinking about this," he smirked, taking a step closer just to see what she'd do if he invaded her personal space a little. "Are you sure that's Liberty you're talking about now?"

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maryanne_walker
2022-06-02 04:36 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Well, with people that it wouldn't offend, or closeted dirty minded people, the trouble is usually fun." And of course the obviously dirty minded wouldn't mind. It was the ones that were offended that would be where the trouble started. "Five years, the whole time we've been on the station. He was killed in our battle against The Man with a few others." If she hadn't had Clint, Tony and AJ... she would still be a mess. As they sat there, she was kinda proud of herself that she didn't tear up, and her voice didn't crack when she mentioned how he'd passed.

A warm smile spread over her face, as he gushed. That was one thing that would warm her to her core. A man gushing about his child. "I was going to say, you may have to deal with a rebellious phase, but he's such a sweet young man that I don't think you will. With a voice that would make the Angels weep." She honestly looked forward to teaching him anything he wanted to know.

As the scent of fear faded, and he squeezed her fingers, Maryanne felt herself relax. He wasn't going to run for the hills, and mark her down for a lost cause. Maybe. But when he bit his lip, her gaze visibly dropping watching his teeth scrape over it. She might have gone a little too far, and maybe counted her chickens before they'd hatched too when she'd silently celebrated his friend box shuffle.

Her first instinct wasn't to step back, that was for sure, when he stepped forward. Part of her wondered if he'd let her, seeing as he now held on to her hand as much as she held on to his, even as he called her out. Fortunately the coat hid most of her automatic response to his invasion, but it couldn't hide the color that crept up her pale skin. And she allowed herself an indulgence that she'd denied since they'd all returned from France, she took a deep breath and let her senses drown in the smell of him, her eyes closed as she did. "I've always been honest with you Alexander... No, I wasn't talking about her. I wouldn't know how she responded to you, jealousy might have kept me from inspecting it when I had the chance." She dared to open her eyes again. Was the lusty tone in her voice something she imagined? She dared a half a step toward him.

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unimpeachable
2022-06-02 09:58 am UTC (link)

Alexander tilted his head, and leaned onto the table with his elbows. "Sure, but it's one thing talking a big game in 1784, and quite another when the ladies discover I can't even get them undressed," he told her, somehow managing a little joke at his own expense despite the anxiety. God, you had to laugh at yourself sometimes.

It was weird, talking with a real sexual intensity one second, and then back onto children and lost friends the next, but that just seemed to be how Maryanne rolled sometimes. And Alexander was a passionate man, used to allowing himself big feelings, so it made it all a bit of a rollercoaster.

That was interesting though - killed, he wondered morbidly what actually happened if you died in this place. Did you still get to go home, or was that it, game over? He didn't think it wise to verbalise that particular thought. "I'm sorry," he said simply instead.

He gave a soft laugh at the thought of Philip's rebellious phase. "Oh, I think I see it. He's going to resist my lengthy economics and politics lessons, and insist on playing the piano and chasing the ladies instead," he chuckled, and gave a little shrug. "The first is his passion, the second I can hardly be a hypocrite about."

Alexander kept her gaze the whole time, catching the way she looked to his lips, the way she breathed him in, her skin flushing at the very suggestion that they weren't talking about Liberty anymore. Oh. Damn. Maybe he wasn't such a laughable disappointment after all. She hadn't imagined the tone in her own voice, and even though there was a little voice in his head telling him stop, he chose to ignore it. He was a curious man, and when she gave even that little half step of encouragement, he took it as an invitation.

His free hand lifted to brush his fingers lightly against the exposed skin of her neck, moving down towards her collarbone, feeling the flutter of her her pulse under his touch. He was suddenly very aware that, if she let him, he could just untie the coat and she would be near enough naked for him. Not even any complicated bra to worry about any more. "Jealousy, hmm?" he teased softly.

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maryanne_walker
2022-06-02 12:22 pm UTC (link)

Maryanne didn't buy that for a second, that he didn't know..."Oh, like you don't know that one smoldering look with those beautiful brown eyes wont melt the clothes off of any lady you wanted. You wouldn't even have to use words, or your fingers." She held up her hands, jazz hand style, and wiggled her fingers. She hadn't been on the receiving end of one of those looks, not that she knew about anyway. But she could tease him a bit.

It was a trait of her being southern, going off on wild tangents. Sometimes getting tripped up on them and forgetting her way to the main subject. "Hey, I can talk about him, and about how he passed, without getting all teary eyed. That's progress right? I just wish you could have known him." It was hard being sad when she knew he was in a better place. "But thank you. You remind me of him, a little, you know." But clearly not in enough ways to make her not want to see him naked.

She chuckled softly "Lord." She drawled that one word out long enough that it could have been two words. "Should I be worried about my daughters?" She teased. "I use music, with my kids, as a treat. It's something they get to do, only after work is done. He's welcome to come by every afternoon if you want to use it that way. When he returns to being nine of course. I mean they do their homework there in my classroom, and jump on whichever instrument is tickling their fancy that day." It made it easier on her, being a 'single parent'.

All her experience couldn't have readied her for Alexander. Even her imagination couldn't have. It felt like she was drowning, in the most glorious way. His scent, those eyes, his voice... He touched on every one of her senses, and overwhelmed them at the same time. And when he actually touched her bare skin? A soft little purred moan left her lips before she knew it was there.

Maryanne swallowed thickly, and forced her eyes to meet up with his again. Even as she wondered if he could feel the way her heart seemed to hammer. Her hand squeezed his, lightly, almost as if she didn't her knees might just give out. "Yes. Silly I know, I had no claim on you. But I can't say I've hidden the fact that I've wanted to lick the sweat off your body, after making it rise to the surface." It was her best attempt to keep up with him, as she leaned into his touch, practically begging for more without speaking the words.

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