Hello again. 

This update is for my love, @mcgonneville love you sweets!

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                                            Chapter Eleven

Five thirty on a Saturday morning finds Cora and Robert still tucked in bed, fast asleep. The wind is howling outside, and the raindrops pelt against the roof harshly, each pitter-patter driven by a strong force that hits against the surface. Outside, it is dark and gloomy, and the torrential downpour that greets them that weekend does not seem to have any intentions of letting up.

Cora rolls over to her side as her hands grip the blanket and she pulls it around herself tighter. It’s cold, cold enough to send shivers down her spine, and she moves, only just a bit, to snuggle closer to her boyfriend. She has stayed with Robert and Mary the night before because they are due at Robert’s parents’ estate that day for Rosamund’s party. And Mary had requested that Cora should be there to tuck her in, so Cora had found it very logical and reasonable to just stay with them. After all, they’re driving to the estate and they are leaving early. Although she knows she shouldn’t spoil Mary as much, and she does try to find the courage to say no to her little girl, she justifies to herself that Mary’s only a toddler, there will be time to learn how to say no later (she doubts it, but a bit of a valiant effort might work), besides it’s just tucking her in, Cora already loves doing that regardless, and it isn’t like Mary has asked for the moon (though Cora knows that if only it were possible and she can, she would). She’ll think about it, much, much later, she supposes, but for now, she’s content enough to know that Mary is only across the hall, fast asleep.

They all have to get up soon, and she’ll need to wake Mary, but one more hour isn’t going to hurt their schedule badly.

Cora feels Robert snake his arm around her waist and pull her closer. He is warm and cuddly, and Cora cannot resist from turning so she’s facing him. She’s not sure she can go back to sleep now that she’s awake, but she’s happy enough to snuggle here with Robert until her muscles protest and she absolutely has to get up. She buries her nose against his chest and lets the rhythmic breathing of his heart lull her to silence. The peace and tranquility of the moment is underscored by the silent love they share. In many ways, Cora feels blessed to be here, to be able to love Robert and be loved by him. It’s not ideal, and Lord knows it’s not easy, but when it’s love like this, how can it not be rewarding? How can it not be worthy?

Hello! I know it's been a long time but law school hasnt been kind.

This chapter has neither reason nor rhyme I know but I wanted to celebrate my birthday with an update. Happy reading everyone. This chapter has smut so proceed with caution!

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Chapter Nine

Robert feels as though the day might not actually end. He'd been ready to go home and rest since nine am that day, the long night he'd suffered with Mary being unwell and cranky had been enough to make him want to throw a temper tantrum himself. He hadn't even seen his girlfriend since the weekend, because he'd been preoccupied with Mary and her illness and her tendency to be clingy on days that she isn't feeling well. Cora had offered to help him look after Mary, concerned as she'd been, and had even shown up in his doorstep with soup for the child, but he'd been resolute in sending her home. He doesn't want her to catch the flu that Mary had because the exams were coming and Cora really couldn't afford to be sick at such a time.

She had acquiesced, but only after extracting a promise from him that she be allowed to come during the weekend. It's Friday that day, and the weekends are upon them, and Robert knows better than anyone that there is no stopping his girlfriend now. Cora had been beside herself with worry over his daughter, and he knows that Cora is itching to see for herself that Mary is getting better.

After all, she had been brought to the doctor's, prescribed some medicine that she mostly refuses to take unless tricked into them, and had been resting for a good three days. Mary is very much on her way to recovery, but Cora isn't so easily placated.

They had agreed to come home together. Robert is to pick Cora up in the coffee shop, or outside, and all he had to do was text her that he's waiting. He had received a text from her, though, that she is just in the library picking up some weekend reading, and that she'll let him know when she's there. It's almost six, and he worries a bit because they had agreed on quarter past five, and Cora is almost always never late. Fifteen minutes isn't much, and she'd already sent him a text informing him she's on her way, just running late, still he worries.

He's sipping the coffee he just ordered when she notices her walking towards the parking lot. She's not alone though, and he spots the same guy she went to the art gallery with tailing her. She looks very much annoyed, but he knows his girlfriend. He knows she's too nice to shoo him away. He wishes he could burst out of the car and make the walking carrot stick of a man go away, but he can't. He doesn't want to make a scene. And that, in no way, shape, or form, helps.

He doesn't know what's being said, but it seems as though Cora is arguing with him. He's helpless but he really wants to jump in defense of Cora.

Yet, he waits.

It had not been difficult for things to fall into place after that. Of course, it is very ignorant to say that everything is easy, or had been easy, because that wouldn’t been true. Nothing this good could ever be easy, but everything else just sort of fit into their rightful places. Cora has never been happier since she’d moved here, and Robert seems so far from what he’d used to be before they got together – grumpy, annoyed, and sullen. He’s still very strict in class, but he’s no longer surly.

The students have taken notice of it too, and Cora tries very hard not to gloat or burst with happiness when her classmates speak about how much lighter Robert’s demeanour has been lately. She tries not to toot her own horn, but she knows she’s partially responsible. She knows this because she feels the same amount of elation and happiness that he feels.

Mary, too, has been such a perfect fit in her own life. She’d been doubtful, at first, where she would fall in the strong and healthy father-daughter dynamic, but everything seems to just fit. Mary has taken to her, and she truly does enjoy the toddler’s company. Mary is very insightful for her age. And although, they haven’t spoken to her about the true nature of their relationship, out of fear she might tell someone they cannot trust, Mary seems to know and regard Cora as someone special – in both their lives, and Cora can’t help but be grateful that she has the pleasure to be in both their lives.

It’s been hard to keep things tightly under wraps. Cora is conscious of being caught and getting Robert in trouble, and Robert is on the same boat. There’s so much more at stake than just his position in the school – there is Mary to think about, and neither Cora nor Robert is ready or willing to sacrifice her for anything. It’d be nice to walk together hand in hand when the air gets too bitingly cold, or kiss when the ghost of their last kiss begins to fade from their lips, or scream into the world that they’re together, that they are in love, but it is never worth risking Mary for just that.

Ask and you shall receive. I’m so sorry, this sort of took a different turn that what you did request, but I hope you like it nonetheless. Thanks for reading and let me know what y’all think!!!! Also, prompt me, mates. Thanks, love y’all!

When the doors close and the lights dim | Cobert AU Drabble

It is probably in bad taste.

Of course, it isn’t like they planned for it to be this way. But it hadn’t been terribly difficult to fall into the same pattern, the same routines, when life had thrown them together after so many years apart.

It had been what? So many years, too many years since they’d last been together, and even longer when they had this – blissful, ignorant, careless happiness, teemed with lust that made their nerves tingle every moment their eyes even met. It’s so much like that now, when they moved across the ballroom and stole looks at each other, while pretending to still hate each other, and pretending to pretend getting along, because when the doors close and the lights dim, it’s an entirely different story. It’s not very different when they glance at each other during the rehearsals or the endless parties or the never ending reunions, wishing they could get out of there…together…and then get naked…together.

That had been so long ago. News from yesteryear, ancient history, done and over with….

…yet, somehow, it’s become current events.

I’m going to pretend that me and my fics are still relevant. So I’m gonna post a sneak peek and pretend y’all still care. 

Robert’s laugh is a welcome repose to her chaotic mind, and she smiles as he hands her the food he’s prepared. It’s not much. A simple spaghetti, but she loves it when Robert cooks, even if he’s so horrifically bad about it when it’s not one of the three meals he knows how to cook.

 She remembers that one time Mary had asked her father to cook a dish she’d seen on TV, and it’s a fairly easy dish, but Robert had looks absolutely clueless and helpless, that Cora just had to laugh at how adorable he’d been. He’d look at her imploringly, dreading having to tell Mary that he cannot possibly make such a dish, so Cora had given in and swooped in, taking the girl by her hand and leading her to the kitchen. Cora had promised to make the dish for Mary and her helpless Father if Mary promises to help, and the reaction she had gotten from the sweet child had been enough to make her beam and her heart be moved. Mary’s eye lit up and she smiled so wide, Cora could see every single one of her baby teeth. Robert had been considerably pleased and moved by this, and a hell lot relieved that he didn’t have to make that out of scratch.

Mary had liked it so much, in the end, that she’d managed to extract a promise from Cora that they will cook together again in the near future, eliciting a big smile from her handsome father, mostly because it means he doesn’t have to wing his way through a half-hearted macaroni and cheese.