After Midnight

Words: 1061

Summary: New Years Eve with Jacob. Set after the events of Syndicate and Jacob is married to the reader.

Warnings: None really. Bit of suggestion towards the end.

Author’s Note: Well, I intended to post this last night but I fell asleep at 9. So I’m posting this a bit late. I tried to do a little bit of researching about traditions around this time in London. I found a few things, but if anyone sees anything that isn’t accurate, please let me know. Also - minor proof reading. I think I caught all of the glaring errors. Hope you enjoy this, and I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Years! May 2018 bring great things!

The night air nipped along the exposed skin of your face as you rounded the corner of your house. A child-like excitement thrummed softly in your belly, melding with the eager chatter of party-goers stumbling around the main streets. While not a life-changing event, you always looked forward to welcoming in the new year with the rest of the residents of London. It was the marking of the next chapter in the lives of many; new families, unions, advances in knowledge and technology, the possibilities were endless. Of course tragedy could always strike, but you liked to think of the more positive aspects of life.

After all, this city was a good example in of itself. The reign the Templars had on the city of London lasted nearly a hundred years, and a little over ten years ago the Frye twins had wrested it from their grasps. With a steady hold on the city, and a new found alliance between the Indian sect of the brotherhood, the world had finally settled into a peaceful lull. Now the task was to maintain that peace, keeping track of any Templar activity nearby.

Panting softly, your breath misting in the air, you found what you were looking for. A couple of stacked crates was the perfect platform to lift yourself up onto the roof of the two story dwelling. The shingles dotting the roof were slick beneath your boots, but years of practice allowed you to keep your balance until you were successfully seated at the edge. Your legs dangled precariously above the ground, careful not to block the view of any windows that overlooked the small square.

The tradition of gathering in front of St. Paul's Cathedral had become a pleasure to many of the good common folk. Though thought to be rambunctious and immoral, it didn't seem to stop the ringing of the bells every year. Huffing contently, you glanced up at the sky, the stars twinkling brightly despite the lit gaslights and various sparkling lights glinting up from the streets.

Stilling, you cocked your head as you caught the quieted thumps of heavy boots against the roof. Jacob appeared beside you, plopping down with several bottles in hand. He had matured in the ten years you had been married – his hair had been cropped and slicked back in a style you could only call attractive, and the creases around his hazel eyes had deepened. Yet, everything about him was still Jacob. He still had that smug and confident smirk that made you want to smack him upside the head, along with the mischievous glint in his eye that could only mean he was up to no good.

When Evie had moved to India with Henry, Jacob had stepped up to the plate to take over the operations in London. The new found responsibility hadn't robbed him of his antics, however. You both got into plenty of trouble, and it wasn't like London had burned to the ground now that the sensible Frye twin had left.

Jacob offered you a bottle, seemingly pleased with himself when you took it, lifting it slightly to your lips. Taking a drink, you lowered the bottle to rest lightly on the edge of the roof between your knees, wobbling it back and forth slightly in an attempt to soothe your impatience. “Is Emmett asleep?” you asked.

Jacob took a swig off of his own bottle. “Of course, love,” he said softly, as if he could accidentally wake your son with a louder reply. “Though I'm not sure for how much longer.”

He glanced back down to the street with the rowdy patrons, their voices rising the closer it got to midnight. Despite Jacob's misgivings, you knew your son would sleep through the celebrations. Emmett was much like his father in that regard; a herd of stampeding elephants couldn't wake them from their slumber. You knew – you had tried on several occasions to rouse both Frye boys in order to get somewhere on time.

Scooting over, you leaned into Jacob's warmth, appreciating the arm that came to rest around your waist. He offered you a small smile, his lips pressing against your hair as he tugged you closer. As your cheek came to rest against his shoulder you inhaled gently. A comforting mixture of leather, mint, and gunpowder engulfed you, relaxing a tension you weren't aware you were holding in your shoulders.

“Three...two...” Jacob murmured softly against your hair.

“One!” The crowd roared below as Big Ben began to rumble in the distance, closely followed by the cathedral's bells.

“To another year,” you toasted, holding your bottle up.

Jacob's chest rumbled with a soft chuckle as he knocked his bottle up against yours. Instead of taking a drink, he pressed his lips against yours. They were warm and soft, allowing you to lose yourself in him. They brought back memories of your courtship, of days bygone filled with sweet stolen kisses. It filled your chest with a pleasant warmth as you drew away, your breaths mingling.

Beer bottles forgotten, lying haphazardly on the roof's edge, Jacob pulled you into his lap. His arms linked around your back, securing you against his strong chest as his lips founds yours again. Automatically your hands came up, trailing over the rough stubble along his jaw as you returned each kiss fervently.

The fiery kisses and heated touches stretched through the fading of Big Ben's last toll, leaving you among the fading cheers of the drunken crowd. Jacob leaned back slightly, breaking off a kiss as he panted lightly. That familiar spark of mischief glinted in his eyes as he offered you a lopsided grin.

“Shall we take this inside, Mrs. Frye?”

The rough edge to his voice sent a shiver down your spine as you gave him a sly smile of your own and nodded. His grin spread further across his lips as he tenderly pushed you to your feet, ensuring you were steady before rising. Before he could process what you were doing, you carefully pulled your elbow free from his grasp and hurried towards the opposite edge of the roof.

“Catch me if you can, Mr. Frye,” you threw over your shoulder.

“Cheeky little thing,” Jacob muttered, taking after you carefully over the roof.

He couldn't wait to catch you.

Little Town [Part 2]

Words: 3487

Summary: Reader moves to London to escape her ties with her father and the Templar Order. In the process she makes friends with Jacob Frye and comes to the realization the world is a small place. Eventual Jacob x f!Reader.

Warnings: None as of now.

Author’s Note: Okay, here is part 2. Still a little bit slower than I wanted but I think I have some super cute ideas for the next part now that I’m over this hump. Please excuse any weirdness on Jacob’s part. I’ve been revisiting cut scenes to get a feel for him again but I still feel like I need to stretch my legs a bit. Enjoy! <3 <3 And I hope I got this tag thing right too.

Part 1 <-Here

You could barely suppress the soft groan that slipped from your lip as the sun beat in through the thin coverings. By the time you had arrived at your destination you must have been more exhausted than you thought; not only was it rather late in the morning, but you didn't remember the room having a window. Blinking slowly, you attempted to scrub the sleep from your eyes with the back of your hand as you sat up.

The chair was still firmly wedged beneath the door handle – a good sign that no one had attempted to bother getting in during the night. Freezing, you heard the distant chime of Big Ben, signaling that it was ten in the morning. You were going to be late if you didn't hurry up.

Throwing the covers back, you leaped from the bed and immediately began to pull the simple shirt and trousers off. Being sure to fold them neatly, and to put the bed back as it had been before, you dressed in the previous day's dress. It looked a bit ruffled, a few wrinkles creasing the skirts, but overall you deemed that it would be good enough to get back to your rented room. In a last ditch effort to look as if you hadn't just rolled out of bed, you attempted to tame your hair, praying you didn't look like a little urchin.

Satisfied as you could be without a mirror, you removed the chair from under the handle and set it neatly back at the desk. The door opened into a hallway that was empty save for a few pieces of furniture. To the left you could hear faint voices and the clinking of mugs, no doubt the men Jacob had mentioned last night. Speaking to a bunch of strangers wasn't exactly on your to-do list at the moment, so instead you decided to go to the right where you faintly remembered the front door being.

As you turned the corner you stopped short of running into a very tall solid man, a soft gasp leaving your lips. It wasn't Jacob, but someone you didn't recognize. He towered over you and was quite imposing, but he didn't frighten you. Instead, he offered you a warm smile that was almost as bright as his freshly shaved head. The bright green plaid shirt he wore accompanied by suspenders and light tan breeches was suiting, but it made you wonder if you had seen it somewhere before.

Brushing it off, you bowed your head slightly. “My apologies, sir,” you said softly.

Hey guys! Thanks again for your patience :) My brother and I were able to get the laptop back up and running. Thank goodness because I’m not sure if it’s me (it probably is, let’s be honest with ourselves here) but I really do not get along with Tumblr’s mobile app. I can browse on it just fine but when it comes to writing/responding I have a hard time. I’ll be posting Little Town part 2 here in a moment and I’m hoping to get a request posted here in the next few days granted I don’t work a bunch. 

Much love <3 <3 <3 You guys are amazing.

Seriously, this just isn't my week 🙄 my computer has crapped out and I'm in the process of trying fresh installs on everything. Due to this I've lost a lot so now I'm writing on my phone. I appreciate your patience as I attempt to figure this out. The stupid thing isn't even six months old so I guess it's a good thing it's still under warranty. But seriously. Thanks, Dell.

Little Town [Part 1]

Words: 3292

Summary: Overall - Reader moves to London to escape her ties with her father and the Templar Order. In the process she makes friends with Jacob Frye and comes to the realization the world is a small place. Eventual Jacob x f!Reader. 

Warnings: None as of now.

Author’s Note: Oh dear, what is this? I don’t even really know to be honest. I’ve been poking it with a pointy stick all day, but I told myself it was going up. It’s a bit slow at first, but now that intros are done there should be some Frye fun. You’ll probably notice it has some inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, as I’ve been watching it all week. Whoops. Good news - I still have a job and got a promotion of sorts. So that’s what I’ve been doing. Now that I’m stretching my legs (and hopefully not butchering Mr. Frye) I’m hoping to get some requests out. Much love <3

The sun had barely risen above the horizon when you made your way to the station. Faint whispers hovered in clumps of mumbled conversations, none of which you paid any particular attention to. There was nothing worth your attention in this small little corner of the quaint little village you had called home for the last ten years of your life. A variety of people littered the station's boarding area – more than you thought there would be at this time of the morning. The children looked considerably duller than their parents, but you had to admit you would be too if the thrill of adventure hadn't been thrumming through your veins. Adrenaline crept up your spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake as the large steam engine came pulling into the station.

A frown tugged at the corner of your lips as a group of women fell silent in the brief moment you walked past, their eyes bearing down on you. Soon all of that would be behind you. The gossiping whispers – the side-eyed looks - all of it would disappear the moment you stepped into London. London was too big of a city to draw much attention to yourself, much unlike here where everyone knew everyone else. Your father's wealthy and powerful reputation had not spared you the mumbled breathless comments of 'odd girl'.

Perhaps that was something to be proud of. You had branched away from family tradition, losing yourself for hours in books, sometimes while wandering the outer lying fields. Escape was always at your fingertips, even when your father was scolding you for straying from your preordained purpose. You were not meant to be a Templar as he so readily declared; you had decided that long ago. Though you agreed that the Order's purpose was certainly ambitious, it wasn't a place you could see yourself staying. There was so much to see and do in the world, and this little place was not going to further that.

Your younger brother had always been a better study anyways.

Hesitating, you looked over your shoulder, swearing you could almost see your father's angry and disappointed face staring back at you. But it wasn't. He wasn't standing in the crowd, his arms crossed sternly over a chest bearing the symbol of the Order. No, there were only ordinary people in an ordinary place.

The steam engine's whistle shrieked unhappily as the brakes squeaked the massive contraption to a stop. The cars were filed neatly behind it, painted a dark green color. It was a nice sophisticated contrast to the jet black engine sitting at the helm. People exited, oblivious to everything going on around them it seemed. Once they were clear, the small group of waiting passengers began to board. No one shoved or jostled another, instead patiently waiting their turn. Even the children remained compliant as their mothers ushered them forward.

Uncertainty had begun to settle like a rock in the pit of your stomach, lodging what felt like pebbles of doubt in your throat. No, now was not the time for soul searching, as if you could somehow convince yourself that this was where you were meant to stay. Steeling yourself, you straightened, adjusted a pack that was sitting slightly heavier on your shoulder, and strode through the mouth of the car. You were going to do this – you were going to go to a place where you could start over, where no one would know your name.

You were going to London.

So this has been my life these last... oh man, how long has it been? Months. I apologize to everyone who has been waiting to hear from me. I’m going to try to work through my messages and get them answered. I appreciate everyone’s messages and attention. It’s been quite the last several months. As you all know, with my new job, my time has extremely limited and my inspiration gone. 

Well, come to find out, I may be losing my job before the holidays. Sucks, huh? The decision isn’t final yet, and it wouldn’t be just me (budget cut layoffs is how it was worded), but it has certainly put a damper on me. To work so hard for something, to put everything you have into making it work, and then to suddenly have the possibility of it being taken away from you? Crappy, let me tell you. My boss said she’ll fight for us, but I’m taking precautions anyways.

So, cross your fingers for me, prayers, whatever it is you do, I could use it. In the mean time, I’ve been trying to exercise my writing skills again, so I’m hoping to get something up.

And requests are going to be closed until I get what I have done. If you’ve previously messaged me, don’t worry, your request will be on my list. I just haven’t gotten that far.

Love you all <3