Thursday: On Vacation

[neshel.livejournal.com]

My last day... *pout* I shall have to come up with some crazy themes and do this again!

Today's theme is On Vacation.

After yesterday's insanity, our characters really need a break. What do they do to get away from their normal lives?

Please think about our wonderful codemonkeys and use the correct format (the second is for crossovers).

Fandom, Pairing, Prompt
Fandom1/Fandom2, Pairing, Prompt

Firefly, River, Building sand-castles on the beach
Torchwood/Heroes, Jack/Ianto/Gabriel, A broken stopwatch spoils half their vacation plans

Please remember not to post more than 5 prompts in a row and more than 3 prompts per fandom. If one or more of your prompts are answered, you can prompt again later in the day.

If you don't see anything you like, you can always Adopt a Lonely Prompt.

Comments

[anthimeriate.livejournal.com]

Dollhouse, Adelle/Claire, "I've always wanted to see snow."

[gsr-rocks.livejournal.com]

(Admittedly, Adelle has probably seen snow. She's obviously English and England does occasionally get snow but I couldn't help myself here.)

Topher is trailing behind Adelle, babbling about a television show and successfully setting a new record for annoying his boss. She sighs as they reach her office and turns to face her excited employee. “I hate to end this lovely conversation but this is my stop,” she says, one hand on her hip while the other rests on the doorframe.

“Oh, yeah, right,” Topher mumbles. He peers over Adelle’s arm, looking into her office, and gestures with his index finger. “I could come in with you. We haven’t even started talking about the robots yet!”

Adelle has run out of excuses and patience and is about to tell Topher exactly where he can take those robots when a light touch on her upper arm jolts her from the annoyance. She turns, unsure of what she will find, and is relieved to see Claire standing on the other side of the threshold.

“Not now, Topher,” Claire interrupts. She drops her hand from Adelle’s arm, leaving a spreading warmth through the older woman’s body. “I need Ms. DeWitt to go over some cases with me.”

Topher’s expression falls and he turns to leave without another word. Adelle moves quickly into her office before the imprint technician returns. She closes the door and almost instantly finds herself pressed against the wood, Claire’s hands on her hips while her lips kiss any and all available skin.

“Cases is now code for a quickie,” Adelle comments as her fingers tangle in Claire’s hair. “I must keep that in mind.”

Claire sinks her teeth into Adelle’s neck, leaving little red impressions on the otherwise flawless skin before pulling back just enough to look into the older woman’s eyes. “I saved you from the robots and this is how you thank me?”

“I’m sorry,” Adelle quickly says. Her hands fall from the younger woman and she lowers her gaze. “I really need a vacation.”

“Where?” Claire asks. She leans forward and kisses the faded bite marks, waiting patiently for an answer.

Adelle sighs softly and shrugs. She doesn’t have a specific destination in mind, she just knows she wants to get away. “Somewhere far from this place. Somewhere we can be together without hiding in an office.”

“I’ve heard Canada is nice,” Claire offers, her lips against the shell of Adelle’s ear. “It’s cold, though. We would have to stay inside.”

With a groan, Adelle pulls Claire closer for a quick kiss. She doesn’t even have to consider the option; she’s already trying to remember where she put her down-filled coat. “I’ve always wanted to see snow.”

[restlessme.livejournal.com]

Heroes, Elle & little!Noah, sandy beaches

playdates - gennish, PG

[tigriswolf]

Sometimes, when the voices in Gabriel's head get to be too much, Elle takes Noah to the beach. They build sandcastles and sandangels, play in the waves, chase seagulls. It's the most peaceful she ever feels, spending time with Gabriel's son.

He never calls her mommy or mama. She kisses his cheek and his forehead, tickles him till he begs for mercy, laughing almost too hard to breathe.

Gabriel always smiles at her when she brings Noah back, brushes his fingers along her hand or her face. "Thank you," he says.

He never kisses her. She never mentions Sylar or her father.

(When Claire catches up to her, Elle doesn't have a chance to tell her what a mistake she's made because Sylar's sleeping in Gabriel, and he doesn't trust anyone else enough to let them take Noah away so he can have time to make the voices stop.)

[anthimeriate.livejournal.com]

Dollhouse, Adelle/Claire, Adelle uses a work conference to trick Claire into taking a vacation with her.

[gsr-rocks.livejournal.com]

(Slightly over the the character limit. Continued in the next comment!)

Standing in line at the Burbank airport, Claire sighed exasperatedly. She hates lines, disliked them more than Topher’s references to Star Wars, and especially detested them when she was forced to wait with her boss. Adelle had connections, more than imaginable, and Claire felt certain that the older woman could have called someone and had them moved to the front of the crowd of people.

Aside from her intense annoyance, Claire felt severely out of place. She was wearing khaki pants and a white button-up blouse while Adelle wore a sleek black dress that stopped just above her knees and heels that made the younger woman jealous. Given their outfits, Adelle seemed like a celebrity while Claire looked the part of a bodyguard and she didn’t like feeling as if she was a servant to the older woman, no matter how true it was.

“I’ve never heard of this conference,” Claire murmured as she shifted the strap of the bag on her shoulder. “What’s it called again?”

Adelle tightened her grip on her own bag as she stood up a little straighter in an attempt to see to the front of the line. Neither woman could see very far for the length of the line was too long and she instead glanced down at the tickets in her hand. “Doesn’t matter. They just need us there.”

Claire furrowed her brows and stepped closer to Adelle. “Why me? I can understand you going since you’re in charge of our House. But why not Boyd or even Topher?”

“Mr. Langton is significantly less fun and Topher is too much,” Adelle explained fluidly, avoiding Claire’s gaze. “You are just right.”

Taken aback by the statement, Claire dropped the subject. She was curious but knew that Adelle would fill her in when she deemed it time. And until then, Claire would have to find something else to focus on. She glanced around, surveying the thousands of people trying to get around and couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Watching people was always a good way to pass the time.

She must have been focusing too intently because sometime later, she felt a hand on her arm and discovered it was Adelle. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Claire replied at once. She blinked and looked ahead of them to find they were the next pair to be waited on. “I just got distracted.”

Adelle nodded absentmindedly as she stepped forward and Claire was right behind her. The older woman handed the tickets over the counter and smiled at the attendant. “We’ll be in the air soon and you can get distracted by the feel of your ears popping,” Adelle joked quietly.

“Maui?” The attendant asked as he opened the slim folders and pulled out the tickets. “It’s beautiful this time of year.”

At the utterance of words, several things happened at once. Adelle’s face turned a bright shade of red, Claire tilted her head to the side to look at her boss with a million questions in her eyes, and the attendant apologized, thinking he had spoiled a romantic surprise.

“Maui?” Claire repeated. She moved closer to Adelle, making sure only the older woman could hear her voice. “What exactly is going on?”

“W-work conference,” Adelle lamely replied. “I told you we were going to one.”

Claire shook her head. “I think we’re the only ones going to this work conference.”

“No, there really is one going on!”

“In Maui?”

Adelle lowered her gaze, feeling more embarrassed by the second. “Okay, not in Maui. In Chicago,” she explained, watching Claire’s expression change from annoyance to relief and back to annoyance again. “But Chicago isn’t a good vacation spot this time of year! With the snow and everything.”

“It’s June,” Claire offered through gritted teeth. She ran her free hand through her hair, trying to decipher the situation. “We can still get tickets to Chicago and make the conference.”

Adelle held up one hand to stop Claire. “I know it was wrong, tricking you like this. But the way I see it, we’re the hardest working people in that building and we are overdue for a vacation.”

[prototypical]

Death Note, Light/Misa, what the paparazzi misses

[voksen.livejournal.com]

Light walks in to the rather disturbing sight of the task force gathered around a tabloid, heads pressed close together. From Matsuda, this is not unexpected, but for the rest --

He clears his throat, turning and shutting the door behind him a little more loudly than is probably strictly necessary.

When he looks back at them, Matsuda has the mag in his face - literally in his face, so that he has to lean back a couple inches to see clearly.

It isn't what he had thought it might be; nothing to do with Kira at all. It does, however, have to do with him: it's three blurry, terrible photographs, one of Misa with her arms around him, two of a kiss.

"Is it okay, Light?" Matsuda asks anxiously from behind the glossy pages.

Light laughs, casually, lightly. Around the tabloid - around Matsuda - he can see the others pretending to be working diligently. "It's fine, Matsuda," he says. "It was just a kiss. They already know I'm Misa's boyfriend."

He smiles into Matsuda's relieved face as he finally lowers the paper, pushes it onto the table by the door, and then visibly realizes that he's not doing anything useful, as usual.

"How about coffee?" Light suggests, and Matsuda nods, hurries off.

Picking up the tabloid again, Light flips idly through the pages, reading Misa's story. And, hidden from the the rest of the task force again, he lets himself smirk: facades, after all, are meant to be seen; by the world, by the press, by the team - by Misa herself. It's what's behind them that really matters, and that, that's all his.

[anthimeriate.livejournal.com]

Bones, Angela/Brennan, "Work isn't all there is."

[anthimeriate.livejournal.com]

Heroes, Matt/Mohinder & Molly, "Can we go to Disneyworld?"

[skinthief.livejournal.com]

Supernatural, Sam/Ruby, snow.

Supernatural, Sam/Ruby, snow

[emmademarais.livejournal.com]

They wind up in Maine, so far north Sam thinks he could spit on New Brunswick if he didn't think it would freeze before it got over the border. It's above zero, but anything below freezing's hard on the Impala, old as she is and with Dean not around anymore to maintain her... No, he's not going to think like that. They're going to find a way to get him out of Hell. End of story.

He doesn't know what he'd do without Ruby. He's been bossed around his whole life - first by his father and then by Dean and, though he'd never admit it, Jess really was the boss of him too. He thought he just liked strong women, but really, he just missed someone taking over so he didn't have to worry about making mistakes. Mistakes cost lives in their work and Sam? Didn't want that much responsibility. He'd already lost his entire family and that guilt was crushing enough. Innocents dying because he hesitated or fucked up? No. Just no.

But Ruby solved all that. He went where she said, killed the demons she found for him, drove to the next place.

Only sometimes it would all catch up to him - the grief, the loss, the pain - and he'd spend an hour freaking out. He'd throw whatever wasn't nailed down in their shitty motel room. He'd scream at the top of his lungs. And then he'd fuck her so hard he was sure something snapped.

Then he'd just stare at the walls for a few hours, drinking until he passed out.

Only this time they didn't have any booze and they were shacking up in an abandoned vacation cabin in the middle of nowhere with only a wood burning fireplace to keep them warm.

So after Ruby grabbed him and kissed him hard, after she offered up her body as a means to an end, after he'd pumped her full of come, he staggered nude out into the snow.

He threw himself into the nearest downy snowbank and rolled himself in the frigid frostiness until he was numb with the cold - until he couldn't feel anymore.

He was long past the ability to shiver by the time Ruby dragged him indoors. It hurt, to sit so close the the fire, but if he couldn't stay numb and he couldn't pass out at least the pain was penance for his failure.

Today it was forty days. Tomorrow it would be forty one. And no matter how Sam beat himself up for each day he knew - no one needed to tell him - he knew it was worse where Dean was.

[skinthief.livejournal.com]

Author's choice, author's choice, fairytale picnic.

Moonlight and Fairytales

[xeelia.livejournal.com]

Moonlight illuminated the forest and made it appear as a mystical wood from one of her fairytales. Buffy always laughed at her about them, saying that an eighteen year old who was still in love with fairytales was pathetic but she liked them. Fairytales were better than the nightmare that was her life.

She spread the picnic blanket out on the grass in the clearing she had chosen days before. She wanted everything perfect when he guest appeared, which she knew would be soon. She took out the delicately decorated cookies and cupcakes, all sprinkled with edible glitter, and set two place settings.

It wasn’t until she knew her guest would be only a few moments more before she tipped the teapot to pour them both a cup of the hot black tea.

Fairy light giggling drifted towards her and she knew her guest had arrived. “Are you a fairy queen tonight? Or perhaps a mean naughty pixie?”

Drusilla wafted into the clearing like she was walking on air. “Oh my silly Sunshine! Why I am neither of those, I am the fairy godmother! I have come to make the sun into the moon!”

Dawn giggled. “And how are you going to do that and not get caught by my sister Dru?”

Drusilla smiled serenely. “The nasty Slayer has found out that my naughty broken boy came back, hell and back a vampire’s holiday! She is off to coo and scratch him. She will be too late and I will have a fairy princess for a daughter!”

Drusilla frowned then. “But first we must have your party my pretty girl, then I will give birth you!”

As they giggled and shared cookies and tea they never noticed the dark shape watching them. They danced under the moonlight in thin gossamer dresses with bare feet and giggled and were truly happy, their observer knew this and smiled.

Finally it was only a couple hours until sunrise. The girls were seated beneath a large oak tree, their observed thought of how ironic it was that the oak represented knowledge to his ancestors. Drusilla cooed to the girl and morphed but a single word from their observer stopped her movement.

“No.”

Angel walked into the dying moonlight and smiled. “You are princess not a godmother Dru, only Daddy makes new princesses.”

Both girls knew he had been cast off by Buffy, by Spike, by his precious Powers That Be, they could see it in his movements, in the dark glint in his eyes. He was no longer Angel or Angelus but a combination of the two.

So they offered him cake and cookies, giggling when the glitter stuck to his face but licking it off to make him smile.

The next month the girls giggled with glee as their Daddy watched them dance and sing, their fangs glistening in the moonlight.

[skinthief.livejournal.com]

BtVS, Willow/Tara, sunflower.

BtVS, Willow/Tara, sunflower

[emmademarais.livejournal.com]

They look out of place in Tara's dark bedroom, but the sunflowers are a happy reminder of their weekend getaway - a little piece of the Southern California sun they can keep with them indoors.

They remind Willow of holding hands, stealing kisses amongst the flowers, lying in the grass - Tara's fair hair splayed out over the bright green with daisies tucked behind each ear, whispered words that made her heart sing.

Tara finds a spell to enchant them so they won't fade as fast, but there is no spell for immortality and in time the glamour will fade and they'll have to dispose of them.

Willows all prepared to be sad until Tara brings her a little present, wrapped in a yellow velvet cloth.

"What is it?" she asks.

Tara's bright smile reminds Willow of the sun even at night.

"S-Sunflower seeds."

[draco-somnians.livejournal.com]

RPF, RDA/any of the SG1 cast, taking a vacation at Rick's in Malibu

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Scott/Emma, first visit to the beach

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

X-Men: Evolution, Scott/Rogue & Alex, family reunion in Alaska

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

Smallville, Chloe/AC, trip to Atlantis

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

Heroes/Supernatural, Claire/Sam, picnic

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

The Lost Boys/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy/Chris, Santa Carla here i come

[trinityday.livejournal.com]

Pirates of the Caribbean, Will/Elizabeth, shore leave

[yoruichiyoshi12.livejournal.com]

Royal Pains, Hank/Evan, remembering past family vacations

Yeah, I know this series has hardly gotten started yet, but I don't care!

[moontyger.livejournal.com]

Nana, Nana/Hachi, fireflies.

[zekkass.livejournal.com]

Jeeves & Wooster, Jeeves/Bertie, cannibals!

[zekkass.livejournal.com]

Star Trek: TNG, Picard/Q, holodeck

[mimbulus.livejournal.com]

Captain Picard's log entry was uncharacteristically short this time.

Captain's Log, Stardate 57825.8.

The Enterprise is on it's way to Vulcan for a diplomatic conference. All is well, we will reach our destination within 20 hours.

Meanwhile, he decided to go to the holodeck to relax.

"Computer, activate program F-27-Delta," the captain ordered and looked down to see himself clad in loose, flower-patterned pair of pants and not much else.

He relished the feel of the warm, soft sand beneath his feet, the lovely breeze tickling his skin and the utter peace and quiet that dominated this deserted beach.

He saw a hammock suspended between two trees, and he headed that way.

Naturally, he managed to actually relax for exactly 20 seconds.

"Mon Capitan! What a tremendous pleasure it is to see you again!"

"What do you want, Q?"

"Nothing more than to spend a few of your pathetically short hours in this computer-generated figment of your imagination with you."

"Has the continuum sent you to exile again?"

"Good Lord, no! Why would they do that? No, Jean-Luc, I merely wanted to see you."

"Picard to the bridge."

"Don't worry, they can't hear you. Well, they can hear Captain Picard telling them he wants regular updates, but they can't specifically hear *you*."

"I'll ask this one more time, Q, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you, is that such a horrible prospect for you?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's too bad, because I intend to spend some time with you."

Q snapped his fingers and a hammock, identical to Picard's, trees included, appeared out of thin air right next to the one Picard was lying in.

"Something's missing," Q commented. He pondered for ten seconds and then snapped his fingers again. A waitress came by with a tray loaded with drinks and freshly cut fruits.

Picard rolled his eyes and continued reading his book.

Many hours later, Picard opened his eyes, leaning his head into the warm palm that tickled the back of his neck and his ear, forgetting for a brief moment to whom it might belong. Then he realized and, mortified that he was just caressed by Q, he sat up.

"We've arrived at our destination, Mon Capitan, it's time for you to wake up and assume your captainly duties," murmured Q.

Picard rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and when he opened them again, the second set of hammock and trees, as well as Q, have disappeared from the holodeck.

[zekkass.livejournal.com]

A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Jack/Neddy, french hotels

[vampedvixen.livejournal.com]

Supernatural, Dean & Sam, "Was that a bear? I think I heard a bear!"

[vampedvixen.livejournal.com]

Doctor Who, Doctor/Rose, "I'll love you until the end of time." "Really? Let's go see!"

Avoidance Tactics

[moon-destiny.livejournal.com]

"I'll love you until the end of time." Rose said, sidling up to the Doctor, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Really? Let's go see!" He replied excitedly, but moved away from her to the console of the TARDIS.

"What? Are you joking?"

"No, wouldn't it be lovely to see the end of time? I think it'd be fantastic, Rose!"

Of course, he was a Time Lord, she should've known that he'd take 'until the end of time' literally and want to see it.

What was most disconcerting however was that this was the third time Rose had used the L word, and she had yet to hear it from that alien.

"Why don't you say it?" she asked softly.

"Rose...it's not that simple." His voice sounded pained, but he was still keeping his back to her.

"Why not?"

"Well, Time Lords and humans aren't exactly the most compatible of species."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Rose, just trust me when I say it isn't a good idea."

"Fine." She turned on her heels and went further into the TARDIS.

-------

A bumpy ride later, they ended up floating in total black; no color, no shapes, nothing, like the endless space without the stars, planets, or debris one found when traveling through space and time.

Rose, the Doctor found, was still pissed at him, and avoiding him pretty well.

He flung open the doors and waited for her to show her head, as he knew she would (she was a curious and fragile human after all).

He didn't have to wait long before he heard her shuffling nearer.

"I suppose this is the end of time," she said in a clipped tone.

"Yeah. End of time, end of humans, end of Time Lords, end of everything. No stones, no planets, nothing to indicate there were any civilizations, no way life can ever grow again."

"That's kind of depressing."

"That's kind of the point when things, things you've become accustomed to, things you see every day, come to an end. All that's left is this...nothingness."

Rose was smart enough to know that there was subtext underlying in this whole spiel about things ending.

She came to stand next to him, slowly going for his hand. "But, if everything is just going to end, wouldn't it be better to not have any regrets when it does?"

"You think you'd have regrets?"

"Yes, most definitely. Wouldn't you?"

"I don't know, Rose. When you live as long as I have, regrets seem better than broken hearts."

And there wasn't anything else she could say to that. When she really thought about it, maybe he did know what he was talking about. Compared to him, she didn't know anything, compared to him, she had hardly begun to live.

Yet, she kept his hand in hers.

[vampedvixen.livejournal.com]

Supernatural, Dean & Castiel, the adirondacks

[bwhouwant2b.livejournal.com]

SGA, Lorne/author's choice, painting on a beach

[me-ya-ri.livejournal.com]

Evan hummed as he painted, watching and listening to the waves as they rolled up the beach. It was a beautiful morning, with a light breeze blowing the scent of the blooming trees behind him. The day couldn't get any better if it tried, or at least he thought it couldn't until a pair of hands settled on his shoulders.

"Hey Doc," Evan said, turning to look up at Radek. "I tried to let you sleep in."

"For which I thank you," Radek said, smiling and rubbing Evan's shoulders, "but the bed which Teyla's people provided for us was not so comfortable as to allow me to sleep that deeply. I had not thought that a worse bed could be made but obviously I was wrong."

"Well, is there anything I can do to make it more comfortable tonight?" Evan asked.

Radek's eyes sparkled as if he'd just lured Evan into a trap. Evan started chuckling as Radek rubbed his hips against Evan's back.

"It will be much more comfortable with company," Radek said, leaning over to nuzzle Evan's ear.

"You got it, Doc," Evan said, grinning.