9in this universe
I hope that if alternate universes exist, it will still be you and me in the end. I hope that there will always be an us. In every world, in every story. – Tina Tran, Let Us Always Find Each Other.
In the end they were two lovers bound for the same journey.
In the beginning they were two teenagers bound to the same end.
i
In this universe, they're on an island being broadcast to the whole world. He flirts shamelessly and she rejects him with an eye-roll. There isn't time for this, she thinks to herself, not when there's so much money at stake. But there is. There's time for it all.
ii
In this universe, her house is busy. There are screams and shouts from every corner, but there is laughter and love laced through it all.
The rumor mill turns out more gossip than she can handle, but he's always there to hold her hand.
That summer he saved her life time and time again, for which she could never repay him.
iii
In this universe, she's undercover. She thinks he doesn't know but he does; he has a mission to complete as well. They're both dangerous and deadly, but they fight in a way that's new to them both.
Things always get tangled when matters of the heart are involved.
iv
In this universe, there's magic. She grew up not knowing her own abilities and he always watched her carefully from the shadows.
He tells her the truth against her father's wishes, and she falls for him in every possible way.
They face life and death, disruptions and evil forces of nature. They get torn apart more times than he wishes to count, but at the end of it all they stand together, surrounded by friends and family, never wavering.
v
In this universe, they loved, and she left, scared of her consequences, and he let her go because he thought that was the right thing to do.
She never thought she'd see him again, but he hoped every day that she would return.
A twist of fate and a bit of luck draws them back into the same life, but the past can't remain silent and there's too much between them for things to work this time around.
When she leaves the second time, he chases after her.
vi
In this universe, it's Christmas almost every day.
She doesn't celebrate as she lies in bed alone, waiting for him to show up.
vii
In this universe, he's sworn to protect her, even when she gets taken away. Her face is plastered everywhere, on posters and milk cartons and television adverts. A person as important as she can't just disappear without a trace.
He worries he'll never see her again, never get to hold her in his arms. He doesn't give up. He never gives up.
viii
In this universe, their love isn't real. Or at least it isn't anymore. They fell for each other hard once, whispering they would be together forever, until one day they weren't.
They must fake it for the cameras when they step outside, even long after their hearts belong to other people.
ix
In this universe, they're older, and they get to watch their daughter grow. They take a back step while she takes the limelight, struggling through things that are a distant memory for them now. They have each other, and this time she stays.
x
In this universe, she wasn't supposed to love him, but they met late at night on the fire escape, talking about everything and nothing all at once.
xi
In this universe, they're young and learning. He shouldn't be in the girl's bathroom, but he'd do anything for the taste of her lips.
xii
In this universe, he's brave and she's nervous, but she gives in to him anyway.
xiii
In this universe, she's better than him, popular and rich, but credibility is fragile, and she uses him to climb the social ladder until he's no longer needed. He wakes to find she's left, and he wakes to find his heartaches in a way she could never feel.
xiv
In this universe, she doesn't know who he is. She leaves a sticky note on the computer and the next day he replies.
They never get a chance to meet.
xv
In this universe, they're young children spinning circles in the schoolyard. She falls and scrapes her knee and he helped her walk to the nurse's office, holding her hand the whole way.
xvi
In this universe, they're on opposing teams. They're both following their family legacies, but their leagues are far apart.
They meet on a whim and she runs him into the ground.
They don't win the fight, but he decides they didn't need to, he won her heart instead.
xvii
In this universe, he's not real, he's made of metal and screws, thrown together to perfection. Her broken heart falls for his in a way she didn't think she could feel again. He heals her and she helps him understand.
When she finds out, she's disgusted. Can he really feel such a thing?
xviii
In this universe, she almost drowns. He jumps in right after her.
xix
In this universe, it means something different when he calls her Princess. It's a pedestal that he will never be able to reach her on; it's a title he will never be able to earn.
She keeps him though, tucked into her bed, away from the prying eyes of nosy townspeople.
xx
In this universe, she's a long way from home, spending time on his parent's farm without her own. She misses them greatly and can't wait to see them again, but only once the war is over.
He helps her forget for a little while, hiding away behind the cowshed, but when he can't help her, he holds her while she cries.
xxi
In this universe, she didn't want him. His super inflated ego stretched far wider than the walls of his apartment. She lived next door and couldn't stand the sight of him. His face, his name, but he's everywhere she looks.
They get tangled up in a multitude of ways.
He breaks her heart. She doesn't think she'll recover.
xxii
In this universe, they are so very far apart. Every time they reached out, they were alone.
xxiii
In this universe, she's afraid of heights, a childhood trauma she couldn't shake, and he exploits it for his own gain, taking her higher and higher up the tower until there's nowhere to look but right at him.
xxiv
In this universe, he doesn't mean to hurt her. They built their life together, around each other, so why does she feel the need to escape?
xxv
In this universe, he knows what she is. Dark and secretive, beautiful and enigmatic. She toys with his mind and leaps into the shadows, leaving his hunters heart conflicted.
xxvi
In this universe, they can't be together. Their hands linger when he passes her the water jug and they steal glances across the rooms all summer. He wants to sneak in, but he can't get caught this time, so she's left cold and alone, wondering where he is.
xxvii
In this universe, life happens quickly. One day they're teenagers breaking each other's hearts; the next they're older, finding each other all over again.
There's so much to say, so much time has erased and forgotten. It's not every day they get to begin again.
xxviii
In this universe, she's supposed to hate him, but he opens her eyes.
The adventure is quick, but she never forgets. And when he leaves this time, he takes a part of her with him.
xxix
In this universe, they used to be friends. Best friends. But life has a funny way of getting in the way.
xxx
In this universe, they're safe and happy, and they grow old together holding hands until their very souls slip quietly into the abyss.
A/N: We made it. 10 whole years.
I used to be a 15 yo girl with way too much time on her hands because she didn't believe in revising for her GCSE's and now I'm a 25 yo woman with no time on her hands (quarantine aside) because she works a full-time job. When I fell in love with writing all those years ago, I didn't think it would ever turn into this. The messages I've received from people, the friends I've been able to make because of this fandom, the worlds I got to create and the stories I have been able to tell, I can't explain how full my heart is with joy and memories that I hope I never lose.
The last ten years have been everything to me and I truly do love every single person who has read and reviewed and favourited and followed, this journey has been crazy, and I hope it doesn't stop here.
And a bonus, in case you didn't catch it, each universe is a fic I have written over the last ten years. Let me know if you got them all 😉
All my love,
ChloeRhiannonX