"Hey, you've reached Luke. I'm not around to answer, so call me back. You know the drill. Beep, message, etc. etc."


[Messages can be left for Luke or his mun here]

[Backdated to Thursday, October 29th 2009]

When Luke heard that Andrew wasn't feeling well, he happily abandoned his accounts paperwork for The Bondi and went over to check on his cousin. Aiden had just finished running through the next schedule of promos for the bar before he went back to his ivory tower in Manhattan to meet with a new client. Everyone was excited about Ali and Andrew's wedding on the weekend. They usually nabbed any excuse for a good party, but this time it was huge. It wasn't just family. By the time Ali and Andrew had been done with the guest list, it was pushing two hundred. Both knew a lot of people, and factor in all of the Jackson/Connor clan from Australia, it was always going to be a huge affair.

( Which is why Luke wasn't particularly surprised to hear Andrew was feeling sick. The Groom-to-be greeted Luke at the door with baby Jamie nursed on his hip, eyebrows raised questioningly, though he looked tired... )

LINK: Luke bit down on his lip sheepishly as he took in his cousin's unconsious, prone form on the sofa in his office, and then hit speed dial on his cell to call his wife for back-up, "Um, Tab, sweetie, darling, gorgeous... how quick can you get to New York because I think I'm about to be murdered?"


[Bendy time back to Thursday night, or very early Friday morning]

[Occured about a week ago on 16th October 2009]

Leila was slumped in the booth of The Bondi, her foot resting on the seat next to her cousin. She nursed her second beer in her hands and pressed her lips together as her mind once again slipped to Rob, and if he was safe right at that moment. He had to be. She'd already suffered through him being sick, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. She couldn't take the idea of him being injured and still not being able to do a thing. Although if he did end up in the infirmary again it would mean hearing from him...

She slapped herself in the forehead as she groaned. "FUCK! I actually want my husband to get injured just to hear from him. I am seriously fucking losing it, Lulu. I need help." She tilted her beer towards him, something else occurring to her. "You think we should feel guilty getting pissed while Andy can't even be here?"

Her birthday drinks were small with it being just her and Luke, and to be honest, she didn't mind. She wanted things intimate. There had been talk of going out for dinner with Andy the next night, but tonight Leila had just really needed a drink or ten. She'd been thinking herself in circles since she'd missed Rob's call. At least she had Mike to talk to now. He had turned her down with the moving in thing, but the offer was always open. She was being partially selfish in her reasons for asking him. It was like if she could look after him, she'd look after Rob.

( Luke took a long gulp of his beer, swallowing as he shook his head... )


Word Count | 3,152

Leila stood in the middle of the apartment, camera in hand as she took snaps from various angles. On the off chance she thought it was the place for her and Rob she wanted to make sure she had the pictures to email to him. She wasn't really feeling it though, and it was the fourth place so far she'd dragged Luke to. She turned to look at her cousin, nose scrunched as she gave him that look that said 'I'm really sorry, but no'.

She hated this. She hated having to suddenly make decisions for her and Rob, and not being able to talk to him about them. She never knew when the next phone call would come, and the emails were intermittent. It wasn't enough. They were still new to their relationship, and extremely new to their marriage. Leila wanted to be curled up with him after more fantastic sex, and falling asleep with his arms around her.

She let out a sigh, her shoulders dropping as she let the camera hang around her neck. Leila lifted her glasses up to rub at her eyes, and turned around to look again at the mediocre apartment. The wallpaper was hideous, but she supposed it could always be fixed up. Still, it didn't scream her and Rob's names. She wasn't even sure if any place would.

( Luke puffed his cheeks out and let the breath out in a rush... )


Words | 2,169

We really need to talk about your matchmaking skills.

2.5. "It's all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back."
Mick Jagger

Co-written with asinthecity
[Follows THIS and THIS]

"TAB!" Luke called as soon as he pushed his way in the front door of his city apartment. He had the door propped open with his hip as he grunted softly, manoeuvring the baby buggy inside and trying not to drop the heavy bag of presents slung over his back and the full pink baby bag over one arm. He was absolutely buggered trying to lug all three up the stairs to the apartment, and now Jamie was doing that small whimpering thing which could mean she needed a fresh nappy or was about to start bawling. He really hoped it was just a nappy change because he was already stressed out and he wasn't sure he could handle hearing the baby girl upset too.

( He lugged the bags into the apartment and dumped them both onto the sofa... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 3,699

Well? Do you need reinforcements or have you got a mouthful of soldier as we speak?

1.1. "The fact is I am not having sex. But I feel absolutely ripe for the – what would you say – plucking?"
Angelina Jolie

Co-written with doesntwaltz

Leila Jackson leaned against the bar, the straw from her drink in her mouth as she sucked on it. She wasn't using it so much for drinking, as a distraction from other things. Her blue eyes flitted around her surroundings, the contacts making them bluer than usual. She got away with them most of the time, her glasses really only coming out when she was just bumming around home, or wanted a break from shoving stuff into her eye. She hadn't been blessed with the same perfect eyesight her cousins had.

She smiled at a guy who passed, her head tilting with interest as she looked him up and down. He smiled back, clearly thinking he might have an in later. The moment he was gone, she let out a groan and looked at Luke. "Fuck, are there no decent blokes in this place at all? He's a dud lay. He's got that walk."

( Luke finished rinsing off some glasses and shoved them in the wrack to be taken out back for washing... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 2,564

14.17. “We're Americans, we don't plan, we do!”
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Co-written with mrpublicity & drcampbell

Luke was leaning against the doorframe of the new Princeton bar, arms folded and a smirk on his lips as Aiden got out of his immaculate trendy silver BMW convertible. The publicist's appearance matched his car in a light grey suit with a lavender silk shirt that only a gay guy could pull off, and the look was completed with dark sunglasses and a slick black leather briefcase. Aiden was just ended a call on his cell phone, snapping it closed and pushing the sunglasses up onto his head. He set the car alarm before making his way over to Luke with a confident swagger that just emanated that he had some sort of important purpose in life. No wonder he was so successful. Luke raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "A very abrupt trip to Princeton, indeed. What's going on?"

Aiden smirked as he approached Luke. "You're just going to have to trust me," he said and turned around, eyes narrowed as he scrutinised the sidewalk with a slow nod. "Where's Tab. I need her here. It's important."

( This had Luke's attention, to say the least... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 1,978

[Follows THIS]

I call BEST MAN PAYBACK! Bring. it. on!

27.9. Marriage

Co-written with asinthecity
[Follows THIS]

It was over. It was all said and done. After being torn what felt like eight new arseholes by Riley, Luke managed to absorb what Tab's brother was saying behind his words and realised what a totaldickwad he was being. He still couldn't explain the panic attack and before he returned to the guest house, he phoned his sister who was a doctor to come check him over because he still felt shaky and sick. Nerves, panic, stress... he was going to need one fuck of a honeymoon after this, she told him. She helped get him cleaned up, somehow found him a new shirt considering the other one was ruined from sweat, and he made it to the wedding ceremony no more than ten minutes late. Luckily, the brides were fifteen minutes late, so he didn't fuck that tradition up either.

( The whole thing now felt like a dream in his head... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 2,539

2.4. "They say that blood is thicker than water. Maybe that's why we battle our own with more energy and gusto than we would ever expend on strangers."
- David Assael

Co-written with pullmysteth
[Follows THIS, THIS and THIS]

Josh knew enough to know Riley was serious in his distracted but pointed dismissal and he didn't stick around to wait for the fireworks. Probably more like he didn't actually want to be witness to murder, but Riley had no intentions of killing Luke until he at least got some answers. He still had a forceful grip on the front of Luke's shirt and his eyes were narrowed as he glared at the other man. "You don't want to hurt her, Jackson. Trust me on that," he finally growled once they were alone. "What are you playing at?" he demanded, giving Luke another pointed shove into the fence.

"I can't do this!" Luke repeated, for what felt like the eight hundredth time in half an hour. "I thought I could, but I can't! I'm not ready!"

"Cut the bullshit, Luke!" Riley shouted, gripping Luke's shirt tighter. "You either want to be with her or you don't! This is just to make official! It's a celebration! No one is fucking asking you to slice your balls off and sacrifice them to her on a bloody altar! You agreed to marry her because you want to spend the rest of your life with her! You. said. yes. You practiced the vows. 'Forsaking all others'. Do you know what that means?! Do you fucking know, Luke?! It means just you and Tab, no one else, because that's what getting married is! It's promising to be with someone because they mean the goddamn world to you and you don't want to live without them!"

( Luke put a hand up and rubbed it over his face... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 822

12.5. “Yeah? Well, that's a crock. It doesn't work that way. Look, do you realize how happy you were with her? That is, of course, when you weren't driving yourself crazy. Every day? Come on. Some people will never BE that happy. I'LL never be that happy. What am I talking to you for? You don't know anything.”
| Splash

Co-written with touchkitndie
[Follows THIS and THIS]

The guest house was on a large estate and Luke just ran without really thinking. It was only when he got to the front gates of the estate that he finally stopped, realising he had two directions to choose from. It was only then that the panic attack seemed to finally reach a peak and he bent over, throwing up on the grass by the gates. This would probably be the only time in his life he actually felt relieved to throw up because he normally was a really terrible sick person. It seemed to release some of the tension inside him and he grabbed hold of the fence to brace himself.

( He was breathless when he was done and dragged himself up into a position that resembled vertical. His shirt was still sweaty and sticking to him, but the breeze here away from the confines of the guest house was nice and pricked the perspiration on his face to cool him down... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 1,595

27.8. Leave

Co-written with paramedically
[Linked to THIS]

Luke gripped his hand around his shirt collar and tie, trying to tug it away from his throat. They were too tight and it didn't help that the back of his neck was so sweaty, the fabric was plastered uncomfortably to his skin. He leaned over the sink in the bathroom, avoiding looking at his reflection in the mirror. He felt like he wanted to throw up, but he just couldn't quite get to that point to find relief. His stomach felt like it had a vice gripped around it, and between his chest and throat, it felt like a fist was choking him and trying to cut off his air supply. His hands were shaking and the sweat was pouring off him. He really wanted to blame the suit. He wasn't used to wearing suits and it felt claustrophobic. The whole guest house felt claustrophobic.

( It was a wedding. HIS wedding... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 1,105

26.6. Work

Co-written with touchkitndie | Backdated to after THIS

Josh was still wearing sunglasses as he stepped into the bar. As soon as the door swung closed he pushed them up onto his head and let his eyes adjust as he looked around. The scrap of paper tucked into the back pocket of his pants had the time and address scrawled on it, and for a moment he thought he'd got it wrong. There was no one there waiting for him, and he scratched the back of his neck as he stood there awkwardly. There were noises coming from a backroom and Josh was smirking as he imagining Luke and Riley's sister going at it. Then he imagined Riley smacking him in the back of the head for thinking about his sister that way and tried to think about something else.

( He walked around the room a bit to try and get a feel for the what the place was going to look like. He could see the red, black, and silver theme starting to come together... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 3,604

09. Do you not hear me anymore
I know its not your thing
To care
I know its cool to be so bored
But it sucks me in when you’re aloof
It sucks me in, it sucks it works
I guess its cool to be alone
[‘Battle of Who Could Care Less’ – Ben Folds Five]

Co-written with asinthecity

Luke set the roller back down in the paint tray and stepped back to wipe some sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his overalls, pushing his hair out of his face in the process. He analysed the wall they were painting, having opted for a red, black, and silver theme for the Princeton bar. A whole red wall could be confronting, but this behind the bar worked, and would work even better once they mounted the black and white photos of classic rock bands there and close up black and white photos of instruments, courtesy of Beth. The original idea had been to make it a carbon copy of the Bondi, but Luke wanted Tab to be part of this bar. As such, it turned into a sister bar for The Bondi, the name coming easy... The London. And it was working better than Luke had hoped. In fact, maybe he was throwing himself into it a little too much lately, considering the infamous twin wedding was just a week away.

( He picked up his can of Coke and took a long drink. If all went well, they could have the bar up and running by the end of June, just in time for the end of the school year and summer... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 2,846