“Ava, this is your soulmate Beatrice. Beatrice, this is your soulmate, Ava.”

Ava didn’t think twice about the place. Sure, she did wonder what they were talking about when they listed all these supposedly “good deeds” she’d done when she was alive. As far as Ava knew, she’d been dealt with one bad luck after another and this was her due. The good life from the good place. 

A soulmate though?

She didn’t think that was remotely real. To be fair, her soulmate looked easy on the eyes at least. Her morals though? Ugh. Beatrice looked like she hasn’t had much fun in her life. Ava could show her. 

Or maybe she could focus first on ensuring she didn’t lose her spot in this place. 

Oh. Beatrice could help, right?

Right. Her soulmate. Surely she was obligated to help Ava out lest they get separated—and wouldn’t that go against the whole point of having soulmates?

Don’t fall in love with her. 

That was her first thought when Ava was introduced to her. She was in the good place precisely because she kept true to her faith and avoided all temptations. She knows she did well. Heaven surely wouldn’t lord someone like Ava over her secret while she was alive. Would they?

You can’t fall in love with her.

A fraud. How fitting, Beatrice thought.

Ava wasn’t who she was supposed to be and yet despite all her bad habits and tendency to leave chaos in her wake…

Maybe they do deserve each other, Beatrice mused. A fraud for a fraud.

Because as hard as she thought she couldn’t and wouldn’t—Beatrice was falling.

This IS the Bad Place!

Maybe this was the whole point of the Bad Place. It is meant to punish, was it not?

“I don’t want to forget you.” Beatrice held tight on to Ava’s hand.

Ava shook her head. “I don’t want to forget you either.”

“I wonder how many times have we been here. In this moment. About to lose each other and about to be introduced to another life we’re supposed to live for eternity with someone else.”

“Ava this is your soulmate, Lilith.”

“Hell, no!”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Ava, that is rude. You’ve yet to get to know Lilith.” Adriel smiled at Ava. But Ava knew something wasn’t right. And by the look on Lilith’s face, she knew it too.

“Beatrice, this is your soulmate, Teresa.”

“Hi.” Teresa held out her hand while her other hand consciously ran through her hair.

“There must be a mistake.” Beatrice whispered. 

Adriel cocked an eyebrow in her direction, letting her know her words were audible.

“I’m sorry. I think…I just don’t think she’s…mine.” Beatrice faltered at first, but grew stronger especially with the last word.

“I refuse to believe this is where we’re meant to be. God or whatever can’t be this cruel.” Ava held on just as tightly. She looked at the woman beside her as they looked at the setting sun. In awhile, Adriel would surely catch on to them once more.

“When I was alive, I tried so hard to be everything my parents wanted me to be. I did everything right. When I thought I’d found the love of my life, I rejected her because I thought it was wrong. That what I felt was wrong.”

“Do you still believe that?” Ava asked, heart in her throat as she waited for an answer.

“Yes.” Ava felt her heart break right as Beatrice looked into her eyes. She meant to pull away but Beatrice pulled her closer. “Only because what I feel for you eclipses anything I ever thought I felt for her. And THAT can’t be wrong. We aren’t a mistake. I refuse to believe that.”

“There you two lovebirds are.” 

The voice surprised them both. Caught unaware, Ava nearly stumbled but Beatrice caught her with both arms and that was how they faced off the despicable man in their midst.

Ava in Beatrice’s arms.

“Wow, I must admit it took a little bit longer to find you two this time around.” Adriel chuckled.

“You can’t keep doing this.” Ava hissed.

“I beg to differ, Ava. I can actually keep doing this. I mean…what’s it been? If we’re going on your petty human measurements, I dare say we’ve been at this for 25 years.”

Both women’s eyes widen in a mix of horror and fear.

“I can keep doing this. Forever if need be. I mean, you two make it even more interesting to be honest. Best assignment ever!” Adriel laughed out loud.

“You’re punishing us for what? For loving each other? Is that it?” Beatrice felt the tears but struggled to hold on to them. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of her pain.

Adriel stopped laughing and looked at them curiously. He tilted his head slightly to the side and stared at them.

“It doesn’t matter.” He said. “In awhile, you both wouldn’t even remember any of these.” He raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers for the nth time.

“You can’t keep us apart.” Ava warned, her eyes seeking the other woman’s as she spoke the words.

Beatrice nodded solemnly. “No one can.”

Adriel paused. 

“Are you saying the big man himself can’t keep you two apart?”

The question took them aback. Ava looked at Adriel and saw his focus completely on Beatrice.

Beatrice froze.

Could she? Does she dare doubt?

She felt her fingers being squeezed and her eyes returned to focus on the woman in her arms.

“I…” Beatrice started. “If He is in fact everything I’ve been taught He is to be…He wouldn’t keep us apart. He would love me—us—exactly as we are.”

Adriel switched his focus to Ava. “You think you deserve the likes of Beatrice? You were hardly worth ANYTHING when you ended up here.” He casually pointed at Beatrice with his thumb. “At least her biggest sin was being an idiot.”

“Hey!” Ava tensed and struggled to disengage from Beatrice’s hold. “You can keep on talking shit about me for the rest of fucking eternity but you WILL NOT call Beatrice names!”

“Ava, no!” Beatrice moved to stand in front of Ava as she glared at Adriel. 

“Ava may not have been the kindest when she was living. But she was HONEST. Life dealt her pain and suffering and she knew no better. No one gave taught her how. No one gave her a chance. And she’s done so much since she’s been here. She tried to do better and she’s done just that! It’s just you and the likes of you who seem hellbent on continuing to punish her even now.”

Adriel took a seat on a nearby tree stump, crossed his arms, and offered them a  smirk.

“This is new.”

Beatrice frowned at him in confusion, though still wary to let her guard down around him.

He waved his hand about in a way that belied his interest as he spoke. “All this time, the two of you ended up here. Again and again and again. Different ways, but ultimately the same.”

He yawned, placed his hands above him as if stretching out his limbs.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I could do this forever, but you two were seriously beginning to depress me.”

“What?” Ava was the first to give in to the confusion.

“You,” he pointed at the slightly taller woman, causing both to tense in preparation for some sort of attack. “kept on lying to yourself. Pretending to be something and someone you’re not. Let’s not even touch upon the things you know about your parents but turned a blind eye and kept on believe otherwise because it’s what was comfortable. It’s what hurt less.”

In a split second, memories flashed through Beatrice’s head about meetings in the middle of the night, her parents’ guests and the subtly armed men that followed, the money she knew they shouldn’t have but they do. 

“You know about the lives that were ruined because of your family. But you didn’t do anything, did you? And the woman who thought you loved her…oh, she paid the ultimate price.” Adriel wagged a finger in Beatrice’s direction.

“You knew about her being an undercover agent because she trusted you. Trusted you to do the right thing.”

“Bea?” Ava’s voice rang through the tension-filled air but Beatrice barely heard her.

“You rejected her. And yet, despite her feelings of pain, she did her job because it’s what was right. Hell, she even tried to save you.”

The memories of how she did finally began to make sense.

“You called her a liar. In the middle of it all you dared to call her a liar. I mean, not to make fun of my man Peter at the gate but damn. He had nothing on you the way you denied her findings in front of her coworkers, but also denied even knowing her and testimony she was counting on you to disclose about your folks.” Adriel slowly clapped in obvious mockery.

“Tell me, do you think you still deserve anything at this point? Let alone a chance with this girl? Or anyone, really.” This time, he gestured towards Ava with a jut of his chin.

avatrice with that cat movie AU 

Soulmate AU (Yep. Finally went there.)

AVA v1.0

Summary: For a price, people can now customize their own smart home AI. When Beatrice decides to move out of the city in an attempt to heal, she chooses a house in the middle of nowhere. She later realizes that the previous owners never uninstalled their home AI.

She was tired. The kind of “tired” that burrowed deep inside her bones and made a home inside her soul. The kind that wouldn’t and couldn’t simply go away. It probably didn’t help that she felt like she hadn’t stopped moving since she made up her mind to pack up and leave. She glanced at her rearview mirror and absently noted the empty length of road behind her, ignoring the amount of bags crammed in the seat behind her that nearly obfuscated the mirror’s view.

But as Beatrice looked at her GPS and noted the few remaining minutes until she reached her destination, something seemed to unlatch within her. The tension all along her back and shoulders began to register in her mind, thus prompting her to consciously relax her muscles, her fingers slowly unclenching their tight grip on the steering wheel.

She knows the stress she’d put herself through and the consequences of the strain since she left the city will no doubt make itself known soon enough through little aches and pains. She would be so lucky to spend her first night in the new place without a migraine.

Before she could begin to run down the list of things she’ll need to do upon arriving at the new house, Beatrice finally laid eyes on the latest property she’d acquired.

Unlike the type of properties her family liked to indulge in, this was a far cry. No, not dilapidated or rundown, but mostly because of its simplicity. The log cabin was far from shabby though. Beatrice’s tastes may be less ostentatious than her kin but it didn’t mean she disliked the convenience of technology, electricity, and a fully working plumbing system. Despite her haste in packing up her entire life and moving so quickly, she still managed to assess and choose her new house in accordance to her living preferences.

Though it might be fun to add that if Beatrice was the type to watch films at all, she might have recognized the stereotype of a cabin in the woods and the potential ending if she were in a teen horror movie. But Beatrice was not a teen, she disliked stereotypes, and she didn’t like to watch films that were likely made in the years before her parents even started dating.

Beatrice thumbed her car’s engine off and got out, stifling a groan from having been driving for so long. She allowed herself a few seconds to stretch before diving back inside her car to grab her trusty backpack and the brown envelope packet that contained keys to the house and everything related to it.

She took a moment to survey the immediate surroundings of her new home and found it as agreeable thus far as when she spoke with the real estate agent. There was only one road that led up to the property which ensured Beatrice would be easily notified of any unexpected guests. There were a few steps that led to a wide enough porch to accommodate the current two chairs and small table occupying the space. The agent didn’t spill much about the owners, only that they accepted Beatrice’s offer and everything and anything she may find to have been left behind on the property was considered hers upon finalizing the sale.

She opened up the packet and took out the set of keys. Thankfully, each was labeled accordingly and soon enough Beatrice was stepping through the threshold of her new house.

The young woman took in the height of the ceiling, the massive rafters and impressive beams from which an out-of-place chandelier made of mason jars was hanging from. The various furniture that dotted the space were draped in white sheets, the wooden floor seemed to hold little dust, though the remaining sunlight coming in from the skylight showed dust motes floating around after having been disturbed by her entrance. Sliding glass doors to her right allowed her a glimpse of a deck facing what was obviously the outskirts of the dense forest. It was quiet, broken by the occasional sound of what she could only assume as the natural inhabitants of the forest.

She sighed, but her sigh was that of relief.

Granted, there were a number of things to be done before darkness fell, but Beatrice finally felt safe. Safe like she could finally stop pretending and just…be.

Fortunately, her years of experience in careful planning and penchant for having things organized have yet to fail her. Before the sun had truly set, Beatrice had the electricity up, phone line and internet active, water running, and all her things from the car carefully organized and set in their designated spaces. Granted she still needed to unpack most of them, but if she could just get the kitchen appliance to cooperate and start working, she might even have dinner prepared in no time.

Beatrice sighed as she tried to peer behind the fridge. The damn thing looked like it was built and shoved right into the wall. She wasn’t really in the mood to move heavy things at this point but if she wanted to prevent most of her food supplies from spoiling too soon, she needed at least the fridge to work. She hadn’t even gotten around to checking on the stove, though by the looks of it, it might run on electricity as well.

She rubbed her eyes and peered at the wall running along between the overhead cabinets and the counter and realized that the other appliance like the oven and what might be a more complicated coffee maker or espresso machine looked to have specific stations or docks that were carved into the wall.

Beatrice frowned. Darkness was creeping in fast by then and other than the stupid chandelier from the living room that spilled light everywhere else, she’d definitely need more light to work with if she’ll be forced to pry into making the kitchen work for her.

That’s when she noticed the lack of switches.

She could see the light fixtures scattered all around. She even found some within the cabinets, obviously for convenience and she recalls being pleased with the discovery. But where the hell were the switches? She meandered onto the main entrance to the nearest flat surface where she’d dropped her phone. She hoped the agent could get in touch with the owners to at least entertain her questions while she was still getting situated.

And that’s when she noticed the blinking light.

It was a small box affixed to the wall about a meter from the edge of the front door. Beatrice was horrified. She can’t believe she forgot to ask about security! What if she’d tripped a silent alarm and now she’ll have to face the embarrassment, not to mention the hassle, of trying to explain herself to the local authorities?

Beatrice groaned. She couldn’t even find the blasted light switches. She made a grab for the packet, trying to look at the documents in case she had to explain herself and how she had the right to be there. Thank God for the stupid chandelier, at least she had one light source.

But could she exist on the damn thing every night?

“I just want the lights on, dammit!”

And then there was light.

A lot of it actually.

Beatrice almost squinted upon realizing just how many light fixtures were scattered throughout the ceiling, the corner, and the lamps she’d overlooked. She finally noticed the brilliance of the kitchen once light flooded every nook and cranny of the space. There was even a noticeable hum that broke the natural silence from before and Beatrice would almost bet that the fridge was finally up and running.

“What the fuck?”

Sorry. I do not recognize that command.

The sudden strange voice that echoed within the four walls of her home made her jump almost an entire foot backwards. She had barely kept herself from tripping over a small box of her things and possibly hitting her head on the way down. That would’ve been a hell of an obituary. First night and fodder for the local cops, accidentally killing herself like an idiot.

“What the—who’s there?” Beatrice frantically looked around. The house was spacious but she’d checked everything before and secured even the two bedrooms off to the left side. No one could’ve just snuck in.

Besides, there was something strange and familiar about the voice.

I am your smart home assistant. I’m pleased to meet you.

The mechanical tone was nearly indecipherable. Nearly. It was quite impressive.

“I didn’t know this house was equipped with an AI.” Beatrice mumbled as she thumbed through her phone’s contacts, hoping to verify things with the agent. She wasn’t entirely against the tech, though a heads up would have been nice. Heaven knows she could have accomplished other things instead of trying to dig into the kitchen’s inner workings.

May I be of any assistance?

Beatrice felt the beginnings of that migraine she’d feared earlier. She locked her phone as one hand rubbed her temple aggressively.

“You could start by turning down the lights please.” She could humor the AI. Even if she’s a little wary about the tech considering how she knew AIs were tethered to the cyber network and she’d chosen this place in order to hide and have time to heal. Or at least finally have the silence and the space to think.

Would you like me to dim all of them?

“Y’know what. I have a headache so, feel free to adjust them where I won’t have to be stabbed in the head with it.”

To her relief, all the lights were adjusted accordingly. She was even pleased to find that there were strategically placed lights further down the walls that meant she could see peripherally where she was walking and still have the overhead lights in a low setting. The overall feel of the house suddenly seemed more muted.

She opened up the fridge and found that her earlier observation was right. The coolness within the freezer made her want to put her head in it to stave off the worst of her burgeoning headache. Instead, Beatrice made an effort to pick out the rest of the food that needed cool storage and swore to finish unpacking and storing everything else when the meds had at least kicked in.

Speaking of meds. Right. Her bag.

Thankful that she had the foresight to prepare one of the rooms she decided to call hers, Beatrice fumbled for the ibuprofen she’d set on the bedside table and dry swallowed two. She had spread her old sleeping bag on top of the single bed she’d found inside the room earlier, and inwardly patted herself on the back for it as she slid into it gratefully with her eyes nearly closed. She prayed for sleep to claim her and for the worst of the pain to pass soon.

Perhaps fortunately, the stress before the move, the long ride, and all the work she’d accomplished since arriving all combined to drive her body to quickly succumb to blessed unconsciousness.

She never noticed the lights that shut behind her as she made her way to bed, nor did she notice the locks engaging itself throughout the house, nor the shift in temperature that cooled just enough to soothe the slumbering woman.

And she definitely didn’t hear the words that gently resonated throughout the quiet house.

Well, she’s cute.