Hey, everyone! This story was brought to you by the following items on the following forums:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Pop Figures: Fantastic Beasts Jacob Kowalski (trait) accepting
Build a Comic: Villain (color) violet
Monthly Challenges For All:
Link Maker: Same fandom 1,038
Shipping Wars: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler (Photographer's Dream), Spring Micro 2 List (Ring) 1,038
Chimera Creator: Badger Badgersworth, Heads (AU) Writer!AU, 1,038
Warning for Victorian/Writer!AU and hinted at sexism because of the Victorian Era setting. Word count is 1,038. I hope you all enjoy The Books of Nancy.
As I bundled up the stack of pages that would make up the last part of my book I couldn't help but smile. It had taken well over a year to finish writing the idea that I had gotten when I accidentally overheard my younger brother and his friends talking one day.
A slight chuckle from behind me startled me and almost made me drop my pages. I huffed as I turned around to find my boyfriend Jonathan Byers standing there watching. That little smile that he always had on his face when thought something was funny that I wouldn't think was funny was clear on his face.
"That wasn't funny, Jonathan," I said, putting the pages down with the rest of the book before turning to look at him. "I would have been very upset if you made me drop those pages. It took almost an hour to get them perfectly in order."
"I'm sorry, Nancy," he said, walking over and picking up the entire stack of pages that was to make up my book. I could see the confused look upon his face as he read over the front page.
"What don't you like the title?" I asked, concern flooding my voice. If Jonathan didn't like it then why would anyone else like my book.
"It's not that," he said, sounding like he was debating on how to say what he wanted to say. "It's just...it's just that I didn't picture you writing a book under a penname. That's all."
"You know that currently women who write are looked down upon in society," I said, hearing the voices of my mother's friends and their daughters when I told them I aspired to be a writer. "But a book written by a man is more likely to be picked up than one written by a woman."
"You have great talent," he said, putting the book down and walking over to my side. "But how will you know if you don't publish the book as Nancy Wheeler?"
How could I make him understand what it was like to be a young woman in this era? We were pretty much subservient to our fathers or husbands. Our dresses and corsets could kill us. I'd seen it done in person. The poor girl's parents had blamed the maid that had helped her get dressed that day.
"I think that any story I wrote would be more easily received from Nathaniel Wheeler than from Nancy Wheeler," I said, seeing his smile falter. "It's not that I don't want to publish something under my own name. I do. But when Louisa May Allcott wrote her book a few years ago it was considered scandalous. What would people think of another young woman publishing a book with a few years of hers?"
"I think you're just making up excuses not to publish under your own name," Jonathan said, giving my nose a little kiss which made our chaperone look affronted. "You remember that deal we made when you first started writing this book, don't you?"
I nodded not understand why he'd bring that up now.
"It still stands," he said, backing up as the chaperone came forward to move him back away from me. "When you publish your first book I'm going to marry you."
"That is quite enough of that foolish talk, Mr. Byers," Carine one of the maids that worked us said, looking at him sourly. "You can't make such grandiose promises without consulting the young lady's parents."
"That's true," I said, nodding.
"What if I told you that I had talked to your mother and father about my proposal?" Jonathan asked, fidgeting in his pocket with something. It was a rather dapper jacket, not the thatched one he usually wore that made him comfortable. But a nice newly tailored one.
"I would say that what if scenarios don't make up a what is scenario, Mr. Byers," Carine said, glaring at him now. "I'm sure that you have better things than to torture this young lady with what-ifs and what could bes."
I gasped as something black and velvety was pulled from the pocket of the tailored jacket. His hands were trembling slightly as he held the box in his hand. I had never seen Jonathan's hand tremble this much before. Not even during our adventures with my brother and his friends. He was always steady, solid Jonathan.
"I talked to your mother and father, Nancy," he said, getting down on one knee in front of me as though he was going to study a tear in my violet gown. "They said that they agreed with the match and gave me their permission to marry you."
"They did?" I asked, feeling the tears spring into my eyes.
He nodded. "They did." He reached for my hand gently and looked up at me. "I know that we've been through a lot. And I know that we'll be through a lot more before our time on this earth is through. But I couldn't imagine living a day of that remaining time without you by my side. Will you marry, Nancy Wheeler, and make me the happiest man in the world?"
"I will," I said, watching as he slid the most perfect ring on my finger. It was a diamond ring. Not gaudy but not too small either. It fit perfectly on my finger and it matched my personality.
"You will?" he asked, that adorable goofy smile returning to his features.
I nodded.
"What about the book?" he asked, looking back at where it sat. "Still going to publish our story as Nathaniel Wheeler?"
"I think I'll try and publish our story as Nancy Wheeler," I said, feeling a strength I had never felt before. "After all, it is us and I've just come up with the perfect sequel to it."
"I'm sure you did," he said, linking elbows with me as we walked downstairs. "But we should let a couple of years pass before writing it. Give them more stuff to read about."
As we walked down the stairs to tell my parents the good news of our engagement, I couldn't help but think that my life was blessed. And it was.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of The Books of Nancy as much as I enjoyed writing it.