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Monarch of the Glen | Paper Hearts (Author's Notes, Part 3)
Title: Paper Hearts
Fandom: Monarch of the Glen
Universe: Canon (Series 3)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: M
Rating: Language, innuendo
Word Count: 9,455
Summary: Series 3. They could never quite get their timing right…until they did. Four times when Archie shouldn’t have kissed Lexie (but did), and one time when he very definitely should have – and did.
Links: DW | AO3 | FF.net
This is probably my favorite part of the story.
S3E5 was the linchpin of the series, and of this story arc in particular, for me. I don't know if I can explain it, really, because it's the second of a two-parter in terms of plot, but there is so much forward movement, and so many great, important moments for this pairing, that it was actually a bit difficult to choose which one to 'revise,' so to speak.
Here are the key points:
---
The context: Stuart has revealed his plan to buy the mountain Ben Bogle and throw up a truly tacky tourist trap. He's planned everything very carefully, and it looks like there's nothing anyone can do to stop him. He reveals his true motivations about halfway through the episode, when Stella learns just how much great relish he takes in breaking up the estate and bringing the MacDonalds to their knees.
Lexie has taken Stuart's side in this whole mess, vs Archie (and, eventually, Stella). Archie is quite hurt by this, and he has a hard time seeing Lexie hanging all over Stuart pretty much all the time. Lexie starts getting wise to Stuart's machinations, but she kinda denies it to herself. She is in part using Stuart to make Archie jealous, and to see if she can force his hand a little. There is a FABULOUS bit at the beginning of this part of the episode, when Archie seeks Lexie out and tries to tell her that Stuart's been coming on to Stella pretty much the entire time he's been dating Lexie - and of course she doesn't (want to) believe it. She accuses him of being jealous, which he doesn't deny, and tells him not to spoil things for her by making up stories. But the way they look at each other...wow. She's definitely trying to get him to say something beyond what he actually says here, and it's just really, really well done IMO.
Lexie does eventually find out that Archie was telling her the truth about Stuart's two-timing, and she launches into an absolute masterclass of a beatdown during the grand re-opening of the bridge (and, thus, the estate). She absolutely hands Stuart his head on a platter and it is truly a sight to behold :D
The scene:
In the immediate aftermath, Lexie storms off, back to the house, and Archie follows her, bridge re-opening be damned. He comforts her as much as she'll let him, and - again - it's just another really great scene.
This is the first time that I've really rewritten the scene in order to make it slot into my headcanon better =) It wasn't the original plan - I'd originally just wanted to tack a full-on kiss there at the end, but as I sat down to really write the scene and explore Archie's side in all this, I realized that it wouldn't really fit there. Instead it needed to happen instead of the kiss on the cheek - and the lead-up had to be more than it is here. A full kiss would feel more natural if it happened after the embrace, so I adjusted things accordingly, and I think it turned out really well.
This scene is the turning point in their relationship, for me - by seeking her out and making sure she was okay instead of following through with the Ben Bogle plotline, he's signalled just what she means to him, just how important she has become to him. I think he really struggled to tell her what Stella had told him about Stuart because he didn't want to hurt her...but when he finds her in pain, he doesn't hesitate to comfort her. He's already in love with her, even if he's not fully aware of it, but I think he'd have to be to react this way.
Why it's the wrong moment: Because Lexie is in a raw, vulnerable place, and he feels like he's taking advantage of her.
Canon references: He’d wrestled with that very dilemma for most of the previous evening, as he and the others dug into the turf on Ben Bogle in their vain attempt to stave off the inevitable. = Molly spends the episode trying to ferret out a way to keep Stuart from going through with his plans, and she discovers that Ben Bogle is the site of a historic battle between the two clans. The night before the sod-turning, pretty much everybody is up on the mountain, quite literally digging into the turf in order to find some sort of hard evidence.
---
This scene fit so perfectly with the chosen lyrics (Honey, it’s raining tonight, but storms always have an eye…) that it was basically what convinced me to flesh out this project at all ♥
It was really quite amazing to realize that Archie had never seen Lexie cry before this moment, but even after everything they've been through, I do believe it is the first time. Even when her mother showed up and tried to make her life hell, she didn't cry in front of him. Even in the midst of her struggle with Katrina to win his heart at the end of S2, she never showed him her tears. She was so strong and resilient, and I think it's an especially gut-wrenching blow for him to see her so low in this moment, especially after handling herself with such aplomb while publicly dressing him down. It was great to see the softness beneath all that bluster, which I think is what makes it an especially appealing OTP moment.
Stuart was a horrible character for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is that he directly contributed to Lexie's Cinderella complex (to the point where he'd actually nicknamed her Cinders, how cute *eyeroll*) Lexie is beginning to feel frustrated with her place in the household, because she's not getting anywhere with Archie and doesn't want to suffer through yet another of his ill-fated romances. It's hard to love someone from afar, especially when they give you just enough hope to not completely give up.
On the heels of the Stuart disaster, Stella makes her own intentions towards Archie known, which only deals Lexie a further blow. She does not see herself as Archie's equal, and feels threatened by Stella because she perceives her to be on par with him, at least when it comes to social standing. The difference is that she loses her will to fight for her man, and I think the aftermath of this relationship with Stuart plays a large part in that.
Fandom: Monarch of the Glen
Universe: Canon (Series 3)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: M
Rating: Language, innuendo
Word Count: 9,455
Summary: Series 3. They could never quite get their timing right…until they did. Four times when Archie shouldn’t have kissed Lexie (but did), and one time when he very definitely should have – and did.
Links: DW | AO3 | FF.net
This is probably my favorite part of the story.
S3E5 was the linchpin of the series, and of this story arc in particular, for me. I don't know if I can explain it, really, because it's the second of a two-parter in terms of plot, but there is so much forward movement, and so many great, important moments for this pairing, that it was actually a bit difficult to choose which one to 'revise,' so to speak.
Here are the key points:
---
The context: Stuart has revealed his plan to buy the mountain Ben Bogle and throw up a truly tacky tourist trap. He's planned everything very carefully, and it looks like there's nothing anyone can do to stop him. He reveals his true motivations about halfway through the episode, when Stella learns just how much great relish he takes in breaking up the estate and bringing the MacDonalds to their knees.
Lexie has taken Stuart's side in this whole mess, vs Archie (and, eventually, Stella). Archie is quite hurt by this, and he has a hard time seeing Lexie hanging all over Stuart pretty much all the time. Lexie starts getting wise to Stuart's machinations, but she kinda denies it to herself. She is in part using Stuart to make Archie jealous, and to see if she can force his hand a little. There is a FABULOUS bit at the beginning of this part of the episode, when Archie seeks Lexie out and tries to tell her that Stuart's been coming on to Stella pretty much the entire time he's been dating Lexie - and of course she doesn't (want to) believe it. She accuses him of being jealous, which he doesn't deny, and tells him not to spoil things for her by making up stories. But the way they look at each other...wow. She's definitely trying to get him to say something beyond what he actually says here, and it's just really, really well done IMO.
Lexie does eventually find out that Archie was telling her the truth about Stuart's two-timing, and she launches into an absolute masterclass of a beatdown during the grand re-opening of the bridge (and, thus, the estate). She absolutely hands Stuart his head on a platter and it is truly a sight to behold :D
The scene:
In the immediate aftermath, Lexie storms off, back to the house, and Archie follows her, bridge re-opening be damned. He comforts her as much as she'll let him, and - again - it's just another really great scene.
This is the first time that I've really rewritten the scene in order to make it slot into my headcanon better =) It wasn't the original plan - I'd originally just wanted to tack a full-on kiss there at the end, but as I sat down to really write the scene and explore Archie's side in all this, I realized that it wouldn't really fit there. Instead it needed to happen instead of the kiss on the cheek - and the lead-up had to be more than it is here. A full kiss would feel more natural if it happened after the embrace, so I adjusted things accordingly, and I think it turned out really well.
This scene is the turning point in their relationship, for me - by seeking her out and making sure she was okay instead of following through with the Ben Bogle plotline, he's signalled just what she means to him, just how important she has become to him. I think he really struggled to tell her what Stella had told him about Stuart because he didn't want to hurt her...but when he finds her in pain, he doesn't hesitate to comfort her. He's already in love with her, even if he's not fully aware of it, but I think he'd have to be to react this way.
Why it's the wrong moment: Because Lexie is in a raw, vulnerable place, and he feels like he's taking advantage of her.
Canon references: He’d wrestled with that very dilemma for most of the previous evening, as he and the others dug into the turf on Ben Bogle in their vain attempt to stave off the inevitable. = Molly spends the episode trying to ferret out a way to keep Stuart from going through with his plans, and she discovers that Ben Bogle is the site of a historic battle between the two clans. The night before the sod-turning, pretty much everybody is up on the mountain, quite literally digging into the turf in order to find some sort of hard evidence.
---
This scene fit so perfectly with the chosen lyrics (Honey, it’s raining tonight, but storms always have an eye…) that it was basically what convinced me to flesh out this project at all ♥
It was really quite amazing to realize that Archie had never seen Lexie cry before this moment, but even after everything they've been through, I do believe it is the first time. Even when her mother showed up and tried to make her life hell, she didn't cry in front of him. Even in the midst of her struggle with Katrina to win his heart at the end of S2, she never showed him her tears. She was so strong and resilient, and I think it's an especially gut-wrenching blow for him to see her so low in this moment, especially after handling herself with such aplomb while publicly dressing him down. It was great to see the softness beneath all that bluster, which I think is what makes it an especially appealing OTP moment.
Stuart was a horrible character for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is that he directly contributed to Lexie's Cinderella complex (to the point where he'd actually nicknamed her Cinders, how cute *eyeroll*) Lexie is beginning to feel frustrated with her place in the household, because she's not getting anywhere with Archie and doesn't want to suffer through yet another of his ill-fated romances. It's hard to love someone from afar, especially when they give you just enough hope to not completely give up.
On the heels of the Stuart disaster, Stella makes her own intentions towards Archie known, which only deals Lexie a further blow. She does not see herself as Archie's equal, and feels threatened by Stella because she perceives her to be on par with him, at least when it comes to social standing. The difference is that she loses her will to fight for her man, and I think the aftermath of this relationship with Stuart plays a large part in that.