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callsign-magnolia · 3 years ago

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I posted 157 times in 2022

That's 157 more posts than 2021!

58 posts created (37%)

99 posts reblogged (63%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@seresinhangmanjake

@sunlightmurdock

@ereardon

@roosterforme

@sweetlittlegingy

I tagged 40 of my posts in 2022

#bradley rooster bradshaw - 35 posts

#top gun maverick - 34 posts

#robert bob floyd - 33 posts

#bob floyd - 33 posts

#rooster top gun - 33 posts

#natasha trace - 32 posts

#pete maverick mitchell - 29 posts

#phoenix - 29 posts

#bradley bradshaw - 29 posts

#jake hangman seresin - 29 posts

Longest Tag: 52 characters

#may or may not be distracted by outer range on my tv

My Top Posts in 2022:

I Hope You Dance // Ch. 3

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Description: When Caila meets Rooster, sparks fly. But, she's already married, to a man who she thought loved her, and won't let her go. Rooster will fight for her, he just has to convince Caila to fight for herself.

Word Count: 7.5k

Chapter 2 | Masterlist

Things took a turn, good or bad I'm still not quite sure. A gala was being held in D.C., and I was required to be there as well as my father. Of course, I had to bring Aaron, much to my dismay. I had on a black strapless A-line dress, it couldn't be hemmed so I had to wear heels for once, making me a little taller than Aaron. "Remember we are here for me, so please, don't embarrass me Aaron." I said as we got out of the car to walk in, the cool spring Maryland air making me shiver slightly. "God, I'm not going to embarrass you. You're good at that yourself." I yanked his arm into mine, smiling widely. "Behave." I said lowly and he scoffed as we walked in, I looked around, finding my parents were not here yet.

Suddenly I spotted two old friends of my fathers. "Captain Mitchell, Admiral Kazansky." I said and they smiled as we walked over. I held out my hand for them to shake but Admiral Kazansky pushed it away. "We've known you since you were little Caila, no need for formalities tonight." Admiral Kazansky said kissing my cheek before Captain Mitchell pulled me into a hug. "And please, it's Ice and Maverick." I nodded. "So, what call sign did they give you?" Mav asked as he took a sip of his whiskey. "Magnolia." He nodded. "Very fitting." Ice nodded. "As your grandmother always said, pretty as a Magnolia in bloom." I smiled at him.

"Oh and this is my husband, Aaron Wilder." Aaron shook their hands, "Pleasure." He said in distaste and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. "So Mr. Wilder, what do you do?" He smirked. "Well Ice, I-" "That's Admiral Kazansky to you son." I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. "Admiral. I practice criminal law." Ice raised his eyebrows and nodded. "And uh, who is it you work for?" I still had Aaron's arm as he immediately went into work mode, going on and on about his firm. I couldn't stand it, I can't stand to here anymore about his job. I had zoned out as people walked by and he just kept going on, I would rather crash my jet into a mountain side or burn in than listen to it anymore.

That thought sent me reeling, I would rather be dead than listen to my own husband talk about his career. I glanced around and spotted a table full of alcohol, I turned back to find Mav and Ice both looking annoyed. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink." I turned and Aaron pulled me back. "Get me a whiskey." It wasn't a question and I saw Maverick and Ice's eyes on me. I just turned and headed for the table, smirking as I saw someone very familiar approach the table. I walked over and grabbed a glass of champagne and slowly stood next to him. "Howdy stranger." I said as I took a sip of the bubbly drink. His head whipped around to me, fast enough to give him whiplash and he smiled widely. "Oh my god." He stared at me for a moment before pulling me into a tight hug. "Oh my god!"

The joy I felt in Rooster's arms was something I hadn't felt since he left the restaurant, the same day I got married. "Oh my god, I missed you." I said into his neck as he squeezed me. He set me down and took my hand as I took a step back. "Damn, I just- I have no words. Words can't describe how beautiful you look." A blush crept into my cheeks at his words. "Thank you, and look at you in your dress whites. Looks like life has been treating you well." He flashed me a small smile, "Something is different about you." I pursed my lips. "So, how was Top gun?" I asked and he stared down at me for a moment, he knew I was trying to change the conversation. "It was awesome, I graduated first in class." I smiled at him. "I knew you would, you're an amazing pilot." He smiled at me.

"So tell me, what have you been up to?" I shrugged. "A few shore duties. I did a special detachment in Guantanamo bay, then I was stationed in Greece for a few months. But I think my favorite was San Diego, I wasn't far from the beach and Phoenix wasn't far when she went to Top gun so I got to see her." He stared at me. "And your husband was all the way across the country, so you had freedom." I sighed. "Bradley, I'm so sorry about what he said to you the day you left. I was so angry when he told me-" "Caila, you don't have to apologize for him. You did nothing wrong." I sighed. "I just, I can't stand the way he acts sometimes." I said rubbing my hands down my face, until he grabbed my wrists. "Stop stressing about him, he seems to be busy anyway." I looked over and he was still talking to Maverick and Ice, who looked like they wanted to run the other way.

"I knew I should've left him at home." I said and Bradley chuckled before resting his hand on the small of my back. "I agree, I don't see how he's not glued to your side. If you were mine I don't think I'd be able to look away." I looked up to him, his face was so close all I had to do was lean up and I could kiss him. "There's my little girl!" I turned to see my father in his dress whites. "Hi daddy!" I rushed over as he pulled me into a hug. "You look beautiful, sweetheart." I smiled as he kissed my forehead. "Where's-" I was about to ask where mom was but she walked over, her red mermaid style dress making her blue eyes stand out. "Hi momma!" She squeezed me and kissed my cheek. "Sorry I got stopped by Sarah and you know how that goes, we can't shut up when we're together." I chuckled as Jameson came over. "Ugh, god you brought him!" I joked and my father glared at me. "Be nice to your brother." I caught sight of Bradley behind us, smiling at the interaction.

"Oh!" I rushed over, smiling widely. "Momma, daddy. This is Bradley, callsign Rooster." I said introducing him. He quickly saluted my father. "Admiral Motley." He addressed and my dad nodded, "At ease, Lieutenant." My dad took his hand and shook it. "How do you know my daughter?" I could've rolled my eyes, he was acting like he was my boyfriend to interrogate. "I met Lieutenant Motley when we were deployed together two years ago." My dad quirked a brow. "Motley? Last I checked her last name was Wilder." Bradley's eyes widened. "Oh uh, it's just I met her when her last name was Motley and I-" My dad busted out laughing. "It's alright son, if I had it my way it'd still be her last name!" My dad smacked him on the back. I grabbed my dad's arm, "Daddy." I said sternly and he sighed.

He looked to Rooster for a moment, staring at him. "You look so familiar, what's your last name Lieutenant?" I looked between them. "Bradshaw, sir." My dad stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened. "My god, are you Nick Bradshaw's son? Goose?" I furrowed my brows. "Sure am, sir. You knew him?" My dad nodded. "Knew him? He was my RIO before he was Mavericks! You're dad saved my life and then him and Carol snuck me into a concert and that's where I met my wife!" I smiled and looked up to Rooster who had a glint in his eye, not just tears but something else. "Wait, what?" Mom rushed over. "Gina, this is Nick and Carol's son, Bradley." My mom's jaw dropped. "Oh my god! I remember when Carol was pregnant with you, she told your dad at my show!" Our eyes widened with shock. "What?" Mom nodded. "I will pull down all my boxes when we go home, and I'll find that picture of your parents showing me the test. Oh, they were so excited!" A tear slipped down Bradley's cheek and my heart broke.

"Okay, maybe give him a second. Y'all just unloaded a lot of information on him." My parents nodded. "Of course, I'm going to find that husband of yours. We need to have a talk." I looked to where he was, standing with Ice and Maverick. My dad glared at him before marching over. "You want some air?" He nodded. "Come on." I turned him and looped my arm through his, walking him outside. "That was... a lot." He nodded as we stepped out onto the balcony. "I'm sorry, my parents are excitable people." He shook his head. "Don't apologize. It was nice to hear someone talk about my parents so animatedly. It's always, I'm sorry's. It was nice, just not what I was expecting for the night." I chuckled.

"Caila!" I turned to find my brother rushing over. "Hey, J. What's up?" He had glasses in his hand. "Got you another glass, and I figured Lieutenant Bradshaw here deserved a fresh whiskey. Because it seems without his parents you and I, might not be here." Rooster laughed. "I guess they are. Say isn't that, Aaron?" I looked inside and saw Aaron storming away from my dad, Maverick and Iceman. He turned until he spotted Rooster, Jameson and I and I could see in his eyes how angry he was. "Oh god." I muttered as he finally stepped outside and walked over. "Jason." Jameson glared at him, one fist clenched at his side and the other so tight on the lowball glass I feared it would shatter. "Hen." He said looking at Rooster. I could've punched him. "I need to talk to you." He said taking my arm tightly, pulling me away so fast I stumbled in my heels. "HEY!" I heard two voices yell as I caught myself and I turned, placing a hand on each of their chests.

"Don't. Please." I pleaded, I looked up at Jameson and he was searching my eyes. He knew it never helped to get in the middle of our arguments. I looked up to Rooster and saw him staring at Aaron. "Rooster, please." It took another minute before he took a step back. I turned back to Aaron and pulled him down to the far end of the balcony. "What in god's name has you so mad you decided to man handle me?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Man handle, I don't think I did enough. You're all over him, holding his arm, walking around with him like he's your husband and not me." I had my dress clenched in my hands. "You are my husband, your ring is on my hand." I said holding up my left hand. "It's not my fault you get insecure about yourself and this marriage. You don't see me running around worried your cheating on me, or me trying to keep you away from any other female." He scoffed, "I'm not worried about you cheating on me, no other man would want you."

That stung, it shouldn't have but it did. "We are here for me, for the navy. You, are my husband and if you can't stand here and support me, and other officers here, then you can go home. If you do, your shit better be out before I get home. Because when I do I won't be alone, and I will let Jameson get his hands on you and I will make sure you can't do anything about him." We stared at each other for a moment before I stood to my full height, just a little taller than him and spun on my heel. Swiftly walking back towards Jameson and Rooster, I smiled as I saw phoenix standing there in a silver sheath dress. I rushed over and pulled her into a hug, a few tears hitting her shoulder. "Shh, it's okay." One hand went around my back and the other around my shoulders. I pulled back to see Aaron was gone and I sighed, cleaning my cheeks. "Please tell me I don't look like a racoon." Phoenix chuckled and swiped her thumbs under my eyes. "No, you still look just as beautiful as a Magnolia in bloom." I chuckled and shoved her shoulder.

"Even if you did look like a racoon, still the prettiest racoon I ever saw." I chuckled and missed the look my brother shared between Bradley and I. "Okay let's get back in here and sit because I'm starved." I took Jameson's arm as Phoenix took Rooster's, we walked in and I could've died at the sight before me. There was my husband who seemed to be having the time of his life, talking to Hangman. "Kill me now." I muttered as Jameson and I walked towards our parents, Rooster and Phoenix continuing on. "Rooster." My dad said catching his attention, he turned and walked over with Phoenix still on his arm. "Sir?" My dad shook his head. "Where are you sitting?" Rooster looked around and pointed to the table over by Hangman and my husband. "Over there, sir."

"Not anymore, you're sitting with us. Come." My dad waved and he dropped Natasha's arm. "I hope there are no hard feelings Lieutenant Trace." My dad said with a smirk. "Never Admiral." It took a long time for Natasha to warm up to my dad. Outside of his uniform he is a joking man, a huge prankster. He tried to joke with Natasha a little at first and she was terrified to say anything, she only realized she could joke back and relax when my dad threatened to ground her, jokingly, unless she finally laughed at one of his jokes. "Oh leave Nat alone! How are you, honey?" Mom asked hugging her and kissing her cheek. "Wonderful Gina, how are you?"

"Sir if you don't mind, I'll walk Lieutenant Trace back to her table-" Rooster started but I cut in. "Don't bother, I'll go. I have to retrieve my husband anyway." I said. Nat and I walked over to the table Hangman was at. "Magnolia, my don't you look lovely." I raised an eyebrow. "Hangman, I see you've met my husband, Aaron." Hangman looked between us, "This, this is your husband?" He asked and I nodded. "Wow, you two make an interesting pair." He walked closer. "When you want a real man, you know how to get in touch with me." I wanted so badly to laugh, but I didn't. "Babe, it's time to eat. Come on." I said, holding my hand out to take. He glared before taking it and standing, I smiled at him before he tossed my hand to the side and stormed away. "Want me to kick his ass?" Phoenix said. "Can I help?" We both whipped around to look at him. "What? I have eyes. He's a piece of shit. I don't like him." I sighed. "If Hangman doesn't like him that says something." I said walking by when Hangman grabbed my arm. "I give you a hard time but I don't hate you. Even you don't deserve the way he treats you." I smiled at him. "Thank you Hangman."

"My offer still stands though, call me when you get rid of him." I couldn't help but giggle at his words. "Same old Hangman." I said walking back to my seat, which was between Bradley and my husband. As I approached Bradley stood, pulling my chair out, scooting it in as I sat in it. "Thank you, Lieutenant." I looked to him and saw his jaw tick, he had it clenched and I could see him oh so carefully adjusting himself in his pants. 'Oh!' I thought, I turned him on. I was quite proud of that knowing it was me who got him riled up. "You okay?" He asked, clearing his throat. "Yeah, my husband is just off somewhere havin' himself a hissy fit like a toddler." I said and Bradley chuckled. I was proud of that too, making him laugh.

~~~

After we ate and listened to a few speeches, they opened up the floor for dancing. Phoenix stole Rooster for a few dances, and my parents were dancing as well. My brother even found a girl to dance with. That left Aaron and I at the table, him scrolling on his phone and me downing my third glass of champagne. Good thing we ate.

"Are you su-" "I done told you. I'm not dancing, not with you." I was about to snap a remark when Rooster came over. "What are you two sitting around for? Your mom is about to do a few songs." I glared at Aaron. "Someone here won't get up and dance with me." Aaron groaned. "Can you not dance?" Rooster asked and I shook my head. "He can, he just refuses." I said drinking more champagne. We sat in silence for most of Kitty Kallen's 'It's Been a Long, Long Time', until finally Rooster stood from his seat. "May I have this dance?" I looked to his hand to Aaron who was now staring at me.

"I'd love too." I said looking to Rooster. I took his hand and he walked me out to the dance floor, taking my right hand in his and my left went on his shoulder while his right went on my waist. "Thank you." I said and he chuckled. "What kind of man would I be if I just let a girl as beautiful as you sit and pout all night?" I smiled at him. "You're a good man, Rooster. I hope whatever woman you end up with realizes how amazing you are." The song ended and Rooster and I stopped. "I'd love to introduce Mrs. Regina Motley, who has graciously agreed to sing a few songs for us." Iceman announced as mom walked on stage. "Thank you, Tom." Mom said as they exchanged a hug. The music started and I looked to Rooster, he smirked at me and yanked me back into his chest.

"I'm not letting you get away from me that fast." There was something in his tone, it made my heart jump. "This is one of my most favorite songs mom has ever sung." He smiled down at me. "Oh, yeah?" I nodded. "Sing for me." I shook my head. "No, I just want to enjoy this." I said resting my head on his shoulder. Mom's voice singing 'I Hope You Dance'. I listened to her as I just took in everything, I never wanted to leave this position. It felt like we were in our own little bubble, like no one else was around. Mom was wrapping up the song when Rooster caught my attention. "Mags." I looked up, smiling at the nickname, he's the only one who calls me Mags.

"There's something I have to tell you, something that I've been sitting with since I dropped you off at home when we got back from deployment." His hand holding mine moved closer, the hand on my waist tightening so much it scrunched part of my dress. He brought the hand he was holding up tp his lips, placing a chaste kiss on my knuckles. Oh, how I wanted him to kiss me. "Promise me you will listen to me, until I am done. No interruptions." I nodded. "Of course."

See the full post

24 notes - Posted October 26, 2022

I Hope You Dance // Ch. 21

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Word Count: 6.7k

Chapter 20

"Did you know?" I asked, walking up to my mom. She hung her head and I scoffed, "I didn't know, until after the mission. I noticed he was acting weird and when I asked he told me." I huffed. "But you knew, and you kept it from me." She nodded, her arms crossing over her chest. Her maroon dress bunching around her. "When he told me, I ripped into him. We didn't speak the entire way home, not on the plane, in the car. He slept in the guest room for two days, I was so mad." I don't know if she was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't working.

"When we finally did talk, it was our biggest fight yet. We screamed, we yelled, hell I launched my chaco at him." I pursed my lips. "We have a big problem with throwing things when we're mad." She nodded. "I feel as mad as you. While I understand why he did it, you knew what you were getting into, very well, when you enlisted. He should not have grounded you, I know it and he does too. But before you were a Lieutenant, you were his little girl. Our youngest and frankly the one who gave me the hardest time during pregnancy. You scared us shitless a few times. You and your brother, are our entire world. When we almost lost you last year." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears.

"I knew it would break me, your my little girl, hell my best friend. But your father? I don't think he could've handled it. He didn't talk, didn't eat, didn't sleep. He was a shell of himself. I'm not saying what he did was right, because it's not. But he did it out of love." I licked my lips, tears streaming down my face. "I don't know if I can ever forgive him, mama." I said catching her eye. "Because by holding me back, Rooster and Maverick almost didn't come home. I know there's no guarantee I would've come home, but you two raised me to care about people. I would've happily burned in, if it meant that they got to come home." Mom leaned over, her hands resting on her knees, sobs wracking her body. I rested a hand on her back and after a moment she stood up.

"I am so proud of you, and I know it may take awhile to forgive your father, but just remember. He did it with your best interest at heart." I nodded and pulled her into a hug as she rubbed my back. "Caila?" I looked to see Jerry, slowly walking over. "I know this is a bad time and I know it's an emotional moment, but..." He trailed off. "But what?" He sighed. "Aaron just fired his lawyer." "WHAT?!" I grabbed mom, quietening her down. "So does that mean we're postponing the trial?" He shook his head. "He's representing himself." He shoulders fell, a shiver running up my spine.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rooster asked, rushing over and placing his hand on my back. "Oh my god, he's pulling a Bundy." Rooster furrowed his brows. "What? Honey, you gotta tell me what's going on." "Aaron fired his lawyer, he's representing himself." Jerry nodded. "So what does that mean?" I rubbed my face, my hands going through my hair. "It means, that if he calls witnesses he will be questioning them. If he calls on her, he's asking the questions." Rooster shook his head. "No." I sighed, placing my hand on his arm. "Rooster." "No. I am not letting him fucking near you." I nodded. "I know. He is a really good lawyer, for others. He's a narcissist who thinks people should believe him, every word that comes out of his mouth. This... this is his down fall. So if he wants to try and get under my skin, then he can but everything that he has done will come out."

He shook his head, "After all the shit we've been through, you want to let him interrogate you like your the criminal?" I nodded. "If that's what it takes." He sighed. "You're a hell of a woman, you know that?" I nodded, grinning at him. "I've been told once or twice." He chuckled, his hand coming up to rest on my cheek. "God, I love you." I pulled him down into a kiss, my arms wrapping around his shoulders. His one hand stayed on my cheek while the other found my waist. "I'm gonna have to ask you two to not do that." I pulled away looking to find Aaron standing next to Jerry. He was glaring at us while Jerry looked down on him, his eyes narrowed almost snarling. Rooster grabbed my waist, pulling me impossibly close to him as he glared at Aaron.

"And all communication is to be through the lawyers, so you talk to me." Jerry said stepping in between us. "She is being sued for Alienation of Affection. It wouldn't look good to be seen with the man she cheated on me with." Jerry lips twitched, fighting a grin. "Noted. We'll see you in there." They stared at each other, challenging each other until Aaron nodded and walked away. "God, I want to kill him." Rooster muttered as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know." I placed my hand on his chest as Jerry faced us. "Ten minutes is almost up. Let's get back in there, he won't get the opportunity to take the stand until tomorrow." We nodded and followed him in. I was about to step through the gate when Rooster tugged me back into his chest, catching me off guard with a searing kiss. "I love you." He whispered, his forehead resting on mine. "I love you too."

I kissed him one more time before taking my seat next to Jerry. "I need a root canal after seeing you two." I chuckled. "Natasha said the same thing." Judge Durham came back in and sat down. "Okay we will proceed with the plaintiff, Mr. Polinski." Jerry stood again, "Miss Motley, would you join me?" I nodded, walking over to the stand. The bailiff came over standing in front of me. "Please raise your right hand." I did. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" I nodded. "I do." "You may proceed." Jerry nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets and giving me a kind smile. "We were discussing the domestic violence within the Wilder home. Now Miss Motley, you were called to attend the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, better known as Top Gun, correct?" I nodded. "You were in the middle of a deployment in Corpus Christi four years ago when you were given the letter, correct?"

"That is correct." He nodded. "You were given a weeks leave before you had to be there?" I nodded. "Yes." "And how did you use this leave?" I took a deep breath. "I went to go see my friend Natasha at her home in San Francisco." I caught her eye and she gave me a small smile. "Why did you not go home?" I grabbed the hem on my dress, trying not to shake. "I didn't want to go home. Things had gotten bad, I wasn't allowed to sleep in the bedroom, I was not allowed to speak unless spoken to." He sighed, nodding to me. "And what would happen if you went against any of those so called 'rules'?" The tears sprung to my eyes at the thought. "Aaron would yell, he would throw things. He would hit me."

"Any examples?" I nodded. "He threw a lowball glass one time, it shattered on my shoulder and I spent two weeks picking out the glass." He nodded, a sad look in his eyes. "And why did he throw the glass?" I could feel Aaron's eyes on me, boring into the side of my head. "He wanted me to sleep with him and I said no." There were some quiet gasps and murmurs, a tear slipped and I quickly wiped it away. "What did he do after he threw the glass?" I shook my head, Jerry knew and I didn't want to say it. Not out loud. He came close, whispering. "I know it's hard, but he can't hurt you. This will help us get him." I nodded, taking a deep breath. "He uh-he came over, grabbed me by the back of my neck. He dragged me over to the back of the couch, forced me over it. He ripped a hole in my leggings and..." I stopped, struggling to find the words. I caught Rooster's eye. His eyes were glassy but he nodded, mouthing an 'I Love You'.

"He forced himself on me." I rushed out, tears covering my cheeks. "Objection." Aaron said, standing. "Explain." Judge Durham did not look happy, one bit. "You can't sexually assault the person your married too." My jaw dropped, as did everyone else's. "Overruled." He said and Aaron's face turned red. "Are you sure you don't want to hire other council, Mr. Wilder?" He huffed. "I have this handled." The Judge gave me a look that said, 'What were you thinking marrying him?' "Moving on, so you went to stay with Lieutenant Trace before you went to Top Gun. How did you spend that time? How did you get to Top Gun after?" I pursed my lips, keeping the tears at bay. "I called my mother and she had my car shipped to San Francisco and she flew out with some of my stuff." He nodded, motioning me to keep going.

"Natasha, my mother Regina and I all went out. We went to a few clubs, a few bars. Um, the next day was just a relaxing day there were a few conversations that ended in tears." He nodded. "And what were those conversations about?" "Rooster-Bradley. At the gala, I told him to stay away from me, leave me alone and Natasha told me later it... hurt him, a lot. I never actually wanted to hurt him, I just wanted to keep him away. It had made Aaron so mad and I just... I didn't want him mad, I couldn't have him mad at me." I inhaled deeply, trying to soothe myself.

"While Natasha and I were talking about him, he facetimed her." Jerry perked up, "And what did he say?" "He asked me the usual questions about how I was doing. Then he um, he told me how beautiful I was." My face heated up at the confession. "What next?" A smile crept up on my face at the memory. "He told me, if I wanted, all I had to do was ask and he would drop everything and fly out to meet me." I bit my lip at the memory. "And what did you say?" "That I couldn't ask him to do that. He told me again and I considered it." He nodded. "And did you eventually give in?" I nodded. "All I said was please and he packed a bag and caught a red eye to San Francisco."

I heard a few awes in the crowd, making me blush. I looked to Rooster and he was rubbing the back of his neck, which had a pink tint. "What happened when he arrived?" I bit my lip. "Natasha and I met him at the airport before going out to dinner. We had a few drinks, got back to Natasha's. Bradley felt the scar on the back of my shoulder from the lowball." "And how did he react?" I bit my lip. "He was angry, he wanted to catch a flight to Atlanta." Jerry nodded as he paced in front of me. "Why?"

"He wanted to hurt Aaron." He nodded and I glanced to Aaron, he was seething. "Why didn't he go?" I thought back on it. He easily could've pushed past me and went out the door, but he didn't. "I blocked the door, and I told him I was filing for divorce." Jerry threw his hands out. "And why did that divorce not go through?" "Aaron knew the lawyer. The lawyer called him and told him, and he blocked it." I wanted to crawl out of my skin, the looks of pity were too much. I could handle them before, but now, it was like I was under fire. "So, you spent the weekend with Mr. Bradshaw and Miss Trace, with the promise of meeting Mr. Bradshaw at Norfolk international after you graduated from Top Gun?" I nodded. "But those plans changed when Aaron showed up and attacked you." I nodded again.

"He tossed me into the wall, held me in a chokehold, and threatened me. He broke my phone, giving me one that he kept when we were together, he monitored it, making sure I didn't add any numbers that he didn't recognize. That's also where he told me he was having Bradley followed." Jerry nodded. "You may step down." I got up, walking back to the table, finding Rooster's eyes on the way. Whether he knew it or not, his presence helped tremendously. The little nods of encouragement, the small words of affirmation, those were things that made this easy. Not my parents, not the team, not the knowing that if we win this Aaron will spend a long time in prison.

Him. Him supporting me, loving me, protecting me. That was what made this easier. "Miss Motley wanted out of her marriage, long before she started seeing Mr. Bradshaw. Her husband cheated on her repeatedly over the course of multiple deployments and still blocked her request for a divorce. She was forced to live in a loveless marriage, in a home that she couldn't even speak in. Now, let's take our focus off of Bradley and bring our focus back to Aaron. I'd like to call to the stand my next witness, Lieutenant Jake Seresin." I immediately knew where this was going, I wanted to sink back in my chair.

Jake walked over, being sworn in before crossing his ankle over his knee and leaning back, a smirk on his face. "Mr. Seresin, when was the first time you officially met Mr. Wilder?" Don't get cocky Jake, don't. "At the gala, the same one that he made Caila leave with him from." Jerry nodded. "What was the topic of conversation?" Jake's face shifted, a hard look settling on his chiseled features. "Originally it was how embarrassing he thought Caila was. I told him we don't talk about ladies like that where I'm from. So, he very unhappily changed the conversation to his job." Jerry nodded. "What were some things he said about Miss Motley?"

"He was going on about how it was un-lady like for her to walk with another man, her father invited Bradley to sit with them for the dinner, and he was going on about how he was going to make sure she stayed away from him." Jerry stopped pacing, turning to Jake. "Did he give details on how he would do that?" Jake shook his head with a frown. "Let's move on, the second time you met Mr. Wilder was actually at Miss Motley's Top Gun graduation?" He nodded. "He interrupted our conversation, he placed his hand on her shoulder and she froze. I could see the fear wash over her, her face turned white, she started sweating. I knew then that something wasn't right so I steered the conversation towards me." Jerry nodded. "And what did he say?"

"He mentioned how proud he was, but that she would be ending her career soon. He didn't like her being gone so much, he said he 'had to keep her home.'" Tears welled in my eyes at the thought of staying home with him all the time, I couldn't do it, I knew that. "So the next time you saw him, that was New Years Eve two years ago?" Jake took a deep breath, nodding. "What happened at this party?"

"My oldest sister Kim and her husband throw a New Years Eve party every year. This was the first one after Laura, my other sister married Caila's brother Jameson, so she invited his family. Their parents came, as well as Caila and Aaron. I greeted Caila at the door with a hug, the same way I did her mother and Laura. I saw the look on Aaron's face and he wasn't happy but as soon as Caila pulled away he had a smile on his face. All throughout the night we were just drinking and having a good time. But I noticed he had kept her close all night, which wouldn't be odd but the grip he had. I noticed fresh bruises after an hour." I took a chance and glanced at Aaron, he was rubbing his face, angry.

"At about one a.m. she got up and went to the kitchen, she was fairly sober but Aaron was drunk, he followed her. I gave it a minute and peeked in on them, just to check. I looked around the corner and saw he had her pinned to the island by her throat, a knife pointed between her eyes." I held my breath, no one but those that were there knew about that. "She was... begging him to let her go. Come to find out it was because she hugged me and spoke to me." I knew Hangman felt bad about it, he still sort of felt like it was his fault and no matter how many times I told him otherwise, he never truly believed me.

"I stepped in and he let her go and dropped the knife. By the time everyone else stepped in they were yelling at each other. She took a step back towards me and he threw the glass he had, it broke and part of it hit her on the side of her head." I subconsciously touched my head, feeling the small bump that caused so much blood to fall down the side of my face. "All hell kinda broke loose at that point, everyone was swinging, pushing them apart. Laura held Caila off to the side while her dad and Jameson threw him out." I closed my eyes, hoping to push down the emotions that flooded me.

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24 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

I Hope You Dance // Ch. 4

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why! Also posting for like the third time today because @rosiahills22 & @mak-32 are just spurring me on tonight!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Word Count: 6.8k

Chapter 3

"So what happened last night?" I looked down at Phoenix's phone, flat, facing the ceiling. Rooster had a smile on his face, his eyes gleaming with this innocence that made him look like a child interested in a toy on a shelf. "Um," I picked up the phone, leaning against her couch as I continued to sit in the floor. "We went out last night, Phoenix, mom and I." His eyebrows shot up. "Your mom?" I nodded. "Yeah it was... the most fun I've had in awhile." I said giving him a small smile. "So who had to be carried home? I know at least between you and Phoenix one of you did." He said chuckling, making me laugh. "My mom." His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Your mom? Regina Motley, being carried home?" I nodded. "It took two extra hours to get here because Phoenix and I were plastered ourselves." He laughed. "That's hilarious and not safe. I'm glad your okay." I smiled at him. "So uh, how've you been?" I bit my lip. "Better." He nodded. "How's uh..." I pursed my lips. "Don't ask questions you don't want to ask Bradley." He nodded, I looked out the window for a minute before looking back at the phone to see Bradley staring at me. "What?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "You just-even after you crying you're still just so-" "Don't. Please don't tell me how beautiful I am." "And why not?" I sighed, wiping a few tears that slipped. "Because, it makes me want you." His tongue darted out to wet his lips as I sat curled against Phoenix's couch. "You tell me, that you want me to come out there, and I will drop everything and catch the next flight to San Francisco."

I shook my head. "I can't ask you to do that." He was staring at me, his eyes unreadable. "Then don't ask. Just say please, and I will be on my way." I stared at him, and he held my gaze. "Just give me the first syllable." A tear fell from his eye, and I opened my mouth before closing it. I propped my fist on my chin, looking back out the window. This is my chance, I have my car, all my important belongings, my husband still thinks I am in Corpus Christi. "Caila." I looked back to the phone, seeing his eyes all glassy. "I have spent, the last year worrying about you, every damn day." More tears gather in my eyes. "Not knowing if you were okay has been the hardest thing to deal with in my day to day life. I don't want to keep living like this, I can't."

I inhaled deeply, so tired of crying. This is my chance, if I don't take it I know I will regret it. I looked back down to see Rooster wiping his eyes and I smiled at him. "Rooster." He looked at me intensely. "Please." He suddenly jumped up. "Stay on the phone." He was rummaging around and I saw a shirt fly over the phone and smiled. After about ten minutes he picked the phone up again, showing me his duffel bag. "I am leaving for the airport right now. I will text you all my flight information." I bit my lip and smiled at him. "Are we really doing this?" He nodded as he closed his front door behind him. "We sure are, you sit tight pretty girl. I'm coming for you." More tears fell at his words. "I'll see you when you land Rooster." He smiled at me. "I can't wait to see you." I smiled. "I can't wait to see you either." The call ended and that's when the panic set in.

What if Aaron found out, he could still end our careers. Is it really worth costing Rooster everything? Is my selfishness worth it? "Hey, hey, hey! You're going to cause the floor to fall in if you keep pacing like this." I turned to phoenix who grabbed my arm. "What's wrong?" It was time to come clean. "I said yes." Phoenix seemed confused. "Yes? Yes, to what?" I held up her phone. "Bradley." Her eyes widened. "Wait? You mean-" "I mean, I said 'go', and now he is on his way to the airport and is purchasing a ticket to fly to San Francisco to come see me." She placed her hands over her mouth in shock. "You did?" I nodded as she came over and pulled me into a hug. My chin resting easily on her shoulder as she was an inch taller than my five foot six frame.

"And I think I need to tell you why I walked away at the gala last year." We sat on the couch and she took my hand. "Aaron said if I left him, he would pin me for adultery." She pursed her lips. "Which is punishable by dishonorable discharge in the Navy." I nodded. "I would give up my career for Rooster, I'd lose everything for him." She nodded and squeezed my hand. "But Aaron threatened to pin him for it as well. Losing everything for him is worth it, but costing him everything? Being the reason he loses it all? I couldn't do that to him." She inhaled deeply.

"Yeah, but there's no way he can pin that. It's just an allegation." I shook my head. "Do you remember that bouquet of flowers he got me in Australia?" She nodded, how could anyone forget? "Yeah." "I dried them out and I have them in a box in my closet. Aaron found them and took pictures. He also took pictures of the gold studs in my ears, I never take them out except for the one time and he pulled out the box and everything. He has enough to pin us." Phoenix sighed and squeezed my hand. "I would rather him hate me and still be able to do the one thing he has worked so hard for, then love me and lose everything." She pulled my head down on her shoulder.

"Rooster would rather love you and have to work night shift at a gas station, than lose you and continue his career." I shook my head. "But I can't live with being the reason, 'Nix. I can't." I was backsliding. "Maybe I should tell him to stay home." She snatched her phone from me. "NO!" She yelled and I was shocked. "If you cancel on him, then you'll go back to Aaron. You will die, Caila. He is breaking you down and if you stay with him much longer, you won't survive." I teared up remembering my thoughts from the gala. "Over the past year, I've been having some... dark thoughts."

Phoenix gripped my hand tighter, and forced me to look at her. "Caila, you have to tell someone." I shook my head. "It's only when I'm at home, not when I'm gone or if he's gone. When we're apart it's like my life is bliss because he doesn't even care enough to call, but when we're together at home it's like." I choked up, "It's like there's no end to my misery. Like I'm going to be trapped forever, forced to live in a house where I can't speak unless spoken to, I can't sleep in my own bed." I slumped on the couch as Phoenix stared at me. "I'm so tired of the fighting, and the yelling, and the shoving, and breaking glasses." At his point I was sobbing once more. "I'm so tired of being scared in my own house, and if I don't get out Phoenix. I know I'm going to do something that I will regret if I fail." She stared at me before yanking me into a hug. "I'm here, in whatever you need Caila. But promise me, that as soon as possible you call a lawyer and get a divorce." I nodded as my phone buzzed with a text from an unsaved number.

Flight leaves in an hour. My red eye lands at SFO in five hours and thirty minutes. I'll see you so soon, pretty girl.

In almost seven hours, Rooster would be here. I showed Phoenix the text and she squealed in excitement.

I can't wait, I'm so excited to see you too.

~~~

Those seven hours dragged by but Phoenix and I made use of it by searching divorce lawyers back home. It took a lot of vetting to make sure no one would know my husband, because they would run their mouths. "Hi, my name is Caila Wilder. I was hoping to have some papers drawn up to divorce my husband." God, I sounded too happy to be doing this. "Okay, is there anyway you could come into the office? We can't legally draw up the papers over the phone." My heart sank. "Yes, it will have to be a few months though. I'm away for work for awhile."

I managed to schedule an appointment half an hour before we had to leave for the airport. "I have an appointment to file for divorce." I said shocked. "You're finally doing something for you." I smiled at her. "Now, let's go get you your man." She said snatching her keys and my hand, dragging me out to her car. We drove in silence but of course my nervous habits kicked in and I was pulling on my fingers. We arrived and we sat in the lounge, waiting. I couldn't sit for long though, I began pacing and Phoenix kept grabbing my dress to stop me.

"If you keep tuggin' on it, it's gonna stretch!" My southern accent was thicker when I was stressed or angry. "Caila, look." She pointed and I saw sandy colored curls peeking through the crowd. It took a minute but people started moving out of the way, and there he was. Light wash jeans, white tank top under a Hawaiian shirt. His aviator glasses hanging from his shirt and his dog tags bouncing off his chest. He had his duffel hanging over his shoulder, and a large smile plastered on his face.

I couldn't help but stare at him as he got closer, somehow Rooster became the embodiment of everything good I needed in my life right now. "I am so videoing this." I whipped around to Phoenix, "Do not post it! If-" "I'm not." She said grabbing my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "What's this?" I turned to see Rooster standing about twenty feet away. "I fly all the way out here and I don't have the prettiest girl in the state of California leaping into my arms?" I chuckled and stepped forward when he stopped me. "No, wait!" I stopped and he smirked. Turning around and walking away, it felt like an eternity before I could barely see his head in the crowd. "OKAY!" I laughed in embarrassment but took off anyway.

As soon as he was in view he dropped the duffel and opened his arms. I launched myself at him, making him stumble backwards. His arms wrapped around my waist and mine went around his neck. I breathed deeply, inhaling his cologne. "I have missed you somethin' fierce, for so long Rooster." He chuckled. "Oh, pretty girl. I have missed you for so much longer." He shifted me up so his arms were wrapped around my thighs, making me giggle. "Oh, music to my ears." I rested a hand on each cheek. "Hey, Rooster?" He smiled at me. "Yes?" I bit my lip. "I really, really wanna kiss you." His smile grew wide. "Then kiss me, honey." I smiled and leaned down, kissing him gently. His lips were much softer than I imagined, he smiled into the kiss before giving me a spin making me laugh.

Slowly he set me on my feet before leaning down and kissing me again. "You. Have. No. Idea. How. Long. I. Have. Waited. For. This." He said in between kisses. His arms wound tightly around my waist as I cradled his face. "I didn't know it until now, but I've been waiting too." Phoenix walked over with a huge smile on her face. "That was so sweet I think I need a root canal!" Rooster motioned her over and he pulled her into a tight hug.

As he pulled away his arm slipped around my waist, pulling me close again. "So how long are you here for?" He pursed his lips. "I have to be back on Monday." It was Friday evening, so we only get two days together. He looked down to me and smiled before running a hand through my hair. "We'll make the best of it though." I smiled at him as we left the airport, shoving Rooster in the back seat. "So, we hitting the bars tonight?" Phoenix and I both groaned at his words. "God no! We can go sit in a bar at a restaurant but no, no bars." Phoenix said making Rooster and I laugh. "Yeah, I can't handle another migraine."

~~~

We found restaurant that had a live band, and amazing food. I reached over to Phoenix's plate and stole a few fries, the look she gave me screamed murder. "What some of my shrimp?" She eyed me for a second before stealing some. "They're good." Rooster said while his hand rested on my knee, giving it a comfortable squeeze. I nodded and glanced up to him, he has a smile on his face as he sipped on his beer. "What?" He asked and I gave him a small smile. "I'm just glad you're here." He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. "Like I told you, just say the word." I chuckled as we went back to eating.

I noticed a few girls at the bar, they kept turning around and looking at us. I thought they were looking at Rooster for a minute but then I recognized them. "Shit, stage five clingers from last night. ten o'clock." I said and Phoenix looked up and caught their gaze. "What's wrong?" Rooster asked, moving his hand to the inside of my thigh, squeezing gently. "Those girls kept following us last night, huge fans of mom and she just kept talking to them and now they think we're friends or something." I said and looked over, seeing them get up, drinks in hand.

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26 notes - Posted October 26, 2022

I Hope You Dance // Masterlist

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

44 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Girl Crush

Content Warning: Angst, cursing

This could be based off Little Big Town's 'Girl Crush', I only realized it after I wrote it.

Summary: Being friends with Rooster since childhood was amazing, the feelings that came with it were not.

Masterlist | Flashbacks

I stared down into the clear liquid filling my glass, the sinking feeling in my stomach growing. I knew he was behind me, across the bar with the blonde he’s been gushing about the last two weeks. He decided to introduce her to our friends, they’ll love her, I know it. She is sweet, she’s kind, she’s beautiful, and dammit what I wouldn’t give to be her. For years I have been there, every time he left for deployment, every time he came home, I moved in with him so he wouldn’t be alone after his mom passed. I’ve always been there, since we were kids. So why was I not enough for him?

Suddenly I felt a large but gentle hand on my lower back, and I went rigid. I had hoped he wouldn’t see me, but I guess maybe I didn’t blend in as well as I thought. “Hey, I thought you weren’t feeling good?” Don’t look up, dammit, don’t look at him. “Hey.” His knuckle bumped under my chin, telling me to look at him. I just kept my head down, if I looked at him I don’t know if I’d cry, run away, or kiss him. “Look at me, please.” This time he grabbed my chin, turning my face towards him. Immediately my vision shifted to his eyes, those brown eyes that looked like puddles of chocolate ice cream he loved to indulge himself in occasionally. “I thought you were sick? I was gonna bring you some nuggets when we left.”

This was one reason I loved him, no matter what he always made time for those he cared for. “I felt better, wanted a shot.” He pursed his lips, nodding his head. I knew what he was thinking. If I wanted a shot, I easily could’ve pulled down the bottle of ‘Grey Goose’ he bought me last year. Thankfully, he never mentioned it and I didn’t have to feel embarrassed. “Why don’t you come join us? Katy is having so much fun with everyone. Plus she adores you.” I shook my head. “Nah, I’m not up for a big hang out. Think I’ll just take my shot and go home.” He sighed, turning to Jenny, our bartender. “Two more, Jen?” She nodded, pulling out two bottles from the cooler. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I nodded. “Absolutely.” He sighed, taking the two beers.

“You’ll let me know when you get home?” I nodded, twisting my glass on the bar top. “Yeah.” He leaned down, kissing my head. “Be careful, okay?” I nodded, wishing he’d stay close for another minute just so I could smell his cologne a little longer. He gave me one last look before walking away. I swallowed the tears, tossing the vodka back, the burn stinging my throat. I turned to look behind me, regretting it immediately. She had both of her hands wrapped around his waist, beer in hand. One of his held her waist, the other had settled into the back pocket of her jeans. He said something that made her giggle, leaning down to kiss her lips.

At that I turned back to the bar, seeing the shot glass had been refilled. “You look like you could use one for the road.” I nodded, tossing it back as well. “He loves you, sweetie. He just hasn’t realized it yet.” I pursed my lips, giving her a small nod, not quite believing her. “Night, Jen.” I slid her the money for the shots before walking outside to my car. I took one last look up to the pool table where they were standing. They were turned, talking to our friends, his arm around her waist and her arm around his shoulder, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.

Tears flooded my eyes, I couldn’t look at them anymore. I yanked my car door open, almost hitting the car next to me. I got in, slamming the door closed as the sobs wracked my body. I leaned my head back on the headrest, hoping to soothe myself with no such luck. What did she have that I didn’t? Why wasn’t I good enough for him? I slammed my hands on the steering wheel, my emotions overriding my conscious. When I could finally breathe I started the car, backing out of the parking spot and speeding back to my apartment. I hated myself for not saying anything sooner, I waited too long and he found someone else. If only I could tell him now, then maybe, just maybe, I’d have a chance. Little did I know, he just witnessed my breakdown in the bar parking lot.

76 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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weasleywinchester · 4 years ago

Text

WeasleyWinchester Fic Master List

Hey Fam, I'm tired of having to look for my stuff so I can link chapters to each other so here's a master list

And small overview of my writing: I tend to write long chapters, a good deal of smut and fluff, with the occasional angst because I apparently like to make myself suffer (and I can’t do that alone, so you suffer too). Also 99.9% of my stuff is Female, Plus Size reader insert. If it’s anything else I mention in at the beginning of each story :) (Loki and Sully so far is the only gender neutral ones I have)

*most of these will have multiple chapters that I’m still working on! (I've highlighted them in blue) If you want to be tagged in anything let me know 💙

Supernatural

Dean Winchester

Save Yourself (currently written 19/25)

He Didn’t Dump Me (featuring Crowley)

Sam Winchester

Lock the Damn Door!

Marvel

Bucky Barnes

The Way You Look Tonight Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Baron Helmut Zemo

The Way You Look Tonight Part 2

Loki

Can I keep Him?

Steven Grant/ Marc Spector

Any Way You Want It

Triple Frontier

Franki

You & Me - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 Where the Rivers Meet

Santi

How Did You Know My Ass Would Need Saving?

Tom

Unless I'm Allowed Dessert

Star Wars

Din Dijarin

A Different Kind of Bounty (smut)

Strangers - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Ladies, Please (feat. Fennec & Boba)

Cassian Andor

It's A Low Number

Hot Blood (love is gunna get ya) - sex pollen

Poe Dameron

Don’t Tell Anyone! Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

The Last Of Us

Joel Miller

Malicious Mean and Scary? - smut

Top Gun

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Slow Motion - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch.4 | Ch.5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9

I Ain't Worried - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Robert "BOB" Floyd

I Ain't Worried - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

I Ain't Worried - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Stranger Things

Eddie Munson

Highway to Hell(fire) - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5

Sherlock

Greg Lestrade

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2

We Can Be Hero's

Marcus Moreno

Not A Shrine

Winx

Saul Silva

Begin Again - Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3

Uncharted

Sully

I Got You Baby

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seagreen-meets-grey · 4 years ago

Text

The Last Slide: Ch. 2

@feeisamarshmallow here is the second chapter ♥

Read on ao3

_______________

Chapters: 1 2 3 4

_______________

The smell of chlorine hit Jake’s nose as soon as he stepped through the front door of the Tropic Thunder Aqua Park. Following Amy to the information desk, he envied the little groups of people striding past him to the ticket window, bags slung over their shoulders, inflatable crocodiles and donuts and flamingos under their arms. Once this case was closed, he needed to find a free day for Amy, Mac and him to come back here. Or maybe to a different water park, one with less murder history.

Amy greeted the teenager behind the desk, flashing her badge and ID. The boy’s brows scrunched in momentary confusion, then he paled a few subtle shades. But when Amy mentioned his boss calling because of the case, his shoulders relaxed. Jake wondered if the boy had done something to assume they were here because of him, or if he was just nervous. The name tag on his orange t-shirt read Julius.

He picked up a desk phone and pressed a few buttons, relaying the information of their arrival. Then he fumbled with his hands and bounced on his heels. “Can I get you anything? A water? Dolphin-shaped cookies?”

Jake opened his mouth to ask for those, but Amy spoke before he could.

“No, thank you, Julius.” She offered him a sympathetic smile. “It must feel awful to be working right now.” The boy nodded, relaxing further and dropping down into his chair.

“It’s weird,” he admitted. “When I came to start my shift, there were crime techs everywhere. And they wheeled out a gurney with a black body bag. I thought this only happened on TV.” He shuddered, glancing off into his memories.

“Did you notice anything unusual lately, Julius?” While still smiling motherly, her tone was ever-professional. The kid was easy to trust her. A wave of pride welled up inside Jake. This was his wife.

Julius shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, Francesca said she saw the dead guy argue with Darius last week, but she also believes in yetis, so.”

“Who’s Francesca and Darius?” Jake asked.

“Francesca Roberts and Darius are lifeguards; they work here as pool attendants. I don’t know Darius’ last name, I’m sorry.”

“Did Francesca hear what the argument was about?”

Julius shook his head as behind him, a door opened and a tall middle-aged man with sandy hair and the body of a swimmer stepped through. He wore the same white shorts as Julius but his shirt was baby-blue, without a name tag.

With a polite smile, he reached out his hand over the desk. “Sam Kirkwell, I’m the head of Tropic Thunder. I spoke to your colleague on the phone this morning.”

Amy shook his hand. “Lieutenant Santiago of the 99th precinct, this is Detective Peralta. Is there anywhere we can talk more privately?”

“Of course.” Kirkwell waved them behind the desk and through the door he had just entered through. They walked through a small break room, then down a narrow, cream-painted hallway and into an office. Kirkwell sat behind the desk and gestured at the chairs on the other side, waiting for them to sit before leaning forward and folding his hands on the desk.

“Now how can I help you?”

They went over the details of the case, Amy taking notes rigorously while Jake painted a picture in his imagination, forming the scene, adding everything he’d already read in the file and everything Kirkwell told them. So far, the details added up.

The water park had opened at 9 in the morning. At 9:53, a man – Lars Pearson, 43 years old, Caucasian, warehouse worker – came out of the Disco, a popular water slide, with a poisoned dart in his neck. The first cops on the scene assumed he was hit before going down the slide, but security footage showed him happy, healthy, alive at the top. In the middle of the ride, he came through the funnel, but with the disco lights dancing around and no extra light source, the camera in there didn’t show enough to see the dart. No one followed him down in immediate succession, the next person started the ride once the victim had already been at the end.

Everyone leaving the water park since then had left their contact information. Witnesses could only describe that nothing had been out of the ordinary when Pearson had waited in line for the slide. Nobody had seen anyone with a blowpipe or dart gun. Pool attendants as well as camera footage didn’t deliver them any more information, either.

The victim had no family except for a bedridden father and a brother. Had come to the water park with two co-workers who could also not report anything unusual. No fingerprints had been found on the dart.

“I reopened the park, including the slide, about an hour ago,” Kirkwell continued. “Your people were already gone and the officers said there was no more evidence that had to be saved.”

Jake and Amy both huffed in annoyance. It was one thing to move the body if it otherwise floated around the pool. Any possible evidence left in the water slide, however, they could forget. Kirkwell didn’t seem to have thought that far ahead and whoever had given him clearance to reopen hadn’t either. But they would go and see what they could make of it.

“One more thing,” Jake said when Kirkwell was about to show them the slide, “Julius mentioned two pool attendants we’d like to talk to. Francesca Roberts and another one named Darius.”

“Darius Erickson, yes.” Kirkwell looked at his watch. “Francesca should still be around here somewhere and Darius is about to end his shift in a few minutes. I’ll have them wait in here.”

“Actually,” Amy held up a hand, “we’d like to see them before we inspect the slide.”

That didn’t seem to fit into Kirkwell’s plans, but he schooled his expression into a polite smile and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, Amy groaned. “How careless can you be?!” she grumbled. “Now we’ll have to investigate in-between a horde of civilians!”

Jake smirked. “You mean we’ll have to ride the slide to search for clues?”

“Seems like it.” She sighed in defeat but Jake was having none of it.

“Admit it, you want to. Otherwise, you’d just order Kirkwell to close the place until we’re done with the investigation.”

“We don’t even have our swimming gear and– You packed it, didn’t you.” He didn’t have to say anything, the grin on his face confirmed her assumption.

The door opened again a few minutes later and Kirkwell pushed a man and a woman inside. Before he could close the door behind himself, Amy turned to him. “We’d like to speak to them alone, please. Mr. Erickson, if you could also please wait outside while we talk to Ms. Roberts.”

“This is stupid, I already talked to the cops this morning, my shift is over! I want to leave, right now,” Erickson ranted but Jake just sternly gestured at the door. It was something he’d practiced a lot on Mac whenever he’d come out of his room before his tantrum-induced time-out had ended. Erickson reacted similarly while leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Ms. Roberts, please sit,” Amy told the woman. She looked in her mid-fifties, had bleached hair with a gray hairline and her orange t-shirt looked a size too small. “We’ve been told you witnessed an argument between Mr. Erickson and Mr. Pearson last week. Can you tell us more about that?”

Roberts shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. When I left the building last Thursday after my shift, I saw Darius in a heated conversation with someone. I didn’t care because he’s been moody ever since his wife left him a few months ago. I only remembered about it when I saw the body…” She gulped. “It was the guy Darius argued with, I’m sure.”

Darius Erickson confirmed that not much later. “Fine, yes. I knew Lars. That son of a bitch is the reason my wife left me.” He was sitting on the edge of his seat, arms crossed in front of him. The light from the ceiling was shining on his balding head and the crease between his brows was thicker than Terry’s biceps. (So to speak. Jake wouldn’t want anyone to actually hold him to that.)

“I know what you’re thinking,” Erickson continued, “but I already told your colleagues this morning, I didn’t do it! I was late to work, my car’s in the shop, my brother drove me. When I arrived, cops were already here.”

Amy neatly wrote everything down on her notepad. “We’ll need your brother’s contact information, Mr. Erickson.” The man threw his arms up in the air with a huff. “We need to check your alibi in order to drop you as a suspect. We ask you to not leave the city and to be ready for more questions.”

For now, they couldn’t actually bring him in for anything yet. Jake hoped they didn’t need to. Not just because that would solve and end the case way too soon, but also because Erickson would be out and about as long as they didn’t have actual evidence to link him to anything.

After the pool attendant had left, Jake relayed the information to Charles, and by the time they were following Kirkwell through the water park, barefoot and pant legs rolled up, Erickson’s alibi had checked out.

The air inside was warm and humid, tropical, with no breeze to provide a little cooling. Kirkwell showed them where the body was found. The Disco slide ended into a small pool area which in turn was connected to a large non-swimmer’s pool. If the body had been left in here, it really would have been floating around the park by now.

People were coming out of the tube and splashing into the tiny pool every thirty seconds or so. The chlorine in the water should have tainted every bit of evidence so far. And since the murder must have happened somewhere between Pearson’s start and end of the slide ride, Jake absolutely saw no other way than to don swim trunks and bikini and start the investigation. For the sake of work.

Amy grumbled a bit about feeling unprofessional in her own bikini while at a crime scene, but Jake could tell she was looking forward to this. She’d been way too overworked lately. And even though they were basically going to enjoy themselves at the water park, they were still going to do their jobs. It was a win-win situation.

The first three rides, though, brought no new revelations.

(That’s probably because Jake didn’t exactly go to great effort. Amy said she wanted to first get a feel for the slide so she could concentrate on the important things. So same thing, basically.)

(She couldn’t fool him.)

The slide wasn’t bustling with people anymore, so a race up the stairs to the top – so they wouldn’t lose precious investigating time, of course – made absolute sense.

“Ha!” Amy exclaimed as she hit the wall first. Jake made sure not to slip on the tiles as he came around the corner not a second later, out of breath and beaming. “I get to ride first this time.”

She got ready in front of the slide, the water gurgling down the dark tube. The light was green, so she put her hands on the pole over the entrance, leaned back for momentum, and flung herself down the tube. She disappeared behind the first turn, her adorable cry of “wheee” echoing back up to Jake.

He positioned himself, head turned to the side to get a good look at the light. As soon as the red would turn green, he’d use all his strength to propel himself down the slide. But the light didn’t change.

A handful of people gathered behind him during the next minutes, waiting in line and growing increasingly impatient. Was the signal broken? Was Amy stuck somewhere down the slide? Did she somehow manage to hit her head in the funnel and now she was lying there, unconscious, and whatever motion sensor was waiting for her at the end of the slide was going to leave the light red for all eternity?

Okay, maybe he was being a tad bit dramatic. But when it came to his wife, he wouldn’t take any chances. (Plus, he was so eager to go again, and he would be careful not to crash into her and everything, right?) She was probably waiting for him downstairs and he was still up here, contemplating ignoring a red light.

He had to admit, it felt slightly weird to do just that, but then he was already gone. Gravity took him down the black tube, around several corners, water splashing in his face constantly. He wasn’t able to see much until he took a sharp turn and found himself in the funnel. Strobe lights and LED cones in plenty of different colors were dancing across the walls, highlighting the path to where the slide continued.

As Jake let the centrifugal force carry him through the funnel, he almost bumped into a pair of legs.

“Ames!” he called out in surprise, his voice carrying around the funnel. “There you are!” With his feet, he decelerated, coming to a stop. It was harder than he’d imagined to climb to Amy at the side of the funnel, the stream of water constantly tugging at his feet. Not to mention the slippery ground in general. “I thought you broke the slide when the light didn’t turn green.”

“I just don’t understand,” she mumbled, narrowed eyes inspecting every inch of the funnel. “How could Pearson get hit with a dart in here? The whole slide is a closed space.”

Jake had an idea. “Maybe the killer waited for him in here. And when Pearson thought he’d waited for the green light long enough, he went in, and when he came here, all the killer had to do was shoot the dart, wait a bit and follow him out at a safe distance.”

Amy shook her head. “That’s what I thought as well, but remember what Kirkwell said? The cameras didn’t show any unusual patterns right before and after Pearson came out. The intervals in which people went on the slide and came out on the other side were all on par with the usual 30 seconds, give or take. And anyone waiting in here would have been filmed, anyway.”

“When did you even have time to look at the camera feed?”

“While you took forever to change into your trunks.”

“There was a long line by the changing rooms!” he exclaimed and gesticulated, which was a mistake. He almost lost his balance, teetering on the spot, one hand against the wall, the other hovering near Amy to use her as a support pillar if necessary.

“Careful, babe.” She took a step, one foot slipping, but she caught herself.

“Let’s try this,” he said, grabbing her hand and bracing himself against the wall with the other. She did the same and, using the wall and each other for balance, they walked through the funnel to wherever Amy wanted to go.

When she reached her destination, she pointed upwards, to one of the light machines. “This one’s not visible from any angle the camera can take. Do you see a dart pistol attached or is the light playing tricks on my eyes?”

Jake carefully stood on his tiptoes, narrowing his eyes at the small black device above. It wasn’t easy seeing clearly with the multi-colored strobes darting around. “Nah, there’s nothing. And I squinted pretty hard.”

Amy let her arms fall against her sides. “Then I don’t get it.”

“He could have brought the dart himself. Maybe he rode the slide one too many times and went crazy from the strobe lights.”

“Then he went home to prepare a poisoned dart arrow, returned, rode the slide, and impaled himself while the lights were watching.”

“Exactly– no, wait, you’re mocking me.”

She nodded with a glint in her eyes. “I am. I am mocking you.”

“Well, I feel very insulted, now I have to go to the wave pool to treat myself. Maybe some fries after?”

And there was the eye-roll he’d been waiting for. “Jake, we’re still working – okay, now you’re mocking me.”

He grinned and leaned over to kiss her, staggering a little but catching himself in time.

“Very professional, Peralta.”

“Hmm, I don’t hear you complaining when–”

Suddenly, a torrent of water flushed into the funnel, followed by a pair of feet, then legs, then the rest of a young teenage girl with dark pigtails and a red-and-black swimsuit. She eyed the pair confused while the pair stared at her, until she disappeared in the tube again, one single eyebrow raised at them.

Jake realized they made quite the sight, poising on the high side of the funnel in the middle of a dark water slide, one arm each around the other’s back while standing half a foot apart for balance, faces close, eyes wide, and Jake was sure his swim trunks were hanging a little low on his butt. He reached down to pull them up.

“Maybe we should–” Amy started, but that was when he lost his footing, and the fall was inevitable. They went down together, the water carrying them out of the funnel, Jake with his head first. The tube was too narrow, the ride too fast for him to change his position as he and Amy were flushed down the drain. All he could do was splutter and turn his face so that less water got into his nose and mouth and eyes, the tunnel’s change of lighting all but a blur of colors, like a disco lightning storm.

What could only have been about ten seconds until they landed in the pool felt more like a small eternity spent preparing for the end. Shaking his head like a dog, he wiped his hands over his face and accepted Amy’s hand helping him up.

“That was an unexpected ride,” she commented.

“Title of your sex tape.”

“Again, very professional.” But she was grinning, half the hair from her bun hanging into her face, tousled from the sudden wild journey.

He was about to retort with another “Title of your sex tape!” when he spotted something. “What if he wasn’t dead yet when he came out here?”

Amy followed his eyes, latching onto the same thing. “Oh my god!”

Simultaneously, they turned to each other and exclaimed, “The vents!”

They went to find Kirkwell who confirmed that, indeed, the vents were big enough for a person to fit into. Someone could have fired the deadly poisoned dart from up there as soon as Pearson exited the slide. Kirkwell promised to have every employee who had access to the vents at the precinct by the next day.

Jake tried to convince Amy to stay at Tropic Thunder a little longer, but she threw one look at him and he knew he didn’t stand a chance against the Amy Santiago Stern Mommy Look. It always worked on Mac, and it never failed to make Jake at least a little bit horny.

That night, Amy left a little late to Rosa’s as Jake hurried to meet the landlord.

He can’t remember if he ever arrived.

#b99fandomevents #b99 summer 2021 fic exchange #b99 #the last ride #b99 fic #peraltiago #jake x amy #sleuth sisters #jake peralta #amy santiago #rosa diaz #maja writes

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illbringthechaosmagic · 1 year ago

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@phantomofagoodtime

"Yes really!" Wanda giggled softly, holding onto him tight as he spun them slowly. "I love you too... so so much," she whispered, kissing him back passionately and cupping his cheeks. He really did have her heart and she couldn't believe that he had asked her to marry him, not believing that she was going to get her happy ending.

"you're my everything." (jake)

“You say the sweetest things, my sunflower. I hope things never change. That your beautiful face remains here with me, to brighten every morning for many years to come.”

#phantomofagoodtime #ch: jake roberts

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illbringthechaosmagic · 1 year ago

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[ 📲 sms: ] i'm into curves, and my favorite is your smile. - Jake

@phantomofagoodtime

[text: Jake] You know, that's a new one XD

[text: Jake] Are you just sending me cheesy pick up lines or has my wonderful boyfriend got something in mind that he wants to ask me?

[text: Jake] Either way, I love you <3

#phantomofagoodtime #ch: jake roberts

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twins2994 · 5 years ago

Text

Twins Wallop White Sox 14-2!

Twins 14 White Sox 2 W-Maeda (1-0) L-Lopez (0-1)

The Minnesota Twins offense is going to pile up runs and home runs in the 2020 season. They put up ten runs on Friday night in a win then ran into Dallas Keuchel yesterday afternoon to take the loss. Today, the Twins made sure that they took the series against the White Sox in Chicago. The Twins bats got cooking in the first inning. Jorge Polanco led-off with a walk and Nelson Cruz doubled to left. Eddie Rosario walked to load up the bases for Jake Cave, who drilled a Reynaldo Lopez fastball out to left field for a grand slam. This put the Twins up 4-0 after an inning of play and they kept tacking on runs in the second inning. Alex Avila was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Josh Donaldson walked. Jorge Polanco singled to load up the bases again. Nelson Cruz unloaded the bases with a double to right and Eddie Rosario doubled home a run. Later in the inning, Jake Cave was hit by a pitch and Luis Arraez hit a run-scoring single to left. This put the Twins up 9-0 after two innings of play. Nelson Cruz continued to drive in runs in the fourth. He smacked a Gio Gonzalez curveball out to left for a solo homer and the Twins were up by ten. Meanwhile, Kenta Maeda threw four shutout innings, but the White Sox would get to him in the fifth. Adam Engel led-off with a double and Luis Robert knocked a Kenta Maeda slider out to center for his first Major League home run. This pulled the Sox within eight after five innings of play. Both bullpens settle down the offense and the Twins would get more insurance runs in the eighth. Josh Donaldson walked and Jorge Polanco singled with one-out. The next batter, Nelson Cruz blasted a Kelvin Herrera fastball out to left for his second homer of the game. The Twins had a 13-2 lead and had one more run left in them in the ninth. Marwin Gonzalez smoked a Kelvin Herrera slider out to right for a solo homer and the Twins had a 14-2 lead. Matt Wisler finished off a clean ninth and the Twins took the opening series against the Sox.

-Final Thoughts- Kenta Maeda looked good in his first Twins start. He went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Lewis Thorpe threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings before taking a ball off his leg. He exited the game and Matt Wisler got the final four outs of the game all on strikeouts. Nelson Cruz had a huge day at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with two homers, seven RBI’s, and four runs scored. Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, and Marwin Gonzalez had two hits each. The Twins hit 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. Willians Astudillo was cleared to being practicing at CHS Field with the Twins taxi squad. After the game, the Twins return home to play the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Carlos Martinez faces Homer Bailey in Game 1.

-Chris Kreibich-

#Twins #MnTwins

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illbringthechaosmagic · 2 years ago

Note

Wanda bit down on her lip, nodding in agreement. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you," she admitted, her hand seeking his to hold, "i was scared that maybe I had been too late.."

“ you were in a really bad way, i wasn’t about to abandon you. ” (Jake)

"Yeah...well, they beat me up pretty bad." Jake replied weakly.

#frozenandhandsome #ch: jake roberts

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lucacangettathisass · 6 years ago

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How The Light Gets In (ch.5)

SUMMARY: After your home is ransacked by a group of strange men, you and your cousin are taken in by a group of outlaws. And that’s when the trouble really starts.

PAIRINGS: John Marston x Fem!Reader, Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader

CHAPTER ONE, CHAPTER TWO, CHAPTER THREE, CHAPTER FOUR

TAGGING: @mountainhymn if you would like to be tagged in future chapters please lmk!

NOTES: What’s that sound you ask? Why, that’s the sound of me shooting myself in the goddamn foot for not watching a playthrough of chapter one to actually see what happens so I can write everything out accurately. oh well. description of stitching up a wound in this chapter, don’t know if it’s entirely accurate but i did feel a little nauseous while writing it so just a warning (of course im already sick so that might have something to do with it but eh). as always reblogs and feedback is greatly appreciated, if you like the work, share it!

Later, you learned that the man Mr Morgan had brought back with him, Mr Duffy, claimed to have only been with the O’Driscolls for a few months, and that he hated their leader, Colm, as much as the rest of the gang. However, Mr Van Der Linde appeared to be unconvinced, and decreed that poor Mr Duffy was to be tied up in the barn with some of the other horses, and denied all food and drink.

You felt rather sorry for him. After all, he was on a snow-covered mountain, surrounded by enemies that were heavily armed. The least that Mr Van Der Linde could do was allow him some comforts, at least in your mind.

When you shared these thoughts with Sadie that night, quietly, and away from the other women, her mouth contorted into a cruel sneer. You knew it wasn’t meant for you, but you flinched all the same. “He’s an O’Driscoll.” She snarled. “You don’t owe him nothin’, least of all your pity.”

Maybe she was right. Sadie always said you had a bad habit of wanting to fix people. But then you thought of the look of terror on Mr Duffy’s face when he saw Mr Van Der Linde, like he truly thought he was about to meet his maker, and you couldn’t find it within yourself to hate him the way you hated the O’Driscolls that had taken advantage of your willingness to help them, and killed Jake. Those men had been made of something meaner than whatever it was Mr Duffy had in him.

You hoped he would live long enough to prove you right.

“I ain’t waitin’ any longer.”

You looked up Miss Roberts, pausing in your braiding of Sadie’s hair. “Miss Roberts?”

If she heard you she showed no reaction, just wrung her hands and paced. “It’s been too long, someone should be out there looking for him.”

“That ain’t your decision to make.” Miss Grimshaw said sternly, lighting herself a cigarette.

“Hosea said he would send someone out if John wasn’t back, and he ain’t back!” Miss Roberts argued, with more force than you expected.

“Miss Roberts,” you started gently, “I’m sure Mr Matthews is already organising to have someone go out looking for him. He understands how worried you are.”

This seemed to placate Miss Roberts somewhat, but she was still clearly fretful. “I-I just don’t like it is all. It’s cold out there, and who knows what kind of trouble he could get into.”

She had a point. The cold and thick snow alone were causes for concern, but you knew that wolves lurked on the mountain range as well, and you had heard whispers of a deadly gang hiding out in one of the more remote parts of the wilderness. You had a hard time deciding which would be worse to run into.

Just as you felt the hairs on your body rise, the door opened before quickly closing, heralding the arrival of what could only be more gang members. It was odd, how quickly you had adjusted to being around outlaws.

You recognized Mr Morgan, Mr Matthews, and the well-groomed man, and they were handing out bowls of the same warm soup from the day before. The well-groomed man approached you and Sadie, a bowl in each hand.

“Thank you.” You said, taking both and handing one to Sadie.

“Arthur!” Miss Roberts was almost immediately at Mr Morgan’s side. “H-How you doing?”

Mr Morgan raised an eyebrow before giving Miss Roberts, Jack, and Miss Jackson bowls of soup. “Just fine Abigail. And you?”

“I need you to-” Miss Roberts was momentarily cut off by Mr Morgan scoffing slightly, but she remained undeterred. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry to ask-”

“It’s little John.” Mr Morgan sounded partly exasperated, partly amused, which confused you a little. “He’s got himself caught into a scrape again.”

To say you were surprised at Mr Morgan’s apparent lack of concern would be an understatement, and made you wonder what kind of relationship the two men had. But then, you knew men had a tendency to conceal how they truly felt, even about those they cared about, with very few exceptions.

“He ain’t been seen in two-” Miss Roberts cut herself off as her voice rose, and you could see her make a mighty effort to calm herself. “In two days.”

“Your John’ll be fine.” Mr Morgan insisted. “I mean, he may be as dumb as rocks, and as dull as rusted iron, but that ain’t changing because he got caught in some snowstorm!”

You exchanged a glance with Sadie, and she also seemed surprised at how blase Mr Morgan was being.

“At least go take a look.” Everyone turned their attention to Mr Matthews. “Javier?”

For a moment you were confused, before you heard a “Yes?”, and realized that it had come from the well-groomed man. This made you realize that he was none other than Javier Escuella, the Mexican man Miss Grimshaw had told you about.

“Javier, will you ride out with Arthur, to take a look for John?” Mr Matthews looked from Mr Morgan to Mr Escuella. “You’re the two best fit men we’ve got.”

“Now?” Mr Escuella sounded reluctant, but whether that was because of the conditions or his own feelings towards his missing comrade you couldn’t say.

“She’s...we’re all...we’re pretty worried about him.” Mr Matthews put a hand on Miss Roberts’s shoulder, and you were touched at the show of affection.

Mr Escuella nodded, his previous reluctance apparently forgotten as he approached Mr Morgan. “I know if the situation were reversed and…” He handed Mr Morgan a gun, which you had no idea he had on him, and your eyes widened at the sight of it. “He’d look for me.”

Mr Morgan sighed, but he took the gun from Mr Escuella all the same, and the two men made for the door.

“Thank you!” Miss Roberts smiled, and it warmed your heart to see it.

“Mr Morgan!” You spoke before you could stop yourself, just as Mr Escuella had his hand on the door handle. “You-you can borrow Gladys if you want.”

Mr Morgan seemed surprised at the offer and raised a brow. “You think she’ll let me?”

“I think she knows how she should behave from now on.” You said confidently. “Just-just tell her I said to let you ride her.”

Mr Morgan appeared skeptical, but he nodded, and with a short burst of cold air, he and Mr Escuella were gone.

“Is Papa coming home?” Jack looked up at his mother, eyes filled with hope.

“Here’s hoping.” Abigail sat back down and brought her son into her lap, cradling him.

“Gonna need more than hope.” Sadie said.

“Sadie!” You scolded, glancing back at Jack to see his reaction.

“What? You know I’m right.” She looked at everyone else. “That’s rough terrain out there, even without a snowstorm. Throw in the animals that are out there, and those boys are gonna have their work cut out for them.”

You frowned, wholly disapproving of Sadie’s pessimism. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” You said, with more firmness than you usually use. You smiled kindly at Jack and Miss Roberts. “Mr Morgan and Mr Esceualla sound like very capable men, I doubt they’ll have much trouble.”

Sadie made a noise of skepticism but said nothing, possibly sensing your displeasure.

Even if what she said was true, that didn’t mean she had to say it.

As the hours ticked by, you became more and more anxious, wondering what had befallen Mr Morgan and Mr Escuella in their search for their friend. You occasionally glanced over at Miss Roberts and Jack to see how they were feeling, but they were being comforted by Mr Matthews so you had no real cause for concern.

The whole time you thought of Sadie’s words. You had always tried to be optimistic, after all, people who are positive are far more pleasant to be around than those that aren’t, but you couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that she was right. That perhaps the worst had happened, and that Mr Morgan and Mr Escuella would return with a corpse. If they returned at all.

Just as the world outside got darker and you were beginning to consider turning to prayer, you heard yelling from outside. You couldn’t make out what was being said, but you had a feeling you knew what was afoot.

You watched as Mr Matthews and Miss Roberts rushed outside, Jack only being held back because of Miss Jackson. You all exchanged glances, and seemed to be holding a single collective breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

After what had felt like entirely too long, the door swung open, revealing a relieved Mr Matthews. That was promising.

“He’s gonna need your help Susan.” He said to Miss Grimshaw. He seemed to pause before turning to you. “Are burned hands all you can treat?”

A little surprised, it took you a moment to register that he had said and formulate a response. “I-No. I can do other things too.”

“What about scratches? Deep ones. From animals.”

You swallowed. “I have a friend who likes to hunt.” You said. “I’ve had to fix him up plenty of times.”

This seemed to be enough for Mr Matthews and he nodded. “You can come help too then.”

Despite being somewhat hesitant, you nodded. When you stood, you felt a hand on yours. You looked down and saw Sadie giving you a stern look. “You don’t have to help everyone who asks.” She said in a low voice.

“We owe them.” You reminded her. “I’ll be fine.” You gave her hand a reassuring pat before pulling away, following Miss Grimshaw out into the snow.

You managed to catch a glimpse of Gladys, and noticed that she was tied to the hitching post. You vaguely wondered if she was behaving because she knew how bad the situation was, and if she would go back to her usual ways once you were all out of the woods.

The building across from the one you were staying in with the other women was just as dubious looking as all the others, and only a little larger. You supposed that there were men than women in this gang, which didn’t really surprise you.

Once inside, you hung back a little, not wanting to overly insert yourself in what was clearly a delicate matter. You stayed at the edge of the small group that had formed, unable to see past them.

“Come on now, let Susan get a good look at him.” Mr Matthews said, urging everyone to stand aside. “Looks like he’ll need some stitches and a splint for the leg.”

The group parted, allowing Miss Grimshaw to get closer, and you tentatively followed behind.

Lying on a cot against the back wall was a tall, wiry looking man, with dark hair, and three deep cuts on his face. He was looking up at Miss Grimshaw before his dark eyes traveled to you. “Who’s this?” He asked, voice raspy and hoarse.

“[Name] [Surname].” Mr Matthews said. “She and her cousin Sadie will be with us for a while. [Name], meet John Marston.”

“How do you do Mr Marston.”

Mr Marston snorted.

You swallowed nervously. “Do-do we have any morphine? Or anything else that could ease the pain?”

“No.” Miss Grimshaw said, with surprising sharpness. “He’s going to have to cope without.”

Her reaction was confusing but you didn’t have time to dwell on it as a bottle of whiskey was quickly produced.

Miss Grimshaw uncorked the bottle and poured the contents over the bloody wounds, making Mr Marston clench his jaw and cringe.

You instinctively put a hand on his arm and gently squeezed. “It will be over soon.” You said soothingly.

“What happened to him?” You heard Miss Roberts ask.

“Wolves apparently.” Mr Morgan said, with a surprising amount of annoyance. “Couldn’t seem to be able to handle them on his own.”

“And his horse?”

“Wolves got her.” Mr Marston replied through clenched teeth. “Broke my leg when I got to the ledge where Arthur and Javier found me.”

You gazed at Mr Marston in amazement. Through freezing cold, a broken leg, wolves, and no doubt starvation, he managed to hold onto life. You couldn’t imagine the kind of mental fortitude that would require. ‘He’s so brave.’ You thought breathlessly. ‘Incredible…’

You watched as Miss Grimshaw stopped pouring the whiskey and got out a needle and thread. She sanitized the needle with a few drops of the alcohol before passing over to you. “Go on.” She said. “Let’s see what you can do.”

Now feeling every pair of eyes on you, you took the needle and thread, turning back to Mr Marston as you knelt beside him. “You’ve done very well so far.” You said.

He snorted again. “I ain’t done nothing.”

“You’ve survived.” You pointed out. “I wouldn’t call that nothing.”

You threaded the needle and tied off the end before leaning in closer to Mr Marston. It was obvious that the wounds would leave lasting scars, but if you did this right, then they shouldn’t be too bad. You would dare say that they would add a certain level of mystique and intrigue to him, as even while he was in this state you knew he was very handsome.

‘Stop it.’ You told yourself. ‘He already has someone. Now focus you silly girl.’

You lined up the needle as carefully as you could. “Let me know if it gets to be too much.” You said softly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mr Marston gave no reaction that time.

Slowly, you pierced the skin, leading the needle and thread through the gaping wound, pulling out the other end and giving a slight tug to make sure it was properly taut and closed. You looked at Mr Marston, and saw that his jaw was once again clenched, and his knuckles were now white from gripping the cot. But he made no sound, and barely moved a muscle.

You continued with the stitches, silently in awe of the constitution Mr Marston had. You had no doubt that he had acquired it over his time as an outlaw, but it impressed you nonetheless. However, you were still careful in your movements to make sure you didn’t cause him any more pain, and made sure to watch what you were doing. Dexterity wasn’t something you lacked, far from it really, but you knew to still be cautious and make sure the thread didn’t tangle or get caught or leave too much of a gap for the wound to heal properly.

“You’re very lucky.” You said as you were close to completing the last stitch. “Things could have been much worse.”

Mr Marston grunted. “Sure don’t feel lucky.” He said, moving his jaw as little as possible so you could finish up the stitch properly.

“Don’t coddle him too much now Miss.” You heard Mr Morgan say from somewhere behind you. “Dutch does that enough.”

A sharp look came over Mr Marston’s features, but it was soon gone.

The dynamic between the two men continued to puzzle you, although you supposed you would be able to make more sense of it over time.

You tied off the last bit of thread and cut off the excess so that it wouldn’t irritate Mr Marston. You gently took his face and turned it slightly at different angles, to see if there was anything else that needed treating. You kept your touch feather light as your fingers skimmed over Mr Marston’s skin, looking for anything that might be a cause for concern. When you were satisfied that there was nothing else amiss, you pulled away, taking the needle and thread and returning them to Miss Grimshaw. “That’s all I can do I’m afraid.” You said apologetically. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

Mr Marston said nothing, just stared at you intensely, and you noticed his throat moving to indicate swallowing, but you couldn’t think of a reason as to why he would.

You rose from the floor, legs slightly numb and aching but you ignored it and backed away, allowing Miss Roberts to be by Mr Marston’s side.

Miss Grimshaw exchanged a few hushed words with Mr Matthews before approaching you. “You did well.” She said, and she sounded genuinely impressed.

You flushed a little at the praise and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Knees not feeling too bad?”

You shook your head. “No, I’m fine. I’ve spent a lot of time on my knees.” You thought of the hours you spent as a child praying, and how the kneeling position became almost comfortable, unlike just now. Of course, back then you weren’t as cold and the floors weren’t as rough, so that probably had something to do with it.

As you left the building with Miss Grimshaw to return to the other women, you looked back over your shoulder at Mr Marston. “He needs a proper doctor.” You said in a hushed tone, not wanting anyone to hear and cause panic.

“Once we’re off this damn mountain he’ll see one.” Miss Grimshaw said firmly. “But for now, you’ll have to do.”

The thought of being Mr Marston’s doctor made you swallow thickly, but you nodded, not wanting to talk back. “Yes ma’am.”

The thaw couldn’t come quick enough.

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