#AND THEN TAKING IT AGAIN AFTER WE LEFT MERCER

[dragonartist56]

So

I just finished Frontiers of Pandora for the first time

I uh…

I hope you guys aren’t expecting me to be normal

Because…

I won’t be :’)

Uh

Spoilers in the tags

Also

Also a l o t of screaming

[afro-hispwriter]

Commonwealth

Season 11

Summary- it all started with the dress

Warnings- grinding, groping, semi-public sex, oral(f receiving, fingering, p in v sex, language, choking, squirting, missionary, side fucking, Daryl is OOC, implied breeding kink if you squint

A/n- I know I'm not one to describe the reader figure but for this story's sake reader has a curvy figure after having a baby:)

*REPOSTED*

-

The Commonwealth seemed like a godsend of a place just like how Alexandria was. 

But it was too good. To good for it to have worked for so long. Everyone there lived like it was back in the old world. From what you could tell it was Poor vs Rich again. 

"I don't like this place." You say as you look out the window to the civilization, Daryl sighs

"Me neither but we gotta try, for Victoria, Judith, and RJ." He walks up behind you and wraps his arms around your figure. 

"I met Pamela, I think she likes me because she invited me as her special guest to the party tomorrow night." You turn around in his arms and he scoffs.

"Mercer goin make me work the party." He says and leans his forehead against yours. 

"Aww, now you won't get to see me in my new dress. Its tight, low in all the right places, and has easy access." You nibbled his exposed collarbone then trailed up to his earlobe and tugged at it. Daryl groaned and started pushing his body close to yours.

"Ya should put it on now." He whispers but you smirk.

"I can't, you're just going to have to wait until tomorrow, can't let you ruin the dress." You pat his chest and walk away but you feel a smack delivered to your backside. "Hey! Don't you have work?"

"Ya but who cares when ya got this at home." Says Daryl and he grabs your ass and pulls it back against him. He kissed your neck all around and nibbled your skin. 

"Daryl work, and don't forget to stop and get dinner after, because if not we are going to have 4 ravenous kids." You gently push him off and he huffs. 

"4?" He asks as he walks to the door and you follow him.

"Ya the Grimes' kids, our little one and Dog."

"Whatever, see ya later." Daryl kisses you softly.

"Bye."

-

You had to explore the rest of the Commonwealth. So you plopped your little girl, Victoria, in her stroller that was gifted to you and set off with Judith, RJ, and Dog. As you walked all the kids wanted to play with dog and he was happy to receive all the attention. 

"Y/n!" You hear a voice exclaim and you see Pamela approaching you. You turn the stroller around and smile at her. 

"Pamela hey." She smiled at you and looks down at Victoria who was fussing in the stroller. 

"She's adorable." Says Pamela and reaches down to pinch her cheeks softly making Victoria giggle immediately. You glared at her and tightened your jaw.

She's lucky I don't take her hand off.

"Thank you." 

"So did you like that dress I sent you?" She asks and you nod.

"I love it, definitely something I would not have been able to wear before all this." 

"Well you'll get used to it, I can tell you have something special, something that can help us be better, and that's what we need here." Pamela sounded like someone you knew, but you just couldn't place a name. 

"Maybe." That's all you said before she bid you goodbye and left. You tipped the cover for the crib up and smiled down at Victoria and she smiled up at you with her two teeth. "Oh, baby what did mommy get herself into."

-

Daryl was back from his shift and was carrying dinner platters all the way up the old stairs. He made his way inside the apartment to see you all on the floor clearly waiting for him.

"Did you get lost?" Asks Judith and Daryl shut the door.

"Nah long line." He says and you take the plates. "They had some baby food." He says and you smile.

"That's good." You say and set the jars to the side and give RJ and Judith their plates. 

"Daddy!" Victoria stumbled across the apartment to reach her father and show him her new toy. Daryl smiled widely and picked her up. "Look bird." 

"Ya, that's a pretty cool bird." Says Daryl and kisses her head. He sets her down opened up Dogs and his own but instead of eating his own food Dog began eating Daryls.

"Hey no." Daryl shoves Dog away and you giggle.

"Aunt Y/n, Uncle Daryl, can I have an allowance?" Asks Judith and you stop eating and look at Daryl.

"Uh, let me and Y/n get our jobs goin and we'll talk about it." He says and you nod in agreement. A small conversation picks up about Judith making friends and how Daryl's first team building excise went while also talking about the prick Sebastian. You alternated between feeding yourself and feeding little Victoria who keeps running away and only comes back when she wants more food. 

Dinner was over and it was time to send everyone to bed. When the last child fell asleep you slipped into your own room and laid down on the bed. The shower was going, so you assumed Daryl was actually taking a shower. He came out of the shower with the towel low around his waist, water droplets falling down his skin and dripping down through his v-line.

"Oh, that's a sight to see." You say and twist your body and prop your head on your arm. Daryl scoffs and grabs a shirt and pants to slide on. You slide off the bed and wrap your arms around his bare torso and bite his shoulder softly. "We should do a challenge, we should go to bed naked and see who can take it." Daryl looks over his shoulder and looks down at you and shakes his head.

"Yer crazy." 

"You're no fun." You playfully pout and sit on the bed. Daryl finished sliding on his clothes and turned around to see you staring at him. He walked towards the bed and laid down behind you with his arms under his head. You crawled over to him and swung your leg over his hip and rested yourself on his lap.

"You look so beautiful." Says Daryl and lifts himself up to capture your lips. You wrap your fingers into his hair and tug making him groan deeply. His hands trailed down your body as you continued making out. He kneaded your sides then trailed down to grope your ass. He slid his hands back up your body and grabbed your breasts. You began grinding your core against his making you both moan. 

Daryl scrunches up your shirt and revealed your braless breasts and moaned. He took a breast in his mouth and sucked softly. Your nipples hardened and you arched your back to him. You felt him push his hips up to you and you smirked and pushed him away. He flopped on the bed dramatically and expected you to take control but all you did was slide off of him and lay down.

"Tomorrow love." You kiss his cheek and he looks at you in shock.

"Ya can't just leave me like that." He mumbles, accepting he wasn't getting anything until tomorrow,  well he hopes he does. You chuckle as he stands up and grabs his crotch, he then slides back in the bathroom and turns on the faucet so you wouldn't hear him.

-

"When do you have to be there?" You ask Daryl and he looks at the clock on the wall.

"Bout half an hour." He says and looks at you as you get ready. 

"Pamela mentioned something about a whole red carpet and cameras, not sure how I feel about it." You sigh and look at yourself in the small mirror. There was makeup all over the table, its been years since you've ever thought of using any. 

"Ya gotta try, for the kids, and their future." 

"I know, I know you said. I just wish Pamela would stop seeing me as 'someone who can change this place for the better'." You bunny-eared the last part with your fingers and Daryl took your hands in his.

"You're gonna do great, I'll be there the whole time, we just gotta see what this place is plannin then go from there." You smiled at him puckered your lips up to him so would kiss you.

"I just realized, I remember when we first came to Alexandria, I was the one who had to convince you that Alexandria was a good place. Now look at you, 7-8 years later now it's you convincing me this is a good place." You pulled him down to your lips again. His hands went to your face and gently held you.

"We both gotta watch out for each other." He pecks your lips again and walks to the door. "Carol came to me and said she can take care of the kids, said she and Ezekiel need some happiness or sum shit." You nod in understanding, they've been through a lot. 

"Ya that's good, and it's really good because that means we'll be alone." You bite your finger and Daryl cocks an eyebrow.

"Not teasin me are ya?" 

"No my love, we're going to fuck all night long." Now you look at the clock. "You're going to be late." 

"Alrigh, I'll see ya."

"See you."

-

You've most likely have wiped your hands on your dress over a 100 times over the nerves. You saw the flashes of cameras and felt nausea fall over you. 

"You got this." You told yourself and straightened yourself out. The dress you had on was black, had a split in the middle that revealed your cleavage and it was tight enough to show off every curve of your body. The heels you were wearing made you stumble quite a bit.

You were getting closer to the building and you heard gasps so you looked up. The camera was now pointed at you and people started complimenting you.

'She's gorgeous

'I love that dress'

"So sexy'

"You go, girl!" You turned to see Princess cheering for you and your face heated up.

Then they started clapping and smiling at you, the anxiety was too much but you continued looking ahead, smiling. And when you saw him. 

Daryl was in complete aw. He drowned out all the noise and could only look at you. You slowly walked to him until you were in front of him.

"What do you think?" You ask him, and all he did was raise a hand to the back of your neck and pull you roughly towards him, pulling you into a kiss. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before he pulled away.

"So fucking sexy, shit." His hand slid down to your ass and gropes it roughly. You placed your hands on his chest and tugged his shirt.

"Hey, we can't do it here." You giggle and he lets you go. "I'll see you inside." You kissed him on the cheeks and slowly walked away. Daryl leaned against the door's entrance and his eyes trailed down your body, staring at your ass the whole way. And even leaning forward to try and continue looking once you were almost out of sight.

"You're eyeing her like a piece of meat." Says Rosita and Daryl turns back to look at her.

"How can I not when ma girl looks like that?"

-

The party was in full swing, there was food and drinks. You were currently on your third glass of champagne and your nerves were officially gone. Daryl was standing by the entrance, ever so often you would lock eyes. You then slowly made your way to him and leaned against the wall in front of him.

"How's your night been?" You ask and he shrugs and looks you up and down. 

"S'been good, better now." You smile at him and push yourself off the wall and made your way to lean on him.

"This party is so boring, and this dress is getting really scratchy."

"I can think of a way to make it better." Daryl slid his arm around your waist and slowly started dragging you away.

"Daryl we're in public." You giggled and look back to Rosita who was looking away, choosing not to acknowledge what's about to happen. Daryl turned the corner and pushed you right up the wall.

"Not my goddamn concern right now." He says and grabs the skirt of your dress and scrunched it up in his hands. "Fuck, not wearin any panties?" Daryl cupped your mound making you gasp. He stuck his middle finger out and swirled it along your folds. Your stomach tensed and you began grinding yourself on his fingers. He dipped his finger inside and curled it pushing against something spongy inside of you. You gasped and grabbed his hair.

Daryl then dropped to his knees and dipped a second finger inside of you. With his right hand, he grabbed your calf and slowly brought your leg up to his shoulder, making your knee hook over. Daryl kisses your thigh, then went up further up your leg until his breath hit your finger-filled cunt. Daryl was thrusting his two fingers slowly, curling them to hit that spot. He licked at your folds and took your clit in between his lips.

"Daryl fuck." You pushed your lower half closer to him as the intense feeling of an orgasm was brewing. You slapped the hand that wasn't in Daryl's hair against the wall. Daryl squeezed your thigh and caressed it. He shook his head in your folds making you gasp. His tongue swirled, licking up everything. He then pushed his face deeper in, making his nose brush against your clit. He curled his fingers deep inside of you once again and made sure to thrust them against the spongy spot.

"I'm cumming." You threw your head back against the wall and bucked against his mouth. Daryl moaned deeply when he tasted your cum. 

Daryl pulled his finger out and kissed all-around when you heard gasps. 

Your head shot to the noise and you saw two women with their hands up to their mouths. They saw you out of breath with a hand still in Daryl's hair while he still had your leg over his shoulder. Daryl glared at them and they immediately left. Daryl looked up at you and let go of your leg so he could stand up. 

"Sorry, nobody shoulda seen that." You raised a hand up to his face and pulled his down for a kiss.

"It's okay." As another kiss was about to happen when screams were heard clearly coming from the party. 

"Come on." Daryl holds his hand out to guide you. Once you both got there you saw in the distance a waiter holding up a knife to a woman you've seen, Stephanie. Mercer was trying to talk him down and you see Rosita and a few other guards trying to go around. Daryl let go of your hand and went to help just as the waiter threw Stephanie to the ground and ran away. Daryl immediately ran after the waiter and you went to go check on Stephanie when Pamela's little prick son started yelling at Mercer.

"You're just going to stand there. GO AFTER HIM!" He yelled, Mercer then huffed and left. 

-

Sebastian, came with the waiter, Tyler, with Daryl in tow. The people started cheering for Sebastian for catching him. They entered the closed of section where you stood with Pamela. Daryl looked at you and you could tell he was clearly annoyed by something. You pouted your lips at him and he shrugged.

"Resist the Commonwealth!" You turn your attention back to see Tyler being dragged off. Pamela whispers something to Lance and he answers back, then they leave. You stood at the entrance of the currants and looked at both Daryl and Rosita and sighed. You turn to Daryl and wrap your arms around his torso to bring him into a hug.

"Let's go home." You kiss his cheek and he nods. "The parties over." You nod at Rosita and give her a small smile. People were already starting to leave so you made a quick escape. 

As you walked down the road in hand with Daryl your feet started to hurt.

"Shit my feet are killing me." You stopped for a second and huffed. Daryl stopped as well and let you hold onto his shoulder so you could slip the heels off your feet. "Ok come on, let's go hone do you can tell me about what happened." Daryl scoffed and you gave him a side glance.

"We goin be doin anythin but talkin." He says and raises a hand behind you to deliver a smack on your ass. You yelped and brought your hands to cover your ass and looked at Daryl in shock at his boldness. 

"There are still people around." 

"Guess we better get home." 

-

Daryl pushed you up against the wall right beside the door to the shared apartment. Daryl was kissing you hard while he had his hands on your waist. He reached over and opened the door but didn't stop kissing you all over as you entered the small apartment. Daryl began kissing down your neck, to the shoulders, then moving around to face you so he could kiss around your chest. You threw

"Help me take the dress off." You say and Daryl reaches behind you to unzip the dress. You started to unbutton his shirt as the dress fell down. Daryl pulled his shirt off then helped the dress come off completely when it got stuck around your hips. Daryl then bent down and threw you over his shoulder. You giggled and hit Daryls back playfully. 

"Continuin what we started." Daryl tossed you on the bed and crawled over you. His hand trailed down your body to your pussy and felt. "Still wet are we?"

"All for you." Smirking up at him made his dick jump. He slid off the bed and took his boots off. Then unbuckled his pants and let them fall down his legs. He was completely naked now(he doesn't wear boxers), his cock was hard and sticking straight up. You licked your lips and moaned at the sight. There was pre- cum leaking down his cock, he wrapped his fist around it and started jacking himself off. He climbed back on the bed and climbed in between your legs.

"Gonna make you cum so hard," Daryl says and lets go of his cock to grab your legs and place them over his shoulders. He reached back down and grasped his cock and brought the tip to your entrance.  He slowly pushed in making you both gasp. 

"Fuck please." You choked out and Daryl leaned forward so he can take a breast into his mouth. Once he was pushed all the way in, he started to thrust into you. Your pussy was making squelching noises after each thrust. 

"Love that fucking sound." Daryl groans as he pulls away from your breasts and shakes his head to move the hair out of his face. You grab the sheets and arch your back as an orgasm was building up. You started to match Daryl's slow but hard thrusts by thrusting back against him. Daryl fell forward but caught himself on his arms, he then kissed you while continuing his thrusts. He lifted your legs off his shoulders and let them wrap around his waist. 

"Harder Daryl, please make me cum." You whimpered and gasped when his cock hot something devastating inside of you. Your face tightened when you felt as if you were going to pee. "Daryl wait im-." You felt a gush leave your body and you screamed Daryl's name. Daryl felt the wetness splatter everywhere and groaned as your pussy tightened around his cock. He slowed down and pulled back but didn't pull out.  

You were breathing heavily and when you saw Daryl looking at you in both shock and lust, embarrassment filled your body.

"Daryl." You whimpered.

"Hey, you ok?" He asks and leans down to kiss you softly. 

"That's never happened before." You say and take a deep breath. 

"We can stop." Says Daryl and moves to pull out but you wrap your kegs around his waist to keep him there. 

"No we don't, make me so it again." You smirk up at him and Daryl felt his heart race. He nodded and got down to his previous position. He slowly started thrusting again, making sure to pay attention when he finds the spot. 

And he found it almost instantly.

He hit that spot repeatedly harshly until you lifted your hips as you squirted again. The for e pushed Daryl's cock out and he immediately grabbed it and brushed it along your clit to make you jump.

"Fuck." Daryl looked down at you again. A little bit of makeup was running down your cheeks, you were out of breath and sweaty. "Daryl you need to come." You lifted yourself up on shaky arms and kissed his chest. 

"Ya need a break." He starts but you shake your head but get an idea.

"Let's go on our sides." You propose and Daryl smirks at the thought. Fucking on your sides was one of your favorite positions to have sex in while you were pregnant. It was the position you felt the closest to each other. 

Daryl immediately went onto his side and so did you. Your back was pressed against his chest and he grabbed your left leg and hooked it over his leg. You grabbed his cock lightly but Daryl still groaned at the touch. You guided him to the entrance and Daryl pushed his hips forward making him sink into you. Daryl grabbed your leg that was over his and held it up while the one by your head snaked around and grab your neck. 

He squeezed his hand and you already felt dizzy. You pushed your hips back to give Daryl a signal to move and he did. His balls started slapping against your pussy. Your boobs were bouncing wildly at each thrust. You then reached back to grab the back of Daryl's head and grabbed his hair to bring his head closer so you could pull him into a sloppy kiss

Daryl let go of your leg and grabbed your waist instead so he had more control. He lifted his leg and thrusted even harder than before. You pushed your back against his chest harder that you could hear his heart beating harshly. Daryl was groaning loudly in your ear and those sounds brought butterflies to your stomach.

"F-fuck such a good girl, s-squeezin ma cock." Daryl moaned and dug his head in your shoulder. All that was heard were your high moans, skin slapping, and Daryl's deep groans. The same feeling you felt a while ago was coming back. Your vision went blank, you screamed loud. The force pushed Daryl put and you collapsed out of breath in your stomach.

Daryl growled and pushed himself onto his knees and settled behind you. He grabbed your hips and pulled up so you were ass up. He slammed himself in and started using your body to find his high, you loved it. He was going insanely fast and you felt him even hit your cervix make you groan. Daryl gripped your hips harshly as his own hips stuttered as he came deep inside of you. 

"Fuck." His groan came out deeper than usual as he finished. He then grabbed your hair and tugged you back and kissed you harshly. He pulled away out of breath and pulled out of you, he leaned back on his calves and watched his cum start to drip out.  

"Ya ok?" He asks and tries to catch his breath. You nodded and dug your head in the pillow. Daryl felt the urge to push his cum back inside of you, so that's what he did. He scooped up his cum with his fingers and pushed back in. You let out a huff and your thighs shook at how sensitive you became. "Sorry just- didn't want it comin out." 

"It's ok, I'm just tired." You say and yawn. Daryl grabbed his boxers and slide them off and was handing you a shirt but you were out cold. Daryl smiled slightly and settled in beside you. He covered both of you with a blanket and Daryl pulled you in tightly. He felt you dig your face in his neck and throw a leg over his to keep him trapped. 

"I love you, you're the most amazing and beautiful woman I've ever seen and ever will." Daryl kissed you softly when he saw your lips were puffed up. "I'd follow you anywhere." 

-

A/n- I could not figure out a goddamn ending, everything was so cringy but i just couldn't think of anything else.

[oasiswithmyg]

Smon ‘eveng (Familiar child)

Eetu x Sarentu!Reader

Summary: It's been 8 years since you and the others have driven out most of the RDA. Now you enjoy your peaceful life with Family. But misunderstanding between your two boys want to ruin the peace.

Word count: 3.1K

It is a peaceful and sunny day in Pandora, only the sounds of the forest could be heard this afternoon. It had been many years since most of the Sky people had been driven out. Although there were a few units that remained, there were more intense wars that had occurred. Fewer Na’vis would be injured, peace had slowly become the normal for the People. 

Today, however, a young Na’vi child could be seen climbing onto one of the machines that was left by the Sky people. The machine had plantations growing over it and was rusted due to the years gone by and Pandora taking the land back from them. The boy’s face was pulled into determination and curiosity as he explored the RDA scorpion, he remembered his mother telling her stories about fighting them. Just as he was about to reach the top, a voice shouting to him could be heard.

“NA’LUK! Get down from there right this instant!”

The boy, Na’luk grumbled and turned to look down at his sempul (father) who had a stern expression on his face and with his arms folded across his chest from what he could see. He wished it would have been his mother who found h- ‘wait, no that would be even worse’ Na’luk thought to himself as he slowly climbed down the RDA machine. Jumping off one the ledges closer to the ground. As he came closer to his sempul, he noticed that the frown was even deeper.

“We are going home. Now.” Eetu stated, his voice leaving no room for argument, before walking in the direction of their kelkul. Na’luk followed, having done this many times, he knew not to argue with his sempul. He just wished you, his mother wouldn’t be home. 

After a while they arrived at the kelkul (home) within the Aranahe clan, the home made by Eetu and you together. After a confession from Eetu, you both had been courting each other for a while. Then when you and the others had finally defeated Mercer, Eetu formally asked you to be his mate as per tradition and took you as his muntxate (wife) under Eywa. You decided to stay with the Aranahe clan most of the time, while also making sure to visit Ri’nela, Teylan and Nor.

You remember very well 8 years ago when you had informed Eetu you were pregrant for the first time, he picked you up and spun you in happiness. You both had gone on an Ikran ride to celebrate, Eetu finally had the courage to bond with another Ikran. Which later became a ritual to go on Ikran riding dates. Etuwa had become a godmother, a term you learned from the Resistance and bestowed upon her. She had been very happy to hear, both her and Nefika had given you so many gifts for the baby as well as you. Eetu had become much more responsible in those years as the preganacy progressed, the birth of your son, as he grew, when you became pregnant again and finally during the birth of your daughter, Limi.

Back to the present, they both noticed you and Limi were not there. You must have taken Limi and gone to talk with Etuwa then. Eetu heads to the middle of the kelkul and turns around to face his son. Watching him closely as well as looking over Na’luk to see if he could have been hurt, his worry clouding his mind at just getting them home.

Eetu did not know what to do in this situation. How much can he explain to his son that the Sky people are dangerous? that they will take everything they love. On one hand he is happy his boy is exploring and learning the ways of the people, but on the other he does want him to get hurt.

“Do you know how worried your mother was when she found Limi searching for you while crying? You had promised your little sister that you would play with her. Instead you were out there doing dangerous things. What if something had happened to you?” Na’luk flinched and felt guilty when he heard his sempul say that. He did not want to make you or his little sister feel sad ever. He didn’t mean to make his family worried, he just wanted to show his sempul that he was brave and courageous like him.

Eetu sighed as he could see that his son felt remorse at the situation. He just wanted him to understand that something could have happened to him. 

They then could hear your voice coming closer as you were consoling a little Na’vi girl who was crying with her arms around your neck, while you were hugging her and walking towards the entrance of your kelkul while whispering sweet words to her. Your ears twitched as you heard signs of presence within the kelkul. You headed inside and sighed in relief to see that your son was safe. You then looked towards your mate, expressing gratitude.

You slowly coaxed your child to turn around to see her big brother and sempul. Limi gasped and tried to get down to rush towards her brother, she immediately jumped into Na’luk’s open arms. Her sniffles are muffled by her hugging her brother tightly in her arms. Na'luk apologizes to his sister, feeling sad that he made her cry and worry.

You walk over to Eetu, placing your hands on his chest and placing a kiss on the corner of his lips. Your tail curling around him. “Thank you for bringing our son home, oeyä muntxatan (my husband). ” Eetu just smiled, the smile not reaching his eyes for once due to the worry for his son. He leans down to place a gentle kiss on your lips as a response.

“Can you take Limi inside for now? I need to discuss with our son the dangerous situation could have been in.” Eetu said in a strained voice.

You nodded, whispered a ‘don’t be hard on him’  to Eetu and gently picked up Limi, who was slowly falling asleep in her brother's arms, tired out from all the crying. Na’luk gave you a guilty look and apologized, “I’m sorry sa’nok, I didn’t want to make you so worried.” You just smiled at him and rubbed the top of his head affectionately before heading to another part of the kelkul to give Eetu the privacy to talk and put Limi down for a nap.

Na’luk felt even more guilty when he didn’t hear his sa’nok say anything back. He turned towards his sempul, feeling ashamed that he made him worried and angry as well. But the next words that Eetu uttered were so shocking that it made him gasp and left him heartbroken.

“I thought I taught you to be better than this. I’m disappointed in you Na’luk.” Eetu was too frustrated and concerned at what could have happened to his precious son, to notice how his words had affected Na’luk. All he wanted was for his son to understand his advice. 

However, when he finally looked at his son’s face, who had tears running down his cheeks, he immediately felt cold regret wash over, not meaning he words at all and walked towards towards him to say, “Na’luk, oeyä ‘eve (my boy), I’m sorry I-” but he was cut off when Na’luk pushed him away, his little body trembling, trying to stifle his cries. 

The young boy looked at Eetu with betrayal on his face and shouted, his voice shaking, “n-nga ve’kì  oer! (I hate you!). I…I only wanted to show you that I could be brave like you!” Before Eetu could stop him, Na’luk runs out of the kelkul without looking back, heading in the direction to the where they would usually go to fish and play in the water.

Eetu curses under his breath, his tail curling in agitation and puts a hand over his face due the frustration coursing over him. He could hear your footsteps slowly come closer to him and felt you hug him from behind, your arms and tail circling him in comfort. Your presence itself was always a comfort to him. Eetu places his other hand on yours and rbs circles in it.

You pull your arms back to face him and place your hands on his face to turn him towards you, his eyes clouded with frustration and hurt, “What is wrong, oeyä tsamsiyu (my warrior)? Why would you say such a thing to Na’luk when I know you don’t mean it?” You ask him gently, caressing his face. He just sighs, burrowing his face in your hands to collect his thoughts on what to say.

You signed softly looking at your poor mate. After so many years, He had become responsible after Zomey’s death, understanding that heading first thing into battle was not always the solution. He also became protective over you after you both mated, with you fighting the RDA and always travelling as the Sarentu envoy. But it had only become much worse when you almost lost your life due to Harding nearly killing you, a scar was left as a reminder. After that day, Eetu was always worried that the Sky People would take his happiness away again.

Especially now with this situation with Na’luk, he was every bit like his father in looks as well as personailty, the only difference in his appearance was having your eyes. But, seeing Na’luk was like seeing Eetu in his younger days.

After finally thinking it over, Eetu looked you in the eyes, his gaze looked defeated and slowly opened his mouth to let the the words he has been keeping in his mind, “I do not want him to be like me.” Your eyes widen in concern over the whispered words. You continued caressing his face, your eyes letting him know that he could continue and that you would listen, “When I see Na’luk, I see me when I was younger and reckless. I see myself when I thought being courageous and adventurous was the only thing that mattered. I see myself when I had lost Zomey and when I had almost lost you. I’m scared that if he becomes like me, either h would be hurt or he will lose someone he loves.”

You immediately hug your mate, feeling sorrow that your mate was going through this, although you knew the situation, Eetu had always wanted to be the one to solve it. You then pull back to make tsaheylu (bond), pulling his tswin (braid) towards yours, to make the bond. You both sigh at the feeling, even after so many years, the bond always felt strong as the first. You immediately send your love and strength to him through the bond.

You think over your next words that you wish to say to him, you finally decide to say, “Eetu, my love,  do not be afraid. You are both at heads with each other because you both do not convery which is in your heart.” Eetu looks confused at that, not understanding what you meant.

You just smile, “If you want our boy to understand, you have to tell him the story the RDA and of you and Zomey, of why you are so worried about him. He only sees your frustration, not your reason for it.” You look down at his tail curing around one of your leg and continue, “Our boy is so confused right now, he sees the brave warrior that you are that protects the clan and he sees you as his inspiration for this. His warrior father, that is what he sees. He is just a little boy that loves his sempul so much and wants to be like him. So instead teach him to be the you that you are proud of today. Not of your past.”

It feels like something clicked in Eetu’s brain after hearing your words. Why did he not think of that? Eetu can never thank you enough for the love you give him and to your family. You were always a guiding star to them. Eetu grins, his familiar grin just like the day when you first met and even till date it still made your heart flutter. 

Eetu felt happy at your reaction and the feeling of love and a slight bit of lust passing through the bond. He projects his thoughts to you, ensuring that your needs would be very much satisfied after talking with his son. Your eyes widen and you lightly whack him on the chest, trying to hide how much he affected you.

Eetu pulls you closer to kiss you, his tail curling around your leg even more tightly, as a thank you and a promise for more later. You both pull back, plcng your forehead’s together and smiling at one another. Before Eetu slowly pulls back and gently breaks the bond, to head over to where his son had run off. You look at him and pray to Eywa that all will be well, before deciding to make some dinner.

Rushing water can be heard as Eetu nears closer to the lake that he and Na’luk love to fish. Eetu uses his senses to look for his boy and finds him sitting on a rock with his knees bent towards his chest and his face buried between them. Eetu gently approaches him, making sure his footsteps are heard to announce his arrival and he can see that Na’luk notices him when he sees his little ears twitch in his direction.

Eetu sits down as well facing the lake but keeping some space between so as to not overwhelm Na’luk. They both sit in silence for a while, only letting the sounds of the forest and the little sniffles that Na’luk let out could be heard. A fish splashes the water in the distance.

Finally Eetu speaks, making Na’luk peek at him from his position, “I’m so sorry, Maitan. I did not mean to hurt you with such words” Na’luk furrows his hairless brows at his sempul and questions in a low voice, his tone uncertain, “Then why did you say them? It hurt”

Eetu frowns at that, wanting to hug his son as an apologise, not wanting to hear such a low voice again, “because you are already like me when I was younger, Na’luk. I was scared because of that.”  He scooches closer and faces Na’luk to continue, “I was so reckless and adventurous when I was young. That it cost me to close my Ikran Zomey.”

Na’luk looks up at this, shocked that his father was speaking about this. He had always heard stories of his father and his first Ikran Zomey. How they fought viciously against the RDA and won. But whenever, he would ask his father for a story of him and Zomey, Eetu would clamp up, his voice strained, not explaining much and he could see the way you would comfort his sempul. After that he hadn’t asked his father again, not wanting to hurt him.

Eetu notices his interest and smiles sadly as he tells the story, “It was just after some time I had met your sa’nok, I found a group of the Sky People destroying our lands. I could not sit still, I immediately rushed to fight them all by myself. But when I jumped into one of their demon machines, I was locked within it and my beautiful Ikran Zomey fought against those demons with all her might.”

Na’luk’s eyes widened, his tail curling in worry for the Ikran. He places a hand on his fathers arm, just as his sa’nok did when she comforted his sempul. Eetu's smile widens at this, you might say that Na’luk was just like him, but his gentle heart came from you.

“Your sa’nok helped Zomey fight, as she is a strong warrior and tried to free me from that contraption, getting locked in herself. When we finally got out, I was injured and could not walk as fast. Your mother looked for Zomey and found her. She was on her last breath, I was able to send her off with you mother. To this day I regret being so reckless. It is why I do not want you to be like that”

Eetu looks towards the sky, remembering the time he almost lost you as well. He looks towards his son, who had tears gathering at his eyes, hearing such a sorrowful story. Eeut pulled him closer to his side as he continues with another story, knowing that his son loved hearing about his mother “You sa’nok is one of the strongest warriors I know, she would fight of the RDA and would help reunite clans together.” Na’luk’s eyes shone in excitement at that, wanting to hear more of it.

“But, when in one of the most intense wars that had happened, You sa’nok was almost taken from us by those demons. They hurt so much” Na’luk gasped, you were almost gone? His strong and brave sa’nok? Eetu could see the agitation in his son, exactly as he had felt when he experienced it. “It is why i’m always worried when you try to explore those places with those death machines. I do not want you to be hurt. I do not want you to experience such loss as I did my boy.”

Hearing such words, Na’luk climbed into his father’s lap as quickly as he could and hugged him tightly, finally understanding why his father was always so stern with him only when he would explore those areas. “Ngaytxoa sempul (Sorry father), I really just wanted to prove to you I can be brave and protect sa’nok, you and Limi. I now know that I have to be responsible.”

Eetu hugged his son back just as tightly and laughed lightly at his boy’s words, “You are young my boy, for as long as I’m there I will always protect our family. You just learn to live well and be happy, Na’luk. That’s all me and your mother want for you and Limi.”

The two continues to hug for a while before deciding to play in the water to bring about a playful mood. They play fight well into the night and they then hear you calling to them, taht dinner is done. They head back with Eetu lifting his son up, noticing how quickly the time passes by as his son is almost too big for him to hold like he did when he was a toddler.

Eetu see you mixing what he assumes is dinner in the pot, as Limi is playing with a doll crafted by Ri’nela. You feel his gaze and smile at him, happy to see your boys free from the burdens they had. 

‘Irayo Eywa, for bringing her into my life, for giving me family and happiness’

∘ Sempul - Father.

∘ Sa'nok - Mother.

∘ Kelkul - Home, house.

∘ Muntxate - Wife.

∘ oeyä - My.

∘ Muntxatan - Husband.

∘ ‘eve - boy.

∘ nga ve’kì  oer - I hate you.

∘ tsamsiyu - Warrior.

∘ tsaheylu - Bond.

∘ tswin - Braid.

∘ Ngaytxoa - Sorry.

∘ Irayo - Thanks.

[naavispider]

Merciless, part 3

Part 1, Part 2, AO3 link (incomplete)

Fireworks fizzed and soared inside Mercer’s chest as he put the phone down. He had not expected that, especially so soon after Ardmore’s reassurances that Quaritch would need to be pacified. He tried to calm his thumping heartbeat, but it was no mean feat. The boy…. The boy, all to himself! Finally, a chance to prove himself after the catastrophic embarrassment that was TAP’s ending. 

No more mindless overseeing of drilling operations. He’d be heading back to the base in the Western Frontier in two days, taking the kid with him. Thoughts about preparing the base and the medical team swirled around him as he anxiously bounced his pen against the file he was reading. It would be more difficult this time, having only one subject and without his second in command. He pushed away the thoughts of Alma Cortez before he could start to dwell on them. 

“Do you think he wants to know you like, at all?” Fike asked, ever sensitive. 

“Hell if I know Fike.”

“As if he was with Sully’s kids,” interjected Zdinarsk, who was leaning casually against a wooden pillar. The squad was supposed to be enjoying their downtime, but instead felt it necessary to congregate around the Colonel and air all their questions that unfortunately Quaritch couldn’t answer. “What are the goddamn chances of that?”

“D’you think Sully like… adopted him?”

“Shut up Fike!” Brown grunted. 

“They definitely got their claws in deep,” Z-dog mused, shaking her head. 

“Yeah, well,” Quaritch felt his voice darken. “We’ll see if there ain’t anything we can do about that.”

“What are you gonna do with him?” asked Ja. 

“It’s not up to me. We can probably help each other out, but Ardmore’s calling the shots.”

“Do you think he’ll open up to you?” questioned Lyle, who was resting his elbows on his knees, a look of great concentration on his face. 

Quaritch let out a long sigh. “Maybe. Given time.”

They both knew that time wasn’t something they had endless amounts of. 

“I better go check on him,” Quaritch said suddenly. Ardmore had had him in that machine again today. The kid obviously hadn’t revealed anything new because there was no way the squad would be sitting around on their asses if he had. Something deep down was starting to worry Quaritch though. If yesterday’s efforts were anything to go by, the boy - Spider - wasn’t giving up soon. Quaritch had to hand it to Spider, he admired the shit out of him for that. But he knew they were entering dangerous territory with Ardmore. There was only so much crap she’d take before cutting her losses with the kid, and now that Mercer was snooping around, an uncomfortable feeling was starting to settle in his bones. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Lyle offered.

Quaritch waved him off, heaving himself to his feet and making the journey across the city’s vast compound. 

Fifteen minutes later, his heavy boots were thudding down the familiar row of cells, approaching the one his boy was in. His heart was starting to thunder in his chest; he didn’t know why the kid had such an effect on him, and he didn’t like it one bit. As he got to the right cell, the first thing that struck him was that Spider’s name was missing from the electronic display. Quaritch frowned, stepping forward to see inside. 

What he saw made his heart stop for a second. 

It was empty. 

The cell was empty; vacant and unoccupied. 

Something was wrong, he knew it. If Spider was still being interrogated then his name would still be on the door. In fact, there was nothing left of Spider’s presence here at all. The fucking cleaners had been in and all. 

Where was Spider?

Without wasting a second, he barged into the adjacent observation room, only to find it empty as well. His heart in his mouth, he sprinted back down the long corridor and made it to the command centre in record time. 

“Colonel-“ one of the clerks stuttered upon seeing him. 

He was quickly silenced by Quaritch’s glare of fury and no one else dared say a thing as he found the door to Ardmore’s office and flung it open without so much as a knock. 

“Where is he?” he demanded, upon seeing the General sat calmly at her desk, glasses on and reading a file. 

“Colonel,” she said, looking completely unsurprised to see him. 

“Don’t play with me Ardmore. Where’s Spider?” 

Lesser men that Ardmore would have cowered under the glare Quaritch cast at her. 

“He was becoming… a distraction. He’s been removed from Bridgehead while you focus on your mission.”

Quaritch was ready to pick her up by the front of her uniform and slam her so hard down on the desk that she’d be forced to answer. His fingers twitched. His lip curled up into the beginning of an animalistic snarl. 

“Once your mission is completed, the boy will be returned to base. Your mission last week cost us dearly. Four recombinants dead in less than twenty minutes. Billions of dollars down the drain.” She rose to her feet, and although she didn’t nearly compare to Quaritch in height, he could feel her power. She stepped around the desk, silently letting him know that she wasn’t afraid of him. “You want that boy? Bring me Jake Sully.”

Quaritch’s mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour. He could attack her right now. He could kill her, even. Force her to give the kid back. But what would that do? Get him court-martialed and risk the RDA taking it out on Spider. He dominated her physically - he was so ready to use his strength - but logistically, she had him by the balls. If he attacked her now, he’d probably never see Spider again. 

She was asking him to catch Jake Sully. He could do that. He was capable. This is what he wanted. His chest heaved with the effort of not reacting. 

The seconds ticked by, and eventually he levelled his voice enough to reply. “Where. Is. The boy?”

Ardmore raised her chin, eyes narrowing slightly. Still, she showed no signs of fear. 

“He’s being taken to a separate base. One of our facilities close to the Western Frontier.”

The next word felt like poison on his lips. “Mercer?”

She nodded, sending Quaritch’s heart plummeting a hundred miles into the floor. 

He had to reason with her. “The kid knows where Sully is. How can I find him without the boy?”

“The boy won’t talk. You and I have both seen it. You’ll have to think of other means. I have two samsons with pilots at your disposal, ready and waiting. I suggest you get out to Sully's last known location, and track him back from there. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

Fury and fear were coursing through Quaritch’s veins in equal measure. He was frozen, trying to work out what to do. What was the best thing for Spider? What was the best thing for himself and his squad? 

Ardmore smiled up at him, before sighing and moving back around the desk to take her seat. “I’m sorry it’s come to this, Colonel. But rest assured that as soon as Jake Sully is off the playing field we can talk about the boy.”

“You know what Mercer will do to him?”

She registered the tone of his voice, and levelled him with a flat look. “That is no longer your concern.”

*********

Spider hissed as he was shoved into a new, whiter cell. “How long you gonna leave me in this one for then?” he jeered as the two soldiers who’d marched him in retreated. He was putting on a show, but inside he was scared. He thought he’d had the worst of the RDA’s treatment when they strapped him into that demon machine for the third time. Now, he’d been flown leagues across Pandora with no explanation of where they were going or why. They had touched down in the forest, which explained why Spider was now nursing a sprained wrist from attempting to run, but he’d been wrestled inside a much stranger, more clinical appearing base than anywhere he’d seen at Bridgehead. He supposed he should be thankful they hadn’t taken him out here to shoot him. Everyone they passed inside wore labcoats and carried holotablets around their necks, pressing themselves back against the walls in alarm when Spider and his entourage passed. In some of the rooms there looked like machines Spider had just been strapped to. In others, tanks and botanicals. He recognised the deadly Txumtsä’wll plant growing in a sealed terrarium and wondered what the hell the RDA was doing with a plant so toxic it could take out any Na’vi with just a single drop of poison. 

“Don’t touch me, asshole!” he hissed at the soldier who pushed him on. 

The whole place felt different to Bridgehead in a very non-reassuring way. He leaned his head back against the confines of his latest prison, closing his eyes and trying to lock out the harshness of the overhead lights.

Even the brightest optimist could tell this little outing wasn’t for a release party. And where was Quaritch in all this? Spider hadn’t seen him since he’d thrown Mercer out of the holding cells. For whatever reason, his father’s clone had been furious and refused to explain why. Spider thought back over his conversation with the strange Mercer figure. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time - plenty of sky people had oggled him since he arrived - but now he wondered if that conversation didn’t have anything to do with his current predicament. 

If you’re not going to talk, then you’re useless to him and them. They won’t keep you around for long.

The crisp-shirted RDA schmuck had also been keen to impress upon Spider that unless he gave them what they wanted, Quaritch would have no choice but to ‘terminate’ him. Was he here under Quaritch’s orders?

After a short while of waiting anxiously, the sound of footsteps outside the glass door alerted Spider to another’s presence. He jumped to his feet immediately. There, just as he had suspected, was the well dressed, oily haired RDA leader who’d visited him yesterday. 

“Hello Miles.”

“Why are we here? Where is this?” He took a step closer to the glass, his body pumping with adrenaline. 

John Mercer smiled in that ugly way of his. In all of Spider's life, he had never seen a smile as chilling as Mercer’s. 

“We are in a facility to the West of Bridgehead. Fifty clicks away from the city.”

Spider blanched - he couldn’t help himself. Fifty clicks? That was over a week away on foot. 

“I’m waiting for the why,” Spider stressed. 

“Welcome to Kinglor Base, Miles. This is a specialist facility built purely for scientific research. You may have seen some of our tech on the way in.”

“Research on what?” Spider hissed. A sinking feeling was making its way through his stomach, clenching his intestines in a tight, cold fist. 

Mercer looked at him like he couldn’t wait to answer. Like he was feeding off Spider’s fear. “On you.”

[thegreatirene]

Babydoll (Jack Mercer x Latina!reader)

Rated: Mature(language)

Summary: you get to see Jack again after three years of being apart. Sucks it has to be at his mother’s funeral.

This is gonna be in 2024 cuz 2005 is too far for me to remember lol. It’s a Latina reader cuz I’m Latina. Probably won’t be much Spanish cuz I barely speak it in my household.

“There goes your girl Jackie” Bobby says as he elbows him on the side and gestures his head. Jack quickly turns his head and sees you. Standing there in a black puffer jacket and two men standing at your side as you talk to a older lady.

You move your hair to the side of your face as you smiled at the woman and then turned to look around. You make eye contact with Jack and he straightens his back.Bobby chuckles as he watches Jack.

“She got her brothers with her. You know they don’t let her get near us when they’re around.” Bobby says as he looks around the backyard.

He watches as you turn to the woman and give her a hug and then talk to your brothers. They each gave you a look and you point your finger at them. One of them rolled his eyes and they both backed off.

You walked over to Jack and stood in front of him. He looked at your face for a moment. Taking in how much you changed but were still just as beautiful. You smiled at him and fluttered your lashes at him as you spoke.

“Hi Jackie, it’s been awhile. You look good”

Jack gave you a goofy smile as he smoothed his hand through his hair. Bobby cleared his throat, “no hello to one of your brother-in-laws y/n/n.” He sucked teeth “don’t know if I want to give my little sister away if you gonna be like that” he said as he smiled at you. You laughed as you rolled your eyes and went over to Bobby and hugged him. He patted your back as he looked over at Jack and winked at him.

“It’s good to see you too Bobby. Didn’t think you’d come back”

“Yea I was debating but I didn’t like how things are here” he stuffed his hands back into his pockets as he nodded his head to your brothers.

You looked down at the little girls that were playing in front of the two brothers. “Hey girls”, you crouched down as you smiled at them “ you girls probably don’t remember me since you were younger but I’m y/n l/n. I’m a friend of your daddy’s.”

Both girls said hello and pointed to Bobby and Jack. “They said they are daddy’s brothers. Is that true?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“But how? They’re white”

“Well grandma evie is white but she’s still your grandma, right?” Both girls nodded and continued to play.

“How thing one and thing two doing” you looked back at your brothers. Both men were busy talking to some women as they smiled at them.

“Annoying as fuck. This whole thing with eve has got them on edge and they worry about me.” You took out your vape from your pocket and inhaled. A puff of smoke came out slowly as you turned back to Bobby and Jack.

“It’s been shit here lately. Things changed since you left Bobby. My brothers and I try to keep it at peace but we can do so much.” You offer your vape to Jack and he takes it.

“You know anything that-“

“You’re a policeman” one of the little girls said as she pointed.

All three of you turned to look and see two cops come over. You moved a little closer to Jack as Bobby chuckled.

“That’s right and you’re all under arrest, so don’t nobody move” said one of the cops as he and his partner made their way over to you guys. The two little girls ran away giggling as the same man asked where they were going.

“What about me, green? You gonna arrest me, too?”

“All depends, Bobby. You keeping straight?” You scoffed as Bobby reaches around Jack and bops you on the head. Green laughs and shakes Bobby hand as he brings him into a hug, doing the same to Jack. He looks to you and raises a brow, “y/n, haven’t seen you in a while. Your brother’s keeping you in line?” He says as he hugs you too.

“You guys need to stop thinking my brothers are my keepers. It’s getting old” you rolled your eyes as you went back into jack’s side. Green smiles and looks between the two of you and then back to Bobby.

“Thanks for coming green. Mom would’ve been happy you made it to the service.”

“Shit, your mother would’ve been happy you made it back for her funeral.”

“I didn’t come back for no funeral.”

The air between the men became still has no one spoke. Both cops looked at each other and then back to Bobby.

“Thanks for the offer, but we got it under control.” Said the man next to green.

“Yea I know, I could tell by the looks of things when I drove in. The place looks completely different. Detroit’s finest cleaned it up, huh?” Said Bobby.

“Yea, be easy, Bobby. We got these punks. Kid playing basketball across the street witnessed two gangbangers running in there, shooting up the place-“

“Come on, green. I used to make a good living around here because cops like you guys couldn’t find tits in a strip joint.” You giggled softly into Jack’s arm.

“Why don’t you come inside, have some coffee and some donuts…and then take your boy and get the fuck out of here, okay? Come on.” He tapped Jack on the arm. Jack in turned laughed and grabbed your hand pulling you along with him.

“Bobby you play too much” you laughed as you walked hand in hand with Jack. Bobby sucked his teeth as he walked over to an empty couch and sat down.

—

“I’d offer if you want to spend the night but I know you guys want some brother time, so I’ll get you tomorrow? If that’s ok with you?” You asked as you stood outside of Jeremiah’s house sharing the vape you had with Jack.

“I’ve missed you” he says as he got closer to you. You could feel his body against your arm as he slid his hand under your chin and turned you to look at him. You looked at him with darkened eyes as you looked at his lips and then looked at his eyes.

“Show me how much” you whispered as your lips grazed his.

Jack closed his eyes as he brought his lips onto yours. He pulled back looked into your eyes and went back in. His hands went into your hair as the other went around your waist. You wrapped your arms around his neck as best as you could.

You moaned as you felt him grind into you. Jack moved to kiss your cheek and nip at your jaw and moved down to your neck. You moved your head to side as he sucked a hickey on your neck.

“Alright Jackie” shouted Bobby as he and Jeremiah walked out of the house and towards the pair of you.

“Fucking Bobby” you said as you rest your head on to Jack’s chest. You felt his laugh vibrate through his sweater as he wrapped his arms around you. He rested his head on top of yours and rocked you softly side to side.

“Come on Jackie. Say bye to your baby mama and let’s go home.” Bobby said as he patted his brother’s shoulder.

“Bye y/n see you later” he said as he patted your head and walked towards his car. Jeremiah smiled at the both of you walked behind Bobby.

“If you want, come tomorrow and we can spend some time at the house” Jack looked down at you. You rested your chin on his chest as you agreed to meet up tomorrow. He kissed your lips one more time and slowly let you go as he walked backwards towards the car. He stood at the car and took his phone out. You posed as he took a picture of you and pocketed his phone and got in the car.

[pandorafallz]

Lest We Rest Upon Our Graves | C2

The rest of the evening was not an improvement.

The words of So’lek lingered at the back of her mind beyond the migraine that had set up shop inside her skull. Nalin gave her something stronger than aspirin to take the edge off but it left her feeling…a little out of it as she returned to their sleeping area for…downtime away from everyone. It would be soon time for people to go to bed. Lest not risk running into Ri’nela and getting that promised ‘discussion’ from So’lek.

Alma took her place on the uncomfortable mattress of her bunk bed (the top half) only taking her boots and turquoise scarf off really for now before she’d chance into nightwear for the night; she just…needed her mind to wind down. Heal from the migraine and…let her rest.  The pillow was lumpy and the springs dug into her spine but it didn’t…really bother her as she stared up at the ceiling. There were worse things in life than an uncomfortable mattress and pillow; the pin-prickling sensation ticked at her ribs almost like a reminder of that.

She didn’t know….what to do now. What could she do for the Sarentu kids if they didn’t want her involvement? She had nothing here she could give…or do. Not without her avatar; at least with that she had more freedom to go out and do something. She couldn’t do much as a human in the vast world of Pandora.

Alma sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

Things were so much easier before… but she couldn’t take it back. She couldn’t help Nor… or Teylan with them gone. With Ri’nela, she would be the easiest to try to talk to and Kìoetey was busy helping the resistance to stick around much; exploring the world and sharing that with Ri’nela. They were close now, unsurprisingly so any conversation with one would certainly be heard by the other. Privacy with them was not a luxury any more, even if So’lek’s threat wasn’t keeping her away.

God only knew where Teylan ended up. He had liked it inside more than out; being out in such a vast world must be overwhelming and… she had heard Nor try and get him out to explore a bit before the bombing. Perhaps Teylan was at an abandoned RDA facility? Familiar enough for him to find comfort, she was sure. But which one, she had no idea. Kìoetey had destroyed a lot in the past few months.

She couldn’t bring Nor back and…she didn’t want to be the one to do that; he would surely bury his blade into her again if she tried. What would happen if he did come back? Would he kill her? Would the Resistance want him around still? Or was the murder of her avatar enough for the Resistance to keep him at arm’s length; in fear of him doing that to a human being? It…was a loss for the Sarentu, now that it was pointed out; so few of them left now.

There had been nine children taken back then. Not all of them survived TAP which…was her biggest failure. Useless to preserve the children she had had a part in taking.

Aha’ri had died at Mercer’s hands. Okni had died of sickness a year after Aha’ri’s death. Yuayt had lost the trust of his Sarentu friends; he had sold their escape plan out to the guards. According to the Security feeds, he had killed himself by running and attacking his guards till they shot him. The guilt of Aha’ri’s death had weighed the eleven-year-old down more than expected. More than what she expected from him.

Telisi and Yefti had been the last to die. Her fault, really. Faulty cryopods. She knew their remains had been recovered from the broken pods and buried outside of Resistance HQ in the Kinglor Forest.

Four of the nine Sarentu lived, but not enough for a full clan. Perhaps time would see people would leave their native clan and join the Sarentu; take the mark and live through new traditions for the growth and development of a new Sarentu clan to walk Pandora’s surface. People came and left their clans for another cause. She had learned from Jake that the Olangi clan had been absorbed into the Omatikaya with the reduced numbers following the battle. It wasn’t unheard of for it to happen the other way around.

What could she do?

Alma mulled, not getting out of bed as people came to bed; her bunk bed shifting as someone clambered into it with a heavy sign. Anqa.

A small idea came to mind. Anqa. A pilot. Someone who could take her to places. That…was a start. TAP Con-1 had become a dump site after they had left; used to hide the mess in the toxic smog they left to cover their tracks in that area of the world. Alma had left…many things there to hide them from Mercer…or maybe herself as well. Kept away but…maybe she needed to bring them back. The Sarentu deserved that at the least.

It was the only thing she could do, she supposed.

-

Anqa wasn’t there when she first woke up, her head pounding and her neck feeling stiff but Alma pulled herself together despite almost falling out of the top bunk; her balance wavering for a moment until her head cleared enough to walk straight. Hopefully, her head would clear up once she had eaten.

Her eyes searched as she walked through the Resistance Hideout, her eyes lingering on Ri’nela as they passed but the girl either didn’t see her or simply ignored her which ached at her heart more; solidifying that she had to make that trip. It could be the starting block to rebuild some trust.

“…s Cortez still in charge now? It just…still so sad and confusing” Priya’s concerned voice echoed from the kitchen but somewhat hushed still.

Her heart sunk into her stomach, her morning appetite vanishing instantly and replaced with unease and a low level of nausea. If Priya was questionable her place here and her leadership… then that was telling a lot about the minds of everyone else. Lovely.

“I know but Jake left her in charge for a reason, She’s been here far longer than anyone else, even me” Anqa’s voice echoed in soft reply. “We can’t forget that.”

“It’s just…hard. Knowing and…hearing all the bad things about what Mercer did in that school...and that she could have had a part in it…I can’t… I don’t know this other Alma. She’s…small. I miss her big and blue, you know.”

Anqa said nothing but there was another exhale that echoed before a soft slurp of a drink.

Alma waited for a few moments, taking the second to compose herself—pretend even that she hadn’t heard—before she strolled into the kitchen casually, not sparing them much of a glance but Priya stiffened right up in the corner of her eye as she opened the fridge, going simply for a protein bottle before she glanced to them, well, Anqa mostly.

“Anqa, will you be flying anyone out today?” Alma was glad for the strength in her voice, as she found that bottle of pills from the previous evening and swallowed two down quickly to get rid of the headache that was still pounding.

Anqa blinked, sparing a look to Priya then shook her head. “Er, no. We’re sitting low for now still. Priya’s still monitoring a few places that look suspicious. There’s an area in the Zeswa’s land that’ got a lot more…activity than usual.”

Alma nodded thoughtfully. “Priya, can you excuse us?”

Priya nodded swiftly, patting Anqa’s shoulder with a quiet goodbye and left like she had a viperwolf following her. Anqa stared at her for a moment with a slight indent between her eyebrows but didn’t break the quiet as Alma took a seat at the table, slowly uncapping her drink for a long draft despite her internal complaints.

“I need a ride to a place that’s… more off the books than usual.” Alma started after a moment, letting her drink settle for a moment. “I need you.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Look, I respect you as a leader but…I’m not helping you do more secret shit. We’ve had enough of that lately and I can’t have that heat when it all hits the fan. I am the only pilot here.” Anqa said tightly. “I can’t have people question my place by helping you do more shitty things.”

Alma flinched a little at her words. “I need to go to TAP Con-1, Anqa. It’s not for a selfish or shitty reason.”

“Why?!” Anqa scoffed a little, setting her hot tea down and sat up straight, “that’s worse than having a secret trip out. There? It’s a toxic cesspit.”

“It’s where….” Alma paused, her voice quieted so it didn’t travel, “It’s where I put Aha’ri’s ashes after her death. TAP Con-1 became a dump site for TAP because it’s generally inaccessible.”

Anqa’s face turned into an annoyed scowl which was unfamiliar to witness. “Oh…come on…” she groaned. “You want…Damn.” She swore lightly, but she looked less defensive. “Why did you put her there?”

“Mercer was going to toss her ashes into the industrial bin. I…I found out about Aha’ri’s death in the morning after the fact. I...couldn’t stop them from burning her but I stole and swapped out her ashes with cigarette ashes. I couldn’t keep them, so I paid off a few people to make the trips and I hid them until I could find a good time to bury her. I never got around to it..” The selfish part of her again hadn’t wanted to make that trip; it involved taking the resistance there; exposing the truth she hadn’t wanted to share.

Anqa looked at her shrewdly, her eyes looking passed her for a moment then she begrudgingly nodded after a moment of mental debate. “Fine. I can take you there but I’m not lying to anyone who asks.”

“Alright.” Alma agreed, that was fair. “You’ll need to cover your skin in sunscreen to block dermal absorption and put a new filter into your exo-mask to breathe past the toxic elements. When we get back, hot showers and wash your clothes.”

“Stranded Decom procedures, got it,” Anqa said, a tad more dismissively.

Alma felt relief blossom in her gut which was enough to ignore the woman’s unusual attitude towards her. She had a chance to…get some closure for the kids. Kìoetey at the very least would get her final goodbye with her sister. She…didn’t want to go back there but she had to make this effort.

That had to count for something. She could do that: force herself to do this and show them she what she was willing to do for them. Ri’nela may not accept her promises but… she had to start somewhere.

“Thank you.”

-

Alma was sure So’lek had noticed her change of demeanour and was suspicious about it however she had barely paid him any heed beyond letting him know of her and Anqa’s absence and that either he or Priya was in charge until her return. She could see the questions in his eyes as she left but he didn’t question it as Ri’nela had appeared so Alma had taken her chance to bail.

She had packed an empty duffle, a few snacks and a tablet and met Anqa in the Samson. Alma gave the pilot the coordinates and they departed the Resistance Hide out relatively quickly. Smoother sailing as any.

“We have to make two detour routes to avid RDA air patrol around the balloons,” Anqa remarked, her eyes ahead to the cloudy, open skies. “We’ll be there in two hours and seventeen minutes with those routes in place.”

“Alright.” Alma agreed.

Silence relapsed between and Alma kept her gaze turned out the cockpit to the beautiful serene view of the Clouded forest with quiet reverence and…sadness that she’d never get to breathe such smells of the world in again. Only the lingering scents in the airlock or…what was brought back as samples.

Silence lingered between them for a while and Alma felt Anqa look at her a few times in that first hour but didn’t question it for the sake of not opening a conversation that neither of them wanted to have.

“Why’d you do it?”

Alma jumped, her knee cracking against the Samson dash. “Sh—“ She stopped herself from anything more, almost hitting a switch or two, the ebbs of pain vanishing quickly from her knee aside from a low throbbing.

“Careful!” Anqa hissed, making careful adjustments. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump.” Though it didn’t sound too measured. “But, still. My question stands, Cortez. We knew each other from Hell’s Gate. Why did it take you 16 years to wait until Priya heard about TAP from intercepted chatter? Why didn’t you make an effort to see that those kids had survived than just your… assumption.”

“Mercer—“

“No. Don’t use him as an excuse.” Anqa shot down, “I want you to be real with me otherwise I don’t see why I should return you back! The Na’vi lost a whole Clan. The Sarentu lost their families because of what you and Mercer did. Why did you do it?”

Alma blinked at the woman in surprise at how… upfront Anqa was. She usually was more casual but this? This was cold and blunt. More so than earlier. She must have been stewing on these questions for a while. But, Alma knew she had to be careful with her answer, or lest be left behind. She knew Anqa made some passive threats before and often in jest but…she felt the difference in the woman’s attitude to feel the woman had an 80% of following through…for a little while. The woman might turn back for her if she did but… Alma wasn’t gonna brave those waters.

“I…didn’t believe the Na’vi were a…complicated and complex being when I first joined the RDA based on…a few of the Na’vi’s cultural differences. It was all I was exposed to. Mercer encouraged that belief many times so… We—or I—thought that we could…elevate and educate the Na’vi to the same level as humans that would… benefit each other.” Alma started carefully, very aware of how dry her mouth was with how tense Anqa’s grip on the stick was.

“You mean humanise them, using methods from a colonial mindset that had effectively washed away so many indigenous cultures in human history,” Anqa stated. “You must have known what Mercer was going to do when they refused?  No clan just hands over their young by the demands from outsiders.”

Alma remained quiet for a moment, “I didn’t think it would end in a massacre.” She admitted, “I…I wondered why Mercer brought so many soldiers. I thought…at worst, they’d simply kidnap them and leave the adults alive—I know that’s not any better in hindsight but…I didn’t think it’d end so bloody.”

“I think that’s the problem, Alma. You didn’t think. You were ambitious enough to excuse a lot of shit for the sake of that damn school. Kids still got hurt, one way or another.”

“I know I failed them. I couldn’t protect them as much as I should have. I stayed in the TAP program to make sure all of them weren’t at the total mercy of Mercer or Harding. I couldn’t stop everything that they did, but I tried to minimise the damage afterwards. It was one of the few ways I could protect them. If I…showed them too much favour, Mercer would have had my ass out of the Program very quickly for being too sympathetic and emotionally compromised.”

Anqa stared ahead of her for a moment, mulling on her words.

Alma took a steadying breath, her nails digging into her palms.

“Why did you leave them behind?” Anqa’s voice was softer this time. “Sixteen years is… a long time, Cortez. Assuming them dead is not enough of an excuse.”

“I couldn’t get them out when the facility fell and the RDA evacuated. The RDA almost shot me in my Avatar because they thought I was a Na’vi. I couldn’t sneak the kids past the soldiers and there were too many eyes and ears. The cryo pods there an already evacuated area so that was the safest area to put them. I thought I had a few days for the dust to settle before I woke them up without having to sneak them out but… Mercer had the facility bombed. You know the rest.”

“You never once wondered?”

“I did.” Alma winced as she said this, “but… I was too scared to check…or to hope.”

“Because you’d wind up straight in this exact situation.” Anqa gestured to Alma as she said this, her tone incredibly dry. “I…hate everything you said but… it’s the most honest you’ve actually been.”

“The worst you’ll do is leave me behind.” Alma shrugged, trying not to sound self-deprecating or anything. “You won’t flat-out stab me.”

Anqa hummed in agreement. “I’m not a killer.” There was a pause, “Just…to clear something up, you’d survive long-term exposure to the toxic mess if abandonment was…necessary?”

“I am not gonna answer that question.” Alma gave her a stern look.

Anqa sighed with a disappointed nod “Fine, fine….” A beat passed, “I’m sure we’d find out sooner or later.”

“Anqa!”

-

The…tension between them was better marginally by the time they descended into the green smog and on top of the TAP-Con 1 facility and Alma soon realised the pilot was not going to leave her side as she masked up and pulled her bag on.

“Kìoetey said the RDA appeared after she had turned the power on but as long as we’re not powering anything on again, then we’re all good. It’ll be slow going. I hope you know where you’re going ”

“There’s vents and glass doors. We can use the fire extinguishers as our weapons of choice.” Alma said, leading the way out although through the filter were was a slight…eggy undertone as she breathed. Enough was being filtered out so she didn’t feel concerned about it.

There was enough debris to clamber into the building. The signs of AMP suits and…destroyed ones were a haunting sight and more so on the corpse that hadn’t been retrieved inside of one; the man’s remains inside the suit looked to be… well into decomposition but further along than normal and… she was certain the smog’s effects were the cause.

Her stomach turned a little more but she swallowed her unease and pressed on.

It was like a maze without the convenience of power. Alma welded a rather strong extinguisher and it took both their efforts to get through a door or two until Alma found the vent system she was familiar with.

“This way.” She felt her heart beat faster as she got passed the last vent and out to her old office though she didn’t look too hard as she went to the back wall behind all the desks that were opposite the glass wall that showed-cased their lab. She had a few co-workers stationed here back in the day but, they were long gone now. Her table was still cluttered. Never sought to clean it up.

“This is your office?”

“Yes. I hated it, the vents are massive given the Air Conditioning was in higher demand. I was always cold.” Alma said, kneeling down and pulled a small screwdriver out and began to take out one of the panels' screws. It was fiddly work but she had less to deal with this time around it took a thump with the extinguisher to lodge the panel out of place and she let it drop to the carpeted, mossy floor.

Inside, it wasn’t as nice but inside lay the case she had stashed away. It was a simple pelican case, like most of their supplies boxes and was heavily secured.

Anqa helped her pull it out but Alma had them stop before she opened it up with a thumb scanner.

“Fancy.”

“SID could hack this easily. Everyone had shit to hide back in the day. Most of them had porn to stash so no one cared enough to question.” Alma shrugged.

“Good Porn?” Anqa asked, curiously. “I bet some people could do with some…films to enjoy.”

“There’s a….storage cabinet for the technicians down, second left. They have…hard drives of data.” Alma directed, not willing to really go further into that. She wasn’t here for that, but having lived in Tap Con-1 for seven years prior to the school with thin walls…. She knew uncomfortably enough of her colleagues. Unfortunately, it was mutual.

Anqa nodded, debating for a moment then dashed off. “I bet I could get a few favours with those…” she heard the pilot muttered.

The box latches were undone quickly and Alma took a solid second before she braced herself and opened it up.

Inside, it was…as she had left it.

The urns were… not even urns. She had stolen the ashes and hidden them in the Tea, Coffee and Sugar containers from the more personal kitchen; they got replaced quickly so no one gave a fuck. It was the best she had in the circumstances she was in. Aha’ri was in the Coffee pot, Onki was in the sugar pot and Yuayt was in the tea pot. Her hands shook as she retrieved them from the case, making sure none were at risk of opening up and slipped them straight into the duffle along with her other Data drives she had stashed away.

Alma couldn’t help but slip out of the office and into the lab. Her eyes lingered on the old…grow tank that was stationed inside still. Her avatar’s grow-tank. The sight of it made her heart clench but… there was a relief; the sight of it was… opened up a sight of possibilities. A future choice if…she could convince the right people for it. Now wasn’t the time but… did the little ones survive? Were they still here?

Alma spared a look to the office, her hands gripping the screwdriver more tightly but she followed the route to the other side where there was the secondary storage—or more adeptly, cryostorage.

Without power, it took some brute force and pushing to get the door to open.

It wasn’t cold but…nor was it warm. The cool air tickled free against her exposed neck which almost sent a shiver down her spine. She was sure it smelt bad, most of the inside was…overgrown with plant samples, and biosamples. But Alma sought easily the heavy case inside. It was the only one that had this security.

Cortez. A

Alma was gentle as she pulled it from the shelf but she felt…a butterfly sensation as she unsecured it and opened it up. The case was cold, still functional—good to know the case’s own power supply was still going. These battery cells were the good kind for a goddamn reason. Inside the cases were four slots, but only three were filled with the small canisters. She pulled one out carefully, swallowing thickly but the little… signs of life were still there through translucent skin and…tiny, underdeveloped little arms with tiny, little fingers.

Her spare avatars. Still alive after thirty-eight years of cryo.

It wasn’t well known to most of the Avatar program, but the creation process was the most complex part of the Avatar’s existence. Hundreds of avatar embryos were created at a time for each driver but…about 97% of the embryos didn’t survive past fifty cells which was why so many were made. On average, four embryos survived to development to a three-month gestational age and one was carried on to full development. The rest were cryo-tanked. Cheaper to do it that way and, if the avatar died in transit or there was a fault, they had backup avatars to restart without the hassle of the conception again. Hers had never moved from storage, it seemed. How inconvenient to leave fifteen billion dollars behind in a rush. Alma couldn’t…help herself but feel a shred of hope. She…could have an avatar again.

One day.

Just not yet. She could wait.

Not to mention, they’d have to come back for the grow tank for that and necessary supplements for growth.

Once nerves had cooled, and she was on the road to forgiveness, she could broach the topic with the science team, maybe try and talk to Patel or Spellman if her scientists weren’t able or...willing to help. They had Dr Augustine’s avatar floating about still.

Alma set the tube back in and secured it, carrying it out to get her other bag, just in time for Anqa to return with a stolen bag of goodies that…looked more than just simple porn.

“I found some computer parts and wires we can use with the rest of all these things. A few radios and some avatar sizes tech for the resistance. Also, a few masks as well. Figured since I was there, looting is an option.” Aqua said, quite happy with her horde. “Got everything?” Her eyes flickered down to the new case she had but didn’t look too concerned or question it just yet. Thankfully.

“Yes,” Alma said, patting the duffle mostly. “Let’s get back.”

Previous

You know, i hadn't expected the amount of people to like it! so I'll progress it as a story. if you want, you can still view the first chap as a one-shot or stand-alone :)

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 91: Contingency

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader ❧ Era: Season 11 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild swearing, references to anxiety, generally chaotic/anxiety-inducing situations, pregnancy... ❧ Word Count: 5.7k

❧ In This Chapter: It's been a week since Aaron and Gabriel left to investigate a settlement, and two days since Daryl left with Hornsby and the Commonwealth Army to find them. Now, you're alone, with the kids, and nine months pregnant. It can't get worse, right?

❧ A/N: We're back??? With a new chapter??? Wow. Cool. Crazy. So um we're getting to the end of The Beginning! Or is it? Is there ever really an end? Or a beginning for that matter? These are the existential questions of the series I guess? Idk it's not that deep. Anyway, there is (sadly) no Daryl in this chapter. He's off being a sexy boyboss with great hair and trying to get back to his family to get them out of Commonwealth, but for now, it's Reader (she's basically her own character by now lmao) and the kiddos just hanging out in Commonwealth, trying to stay alive lol. Lots of stuff going on in their world rn, but the priority is, of course, Daryl Jr.

Two days, and no word about what was going on with the soldiers they sent out to investigate the attack at Riverbend. When you’d tried to ask, inquiring about the safety of your husband and brother, you were told that you were on a “need to know” basis. In other words, if you needed to know, they’d tell you. 

Hornsby must’ve decided you didn’t need to know, because when you confronted Mercer, he told you the same thing.

The stress of it all was beginning to get to you, more than it ever had before. You swore that even living on the road for six months after you lost the farm was easier than this. Then again, you weren’t about nine months pregnant, taking care of four children, and worrying desperately about Daryl and Aaron, all while outside your apartment, hundreds of Commonwealth citizens protested in front of the City Hall, demanding justice after learning about Sebastian’s schemes. At least you had a roof over your head, and plenty of food.

Food that was burning as you stood staring out the kitchen window, watching the protesters brandishing handmade signs, with the words Find him!, Money for LIVES, and How many more have you killed? You absentmindedly held the ten-year-old amethyst around your neck as you chewed your lip in thought, wondering about nothing and everything. 

The people chanted, “We want justice!” over and over and over again. You couldn’t blame them. You’d be out there with them if you weren’t cooking breakfast for the kids. 

What’s that burning smell?

“Aunt (Y/N),” Judith’s voice alerted you. 

“Hm?”

“The pancakes are burning.”

“Oh!”

You scurried back to the stove, where sure enough your pancakes had been charred beyond edibleness. “Shoot,” you huffed, always mindful not to curse in front of the children. “Sorry.”

The four children, Judith, RJ, Gracie, and, of course, your Robin, were sitting at the circular dining room table, each tending to their own crafts. Judith and RJ were drawing, Gracie worked on her beaded jewelry, and Robin was experimenting with watercolors (Daryl had bought her a new set a few months ago). 

As you scooped the burnt, lifeless pancakes into the trash can, Robin stood up to take her water cup and brushes to the sink, where she diligently washed her art supplies. “Mommy,” she said, “when are they coming home?”

You didn’t have to ask, you knew she was referring to her father and her uncle. 

The other children’s heads perked up at the question, as if they, too, were very curious about the answer. 

“Soon, I’m sure,” you replied, offering them a reassuring smile. It was oh, so tiring to pretend that you weren’t incredibly worried that something had happened to them, but you had to put on a brave face for the young ones, especially Robin and Gracie. “Don’t tell me you like their cooking better.”

Robin shrugged as her lip quirked into a precious little smirk. “No… I like Daddy’s pancakes better, though.”

Daryl could only really make two dishes: blueberry pancakes, and stew with squirrels or possum or some other type of roadkill. 

You scruffed up her hair in faux teasing. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I do too.”

The little girl returned to her seat to continue her painting, and just as you were about to prepare another batch of pancake batter, you felt a sharp tightening in your lower belly, which you were reluctant to admit you had been feeling a lot more lately. 

You exhaled a sharp hiss as you held your belly instinctively, slightly doubling over. It was the worst cramp you’d felt yet, and it’d only been getting increasingly strong. Of course, you were brushing it aside as Braxton Hicks contractions, but the closer you got to your due date, April twentieth, the more you began to worry. Really, the baby was due to come any day now, though you were too afraid to even acknowledge it. Daryl wasn’t here, and him not being here terrified you. There was no way you were going to have this baby without him holding your hand. It simply couldn’t happen that way. He gave you strength, made you feel safe. Most of all, you knew he’d hate himself if he missed it, seeing his son’s first moments. 

“You okay?” asked Judith, while Robin looked wide-eyed and panicked as you winced in pain. “Aunt (Y/N)?”

You shook your head, as if to dismiss the concern. “I’m fine,” you said. “Baby’s just… restless.”

When you lifted your head to calm yourself, you found your eyes drawn to the crowd outside again, particularly to two people, a man and a woman, who were fast-walking through the crowd with a stern, cold determination in their eyes and a harshness in their step. They looked to be heading towards the downstairs entrance to your apartment building, and when you stepped a little closer, you could recognize their faces. 

Eugene had told your inner circle about a run-in he’d had with two of Hornsby’s minions. If you remembered correctly, it was them, and you weren’t about to risk anything. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Gracie, noticing your face deepen with concern.

“Um… maybe nothing…” Your paranoia got the best of you, and you turned to face the children, trying your hardest not to scare them, though you looked drained of color and slightly wide-eyed. “Okay, we’re gonna play a game.”

Judith furrowed her brows. “Game? But what about breakfast?”

“We’ll have breakfast later,” you said, frantically beginning to clear up the counter. “Right now, we’re gonna play the, um… Quiet Game.”

Judith and RJ hid in the shower, while Gracie hid under your bed. Robin was the last one to hide, while you scrambled to make the place look less lived-in, in case Hornsby’s goons really were after you and the kids. After all, you had quite a bit to do with Connie’s exposé, and you were starting to wonder if Daryl and Aaron were facing problems with the Commonwealth outside the walls. It’d make sense for them to go looking for you and the kids, to ask you questions… Robin didn’t understand that, but she wanted to.

“What’s going on?” she asked, with all the innocence of a six-year-old (almost seven, she would have you know). “Why are we hiding?”

You sighed as you knelt down to hold her hand, looking her sternly in the eyes as you spoke. “I’m not exactly sure, but… I think there might be some people looking for us, some people we’d rather not talk to. Do you understand?”

Her silvery blue eyes blinked rapidly as her mouth gaped slightly in confusion. She was much too precious, much too young to really understand everything that led to this. 

You held her shoulders and offered a smile, though it was hard to smile when you began to hear the heavy, fast-paced footsteps coming up the stairs in the hallway. 

“Look at me, baby,” you said. “Everything’s gonna be fine, just… listen to me. I need you to hide in that cupboard, the empty one by the fridge. Quiet Game means you gotta try to be as quiet as possible, otherwise you’ll get caught. Like Hide and Seek, but you really don’t want to be found. I’m going to be outside, right on the balcony. I’m too big to hide anywhere in here without getting caught, but if they find you, you make a lot of noise and I’ll help you, okay?”

It was a lot for her to process, but she was a smart child, and obedient. If told to stay quiet, you knew she would, even if she didn’t completely know why. “Okay,” she said with a nod. “What about the baby?”

You looked down to follow her gaze, which was directed at your belly. “He’s fine,” you said, and when you heard those footsteps begin to slow, but come closer, you stood up to quickly open the cabinet and coerce Robin’s small body into the cupboard. “Stay in there until I say the coast is clear, and be quiet.”

Before heading towards the balcony door, you pulled a freshly sharpened butcher knife from the wooden block on the counter, then silently opened and closed the door to hide against the wall on the balcony, waiting.

Soon, you heard a knock at the door, and you were sure your paranoia had paid off. The door opened just a few seconds later, and though you couldn’t see inside the kitchen, you knew they were there. You felt them there, as if your motherly instincts told you your child was frightened, and she was.

Robin’s breath hitched as she peered out through the small crevice between the cabinet doors, allowing her to see the large, bald man walking around the kitchen, while a woman with dark hair entered her bedroom, then Judith and RJ’s bedroom, then the master bedroom, then the bathroom… 

The man stayed in the kitchen, though, his presence terrifying the young child, though he seemed to not know she was just a few feet away from him, cowering in the cabinet. 

Memories floated to the surface, invoking that same feeling of dread as when she’d hidden herself in that secret compartment within her closet back at home, while the evil giant in the dead man’s mask who still haunted her dreams a year later lumbered around her bedroom, looking for her. 

When she felt a lump begin to form in her throat, and a whimper about to release from her lips, she cupped both hands over her mouth to silence herself. The man came closer, though, examining the fridge, upon which were several drawings, paintings, and photographs that had been collected by your family the last seven or eight months. 

There was one that had been taken at the Autumn festival, with you, Robin, RJ, and Judith in your costumes, and Daryl dressed as he normally did, but a sweet, soft grin upon his face as he held Robin’s hand, who held yours, too. His other hand rested on Judith’s shoulder, and yours on RJ’s, with your belly much smaller than it was now. Carol had taken the photo, and when it developed, you were almost tempted to make holiday greeting cards, though you knew that kind of thing was both unnecessary and slightly annoying. In any case, it belonged on your fridge, until the bald man took it, and stuffed it in his pocket.

He moved away from the fridge then, allowing Robin to silently release her breath as a small tear trickled down her cheek. 

The woman soon emerged from the hallway. “It’s empty,” she said. “Are you sure he didn’t say anything else?”

“Dixon was the only name that came through,” the man replied, sending a fresh wave of panic through the youngest Dixon’s chest. 

She watched the woman cross the kitchen to peer out the glass door leading to the balcony, and for a moment, Robin feared that the woman would open it, though if she knew her mother well enough, she figured that woman would be in big trouble if she did open the door and find you.

Indeed, you held your knife close to your chest, blade pointed upwards and ready to strike if the woman came outside. 

There was silence for a while, when the woman crossed back over to the dining room table where Robin and the other children had been sitting just minutes ago. 

She investigated the assortment of craft materials splayed out on the table, and spoke once more before they left: “Let’s check the school.”

When you heard the door close, and waited a few moments in silence, you quickly returned to the kitchen to open the cabinet, ushering Robin out. “Come on,” you said, still trying to be quiet. “We’re leaving.”

To where, you weren’t exactly sure, but you had friends here, so surely someone from Alexandria would take you in. One thing was certain, you weren’t going to leave the Commonwealth, not with your baby so close to his due date. 

You retrieved the other kids, and instructed them to pack their school backpacks for the day. Whatever was going on, you didn’t like the sound of what the man had said, about the name “Dixon.” It seemed as though you were wanted, by Hornsby.

When the kids were prepared, you slung your purse over your shoulder and picked up the emergency hospital bag Daryl had meticulously put together (intending to be even more prepared this time when the baby would come). You turned to face the curious, confused, and slightly concerned children, then gave them yet another assuring smile. “We’re going on a little adventure today,” you said, in a slightly sing-song voice. They weren’t buying it. They were all too smart.

As you turned to open the front door, you heard more footsteps just outside, and the sound of shifting movements. Great, you thought. We’re America’s Most Wanted.

Your voice turned serious once again. “I need you guys to go back to the bedroom and wait,” you said quietly, gesturing towards Robin’s room. “And don’t come out until I call. Go.”

They each nodded obediently, retreating to Robin’s bedroom. 

You swallowed hard, trying to maintain your composure as you prepared to answer the door. This time, though, a familiar voice called out to you from the other side. “(Y/N),” said Carol, whispering rather loudly. “Are you home?”

With a sigh of relief, you slowly opened the door, revealing Carol, and then Jerry behind her. The further you opened the door, the more surprised you became. 

Negan’s face showed itself, slightly smirking at you. It was a familiar sight, but not an expected one.

Your brows furrowed as your jaw dropped a little. You hadn’t seen him in… almost a year. Not that you particularly missed him. “Negan?”

He smiled, lifting his hands a little as if to present himself as a gift. “Well, if it isn’t the goddamn Ice Queen herself. How are you, sweetheart?” His eyes immediately trailed to your stomach, where one hand cradled your baby bump. “Ho-ly shit, you’ve been busy.”

The three visitors came inside, with Jerry standing “guard” behind the front door. Though at first you were mostly irritated to see Negan again, he quickly made himself useful, sitting down with you and Carol to inform you about what was going on outside the walls. But of course, the first question you could ask him was, “Daryl and Aaron, are they all right?”

“Depends what you mean by ‘all right.’”

You glowered at Negan, both worried and incredibly annoyed by his Negan-isms. “Now is not the time.”

“They’re alive,” he said. “But they’re being hunted. Maggie and Gabriel are with them, too. What I know is that Hornsby brought Daryl, Aaron, and Gabe to Hilltop with the whole Stormtrooper Squad, and Maggie didn’t, uh… respond well.”

“What exactly happened?” asked Carol.

“Hornsby tried to scare Maggie by interrogating Hershel, so the thought is that he is somehow gonna use the kid to draw her people out.”

“And Daryl wouldn’t let that happen,” you said, understanding your husband’s motivations to turn against Hornsby. “Right?”

“Your man turned an automatic rifle on the bastard and tried to hit him with a car at full speed,” he replied. “I’d say they aren’t exactly on good terms.”

“And that’s why they came here,” figured Carol. 

Negan nodded. “Uh huh.”

You thought for a moment, processing the whole thing. “But if Hornsby sent those two,” you said, “that means he’s keeping it under the radar.”

“Which means we might be able to get ahead of them,” Carol added. “And him.” You could see the cogs working in Carol’s mind. She always had a plan, even if they weren’t always the best plans. At least she thought of something. “Jerry, do you still have access to that attic space?”

You looked wide-eyed between Carol and Jerry, not knowing that there was such a thing. “Attic space?” you asked. 

“Contingency plan,” replied Jerry. “It’s stocked with supplies, too. No one knows about it. Well, except Carol.”

“Keep the kids there and get word to the others,” instructed Carol. “Tell them to be ready to move on your signal.”

“Get ready for what?” you asked. “I mean, it’s not like we can just… stroll out the front gate.”

“That’s why me and Negan are gonna try to get some insurance,” she replied. 

That sounded all fine and dandy, but there were still some things to be discussed. “I hate to sound self-centered,” you said, “but, where exactly do I fit into this plan?”

“Aren’t you pregnant?” asked Negan. “Or are you hiding a watermelon under that dress?”

If you weren’t trying to get along with Negan for the sake of your family and friends, you’d consider telling him off, but there was no time to argue. “I’m pregnant,” you said, “but the kids are my responsibility. If anything happens to them—”

“(Y/N),” said Carol, reaching over to place a hand over yours. “Jerry will take care of the kids… You should stay here. You can’t be running around.”

Indeed, your feet were swollen and aching terribly, and your legs could barely carry you. To get through the crowd undetected, you’d have to be quick on your feet. You weren’t physically able to do that now. Not with a good ten pounds added to your abdomen. 

Still, there was that other terrible feeling: loneliness. If Jerry took the kids by himself, you’d be alone, and you were scared. As much as you hated to admit it, after everything you’d been through, being without Daryl, or even Aaron, this far into your pregnancy, when you were sure you were going to go into labor soon, was difficult. You couldn’t say that in front of Carol, though. She was known to be unforgiving and, at times, rather coldhearted, even to you. 

“Okay,” you said. “But… Jerry, please don’t let anything happen to them.”

He offered a smile. You trusted him immensely, but he wasn’t you. “Of course.”

You fetched the children from Robin’s room, telling them that they were to go with Uncle Jerry and to listen to everything he said. The other children joined Jerry in the living room, but Robin took a moment to hug you, holding her stuffed white rabbit in one hand as it dangled over your back. 

“I love you, sweet pea,” you said, squeezing her tight as you kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you later, once this whole thing outside dies down. Maybe Daddy and Uncle Aaron will be home by then.” You pulled away to smile at her, and to brush her bangs aside. The almost blonde highlights in her wavy, caramel colored hair shone in the sunlight that poured through her bedroom window. She looked so much like her father, especially when you first met him. Her cheeks had that same delicate contour, but she was more youthful, and more perpetually curious looking. You supposed she inherited that from you. “You’re so precious to me,” you said. “You know that?”

She chewed her lip, then lowered her head as she spoke. “I don’t wanna go,” she said. “I wanna stay with you… Daddy told me to take care of you.”

Your eyes widened as you let out a chuckle and a snort. “What? That’s silly, I’m supposed to take care of you.” You poked her belly to elicit a small hiccup from the child. “Dog will take care of me.” You nodded to the sleeping canine, lounging on Robin’s bed.

She shook her head vehemently, with an adorably stern look on her face. The tightness in her lips was uncharacteristic of her, but it was always interesting to see a new side of Robin. “No,” she said, for the first time in her life being particularly disobedient, and stubborn. “I’m not going nowhere. I’m staying with you. That’s what Daddy would want, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

You tilted your head and sighed. “Robin Elizabeth,” you said, and she knew that when you used her two names, you were serious, “where is this coming from?”

“Dixon’s stay together,” she said, showing you her bracelet, the familiar beads spelling out DIXON. “And you shouldn’t be alone. You and the baby.”

“Robin, I—”

“Almost ready, kiddo?” Negan’s voice interrupted you unintentionally, and Robin smiled at the man, though her eyes remained serious. 

“Hi, Negan,” she said, crossing her room to hug him. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, here and there… Hey, you ready to go with Jerry?”

She looked between you and Negan, then firmly stood her ground. Well, as firmly as she could. She still wasn’t quite used to this “rebellious” thing. “I want to stay with my mom,” she said, putting on her grown-up voice she’d recently developed. “I’m not going anywhere without her.”

You shook your head and crossed your arms, unsure of what to do. “She should go with the others,” you said. “It’ll be safer once they get to the attic.”

“Kid, why don’t you let me talk to your mom for a minute?” he asked. “Maybe I can talk some sense into her.”

Negan? Talking sense? Into me?

Robin headed into the living room, and Negan gently shut the door behind her, turning to face you as you sat yourself on the rocking chair by Daryl Jr.’s crib. “She can be stubborn,” you said. “But not like this. She always listens to me. She might… fight it a little, but she listens.”

Negan huffed as he leaned against the wall, his eyes trailing around Robin’s bedroom, then finally landing on you. “She should stay,” he said. “In case…” He gestured with his finger towards your abdomen. “You know.”

“Pfft,” you scoffed. “What is my six-year-old daughter going to do? She’s just a child herself. I need… I need Daryl. I’m so scared. Everything is just… not working out the way I thought it would.”

“How did you think it would go?”

“Well,” you sighed, “I didn’t think Daryl and Aaron would go rogue, but I know they have their reasons. This place isn’t like what we thought it was. Or maybe it’s exactly like what we thought it was… I don’t know. I just… I thought I could have the baby here, and then go back to Alexandria, once everything was fixed. Carry on, like it was before the Whisperers. What I really want is to not be afraid for once. For a while, I guess I wasn’t, but it’s always there. Fear. The older I get, the more I realize that it never goes away, and that we just find more things to be afraid of.”

You felt the baby kick inside you, as he had been doing for a while now, though this one felt stronger than all the others. “Now, this baby… I’m afraid he’s not going to have the life Robin did, and I’m afraid that Robin won’t have that life again, either. I thought… I thought they would be okay. I think I got my hopes up again. I always get my hopes up. God, I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” replied Negan, in that serious tone of his. “You were trying. Trying to live. And, Hell, it’s working. You’ve made it this far.”

“But you said they’re hunting us, hunting our people. Trying to kill them. What kind of life is that? And for this?” You gestured to the air around you. “This place is corrupt. It’s like… everything bad about the old world in one place.”

“Maybe,” agreed Negan. “But what’s important right now is sticking together, and your kid, she’s smart. She knows that. Let her stay with you. Besides, no one can keep her safer than you.”

You laughed and shook your head. “Well, Daryl could… But I would do anything to keep her safe.”

You thought for a moment, stroking your abdomen as you felt another kick, and another, stronger contraction. Negan eyed you worryingly, then stepped closer, kneeling down to face you. “You all right?” he asked.

“Mhm. Fine.”

Negan was suspicious, but he also knew you well enough to know that if you really thought it was bad, you’d say so. “What’s the story?” he asked, nodding towards your stomach. 

“What do you think?” you asked. “Do you know how babies are made, Negan? Or is that beyond your comprehension level?”

He chuckled under his breath. “Yeah… You know, I got married.”

You scrunched your face in confusion. “What?”

“Yeah, met a lady out there… Her name’s Annie. She’s with Daryl and the others right now, actually.” He smiled as you continued to stare at him in bewilderment. “What, are you surprised?”

“Frankly, yes. What woman in her right mind would—” His smile began to fade, and though you had no reason to, you felt a little bad. You still hated him, but you felt bad. Just a little. “I mean, um… I am a little surprised, yes. You don’t… seem like the marrying type.” That was a nicer way to say what you were really thinking, which was that any woman who would willingly marry Negan either didn’t know about his past, or knew about it, and was an equally morally bankrupt person.

“Hm, you know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the Ice Queen is a little jealous.” 

Your eyes widened in amusement. “Jealous? Oh, please, don’t make me laugh. I’m nine months pregnant, my bladder can’t take it.”

“Oh,” he said, standing back on his feet, “that reminds me, Annie’s pregnant, too.”

You huffed and folded your arms over your belly. “You’re messing with me, right?”

“Nope,” he said, hitting the p sound especially hard. “Not as far along as you, but she’s got a bun in the oven.”

You tilted your head and glared slightly at him. “Is this information supposed to make me like you or something? Some kind of… Negan redemption arc?”

He only chuckled, then turned to leave Robin’s room. “You gonna be okay, you and her, and the baby?”

“Fine,” you said. “Daryl Jr. isn’t coming out today. I won’t let him.”

Famous last words.

Robin sat upon the window seat in her bedroom, looking out to keep an eye out for Jerry and her “cousins” as he led them through the crowd. The protests continued, with chaos remaining mostly under control, which soothed your anxiety just a little as you worried about the children. 

Wherever Negan and Carol were, you hoped they were getting the information they needed to intercept Hornsby and his men and get Daryl, Aaron, and the others back home. Meanwhile, you just had to stay vigilant, hoping no more goons showed up at your door to question you. 

At least you got to stay home, keeping watch at the living room window, and trying not to worry too much about the increasing strength and decreasing intervals of your contractions. 

Dog sat curled up on the couch, keeping an eye on you, as if Daryl had instructed the canine to keep you safe, too. You wouldn’t be surprised if he had. “What are you looking at?” you asked him. “I’m fine.”

You weren’t fine.

Not long after that, you felt a much larger contraction, one that had you completely doubled over as you dropped your binoculars on the hardwood floor. “Oh, God!” you cried out, now kneeling on the floor, already tearing up from the pain. Your hand reached out to grab the edge of the couch as Dog jumped up to stand by your side, his nose nudging you repeatedly. The canine began to whine loudly, and soon Robin was hurriedly approaching, eyes wide and voice full of panic. “Mommy?” she asked. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“I…” You shook your head vehemently, your speech gone for a moment as you tried to process the pain. “The baby’s coming… The baby’s… definitely, definitely coming.”

The child froze, unsure of what to do. After all, what was she supposed to do? She had no idea how to help you, but she knew about the emergency bag by the door, the one Daryl constantly was adding things to. She scurried across the room to pick up the bag and bring it to you. 

“What do I need to do?” she asked frantically. 

“H-help me up,” you said, holding out your hand. You felt horrible, having to ask little Robin to help you up, but there wasn’t any other way you could get up, and you needed to get to the hospital. She did what she could, though she was too weak to help you up completely. 

Once you stood on your feet, you took the bag from her, and shakily crossed the room to sling your purse over your shoulder. “Come on,” you said breathlessly, realizing you had no choice but to take Robin with you. There was no way you were about to leave her alone. “We’re going to the hospital.”

It was at this moment you desperately wished you still owned a car. You hadn’t driven one in so long you wondered if you even remembered how to drive in the first place, but that didn’t matter—all you could do was walk. 

One hand holding your bag, the other holding Robin’s hand, the two of you walked quickly through the protesters, trying to tune out their shouting as you walked. 

You were fortunate that the hospital wasn’t too far away, but when the sound of a man’s voice over a megaphone sounded, you stopped in your tracks, keeping Robin close.

“A swarm has been detected five miles out!” he said. “Lockdown has been instituted by order of Governor Pamela Milton. Return to your homes immediately.”

The chanting began to die down, but the citizens still bickered in confusion. “After curfew, anyone found on the streets will be arrested for their own safety.”

He continued speaking, repeating his message, and mentioning something about “the brave Commonwealth Army.” You didn’t care to listen, as you had no other choice but to keep walking in the opposite direction of your home. You came here with the intention of having your baby at a hospital, and that’s what you were going to do.

Robin held your hand tighter as you moved faster, the contractions getting stronger and longer with each passing moment. “Come on, baby,” you said, not wanting to lose her in the chaos. “We’re almost there.”

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“I don’t know… but we need to keep moving.” You tightened your grip and kept her closer as people began to move faster, anxiously returning to their homes. Soon you were swarmed, people everywhere you looked, pushing and shoving as a stampede began to form. “Stay close to me,” you said to Robin, pulling her against your leg. “Stay—”

Another intense, sharp contraction had you doubled over, stopping momentarily as you lost feeling in your legs. You felt the wetness of your water breaking, dripping down your legs underneath your maternity dress. If you had any lingering, hopeful doubts that this was actually labor, they were gone now. 

The immense, terrible pain of your contraction forced you to let go of Robin’s hand as you fell to your knees on the concrete sidewalk, with dozens upon dozens of people trampling over each other, and over you, too. You quickly realized you no longer held your child’s hand, and you turned your head frantically to look for her—she was nowhere to be seen. 

“Robin!” you cried out, tears flooding your voice as it cracked in desperation. “Oh, God! Robin!” 

You tried to stand, but several people had pushed you back down as they stumbled over you in the stampede, of which you were in the middle. Another contraction had you screaming in agony, holding your stomach as you wept, crying out Robin’s name in the ensuing chaos. 

“Help!” you finally yelled, no longer able to pretend you could do this alone. “Please! Help me!” It was humiliating, and you felt so weak, but at the same time, what else were you supposed to do?

For a moment, your eyesight became hazy, and your head swayed back and forth deliriously until you began to fall over completely, but when a hand cupped underneath your arm, lifting you up, you came to.

“(Y/N),” huffed Ezekiel. “You all right?”

You shook your head as you tried to make out his face, and when you tried to break free from his grasp, he held you tighter by your arms. “Robin!” you said. “Robin, I can’t find Robin! She was holding my hand, and then…” 

Ezekiel noticed the water around your feet, and the stain on your dress. “Your water broke?” he asked, and you could only nod, sobbing as you looked around for Robin. 

Soon, you felt another hand on your shoulder—it was Connie, with Kelly by her side, and thank God they were there. Ezekiel’s mind moved at the speed of light as he thought of what to do in the chaos of the moment. “You two get her to the hospital,” he said, making sure Connie read his lips. He turned back to you, making sure you were paying attention to him. “I’m going to find Robin,” he said. “Get to the hospital.”

In your panic, you could only nod and wipe your face of your tears, as Connie and Kelly held your arms and helped direct you towards the hospital, clearing the way through the crowd. 

You couldn’t say you were completely conscious, because at times you felt like you had passed out from the pain and the worry and the fear, but your friends kept you stabilized, until the pristine whiteness of the hospital flooded your vision, and soon you felt yourself become horizontal, on a hospital bed, you presumed, if your mind was in any state to make presumptions.

The rest was a blur, a cocktail of profound agony and confusion. Outside, you swore you heard screaming, and something akin to canisters being dropped, but maybe that was your imagination. In any case, at some point you’d passed out, but not before hearing one last thing. It was very faint, fragile, blurred by the heavy beating of your heart.

It was the sound of a baby crying.

~

Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs of any kind are always appreciated!

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[verdemoun]

Don't know if you've already talked about bill but how is he coping with modern times? I always imagined a modern bill becoming a car mechanic, or something adjacent, maybe even becoming a small influencer where he posts abt trucks and such (and also his dog. I just know that man gets a dog in any type of modern au)

i have not spoken about bill because bill as a character just makes me so sad fam like was he doomed to be the power hungry bastard of toxic masculinity we see in rdr1 or did the events of rdr2 actively make him that way why was everyone so mean to him like you can see the way people treats him chipping away at him it makes me want to scream but back to timewarp au

therapy. my otp is bill and therapy. man needs anger management and to unpack that emotional baggage. it would take a while but once bill made the connection sometimes when he feels angry and acts out he's actually feeling sad/upset he'd start to develop as a person really quickly.

he would be so conflicted about seeing the gang again. why does no one talk about what happened to bill in the gap between rdr1 and 2?? dutch fucking left him behind bill would've followed dutch to the ends of the earth and been the perfect obedient loyal son he always wanted and dutch just threw him away because hunting down arthur and john for betraying him was more important!!

the new main gang would've picked him up because they knew he was going to be timewarped but it would be so uncomfortable.

poor kieran would've been so terrified he had to stay with annabelle and grimshaw until bill left. he usually regresses a little whenever someone timewarps because he has obvious reason to be nervous about the gang but it would've been a full breakdown just knowing bill was coming back. bill would've felt bad about it too because he never made the connection between how the gang's teasing made him feel vs what his bullying was doing to kieran.

the rest of the gang would've gone straight back to teasing bill because that was the dynamic last time they were all together. he would've hated it and lashed out a lot. he became something after they died they better respect it but of course they just don't. bill would've barely understood modern era before he bounced.

happy stuff now i promise. he ended up hitchhiking for a bit and learning about the modern world from truckers. he would love going to bars and truck stops and dodgy mom and pop diners along the highway.

he ends up getting a job on a ranch (ironically the modern day MacFarlane which became a massive multimillion dollar operation) and still gets to ride horses almost every day. he picks up herding super quickly and gets all the validation and care he deserves. the owners love him and are really supportive and patient when it comes to dealing with his temper.

he gets a little power trip out of learning to drive the semi-truck and unlike most of the hands is always super excited and happy to go on cross-country road trips delivering things to processing facilities. his favorite thing though would be the combine harvester he will work 14 hour shifts without complaint harvesting grain.

bill loves dogs almost more than he loves his horses he cannot drive past a sign that says puppies for sale without at least stopping to look. this habit has resulted in him having five dogs and they are his new gang. his first dog was a stray he picked up on the side of the road it's a wire-haired gundog mutt just called Mutt. he also has two cattle dogs (Clem and Roanoke), a long hair shepherd called Mercer and finally a catahoula called Abel. they are all working dogs and he does not go anywhere without all of them. they all sleep on his bed and are just as happy to go on cross country road trips in the semi as he is.

he can control all of them with a whistle or non verbal commands and they are insanely well trained. Micah fucking hates him sure Baymax can bark and growl and look scary on command but the second one of Bill's dogs curls up its lips Baymax is hiding behind Micah terrified and Bill is so fucking smug about it.

through therapy and having his ideals challenged bill starts making an effort to be less racist and sexist and actually confronting some of the gang about the way they treated him in 1899 and mending those relationships because look yeah he went off the deep end after the VDLs but he does still care about them and wants to have good relationships with them he's just got to work through a lot of issues go bill i believe in you

and most importantly he finally got over the internalized homophobia and admitted to himself he's a bit/lot gay. he's not wearing beads at pride levels of comfortable with it yet but he is a classic bear who will protect the gaybies from violence with violence.

it's like a many, many years slow burn but him and alden get together because charlybird's art is one of the only reasons i gave bill a chance as a character and i am a better person for it

[argisthebulwark]

I saw ur tag about soulmates/reincarnation and i dunno if this really fits but it made me think of the parallels between karliah/gallus and tld/bryn. both couples being in love. mercer killing one of them, the one that just so happened to be/become the guild master. every time i think about these parallels i go fucking insane.

Especially if I think about tld actually dying by mercers hand and how something something history repeats itself, something something mercer killed both guild masters and left the ones so in love with them (maybe even married to them) broken shells

anyways....... *goes feral*

YEAAAA dude!!!! god i know it's sad and the reunion would be beautiful and all that but sometimes i just think about tld not surviving mercer. karliah not being able to save them and returning to thieves guild. mercer repeating his own history by killing the one destined to lead the guild and leaving behind a heartbroken, angry thief.

putting all my angst under a cut for the sake of the dash. obv death mention

"I'll be certain to give Brynjolf your regards."

Snow Veil Sanctum had become Karliah's personal hell. Entering the place she'd lost Gallus all those years ago was difficult but having to witness it happening all over again was surely some divine punishment. She watched the poor girl crumble, Mercer's disgusting last words hanging in the air long after his exit. Her eyes burned with unshed tears when she heard Brynjolf's name.

Karliah would follow through on her promise. The next time she saw Mercer would be the last. She dragged the thief's body from the bowels of the ruin knowing the hand pressed to her wound wouldn't cut it - but she couldn't leave her there. She couldn't leave this poor girl alone where Brynjolf couldn't find her.

She wanted her reunion with Brynjolf to be a joyous one. Instead she held the shoulders that shook with each of his sobs and fought back her own tears. He'd been so small when she was exiled and had grown into such a fine man. Karliah's hatred for Mercer somehow deepened upon seeing history repeat itself in such a way.

When Brynjolf's tears subsided Karliah recognized the resentment that replaced his sadness. She understood all too well his thirst for violence, his need to find Mercer and make him pay for what he'd taken from them. Karliah hated that Brynjolf could understand her pain. She wanted to take it away from him, to save him from the years of bitterness and isolation she'd dealt with.

"I'm sorry." She didn't trust her own voice when Brynjolf's puffy eyes met hers. "I'm sorry he took them from us."

"Why does this keep happening?" He sounded empty and Karliah had no answer.

She knew if they didn't stop Mercer his cycle would never break. A new thief would join their guild, fall in love, figure out his scheme, and die by Mercer's hand. Karliah's heart ached at the thought of other souls feeling her pain, the devastating ache of missing the one she loved so dearly.

Delvin was right. Mercer had become a curse upon the Thieves Guild. He killed and cheated, doing anything to keep himself afloat. He'd slain two important members and would surely try again. Karliah knew they had to stop him, it had to be those he'd left heartbroken and alone.

"What do we do now?" Brynjolf sounded so small, nothing like the booming voice he'd used when demanding to see his wife.

"We kill Mercer." She answered easily, offering him a blade. "We bury our loved ones. And you become the next Guild Master."

"I don't think I can do it without her." His voice broke and Karliah felt her heart shatter, pain she'd buried long ago fresh and new once more.

"You have to."

[tiamat-zx]

If there is a single Season 1 moment from Keyleth in “The Legend of Vox Machina” that will always resonate with me… here it is in one word.

Sunbeam.

It was such a powerful moment, one that even made Matt Mercer cry. Because that’s his wife’s character, and it warms my heart knowing that nowadays she’s very well-loved. I’ve seen plenty of reactions. They cry when she hurts or gets hurt, they smile when she’s happy or being her usual anxious self, they are in awe when she gets her moments to shine.

And no moment did she literally shine brighter that season than in the climactic battle with Sylas and Delilah Briarwood in “Whispers at the Ziggurat”.

When she was gut-punched hard by Sylas and sent flying into a wall… only to also collide with a lower level and finally collapse shortly after in the first leg of the battle, I definitely flinched and panicked. This was a story that I’ve known for many years, but seeing this animated gave it more of an impact.

Everyone’s kept at bay, on the verge of defeat. And she tries her best, dear gods she tries her best to get back up… and yet she falters and collapses again, reeling from her pain.

And then she sees them. The roots of the Sun Tree, still clinging to whatever life it has left.

And so she makes her plea, straining to cling to life herself.

“Sun Tree? I’m Keyleth, of the Air Ashari. I know you’re there. And holy shit do I need your help.”

The Sun Tree answers her plea, and she grabs hold of the roots.

“Please. Help me be the light.”

She manages to finally get back on her feet, supported by the Sun Tree… as she channels its energy to bring the light to the battlefield.

The aura from the light breaks the charm on Vax. It invigorates Pike which leads to a Beam-O-War clash against Delilah… which the cleric slowly begins to overcome.

And most importantly, Sylas goes to cut her down only for Grog to intervene, having gotten his second wind.

Thus leading to not only figuring out how to avoid getting charmed, but unleashing a Reckless Attack that overpowers Sylas.

And so we get to the big moment itself, as Grog holds Sylas in place.

And Keyleth remembers Pike’s words from before, which now hold more weight than ever before:

“You’re their light now. Keep them out of darkness.”

So she does so, drawing from the tree and her own power.

And even with so much at stake, she still shows concern for Grog, who just assures her that he can take what she is about to dish out.

Only the slightest bit of hesitation…

…before unleashing the full might of her inherent druidic power and the life-force of the tree in a single blow.

The Sunbeam that turned the tide decisively in Vox Machina’s favor.

As I said, it’s this moment from Season 1 that will always stay with me.

Especially with the amazing score behind this one, “Turning Tides” and “Blinded by the Light.”

Perfection.

And so far in Season 2, her greatest moment to shine was easily in “Pass Through Fire” where she not only unlocked her fire elemental form, but also closed the rift to the Fire Plane all by herself. And she got a new look out of it to boot, on top of now having the power to use Plane Shift.

Granted, as of this post, there are still six episodes left in the second season. Only time will tell if she manages to outdo this one.

But all the same, I’m so glad that at least once per season, she gets to truly be the force of nature that we know she will become.

The Voice of the Tempest.

This post goes out to @waltwhitmansbeard because I say so ;)

[pickledpascal]

Lover

Chapter Two: You Need to Calm Down

Warnings: was meant to be fluff kind of turned into a whump, drunk jensen/nesnej, sexual themes/jokes

Word Count: 3.7k

Lover Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Jensen never thought he'd have a bachelor party again. Well, to be fair, he never thought he'd be getting married again. And like most marriage traditions, a bachelor party was needed. However, he drew the line at strip clubs. Not only did he not need Avery thinking he was cheating on her in some capacity but Jensen truly had no desire to even look at other women besides his fiancée. 

So, as Jensen's best man, Misha simply treated him to a hole-in-the-wall bar so he could get drunk out of his mind. Strangely, it was the same one Jensen came to with Avery. Andrés was manning the bar again. 

About an hour into their little endeavor, Misha started to notice Nesnej was coming out. Jensen had been downing shots with Misha's encouragement while Josh and Mercer simply watched, amused. Whatever was in them—it was a tequila but Misha didn't know what kind—was strong because Jensen wasn't a lightweight. When he said he could drink like Dean, he wasn't lying. 

Eventually, Jensen made his way onto the dancefloor where Rich and Rob were. They weren't exactly dancing, just talking with each other with a bit of a sway in their step so Jensen decided to join them. He stumbled a bit as he danced, not horribly, not enough for Misha or the rest of the guys to be concerned for him.

Then a song came on. Back On 74 by Jungle. Jensen's lip began to quiver. "Avery listens to this…" He started getting choked up, tears welling at the edges of his eyes.

"Woah, Jensen, buddy, what's up?" Rob patted his back when he noticed he looked sad. Not just sad. Devastated. "You alright?" 

Jensen wiped at his eyes a little and shook his head. "I miss my wife," He whined in a light slur. "I wanna see her." Something about him being drunk made him feel sappy and immensely sad he was nowhere near his fiancée. "Can we go see her?" 

"No, bud, I don't think we can." Rob said as gently as possible, rubbing his shoulder slightly. 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jensen broke down crying. His shoulder started to shake with his sobs and he almost dropped to his knees before Rob and Rich held onto him to keep him on his feet. 

Misha came rushing over with Jacob and Josh behind him. "Woah, what the hell happened?" The bar was crowded enough they didn't bat an eye at a grown man breaking down crying. 

"I want my wife." Jensen pouted, tears still rolling down his cheeks. 

Misha swallowed. He didn’t want this night to be ruined just because Jensen was bawling his eyes out about how he couldn’t be near Avery. "Okay, uh, yeah. We can take you to her."

Like a switch, Jensen's eyes lit up. "Really?" He took a breath.

Jacob looked at Misha weirdly. The older man motioned for him to call his sister. Jacob pursed his lips and then sighed as he tried to find a more quiet place in the bar.

When Avery picked up the phone, it was after a couple tried and Jacob could hear a Beyoncé song on the other line. It was more muffled than he expected. She had to be in the bathroom or something. "Wassup, kid, having too much fun?" She asked. He could hear the smirk in her voice.

Avery and her friends were at a queer bar. It was Drag Race night so there were a lot of popular queens. Jacob couldn't blame her for not picking up at the first ring or even the third. 

"Jensen's having… a moment," Jacob said, glancing back at Jensen. He looked to be on the verge of tears again. 

Jacob could hear Avery shifting her phone to her other ear. "What kind of moment?"

"Well, uh," Jensen had made his way to the bar top with the help of Josh and Rob. Rich and Josh switched places. "Can we come to you? You'll be able to see." 

"Woah, okay." He could hear the surprise in her voice. "Yeah, sure. But, um… can you tell me what's going on?" 

Jacob shook his head with a laugh as he watched Jensen sob on Misha's shoulder. "He misses you. A lot."

Avery got off the phone with her brother a little after that and went back into the club. They had a booth near the stage. No one was up there at the moment, needing a little time between performers which gave a lot of other queers in the club a chance to dance. 

"What happened?" Elena asked, taking a sip from a cherry-flavored mocktail.

"Jensen got royally hammered. And apparently was begging to see me to the point he started crying." Avery explained as she slipped back into the booth. She took a sip from her drink. 

Tessa started laughing, shaking her head. She didn't imagine Jensen was that whipped on Avery but, then again, there were no words for the magnitude of how much Jensen was in love with her. 

After a few minutes of talking among her friends, Avery spotted Jensen and the guys walking through the door. He was stumbling and mainly relied on Misha to stand upright. She had to stifle a laugh. Her first full glimpse of Nesnej. She'd seen glimpses of him almost tipsy but not to this extent. 

As Jensen and Misha made their way to their booth, Jensen's eyes widened at the sight of Avery. "Who's that?" She could hear him whisper to Misha. Avery was surprised Jensen got this drunk. Enough for him to forget they were in a relationship. "Are you single?" He rasped. 

"Uh, no. Not exactly." Avery answered, an amused smile on her lips. 

Jensen's eyes started leaking with tears again. "You're not?" He sniffled, not even trying to fight the tears. Jay and Elena had a fit of giggles while Tessa threw her head back in a full laugh. Their other two friends, Maddie and Mackenzie were trying their hardest not to laugh. 

"Yeah… I got a finacée." Avery smiled softly as Misha let Jensen fall into the booth next to her. "He's pretty cute," She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Jensen involuntarily pushed his face into her shoulder, taking a deep breath of her body wash. She always smelled nice. This time, similar to how he would imagine a cactus fruit would smell. "Has the most gorgeous green eyes, symmetrical freckles, a nice beard." Avery brushed her knuckles against Jensen's jaw, feeling the scratchiness of his beard. 

Jensen lifted his head. His brain took a moment to fully boot up as he thought about who that could be. "Is he… me?" 

Avery chuckled and nodded. Jensen's eyes widened before he dove in for a kiss. Avery could taste the tequila on his lips. The kiss itself was sloppy and haphazard, bad enough that Avery had to pull away and wipe her mouth. He frowned at her, burying his head back in her shoulder. 

"It's weird to see him so cuddly. Not to say he wasn't already but this is different." Mackenzie whispered to Tessa.

Elena heard and nodded at them. "Imagine having to basically live with them." 

"Oh, yeah, they're insufferable sometimes." Jay agreed, shaking their head. "Oh, Avery I love you ever so much! I'm gonna take your cock so far down my throat!" They mocked, grabbing onto Elena as if she were Avery.

Tessa snorted, shaking her head while Mackenzie's mouth hung open. She was shocked but amused nonetheless. 

Avery stared at them, giving them a death glare before her attention was captured by the lights in the club dimming. The stage was lit and out came Sasha Colby. Avery's eyes widened. She came out wearing some sort of jeweled bra and panty set that hugged her figure in all the right ways. Her hair was a fiery ginger color, long enough that it stopped just above her lower back. 

Sasha Colby was one of Avery's first queer crushes. She partly blamed it on the fact that Sasha was a trans girl too. 

Feeling compelled, Avery climbed over Jensen to get a spot nearer to the stage. The man went to stand to follow her, reaching a hand out but was immediately pushed back down by Josh's hand. "You can barely stand, man." He then motioned for Mackenzie to grab some water for their brother. She nodded and went to the bar. 

Jensen pouted as he watched Avery have a religious experience. He wanted to be the object of her affection. All the time. He wanted her touch, gentle and careful across his skin. The way her thumb brushed against his cheek, tracing his freckles. Or how she'd hook her finger under his chin for a kiss. It was able to bring out parts of him he hadn't thought were possible before. 

Seemingly, Sasha noticed her immediately among the other queers in the front of her. All of them were screaming and clamoring for her attention while she danced. Sasha touched Avery's face, lip-syncing straight to her. 

Taste me, drink my soul

Show me all the things that I shouldn't know

When there's a blue moon on the rise

It felt like everything and everyone else had just melted away. And then Sasha planted a kiss to Avery's forehead and, just like that, she was gone. Onto the rest of the performance. Avery's knees felt weak and she tried her best to keep herself standing. Religious experience? More like she reached Nirvana and her spirit was taken out of her body before it was thrust back inside. 

—---

Dealing with a drunk Jensen proved to be a lot. Avery was glad Elena had driven and was sober so they could be driven home. Jensen had his hands all over Avery on the drive back to their apartment as well as on the elevator ride. He tried kissing at her neck once they were inside their apartment but his coordination was off to the point Avery could easily push him off. 

"C'mon, honey, you need a bath." Avery hoisted Jensen up, holding his waist against her side as she guided him into the bathroom. For quite the big guy, he was slippery when he wanted to be. 

Jensen pouted. "Sweetheart," He whined as Avery set him on the closed toilet seat. "I don't need a bath." 

"You smell like tequila and you need to get a little sober before bed." Avery countered, brushing a hand through his hair which he immediately leaned into. Was she like this when she was drunk? Jensen hadn't said much about her little stunt at graduation, just that he helped her into bed for the night. "Now, I'm gonna run the water then help you get undressed. Okay?" 

Jensen bit the inside of his cheek with disappointment but nodded. "You're so pretty…" He sighed, watching as Avery rolled up her sleeves and twisted the knob on the shower. 

Avery couldn't help the smile that made it onto her lips. Years ago—maybe even just last year—hearing that from Jensen would've made her collapse. She turned to face Jensen again and pressed a kiss to his forehead, cupping his face. "You're pretty, too." She started to slide her hands down to the buttons of his shirt and began to undo them. 

"You think so?" Jensen's voice wasn't teasing, it was fond and a bit hopeful. Something about what happened back at the club made his drunk mind jealous. Jealous that Avery would rather be with Sasha than him. 

Avery stopped fiddling with the buttons once they were all undone. "Of course I do." She looked into his eyes, seeing something she didn't like. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I-I dunno," Jensen glanced down at his lap, his voice shaky. He tried to push whatever he felt down but he felt another wave of tears coming on. Avery tilted his head up to look at her and he crumbled. "W-Would you rather be with a girl than me?" 

Avery blinked. Maybe she was a bit too into Sasha but it was Sasha Colby. She couldn't help the way she felt in the moment but that was nothing compared to what she felt every day with Jensen. "No, no, no, Jensen. Of course not. I like girls and I like Sasha but I don't know her. Not like I know you." Avery caressed Jensen's cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "You're special to me, honey. You're so sweet and gentle like… I don't know, a bear or something. You're beautiful, too. I love you so much. So much. Sometimes I feel like my chest might explode." She admitted softly, pursing her lips.

"Look at me, please," Avery whispered. Jensen complied. His eyes fluttered open to meet hers, jaw clenching slightly. "You know I love you, right? I was just a bit starstruck. You are the only person I want to get married to. The only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. You being a guy or girl doesn't fucking matter. You know that?" 

Jensen swallowed thickly and nodded. He knew that but there was a part of him, the sober him that wondered that very thing from time to time. But it was put to rest. Avery frowned as she pulled him close, holding the back of his head. He breathed her in, wrapping his arms around her body as he squeezed her tight. 

"I know," Jensen sighed softly, more as confirmation to himself. "I know." 

Avery pulled away slightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Help me get your clothes off?" She asked gently as Jensen let her go. "You'll feel a lot better when you're clean and in bed." 

Jensen gave her a nod as he pushed his shirt off his shoulders while Avery unbuckled his pants and pushed them off. She left him to take off his socks and boxers while she felt for the temperature of the water. A crisp, warm temperature. Exactly what Jensen needed. 

"You want any bath bombs or anything?" Avery glanced behind her. She had a few underneath the sink but she couldn't recall exactly where they were. 

"No," Jensen murmured as he stepped inside the tub and sat down. Avery held a hand out in case he accidentally tripped. But he seemed to slowly be coming back into a normal headspace. "Well… maybe." He admitted. "Uh, honey and saguaro is nice." 

Avery's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She didn't have a honey and saguaro bath bomb or bath salts. Then she saw the body wash sitting on the side of the tub opposite to her. Her body wash. Specifically, the one she used today. She smiled softly. Jensen wanted to smell like her. 

"Okay, how about I shampoo and condition your hair first then body wash? Hm?" Avery leaned over the side of the tub and gave Jensen a small smile. 

Jensen tipped his head in her direction and stared at her. "Yeah, okay." The idea of her hands in his hair sounded amazing and his tone reflected that. 

He adjusted his position in the tub so Avery could massage the shampoo into his hair. Yet again, Jensen chose Avery's shampoo instead of his own. She'd run out of it every few months because of the length of her hair so she'd change up the scent. This time it was sweet peach and nectar. Before that, it was citrus and herbal musk. They never smelled particularly masculine or feminine. They just smelled nice. A lot better than whatever he bought. Overly manly with notes of bourbon and firewood. Jensen couldn't remember the name of it. 

He needed to switch over to Avery's brand. Nearly every hygiene product she owned was from the same company. Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, sunscreen, facial cleanser—hell, even her toothpaste. 

"I love you." Jensen mumbled as Avery washed the shampoo out of his hair. She grabbed the removable shower head and tried to make sure there wasn't a drop left of foam. The touch calmed him, almost to the point of falling asleep.

Avery set the shower head back in its place and pressed a kiss to Jensen's cheek. "I love you too." 

Jensen lifted an arm out of the tub and cupped her cheek. "You're so…" He tried to think of the right words. "Beautiful. Patient. Loving…" That sounded about right. "I can't imagine life without you anymore." He breathed. 

Avery pressed a kiss to Jensen's palm, grabbing his arm to set it back down. "Me neither." She began to work her conditioner into his hair.

The massage felt pretty nice. Not as good as when it was on his scalp but Avery was adamant about conditioner only going on the end of a person's hair, not all over. Jensen couldn't argue, he did the same thing. And was a little too drunk to argue anyway. 

"I don't understand," Jensen mumbled.

"Understand what?" Avery asked softly, letting the conditioner sit for a few minutes. 

Jensen glanced at Avery. "Why do you treat me… like this? Like…" He pursed his lips. That intoxicated brain of his was opening up but it was also hard for him to speak properly or even think of any words longer than a couple of letters. "L-Like I'm delicate. Like I-I need to be pampered." It wasn't a bad thing by any means but Jensen hadn't had a relationship like that before. Where, in most intimate cases, he was the one getting spoiled. Getting shown so much love that he didn't know what to do with it. 

"I think you deserve it." Avery shrugged. "And, I dunno, I guess I like doing it." It was that simple. 

She liked doing it. Jensen pushed the palm of his hand to his nose as he sniffled. "I'm just crying a lot tonight, huh?" He tried to joke. His brain was a little fuzzy from before but something in his body knew this wasn't the first time. 

"It's good to let go sometimes." Avery hummed, leaning her head against Jensen's. She didn't care that he was wet, just that he felt some semblance of comfort. "Crying is a release. I mean, I think we all deserve a good cry every now and then." 

Jensen chuckled softly, the water sloshing slightly as his body moved with the laugh. "You're weirdly wise for someone so young." Sometimes, Jensen thought this was all fate. That he was going to learn more about life and himself from someone so much younger than him. 

Avery had lived such an interesting and, quite frankly, scarring life in such a small amount of time, and yet she was more or less unscathed. She had her moments. Moments of breaking down and crying and wondering why she couldn't have parents who loved her. Parents who, at the very least, thought she was wonderful. Maybe then she would've been good enough. But then she'd take a look around at the life she built. All by herself. Elena, Jacob, Nate, Mercer, Jay, and Sammy were her family. No one else was. They made her life complete. 

And then Jensen appeared in her life and made that little family a little bigger. A lot bigger. Now Avery had Misha, Felicia, Ruth, Rob, and Rich.

After Jensen was properly cleaned and dressed, Avery set him in bed. He was surprised when she was able to pick him up in the first place. That muscle wasn't just for show apparently. She lifted the covers over Jensen's body and smiled a little when he grabbed one of her fluffier blankets to have as well. He looked up at Avery as she got undressed for the night. 

"You're way too adorable to be forty-five." Avery commented as she got in bed next to Jensen. His hair was dry but it stuck up in all different directions, adding to her comment. 

Jensen pushed his face into her chest, appreciating the extra cushion for his head. "Thanks." Avery let out a laugh as she wrapped her arms around him. He had quite the night and she wouldn't deny him some extra comfort. 

Minutes passed before Jensen spoke up again. Avery thought he'd gone to sleep since his breathing slowed but maybe he was just calm. "I can't believe I'm marrying you." He mumbled. Avery couldn't either. "You're the first person who I'd ever… After the divorce." Instead of alcohol, his brain got fuzzy from sleep. 

"I know, honey. I know." Avery pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

She knew some details of Jensen's divorce but not many. Just that they settled on it together and that he had quite a hard time finding anyone afterward—she knew that from Misha. He was strictly single for two years—as far as Avery knew, Jensen hadn't had any one-night stands or flings—before they met. She also knew that time was a bit hard for Jensen. He had Danneel nearly every day of his life for years and that was suddenly just gone. 

Avery hadn't had a romantic relationship that lasted that long before but she imagined how it would feel if Elena and her just stopped being friends all of a sudden. She'd miss her. Miss the kind of relationship she had with her and feel like she'd never have anything like that again.

But Jensen met her. And everything felt okay again. More than okay. It was amazing. 

"I can't believe it either." Avery whispered, looking up at the ceiling. Her life looked drastically different. More in the past few months than the last few years. And not all of it was due to Jensen. 

Well, a lot of it. Her book sales were steady because he phoned in quite a few friends. 

Jensen nuzzled underneath Avery's jaw. "You're gonna be my wife." He said it in a dreamy tone that made her heart flutter. Then it'd be true when he said it to someone else rather than a slip of his tongue. 

"And you're gonna be my husband." Avery brushed her hand through his hair. It was still a little damp.

"Yeah." Jensen sighed happily. 

------

taglist: @nancymcl

taglist open here !!

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Twenty-four things I noted about the The Mighty Nein Reunited Part 2 “Uk'otoa Unleashed” :

can't believe I will see them again SOON (the only comfort because this is the end of the adventures... for now...)

Jester coming in strong with Eathquake. Last time we saw a use of that, it was when Pike and Keyleth managed to make Vecna's tower fall just before the first battle against him...

SALT BAE MATTHEW MERCER

Beau's "Debilitating barage" combined with Caleb's fire spells, oh my god. Combo moves with vulnerabilities provoked by a PC and another attacking just after are SO HOT. Caduceus did this a lot with Path of the Grave, and now Beau can do this too !

OOOoooooh they really were so close to have that crystal. I felt like watching sports game, where everyone was close to mark but alas !!

I want to read Veth's Camp Guide. I hope someday CR will do this merch, just for me.

Fjord, what the fuck are you doing, my guy ? I love it, with a 7 swisdom, of course he would propose an alliance to a Betrayer god that hates Uk'atoa and the Prime deity that protects him. Marisha, speaking the truth : "Come on ! Third god in that body !!"

It's hilarious that Kingsley proposes himself for the pact. Veth, concerned : "Shouldn't he have one lifetime where he's not connected to a dark power that is corrupting him slowly until he dies and is reborn again ?"

ANOTHER PACT FOR FJORD

Jester contacting the Plank King, and revealing that - of course ! - she uses Sending very frequently to contact and bother friends and foes. I love it so much. This moment reminded me of the post that said, basically : in a post-Apogee Solstice world where many spells don't work, the biggest tragedy must be Jester Lavorre without Sending.

Captain Adella !!! From Campaign 1 and Campaign 2 !!!

"Love, live, Veth" : I also want that on a t-shirt, pleace CR store, do this for me

Oh, that Uk'atoa mini with the cool Wizkids zoom cam, I am in love

I am taking notes ! at the mechanic of Uk'otoa's (Uk'otoa...) eyes being harder to hit, but being the way to avoid an unleashing of electrical energy stored in his body when they hit. Amazing.

CALEB IS A BLUE DRAGON !! He has become a legend like Kiki

Laura, with the smallest voice possible, to Sam who just ignored her offer of dies : "I never let anyone borrow my dice... You just disrespected it so heartedly !" (she succeeds in shaming Sam)

Matt, when Liam tries to negotiate his action : "I'll be forgiving of that... (with a wicked smile) Because you need it !"

Jester has four doubles now. Fjord : "Lucky me ! (...) The captain's quarters are very happy." The Mighty Nein remain horny on main

JESTER THE HEALER !!! "We stan a blue horned queen !!" indeed Laura ~harp music~ Bailey saving their asses once again

The HDYWTDT was so hot. like, I was blushing. Fjord, I love you.

The cycle has begun anew...

I love Liam's clear intention to do many more of Mighty Nein one-shots. I WANT THAT TOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!

This one-sot was incredible. A good story that was left in suspense when Campaign 2 ended, a powerful ennemy even when they're level 17, and just an absolute blast to see them all again. I miss them already.

[it-is-i-zim]

Captain Boomerang's Current Origin, And What Information Should Be Considered Irrelevant

I understand that not a lot of people give this character the chance because of his 1987 Suicide Squad counterpart. Yes. I know that that specific Captain Boomerang was a racist douchebag. If you had actually bothered to read anything other than the 1987 run, you'd know he's got more to him that being a racist douchebag. In fact, you'd realize he's only a racist douchebag in that specific Suicide Squad run.

Let's start with his most recent Encyclopedia entry from DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021)

From here let's go to the Classic Stories Section. Yes, I'm aware that in the Classic Stories, and On the Record sections it mentions Identity Crisis. A comic that famously includes Owen Mercer, Captain Boomerang II.

As of 2018, in Suicide Squad with Rebirth, and more specifically issue 47 of the 2016 Suicide Squad run, Owen Mercer is actually going by The Bunyip. An Australian criminal. Born and raised in Australia by his single mother, who is not Meloni Thawne, but an unnamed Australian woman.

As you can see, he is clearly not Captain Boomerang II, like he was Pre-Flashpoint. And Knight Terrors: Robin further implies that Owen Mercer was not present during the time of Digger's death within the context of the current canon. Owen Mercer was a parallel to Tim Drake and most likely would have been included if they were keeping the idea of him taking up the mantle after his father's passing.

In terms of Captain Boomerang's origins we must go back to issue 2 of the 2016 Suicide Squad run to get the full scope of things, since issue 47 is, in a sense, a continuation of what was told in issue 2.

Right off the bat, in the sort of afterwards of issue 2, which is specifically relevant to Captain Boomerang, you get a little bit of his origin story.

His father, a member of the US Military, left him with his mother in Kurrumburra, Australia when he was just a boy.

To explain a bit more, we must jump back just a little further in his origins back to New 52 with issue 27 of the 2011 Suicide Squad run.

As shown here he was taught my his mother, though the writer incorrectly calls him Owen. Issue 3 of this run confirms the Captain Boomerang of this run is in fact George "Digger" Harkness, and not his son, Owen Mercer. And DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021) actually helps with this, specifically mentioning the events that were also going on in this run as well, specifically mentioning Yo-Yo and Basilisk, as well as being given the fake detonator.

If this Captain Boomerang was Owen Mercer, he would look more like this:

And now like this, which is how he was shown in issue 28, a direct continuation of issue 27, of the 2011 Suicide Squad run:

Which clearly looks how Digger does in Vol 3 of The Flash.

Furthermore, issues 18 and 19, part of the Flash's Sins of the Father storyline, not to be confused with the Batman storyline with the same name, which is part of Flash's 2016 comic which takes place during Rebirth, further connects the New 52 events with Rebirth in terms of the Suicide Squad by keeping Daniel West's death as the Reverse Flash within the New Suicide Squad, which takes place right after the 2011 Suicide Squad run, as shown in issue 30 of that run, completely canon.

Back to the topic of his origin, later on in life he joined the military. Supposedly anyway. It's mentioned in issue 2 of the 2016 Suicide Squad run.

Regardless of whether or not you believe his words, the DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021), yet again, confirmed that he does have that military background now, as well as adding the fact that he became a secret agent in the Australian Secret Service, which is also confirmed in issue 47 of the 2016 Suicide Squad run, as well in Captain Boomerang's entry in the DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021).

Multiple events have also occurred that completely negates a vast majority of the 1987 Suicide Squad. For starters, in 2 different comics, specifically issue 2 and 47 of the 2016 Suicide Squad, which the DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021) confirms both as canon, he's quick to point out stuff that are culturally insensitive.

This completely negates the blatantly racist statement he made in the no longer canon comic, that is not referenced AT ALL in the DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition (2021).

Another one being in the Suicide Squad 2021, Sam Scudder is very clearly alive.

Sam Scudder being dead played a big part in Captain Boomerang's story in the 1987 comic. Because he was using his costume to be Mirror Master. Digger became Mirror Master to commit crimes in secret. With him being alive here, makes a good chunk of Suicide Squad 1987 is wrong.

Back to his origin, let's go to The Flash Vol 3, since a lot of people really like to bring this up. Yes, Betty Harkness is shown in this comic. Within the context of the much older canon, that this was intended to be a part of, it does make sense. Yes, I am aware the Encyclopedia mentions it. This doesn't mean the information is relevant and up to date. As explicitly stated in issue 27 of the 2011 Suicide Squad comic, his mother is now canonically aboriginal. That is supposed to be Digger. The older comics are not supposed to fit with the new canon, something DC has clearly overlooked. The new canon just does not fit in with this specific comic. It also places him as a toy mascot, not someone in the military as well as the Secret Service, as seen above. That is what's been established. That is what's canon.

These are the only things from this story I can see actually fitting in with what DC has stated and has shown to be part canon.

It ties in with the protecting his mom line he mentioned in issue 2 of the 2016 Suicide Squad, that I've already shown. He loves his mother. On multiple occasions throughout the 2016 Suicide Squad comic, he's cried out for his mother. He's very clearly shown to be a bit of a mamma's boy. If she ended up marrying someone abusive, like Ian in this comic, it would make sense why he would want to protect his mother from an abusive asshole. This is coming from an abuse survivor who wanted to protect my dad at times, btw. I mean... Turns out he was just as bad too, but that's not relevant to what I'm talking about. What I'm trying to say is that I've been in his shoes. I know what that's like. So I should know better than anyone, especially people who don't actually know anything about him.

And even then with the 2016 comic, it makes it seem like it wasn't Ian Harkness who abused him, but his Aunt Mabel, as seen in issue 35.

Everything else just simply doesn't fit with what DC established, including what was stated in the Encyclopedia.

This is no longer his mother. This only fits within the old canon.

This is his mother now. Get over it. This is what is considered canon.

He did not get his costume from being a toy mascot. This information is considering incorrect now. Get over it.

He canonically got his costume from being a secret agent.

Yes, there is a brief mention of him being a toy mascot but with the information we have in canon, it's far more likely that this was more of an undercover mission of sorts. He's a Secret Agent now. If you can't accept that, you're wrong.

In absolutely none of the comics I've mentioned above, with the exception of the no longer canon 1987 Suicide Squad, has Captain Boomerang ever made a racist statement. 1987 was 36 years ago. The run ended nearly 32 years ago. In hasn't been referenced in the current canon in any way.

He is no longer racist and should not be treated as though that was at one point part of his character. I get that outside of canon, it was part of a story that existed, but with the established current canon, he would not be racist. Some people need to learn to accept this instead of trying to argue with people who actually fucking know what they're talking about. This may come across as rude, but I've had to explain this time and time again and it's getting on my nerves that people try to argue with me about his canon when I know what I'm talking about.

Origin stories can and will change. And that should be fine. I shouldn't have to argue about this over and over but here I am, still having to explain this man.

[invisibleraven]

I'm not sure if you've already gotten this, but: friend to lovers 4 (accidentally confessing) for rulie

Julie is sure her dance card is a crumbled mess from how much she had been twisting it in her hands, but she could care less, since it means no one can claim her for a twirl around the floor.

It's not like there's anyone here she wants to dance with.

That is until Lord Peters enter, a jovial smile on his face, and Julie is sure her own grin blooms like the dahlias in her mother's solarium as a result. And his wink causes her to flush like she's entered the hothouse, with a matching flush to her cheeks as he approaches.

"Lady Julie," he said with a sweeping bow, pressing a kiss to her knuckles that does little to calm her blush. "May I ask you to take a turn around the room with me? Perhaps save a gavotte or even a waltz for me?"

"My dance card is open," Julie replied, fluttering her lashes and lets him help her from the settee, their arms links as they slowly head towards the punch bowl.

"How can that be? The diamond of the season and no one has asked you to dance?"

Julie bites back a giggle. "My aunt has been steering them all away, diserables and not. She claims I am too young, but my father pulled her away to gossip to give me a chance at at least a waltz." She then reveals her crumbled card. "I did not help matters either."

"Nerves?" Reggie asked politely, offering her a glass of punch. "I know you're a divine dancer."

"It was more so I wanted a particular partner," Julie replied, sending him a look from under her lashes as she lifted her glass, sipping delicately at the strong liquid.

"Well I know Lord Patterson is not attending this particular soiree, and after last month's disaster with Lord Danforth Evans I am sure you're not eager to make his acquaintance again," Reggie listed them off. "And while Lord Mercer is quite adept on the dance floor he has other interests in partners."

"It was you I was waiting on," Julie says plainly, looking right at him. Noting how his green eyes widen, the soft pink that tinges his skin, the way his smile blooms, crooked and pleased.

"Me?" Reggie asks, as if in disbelief.

"Of course."

"Well who am I to disappoint a lady?" Reggie says, and offers his hand as the next song starts, Julie slipping hers into it, feeling the heat radiating even through her silk gloves.

They spin across the room, twirling and ducking through the motions, weaving through the throng and Julie laughs as Reggie moves through the lines to be her constant partner, always enthusiastic and energetic as he took them through the waltz, the gavotte, and a fast paced quadrille.

They finally left the dance floor, unable to hold in their laughter, walking out onto the terrace, the cool night air providing a cooling effect on their flushed faces.

"So, do you regret giving me your entire dance card yet?" Reggie asked, breathless and glowing.

"The night's not over yet," Julie replied, her voice dissolving into giggles as Reggie gave an overexaggerated pout. "Don't fret, I don't want to dance with anyone but you."

"I'd be honoured to give you all my dances," Reggie said sincerely. "And anything else you desired my lady."

Julie sobered at that, at the sincerity in his voice, the soberness of his expression. "And if I desired you to be the only name on my dance card? Perhaps for the rest of my life?"

"Then I would ask you to be mine in an instant," Reggie assured her.

"Perhaps you should ask to court me first," Julie demurred. "Leave the proposals for further down the road."

"Not too far I hope," Reggie said.

'A few months perhaps, if your courting is as fine as your skills on the dance floor," Julie said with a smile.

"Then I shall call on you tomorrow, and we shall go from there," Reggie said, beaming like the sun, brightening everything in the dim space.

"I think you owe me another few dances before then," Julie replied, taking her hand in his, and swiftly pressed a tiny kiss to the corner of his mouth. "But I can't wait."

"Neither can I," Reggie said, escorting her back to the floor, their laughter soon ringing through the hall as they danced the night away.

And true to her word, Julie accepted his proposal before the year's end-especially when he promised that he would ensure she would never be without a partner-both on the dance floor, and in life. And how could she say no to that?

[smurphyse]

Welcome to the Unit | S.R.

Chapter 5 of Operation: Sand Leopard

Warnings: fist fights, interrogations, blood, arguments

Summary: You visit Alijah after breakfast with the unit. Later, Spencer runs into Captain Mercer again...

Spencer was waiting for you again when you stepped out of your CHU the next morning, dressed once more in cargo pants and a dark shirt. 

His forearms were turning a blistering red, so you went back inside and grabbed a bottle from your footlocker. When you handed the sunscreen to him, he simply muttered a thanks and stuffed it in his pocket. 

He looked better today, the circles under his eyes still dark but not quite so exhausted. You could see the outline of a book shoved in one of the large pockets of his pants, but you said nothing as you walked together to the DFAC. 

As you approached, Spencer slowed, and you turned to look at him expectantly. 

"Are we seeing Alijah today?" he asked hesitantly, shoving his hands in his pockets and shuffling his boots in the dirt. 

"I am," you told him. Spencer swallowed thickly, and the disappointed look on his face almost made you wilt in the morning sun. "You have forty hours left to learn as much Kurdish as you can. Until then, you stay away from the prison barracks."

You turned to walk away, but his hand shot out to grab your bicep, gentler than it had been the day before. You still glared up at him, but his eyes were soft. 

"What are you going to do?" Spencer asked quietly. The lack of trust in you was clear, but he was still learning. He didn't know you yet. 

"Talk to her, like I've been doing since she got here." You tugged at your arm, but his grip was surprisingly firm, hardly budging even with your muscular frame. "What do you think I'm going to do? Torture her?"

"She's a little girl locked in a cell," he hissed, his anger hardly restrained beneath the surface of those deep eyes. 

You sighed and just let him hold you with his calloused hands, trying not to focus on his warmth on your skin. "Where else is she supposed to go, huh? The barracks with the grunts? Into a CHU with us? Back in the desert? That cell is the only place she's safe, that's why I make sure I see her every day."

The pinch between his brows eased, as did his hold on you, but he still didn't let go. "You think someone might hurt her."

You looked away, shame rising in your cheeks from your distrust of anyone not in your unit. "I'd rather not find out. Nobody but you, me, the unit, and the two guards in front of her cell knows she's there."

You stood tall and set your jaw so he knew you were speaking truth to him, "I'm trusting you with this, with her, because Alvez promised me I could. Don't make me regret it."

You finally ripped your arm away from him and stalked into the DFAC, and you heard him sigh before he followed you in. 

"Well, you two look like shit," Garrett said as you slid into the bench with a coffee and your tray. "Lovers quarrel?"

"Fuck off," you growled, avoiding Spencer's face and the redness in his cheeks. You sipped what could hesitantly be called coffee and did your best not to wince. 

The unit shared a look, and out of the corner of your eye you saw Spencer actively stare down at his tray to avoid it. He shoveled a spoonful of grits in his mouth and grimaced, but chewed anyway. 

After an awkward breakfast, you left Spencer with the unit and headed towards the prison barracks. 

On base, there was a lot more downtime than one would like to admit. It could drive some guys crazy, trained warriors with no targets to hit, but your unit went out so often that they enjoyed slow days like this. 

They'd take him over to the rec area and keep him busy while you bothered Alijah for a few hours. 

"Rise and shine, Alijah," you said as you strolled in her cell. 

She glared at you from her spot on the cot. She was poking her way through a tray of bread and potatoes, looking entirely unenthused with your presence. 

That was exactly what you wanted. 

"Where is Spencer?" Alijah asked, keeping her dark eyes trained on you and her little jaw set. 

She was so young, and it tore you apart to keep her here like this. Soon enough, you hoped to get her to the States and settled in a life in America, but something like that took time…and valuable information. 

"He's busy," you told her, and she visibly deflated. You kept your face backed by steel, unable to let her know you were truly on her side. 

"I don't like you," she growled, and took a large bite of her bread as if to prove a point. 

You cocked your brow at her as she chewed, crossing your arms and glaring right back. After a few moments she seemed to lose her confidence and looked back to her food. 

"Let's talk about Sayeed."

Alijah shrugged and watched her tray, "I have nothing to say."

Same answer, different day. Teddy would have been able to get a lot more out of her, with his pretty brown eyes that crinkled at the edges when he smiled. She had liked him a lot… but he wasn't here anymore. She only had you. 

"What's it going to take for you to talk to me?" you asked, squatting down so you were level with her. 

The girl caught your eye, her jaw working as she thought. You were the only face she'd seen in two months, and you knew she had grown tired of you after day two. 

You brought Spencer in yesterday to give her some relief, not truly expecting her to take to him so quickly. You'd hoped to grow that trust slowly, for him to be the good cop while you were the bogeyman. 

Alijah seemed to make up her mind, and she sat up straight before she said in a small voice, "I want to talk to Spencer."

You rolled your eyes for effect and shook your head, "I'm assigned to your case, not him."

"I want to talk to Spencer," she told you, firmer this time, her eyes gleaming with a fire you hadn't seen since her first week. 

You watched her for a moment, then shook your head, "No."

Alijah crossed her arms and grunted at you like the child she probably hadn't been in a long time. You sighed and stood, making your way out the door without a backward glance. 

"I want to talk to Spencer!" she called after you, making you smile. 

Soon enough, you'd go home to DC and forget about this place. All you wanted after twelve years in the desert was to get some damned sleep. You'd get Alijah a good home with her baby, with Sivan, and finally you could rest knowing you'd finished what you came here to do. 

Everything was going according to plan. 

--------------

Spencer was having a hard time concentrating. 

They were sitting in one of the rec areas. Flyboys and grunts alike milled about the pool tables and television screens, messing around and letting loose. Spencer lounged on the floor and leaned against a couch while Corbin and Barretti sat on the cushions playing Mario Kart. Garrett sat in an armchair next to the couch, clutching an old Louis L'Amour book tightly as he read. 

An hour ago he'd vaguely registered Morello's eyes on him from the bean bag chair as he read through the books you'd given him again. He'd read them the night before, but learning a new language by reading alone was difficult, so he was flipping through them again while he listened to the tapes. 

The translator's voice was going in one ear and out the other though, because Morello wouldn't stop staring at him. Finally, Spencer looked up and caught his eye, shooting him a frown. 

"What?" he asked as he tugged the headphones down to rest over the back of his neck. 

Morello squinted at him, "You actually reading that or are you just looking at pictures?"

Spencer laughed and turned the book around so he could see inside, "It's a dictionary. There are no pictures."

"You just read like four books in an hour," Peanut said from his right, and when he glanced up he realized they weren't even playing the game anymore, just staring down at him. 

Spencer patted the pile of books next to him, "It was eight, actually. I read fast."

"Damn, Doc," Barretti marveled, nodding to himself. "You remember all that stuff?"

"Uh yeah, I have an eidetic memory," he nodded sheepishly. When Barretti made a face he said, "Photographic memory."

"Ohh, boss is gonna love you," Morello chuckled to himself. "She rereads those FRAGOs like fifteen times a day. She could use the help."

A handful of guys filtered in as they joked around, and much to Spencer's chagrin Captain Mercer was one of them. 

He had a permanent scowl on his face, and during Spencer's debriefings and meetings he'd been the one to escort him in and out of the various secured buildings they'd been to. Spencer knew Mercer didn't like him much, and Spencer didn't like him. 

He stopped directly in front of the television with his arms crossed, glaring down at Spencer like he was a bug to squish with his heavy boot. Captain Garrett eyed him from over his book, but he didn't put it down as Spencer stood just to be above the jackass of a grunt. 

"You look mighty comfortable there, Dr. Reid," he grumbled, his crooked frown only deepening the lines in his weathered face. He was probably younger than Spencer, but much more muscular even though he was shorter. 

"I was," Spencer snarked back, and the man squinted at him. 

Barretti and Peanut stood from their spots on the couch, tall and at attention as they silently seemed to back him up. 

"You need somethin', Mercer?" Garrett drawled from his place in the armchair, but he made no move to get up. 

"Nah," he smirked, then waved his hands as he mused aloud, "just feeling sorry for you, Garrett. Another useless OGA for your pathetic ass unit."

Garrett was up in a flash, his book hitting the floor with a muted thump as he pushed his way in between Spencer and Mercer. Morello pulled himself out of the beanbag chair and crossed his arms as he waited for an order from his superior. 

Mercer’s lip curled into a snarl as Garrett got in his face, "What's your problem, Captain? You got a grievance with my unit you can bring it to the boss."

"Boss," Mercer scoffed, rolling his eyes. It set Spencer's teeth on edge for some reason, his blatant disrespect of you. His hands curled into fists at his side as the unit seemed coiled for a fight. 

"That bitch can't find her way out of a paper bag, let alone some terrorist she's taken a year to track," he snarled, and the way Garrett's jaw clenched told him something was about to go very wrong. Mercer waved a hand at Spencer, "The DoD keeps bringing in these dipshits to do an Army job."

"You're just pissed the boss spent a week with your unit and dumped you like the sorry sacks of shit you are," Garrett growled back, waving his own hand. 

That was when Spencer realized four other guys had come up to see what the commotion was about, encircling the unit and watching with calculated gazes.

They were surrounded.  

Mercer stepped forward until his chest bumped with Garrett's, everyone around them tense and full of excitement at the prospect of a fight. Mercer leaned in and smirked like a cat, "That Homeland cunt will get what's coming to her soon enough."

Barretti lunged forward, but Garrett put out a hand to stop him. He grinned right back at Mercer, a smile that Spencer would have been petrified to be on the receiving end of, "Still mad she wouldn't let you in her pants, huh? Not that that pinkie you're toting around could do much damage."

That seemed to be enough for Mercer, because his fist pulled back in a flash. Garrett ducked last minute, and his knuckles caught Spencer in the nose before he knew what hit him. His head rocked back, tears bursting unwillingly from his eyes as he clapped a hand over his face. He barely had time to do so, both units devolving into a flurry of fists and snarls in the middle of the rec room. 

Garrett was on Mercer in a second, with Spencer grappling to pull him back as blood poured down his face. Peanut, Morello and Barretti flew forward at the nearest soldiers, everyone cursing as fists hit flesh. 

"Hey!" a sharp voice rang out, followed by the sound of a door slamming shut. 

Everything seemed to stop in an instant, and Spencer stood and turned just enough to see you rounding the couch. Fuming and beat red, you stomped over and yanked Garrett and Mercer apart, stepping between them. 

You caught his eye, yours going wide as you spotted the blood on his face. You poked Mercer in the chest with a finger, and his jaw clenched with fresh bruises that began to form on his jaw. 

"What the fuck is going on here, Captain?" you snarled. He loomed over you, much bigger and muscular than your small frame would let you be, but you somehow were bigger than him, larger than life and unafraid. 

Mercer didn't say anything, and you snapped your fingers in his face, "I asked you a question, grunt, or don't you understand the chain of command anymore?"

Mercer cleared his throat and side-eyed his men, shifting uncomfortably under the fiery weight of your gaze, "Good old fashioned wrassling ma'am."

Spencer didn't realize he was panting until he noticed the matching heaving of your chest. The rage that coursed through you was evident as you turned to Garrett, "You two done? Or do I have to start handing out infractions and let you spend a night in the hole?"

"We're done, ma'am," Garrett said firmly, but he was glaring over your shoulder and at Mercer. 

Your eyes snapped to Mercer once more, dismissing him with a wave of your hand, "Get the fuck outta here, Captain. Get yourself and your men cleaned up."

You pointed at Garrett, your finger trailing over all of them before growling under your breath, "Follow. Me."

Spencer and the unit did as they were told. His feet dragged as he tried to think of how he was going to take the blame for this. Garrett was just defending himself, the unit, you and Spencer from Mercer. 

You led them to your office in the middle of the base, ripping open the thin door and beckoning for them all to go inside. They trudged up into the trailer with their heads low, and you took one last look around before you came inside and slammed the door behind you. 

"Anyone asks, I tore you all new assholes," you said, and the unit broke into laughter. 

"You took that punch like it was nothin'!" Barretti boomed, and he clapped Spencer so hard on the back he nearly fell over. 

Gripping the fold out table and struggling to catch his breath, his brows furrowed in confusion. Peanut plopped down on one of the chairs and giggled, "He landed a few of his own, too. Good job, Doc."

Garrett leaned over to inspect his nose, which was still gushing blood down his face and chin. It was splattered across his shirt and pants, and he finally realized his own knuckles were bruised from punches he barely remembered throwing. 

"Appreciate it, Doc," Garrett said with a grin, and he bumped his fist lightly against Spencer's shoulder. "We'll make a soldier outta you yet."

"A leaf in the forest," you chuckled quietly. 

He still didn't understand, and he looked to you for guidance. You simply smiled at him and pushed at his chest until he sat in a chair, and you pulled up one for yourself so you could see his face. 

You cupped his jaw with one of your scarred hands and pulled him close, the other brushing along his cheekbone to brace yourself as you ghosted your thumb up his nose. Spencer winced as a shock ran up and into his forehead. He tried to pull away but you held him firm. 

"I don't… I don't understand," he sputtered, trying desperately to ignore the warmth of your skin against his. "Why did you guys defend me?"

You all shared a look, and you laughed lightly, "You're part of the unit, Doc."

"Yeah," Morello scoffed, "someone messes with you they mess with us."

"We've got your back," Garrett agreed. He pulled a drawer open and pulled a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red from a desk. He motioned it toward you and you nodded. 

He set it on the table and found some old mugs as you continued to check out his nose, rubbing your thumbs lightly up the bridge. Spencer's breath lodged in his chest under your comforting touch, gentle and soft where every other part of you seemed to be hard and uncompromising. 

He could smell it, the light flowery perfume from the quilt you'd given him. It wafted lightly from your skin, mixing oddly well with the thick scent of sweat that permeated the air in this place. Spencer tried to avoid your gaze, but your eyes met his somehow and when you smiled something burst through him like lightning. 

"It's not broken, just dislocated," you said quietly, and he could have sworn you gulped as you averted your eyes and wiped some of his blood down the front of your pants. "I can put it back."

Garrett poured a small shot into each of the mugs and handed them around. He slid one over to Spencer and toasted his own, "A drink first. It'll help."

"Welcome to the unit!" Peanut laughed, and they all lifted their mugs, the beat up ceramic clinking together before they all downed it. 

You knocked yours back, hissing and licking your lips. Spencer eyed the mug, unsure of how to tell them he didn't drink… because he didn't want to tell them why. 

Without a word, you took it from him and knocked that one back as well as they all chatted and joked, ignoring you both. You slid it quietly back to him, and then your hands were on his face once more.

Your thumbs braced the sides of his nose, and Spencer found himself clamping his eyes shut and taking in a deep shuddering breath. 

"Just relax…" you murmured, "We'll go on three."

Spencer scoffed, "I've heard that bef- fuck!"

The shifting of his nose cracking back into place made him yelp far louder than he'd have liked, and ripped your hands from him to clap his own over his face. You swatted at his hands and pulled your chair closer to see your work.

The watering in his eyes blurred your figure, but he could tell you were smiling at him. You patted his cheek, "There you go, good as new and I didn't mess up that pretty face of yours."

"Thanks," he grumbled lowly, and finally you let go of him. 

You didn't move away, though, that comforting scent of yours helping him relax as he leaned back in the chair and sighed. The pressure in his head had eased a bit, but it still pounded so he closed his eyes.  

Lavender and peonies flowed in as he took a deep breath through his nose, but before he could relax he heard the sounds of a canteen opening and a wet mass hit his chest. He peeled open his eyes to see you smirking at him and a damp hankie was in his hands. 

"Clean up, Doc," you said as you stood from your chair. You patted his shoulder and leaned in to mutter in his ear, "Welcome to the team."

Spencer tried not to smile as he watched you joke with the unit, and they spent the rest of the day hanging out in the office and going over files he'd read the day before while he listened to tapes of Kurdish. 

It surprised him how much it warmed his heart to hear such a sentiment from you. He was used to being the baby of the BAU, but you and the unit didn't treat him like that. Sure, he was the newbie, but you didn't fawn over him at the sight of a bruise like they did. 

As jarring as being in Iraq was for him, as out of his element as he was… strangely Spencer didn't feel as out of place here as he did on his first day. 

Sitting in the chair and reveling in the far off sounds of the crass jokes and biting jests, Spencer was oddly comfortable in a trailer in a warzone. 

Maybe this wasn't a mistake. Maybe it was exactly what he'd needed to do. 

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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Notes: Please let me know what you think! I want to know if people are enjoying this series!<3

CM Forever Tag:

@thedancingcostumeyoungadult @muffin-cup @simplyparker @spencerreidsmommy @hotchandspencearedilfs @gspenc @kbakery @nomajdetective @givemeth @hoshihiime @halloween-is-my-nationality @reidselle @thisiscalmanditsdoctorreid @dreatine @thebloomingeagle @fortheloveofwonderland @theforgottenwinter @parkerreidnorth @reidselle @randomhoex @scargarcia-magshotchner @stitchwrites @pygmygoat-bicyclehelmet @cle13 @aysixdy @elhotchner @directioner5life @elhotchner @loveeee2134 @preciousbabypeter @la-stuffs

[sweettee18]

POTC Imagines

Cutler Beckett x(Child) reader

The Locket

Warning: Tragic story, death

Cutler Beckett had been raising his daughter, Eliza, for nine years since the death of his beloved wife, Ava, an African-American noble woman, daughter of a former pirate king. When Eliza asked about the locket he wore in front of his neck cuff, that’s when he decided that she was old enough to know what became of her mother on that tragic day.

It had been nine years since the death of Cutler Beckett‘s wife, Ava, who left the world, leaving him to raise their daughter, Eliza by himself. With a help from Captain Jack sparrow, her godfather, along with Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and Governer Swann(He Lives In This Story)😊 . And of course, Captain Hector Barbossa of the Black Pearl.

Ava was known to be the daughter of a former pirate king, who later retired and became a baron. He married, and had a family. A wife, three sons, and four daughters. One of which, was the one Beckett fell in love with, and that was Ava. He never thought that he would fall in love with someone until he laid his eyes on her. Somehow, the pirates, Beckett and EITC made peace and later on, he and Ava married and had little Eliza.

Throughout the years, he became very protective of his daughter, not wanting to lose her too. As she grew older, she began to be very fond of everyone, including Beckett’s right hand man, Mr. Mercer, whom she often called ‘Uncle Ian’, which made Mr. Mercer smile.

One night after supper, as Beckett was tucking Ava into bed, Ava asked her father, “Papa? What is that you wear on your neck cuff?” Lord Beckett looked down at the brooch that she pointed out. “Oh, this was a wedding gift that your mother had given to me on the night after our wedding.” He said as he took off the brooch and opened it. “It is actually a locket that she had given to me after we married.”

Ava looked closely at the picture of her mother. She never thought she looked so beautiful. “How old was I when she passed away?“ Ava asked as she looked at Beckett, who began to have tears in his eyes, knowing that one way or the other she will have to know what happened to her mother.

“ You were just seven weeks old and Captain Jack sparrow had just became your godfather at the time the tragedy occurred.” Beckett said as he did his best not to break down in front of his daughter for he did not wish for her to see him cry.

Nine years ago…..

“Three months after me and your mother married, she discovered she was pregnant with you. I was ecstatic that I was going to be a father. I loved your mother so much. Her smile brought the light in the room. When I first met her, she was a little harsh toward me.

“What was her impression when she first met you?” Beckett looked at his daughter and did his best not to laugh as he said, “At first, she didn’t like me because of my hatred for pirates. What she told me will forever be in the back of my head. She told me the next time she saw me again, I’d better start running. Because she would put her foot so far up my alleyway, it’ll take both the crew of the black pearl and her family to untie her shoe to get it out.

“It wasn’t going to be a good feeling going in and it was not going to feel good coming out.” Eliza began to laugh at her mother’s first impression. “Did she really say that?” Eliza asked. He replied, “Yes, she did and I will never forget it.” “What was she like?” Eliza asked. He replied, “Your mother was beautiful, in the face, in the body and in the mind. Even though she can be cruel to the wicked, but she had a heart of gold and was gentle as a lamb. Any person that she came in contact with loved her, including her sisters and brothers as well.

“All of that changed when one night, her father invited me to dine with him and his family. But the whole time I had my eyes on Ava. That night was a big storm and of course I wasn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon until it cleared up. Everyone was asleep in their bedrooms until I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I go into Ava’s room and she turned her head and saw me with my sword in my hand and I tell her, ‘don’t move’. I stabbed her pillow. I told her to give me her hand, pulled her out of bed, flipped over the covers with my sword still intact, to reveal a copperhead that laid in waiting to strike her while she slept.

“Everyone rushed in the room to see what was going on. Her father was shocked to see what was in front of him. Almost immediately, he recognized the serpent. He whispered the name of his former rival. sometime after the battle between Captain Jack sparrow and Davy Jones. Somehow we were able to make peace between the Pirates and me.

“After a little while, your mother and I married. And this locket that you hold in your hand was her gift to me on the night of our wedding. Not long after, you were born. I remember the day I held you in my arms. You were so tiny, but yet, very happy and healthy. We decided that we were going to have Jack to be your godfather. We planned on having more children after you’ve turned a year or two. After the christening, that’s when your grandfather’s former rival showed up and pointed his pistol at him, saying that he killed his son during one of their encounters. And now he was going to have to pay with his life.

“He aimed for him, but Eliza threw herself in the way of the bullet, sacrificing herself to make sure that everyone that she cared about lived. I remember I held her in my arms, the same way I held you the day you were born….” Beckett said, as he felt the tears roll down his cheeks. “…. She told me to take care of you to make sure they give you all the love that a mother will give to her child, and she passes in my arms. Your grandfathers rival was apprehended and was sentenced to death by hanging. Not once he showed any remorse for his actions.

End Of Flashback

That is why over the past few years raising you, I’m afraid I was going to lose you too, just like I lost your mother.”

Eliza scooted to her father’s side and placed the locket in his hand and closed it into his fist as she looked up at him and said, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, because as long as I’m here with you, everything will be all right. You will see.” She smiled at her father and then pulled her into a hug.” I love you so much, Eliza. Never forget that.” He said as he hugged her tighter, afraid that she would disappear into thin air. She replied as she hugged him back, “I love you too, Papa.”

They stayed in that position until Eliza fell asleep. He joined behind her and held tight to his chest. His little girl he called ‘his precious gift’ that his wife left him. Even though he wasn’t religious, he looked out the window and saw her cross necklace hanging on the windowsill and whispered, “I love you, Ava. I never stopped loving you, and I never will.”

I hope you guys enjoyed the story. I know it’s sad but I wanted to sit. Want to put in example that not all people are bad. Don’t forget to like comment and share. Have a blessed day everybody.