#Colin from the morgue

[rosecoloredsunshine]

we'd be good, we'd be great together — colin zabel

masterlist

PAIRINGS: colin zabel x female!reader

SUMMARY: working together with colin was something you had expected. but falling in love with him? that was certainly not what you had anticipated. not when he still hadn't moved on from his ex-fiancée.

REMINDERS: please be reminded that this is a work of fiction. meaning that all events and occurrences in this story are all fictional and all are part of my imagination. any resemblance to actual life events and people, living or dead, are all purely coincidence.

WARNINGS: no use of y/n, angst (in the beginning), unrequited love (in the beginning), fluff attempt, reader works as a forensic pathologist, mentions of ex-fiancée (colin's), and minor typographical errors.

WORD COUNT: 4.6k

AUTHOR'S NOTE: you guys, this is kind of a long one, i'm sorry 😭 y'know, every time i hear an ari song, it reminds me of evan. idk, maybe evan's just ari coded. i guess expect more fic that is inspired by ari songs. this one, i decided to make it as a colin zabel fic. hope you guys will enjoy this one! :)

Working in Easttown had never been a part of your plan. You had cut your teeth in Philadelphia’s bustling morgue, cutting into truth with scalpel precision and filing reports until your hands ached. But the allure of a quieter life, with less pressure and more air to breathe had drawn you to this small town where crimes were less about statistics and more about personal betrayals.

It was one of those days where the chill of the morgue had clung to your skin, its sterile, antiseptic scent lacing the air. You were used to it by now, hours that were spent beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, hands wrapped in latex gloves as you examined the latest tragedy brought in from the streets of Easttown. It was not a glamorous job by any means, but it was one you were really good at.

You were thorough, very meticulous with your work—a forensic pathologist who had earned the respect of the local detectives for your sharp eye and unrelenting attention to details. Cases were rarely simple here, and sometimes, their twisted nature required you to collaborate with the detectives, lending your expertise to their investigations.

That was how you had met him, detective Colin Zabel. It was laughable how quickly you had noticed his handsomeness, how it took root in your kind and only seemed to grow. Colin was good looking in that boy-next-door kind of way, with eyes that softened when he smiled and a dimple that surfaced everytime he laughed. But it was his kindness that drew you in, his gentle manner that seemed so at odds with the horrors you both encounter on a daily basis.

You remembered the first time how he had brought you tea, since you never drink coffee. Colin sheepishly handed it over after a particularly grueling autopsy.

“Thought you might need this,” he had said, cheeks tinged pink, gaze flicking nervously to the floor.

“Thank you,” you replied, a smile twitching at your lips as you took the warm cup from his hand.

The gesture should not have made your stomach flip, but it did. It was these little moments that stacked up over time. A shared lunch during long hours of casework, his effortless jokes that coaxed laughs from you when you had thought you were too exhausted to even smile. Colin had a way of making you forget the darkness you worked in, his presence is a comforting warmth you found yourself to draw to.

However, the admiration you felt for Colin began to morph into something deeper, it was something that you could no longer ignore. It was not just because he was kind, it was the way he always listened—actually listened, even when you rambled on about things entirely unrelated to work. How he remembered details you had mentioned in passing, like your favorite song or how you like your tea.

You can’t deny the fact that you had already fallen for him, hard and fast. It was ridiculous how easily he had snuck into your thoughts, how your chest tightened every time he walked into a room, and maybe it would have been fine, if it were not for one glaring problem—Colin was still hung up on his ex-fiancée. You had pieced it together over time, the way his gaze sometimes drifted to his phone like he was waiting for a call that would never come. How he would trail off mid-sentence when something reminded him of her, expression turning distant, like he was lost somewhere you could not reach.

One night, he showed up at your apartment unannounced, hair disheveled and eyes glossed over with alcohol. You had let him in without any second thought, your concern weight over the confusion why he was even there.

“Sorry,” he had slurred, collapsing onto your couch like the weight of the world had finally brought him to his knees. “I just, I couldn't be alone tonight.”

You decided to make him coffee, listened as he poured his heart out about how his fiancée had left him with nothing but a half-hearted apology and an empty apartment. How he had tried to be the man she wanted, only for her to turn her back on him with no real explanation. You held his hand as he spoke, your thumb tracing soothing circles over his knuckles. It hurts, hurts hearing him speak so longingly about someone who had shattered his heart. But you had stayed with him, letting him vent and unravel the knots inside his chest.

After that night, something had shifted between you. Colin grew more comfortable around you in a way that made your pulse quicken. He sought you out more often, whether it was to run a case by you or simply to share lunch. His smile came easier when you were around, and you could feel the magnetism between you intensify with each passing day. But it wasn't enough.

There were times you forced yourself to put distance between you, knowing you were getting too close. You had tried ignoring his texts, limiting your interactions to strictly professional matters. You needed to convince yourself that you could move on from whatever this thing was, this one-sided affection that you couldn't even shake. Except he always noticed.

Colin would find reasons to stop by the morgue, leaning against the doorway with that crooked smile of his, effortlessly charming as he tried to draw you out.

“You avoiding me or something?” he had asked, voice light but his eyes sharp with genuine curiosity.

“Just busy,” you mumbled, pretending to be engrossed in your paperwork even when your heart raced from his presence.

It never worked. It never did. Colin had a knack for making you laugh, breaking through your defenses with those dumb jokes and boyish charms of his. You hated how easily he could pull you in, how the warmth of his smile made all your good intentions melt away.

“Why do you always do that?” you had blurted out one day, frustration finally bubbling over as he teased you for the millionth time about your tea addiction.

“Do what?” he asked, blinking at you with genuine confusion.

“Act like…” you struggled to find the right words, hearing the vulnerability that laced your voice. “Like you care, like you…want something more, and then you just pull away again.”

Colin’s expression faltered, brows creasing as he searched your face. “I do care,” he said, voice soft and almost hesitant. “But I���m, I don’t know if I’m good at all this. At feeling something for someone again.”

The admission caught you off guard, your chest tightening with something that felt both hopeful and painful. You wanted to be mad at him, you wanted to pull your hair out of frustration, to tell him he could not keep stringing you along. But the sincerity in his eyes held you in place. He was still hurting, still caught up in the ghost of a relationship that had left him broken, and yet, he looked at you like you were the only thing holding him together some days.

You didn't know what to say, you felt your throat tightening as emotions clashed within you. But before you could even respond, Colin’s phone rang—another case demanding his attention, and just like that, he left you standing there with words unspoken and feelings unresolved.

You just watched him walk away, Colin’s retreating figure is a reminder of the distance between you. It was always like this—back and forth, push and pull, so close and yet so far. But the worst part was that no matter how hard you tried to let go, you knew you would fall for him all over again the next time he walked through that door.

The next few days passed in a blur of autopsies and reports, your attention scattered as you tried to keep your mind off of Colin. But it proved to be easier said than done when he kept showing up, knocking on your door with that charming grin that made your resolve crumble like dust.

Colin did not mention the conversation from before. Neither did you, instead, things fell into a routine again, comfortable but excruciating all the same. Colin brought you tea when he knew you had been working through the night, his smile as bright as the sunrise peeking through the morgue’s tiny window. You would return the favor by packing him lunch whenever you caught wind of his endless hours spent chasing leads and combing through evidence.

You could just try and pretend it was just purely friendship, that it’s all fine. But it wasn't, it was anything but.

The latest case had been brutal, a double homicide that left everyone on edge. You were elbows deep in post-mortem analysis when Colin had shown up, looking sleep deprived but very determined. His coat was damp from the rain, droplets clinging to his hair as he hovered by your workstation.

“Got anything for me?” he asked, voice roughened by fatigue.

You glanced at him, noting the dark circles under his eyes. “You look like you haven't slept in days.”

“Neither have you,” he shot back with a crooked smile, but it faltered under your scrutiny. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” the lie tasted bitter. “You know, just busy.”

He nodded, though the concern in his gaze lingered. “Let me know if you find anything. I’ll be at the station, probably drowning myself in bad coffee.”

You huffed a laugh, despite yourself. “Sounds like a great way to spend your afternoon.”

“It’s a living,” he shrugged, but his smile returned, more softer now. “You should eat something, and take a break. You work yourself too hard.”

You did not miss the irony of him saying that, but you let it slide. “I’ll try. No promises, though.”

Colin lingered for a moment longer, like he wanted to say something else. But then, his phone vibrated, and he glanced at it with a sigh.

“Duty calls,” he looked at you apologetically. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Later.”

Just like that, Colin was gone again. It was like he had slipped through your fingers like sand.

The next time you saw Colin, he was sitting outside the morgue, shoulders hunched over as rain drizzled from the overcast sky. It was already late into the night—past midnight, and you were surprised to see him still hanging around. The precinct was quiet, most of the officers having clocked out hours ago.

“Colin?” you approached slowly, breath misting in the cold air. “What are you doing out here?”

He looked up, his eyes bleary and rimmed with red. “Hey. Sorry, I—” his words were slurred, tone thick with alcohol. “I just, I couldn't go home yet.”

You frowned, a wave of concern prickling at the base of your neck. “Have you been drinking?”

“Guilty,” he raised a hand in defeat. “Wasn't planning on coming here. Just happened, I guess.”

You sighed, heart squeezing as you took the spot beside him on the damp concrete. “What happened?”

Colin looked down at his hands, fist clenching. “Ran into her tonight, my ex,” his voice cracked, and it hurt you to hear it. “She was with someone else. Happy. I just, I don’t know, it messed me up.”

Your chest tightened, you wanted to reach for him, to take away the hurt that seemed to cling to him like the rain. But you held back, fingers curling into your palms.

“I’m sorry, Colin.” you sighed softly.

“It’s stupid, right?” his laugh was bitter, harsh. “Shems moved on. I should be able to, but I can’t. I try, but every time I think I’m okay, something like this happens, and it just—”

He cut himself off, shoulders slumping forward. “Sorry. You didn't need to hear all this.”

“I don’t mind,” the words came out more softer than you intended. “You’ve been holding it in for too long. It’s okay to let it out.”

He looked at you, gaze unfocused but earnest. “You’re too good to me, you know that? Always here, listening to me complain…bringing me food when I’m too stupid to remember to eat.”

“It’s called being a decent human being,” you replied, trying to lighten the mood. “You should try it sometime.”

Colin chuckled, it sounded raw but genuine. “Guess I don’t deserve someone like you.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but he continued before you could even speak.

“Sometimes I think, maybe I could try again. Let myself be happy, but then I remember how badly I fucked it all up before. How much it hurt.” his hand shook slightly. “It’s like, every time I try to move forward, I just keep looking back.”

You wanted to tell him that moving on doesn't mean forgetting. That it was okay to still feel hurt, but that it didn't have to define him, but you couldn't bring yourself to say it, afraid that he would see right through you.

You sighed. “Come on, you’ve had enough for tonight.”

He didn't argue, just let his hand fall limp to his side. “Guess I’m not a great company right now, huh?”

“You’re not so bad.” the words slipped out before you could even stop them.

Colin’s gaze snapped to yours, something unreadable in his expression. The rain had also begun to pick up, droplets splattering against the pavement with increasing urgency. You were both getting soaked, but neither of you moved.

“I should get you home,” you said finally, standing up and offering him a hand. “Come on.”

He stared at your hand like it was something foreign, but eventually, he took it. His grip was cold and shaky, but you held on, refusing to let him fall.

“Thanks,” he murmured as you helped him to his feet. “For everything.”

“Anytime,” you replied, voice trembling despite your efforts to keep it steady. “Let’s get you somewhere dry.”

You ended up driving him home, with his head leaned against the passenger window, eyes drooping with exhaustion. He mumbled apologies the whole way, guilt-ridden and apologetic in a way that made your chest ache. You left Colin at his doorstep, watching until he managed to unlock his front door and stumble inside. It should have been a relief to leave him there, knowing he was safe. But all it left you with was a hollow, gnawing ache.

As you drove away, your mind was consumed by the weight of his words. How he wanted to move on but couldn't, how he kept looking back, with his heart tangled in something broken. But despite everything, you knew you were already too far gone.

Days turned into weeks, and the double homicide case progressed with agonizing slowness. The rain had become a near-constant presence, like the weather itself mourned the senseless tragedy that you were all trying to unravel. Work was demanding and relentless, but you welcomed the distraction. Anything that would keep your mind off of Colin.

You had thrown yourself into your duties with even more precision than usual, pouring over reports and samples with a fervor that bordered on obsession. It was better than letting your thoughts stray to Colin, to the late night confessions and the pain in his eyes when he spoke of his ex. It should have been easier to keep your distance, to maintain the boundaries you had tried so hard to draw, and for a while, it worked. You kept your conversations with him clipped and professional, responses curt when he swung by the morgue to check on your progress.

But it didn't stop him from seeking you out.

“Hey,” Colin greeted you one afternoon, voice cracking the silence like a shard of glass. “Got a minute?”

You didn't look up from your microscope. “Busy.”

“That’s what you always say,” there was a teasing lilt into his tone, but you heard the undercurrent of frustration. “Starting to think you’re avoiding me.”

“Mhm, maybe I am,” you hated how petulant you sounded.

Your words had already slipped out before you could even swallow them down. Colin went quiet, and when you finally forced yourself to glance up, he was watching you with furrowed brows and parted lips.

“Did I do something wrong?”

You nearly laughed. Of course, Colin doesn't understand. How could he? You had been so careful not to let your feelings show, to keep your longing tucked away beneath layers of professionalism and feigned indifference.

“No, Colin. You haven't done anything wrong,” the truth felt jagged, scraping against your throat as you spoke. “I’ve just…been trying to focus. That’s all.”

Colin didn't look convinced, but he just nodded slowly. “Right. Well, I was just going to see if you wanted to grab lunch. I thought maybe you’d appreciate something other than tea and vending machine snacks.”

The invitation tugged something in your chest. It was so casual, so typical of him to act like nothing had changed. Well, maybe for him, nothing had.

“I can’t. Too much work,” your fingers tightened around the edge of the metal table, knuckles paling.

Colin hesitated before giving you a small, reluctant nod. “Sure. Another time, then.”

You watched Colin leave, shoulders hunched and hands shoved into his pockets. You told yourself it was all for the best, that putting distance between you would make it easier to move on. Except it didn't. It only made you miss him more.

You kept your distance for nearly a month, and Colin let you. He respected your boundaries, even if the distance clearly puzzled him. He would still drop by the morgue now and then, his greetings polite but his smiles subdued. The banter you had once shared had dwindled to near nonexistence, your exchanges stripped down to sterile professionalism. It should have helped, but it only made you feel like you were missing a piece of yourself.

The case had finally reached a breakthrough, with the suspect finally being arrested. Evidence confirmed the suspect’s guilt, and your forensic findings lined up perfectly with the story he had told. The relief was overwhelming, the tension you had carried for weeks melting away in an instant.

The precinct held an impromptu celebration, a rare moment of levity in a place so often steeped in grief and frustration. You lingered on the outskirts of the gathering, nursing a drink and watching the detectives congratulate each other with weary smiles.

“Didn't think you’d come,” Colinms voice startled you, and you turned to find him standing beside you, hands wrapped around a plastic cup filled with cheap whiskey.

“I almost didn't,” you admitted. “But I figured we could all use a break.”

“Yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes searching yours. “You did good work. You always do.”

“Thanks,” your fingers tightened around your cup, the alcohol doing little to ease the tension in your shoulders. “So did you, couldn't have solved it without you.”

“Guess we make a good team,” his smile was hesitant, cautious. “When you’re not avoiding me, that is.”

“Colin—”

“No, it’s fine. I get it. You’ve been busy,” he shrugged, but the hurt was clear in his eyes. “I just, I don’t know. I thought we were friends.”

You flinched at the word. Friends. It was true, but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

“Colin, I—” you faltered, voice snagging on the raw honesty that threatened to spill out. “I didn't mean to push you away, I just…things got complicated, and I needed some space to figure things out.”

“Figure out what?” his gaze was intense now, dark eyes sharp and focused on you like he was determined to unravel every secret you had tried to hide.

You opened your mouth, then closed it, your chest constricting painfully. You could lie, deflect like you always did, but the exhaustion of pretending was catching up to you, defenses crumbling beneath the weight of your own longing.

“I like you, Colin,” the confession came out in a rush, voice trembling with the force of it. “More than I should. More than I’m supposed to.”

Colin stared at you, the silence stretching between you like a chasm. You wanted to take the words back, to pretend they had never slipped out. But there was no turning back now, you had already exposed yourself, laid your heart bare before him with no way to shield yourself from the consequences.

“I…I didn't know,” his voice was quiet, expression unreadable. “You never said anything.”

“Of course I didn't, because it’s stupid, right?” you laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and strained. “You're still in love with someone else. You’re not ready to move on, and I can’t keep pretending like it doesn't hurt.”

Colin’s eyes widened, shock flickering across his face. “Is that what you think? That I’m still humg up on her?”

“Aren't you?” your voice was barely above a whisperer.

He shook his head slowly, hand coming up to scrub over his face. “Maybe I was, for a while. But god, I didn't even realize what I was doing to you. How much I was screwing this all up.”

You swallowed hard, pulse roaring in your ears. “Colin…”

“I care about you,” his voice broke, rough and desperate. “More than I should, and that scares the hell out of me.”

You stared at him, heart pounding in your chest. This was new territory, the ground beneath you shifting in ways you hadn't expected.

“What are you saying?” you asked, voice small and trembling.

“I’m saying…” his gaze locked onto yours, expression painted but determined. “I don’t want to lose you. Not because of my own stupid mistakes, not because I was too afraid to admit what I was feeling.”

You couldn't breathe. His words wrapped around you, both a comfort and a dagger. Colin’s admission hung in the air, voice still echoing in your ears like a haunting melody. You tried to process what he was saying, but the shock of it left you reeling. This was what you had wanted for so long, some hint that he cared about you beyond the polite pleasantries and small acts of kindness. Yet now that it was happening, you were paralyzed, unable to respond.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Colin added quickly, shoulders hunching as if he was bracing himself for rejection. “I just…I needed you to know. Because I’ve been an idiot, and I kept pushing you away without even realizing it. When you started avoiding me, I thought maybe I’d finally gone too far.”

“I wasn't avoiding you,” your voice cracked, and cleared your throat. “Okay, maybe I was. But it was never because you did something wrong, it’s because…”

You trailed off, words tangled on your tongue. This was not supposed to happen, you had already convinced yourself he did not feel the same way, that you were setting yourself up for heartbreak by even just hoping.

“It’s because I couldn't keep pretending we were just friends,” the truth slipped out like a wound left to fester. “Because I care about you too, more than I should.”

Colin stared at you, eyes wide and searching. His lips parted, but no words came out. For a moment, you thought maybe you had made a mistake, that confessing your feelings would only make things worse. But then he stepped closer, closing the distance between you until you could feel the warmth radiating from his body. His gaze softened, the tension in his shoulders easing as he looked at you like he was seeing you for the first time.

“I’ve been an idiot, haven't I?” he murmured, voice low and thick with regret. “All this time, I kept telling myself I wasn't ready to move on. That I couldn't handle getting close to someone again. But the truth is, you’ve been the only person I’ve felt anything real for in a long time.”

“You mean that?” your heart thudded painfully in your chest, breath catching as his words settled over you.

“Yeah,” his smile was tentative but genuine. “I mean it. I know I haven't exactly made it easy for you. I’m sorry for all the mixed signals, for making you feel like you weren't important to me, because you are. More than I can even put into words.”

You let out a shaky breath, chest tight with emotion. “I’ve spent so long trying to convince myself that you didn't feel the same way, that I was just…setting up myself for disappointment.”

Colin’s gaze softened, with guilt flashing across his face. “You weren't. I was just too caught up in my own mess to see what was right in front of me.”

He reached out, hand hovering near yours before finally clasping it gently. His fingers were warm and steady, a comforting contrast to the storm of emotions building up inside of you.

“So, what now?” you whispered, voice trembling with uncertainty.

“I guess that depends on you,” Colin’s smile was crooked, eyes glinting with a hint of his usual charm. “But if you’re willing to give me a chance, I’d really like to try. To figure out what this is, what we are.”

The hope in Colin’s voice was evident, and it sent a rush of warmth through your veins. You squeezed his hand, lips twitching into a hesitant smile.

“I think I’d like that,” the admission felt like a weight lifted off your chest. “But you have to promise me something.”

“Anything.” Colin was watching you so intently, like you were the only thing in the world that mattered.

“No more mixed signals. No more shutting me out when things get hard,” your gaze held his, firm and unyielding. “If we’re going to do this, I need you to be honest with me. About everything.”

Colin nodded, expression solemn. “I promise, and if I mess up, which I probably will, you can call me out on it. I’ll do better, I want to do better.”

His sincerity was enough to dissolve the last of your doubts, pain of the past replaced by something that is more warmer, fragile but real. You hadn't expected this, hadn't dared to believe that Colin might feel the same way you did. But now that you knew, you couldn't bring yourself to walk away.

You looked around slowly—the precinct around you was bustling with voices and laughter, the celebration still in full swing. You looked back directly at Colin, and in that moment, it felt like the world had shrunk down to just the two of you.

“So, would you like to go get dinner with me?” Colin asked, voice light but eyes earnest. “Something better than vending machine snacks for once.”

You laughed softly, sound breaking free from your chest like a breath you had been holding for far too long. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good,” he smiled, dimples showing. It was the kind of smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, and makes your heart skip a beat. “Let’s get out of here then.”

You let Colin lead you away from the precinct, your hands still clasped in his. The rain had eased to a gentle drizzle, cool air crisp and refreshing as you stepped outside. His thumb traced circles at the back of your hand absentmindedly, a simple gesture that made your stomach flip. It wasn't perfect, there were still so many things left unsaid, so many wounds that hadn't fully healed. But for the first time, you felt like you were finally moving forward instead of standing still.

As you walked beside Colin, your finger entwined, you couldn't help but smile to yourself. Maybe this was the start of something real, something that is worth fighting for.

© rosecoloredsunshine, 2025

[denimbex1986]

'Doctor Who fans were left stunned when, for the first time in the show's history, the Doctor "bigenerated", splitting into two rather than having the new Doctor replace the old.

But it appears this game-changing moment in 60th anniversary special The Giggle might be even more momentous than we first suspected.

In the official Doctor Who podcast, showrunner Russell T Davies suggests fan watch the BBC iPlayer in-vision commentary for The Giggle to hear "astonishing revelations about the entire lore of Doctor Who" and learn more about "the creation of the Doctorverse in the moment of that bigeneration – it’s much bigger than you think and I hope could lead to all sorts of things."

Diving into said commentary, we hear Davies explain that when David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa split into two, "a whole timeline bigenerated".

The writer then suggests that each previous regeneration was impacted by the bigeneration, with every 'old' Doctor now surviving his demise in a splinter timeline.

"I think all of the Doctors came back to life with their individual TARDISes, the gift of the Toymaker, and they're all out there travelling round in what I'm calling a Doctor verse.

"Sylvester McCoy woke up in a drawer, in a morgue, in San Francisco… and Jon Pertwee woke up on the floor of the laboratory," he says.

"Colin Baker got up and sorted the Rani out," adds Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson.

'They all did," Davies confirms.

These revelations follow a reference in spin-off series Tales of the TARDIS, which saw Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor provide an explanation to Sophie Aldred's Ace as to his appearance, saying: "Time streams are funny things. In some, I regenerate. In others, I don't. It's all a matter of perspective."

In companion show Doctor Who Unleashed, Davies expanded on the concept of bigeneration, insisting that both the old and new Doctor are the real deal.

"Bigeneration, we discover, is an ancient myth of the Time Lords where instead of a new body taking over from the old body, the new body separates from the old body and both are left alive.

"David [Tennant] is parked. For once, we’ve got a happy Doctor who is no longer saving the universe, but is parked with Donna (Catherine Tate) for a happy life, while the Doctor – which is always the next Doctor, and that’s always true of Doctor Who, the Doctor is the next Doctor – is out amongst the stars."

Following The Giggle, then, it seems all the old Doctors survive and are out there, somewhere, in the universe, and with Davies suggesting this moment could "lead to all sorts of things", it doesn't seem like a stretch to assume we might be seeing some of them again before too long...'

[johannesviii]

Hi there! I absolutely adore your art, but if I had one piece of constructive criticism, I would really love if you learned how to draw plus size characters. I first noticed when I saw a 6th Doctor painting of yours (the one where he’s at Pride) and you drew him skinny. It’s always been important to me that Colin is a larger man considering pretty much every other Doctor is thin, and I think it matters how to choose to present him in art. It also stood out to me in your painting of Iris regenerating in The Scarlet Empress, and most especially in the one of the 8th Doctor breaking out of the morgue: the morgue attendant both in the film and in the book you quote from is a very fat man and I don’t think that was reflected in your art.

I really hope this doesn’t come across as rude, it’s important to me because your art is so beautiful and fat people currently don’t really have the chance to exist in the worlds you create. We (fat people) have a place in beautiful watercolour paintings and I think it would be lovely if you incorporated that into your practice. Obviously I can’t tell you how to do your own art but it’s something to think about.

Have a lovely day!

I'm not sure what to reply to this since all these drawings you're mentioning are from eight to ten years ago and I can't get better retroactively, but noted!

[bendingthelaws]

9

All the way from the office building to where his truck was parked in the municipal parking garage, Kase had been on guard. His hand had been firmly in the middle of Rena’s back, his eyes scanning everything around them. Whoever had left that eye for Colin could still be around. While he had no doubt that Rakeovich was behind it, that didn’t mean he’d done it personally. Whoever had, they were psychotic. He wasn’t going to let someone like that anywhere near Rena. Hell, anyone even started towards her acting funny and he’d take them down at this point.

Once they got into the garage, his hand was on the butt of the gun till they got up to the level where he’d parked. He wasn’t going to take one chance right now. Finally they made it to the truck without incident, and Karsten opened the door to the truck and held his hands out to Serena, “give me the cooler, doc. Once you’re up in the truck, I’ll give it back to you.”

After she had her belt on, he handed her the cooler with all the evidence back. Closing the door, he hit the lock button on his fob then walked around the truck looking at everything. He even got down on his stomach to look under the truck to make sure nothing was mounted underneath. At this point he put nothing past Rakeovich and the doc was the last person he’d take a chance of getting hurt in all this bullshit.

There was no missing that Karsten was on guard, not that Rena blamed him. There was something comforting about his demeanor. Even with all that had happened that morning, she felt safe with him and knew he wasn’t even taking the slightest chance. She wasn’t sure that either of them would breathe easy till this day was over, and maybe not even then. Even after this had all been handled, Constantin was still out there and still had some young girl hostage. He was a monster.

She’d been glad for the help with the evidence when getting into the truck. She wasn’t exactly short, but it was a good step up into it. But when Karsten locked her in the truck, Serena had a moment of panic. Had he seen something? He hadn’t said anything before hitting the lock button and that worried her. His head bobbed in and out of her view till he finally unlocked his door and was in the driver’s seat, immediately locking the door again.

“Everything okay?” She tried not to sound as nervous as she felt. Karsten was a good cop, but he seemed more on edge than Serena ever saw him before. She trusted him, which meant she also trusted his gut if he felt something was wrong.

Kase looked over at her and sighed, he was scaring her and it seemed for no reason. “No, but I don’t trust Rakeovich and whoever he got to do that little delivery you’re carrying. I’d rather be overly cautious than to assume he wouldn’t try something else.” He reached over and took her hand in his, letting his thumb move across the back of her hand. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you Rena.” She got a tight smile and a wink before he let go of her hand and fired up the engine. Time to get to the morgue and find out what more Rena could tell them all.

“You know, I haven’t seen you at Mulligan’s lately.” Kase tried to change the subject once he’d pulled out onto the city streets. Distraction time.

“That’s because I haven’t been there. I’ve been down at Kelleher’s.” Rena looked down at the cooler in her lap. Karsten had to know why. She was sure there was also a reason he pointed it out.

He glanced over at her, his expression one of resignation to what she was saying. She was hanging out with the glow bugs, not the cops. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. “You know that you’re missed, right? Rena, you’re one of us, no matter what happened in the past.” There was another reason he missed her, but this wasn’t the time.

Raising her head, she looked over at Karsten. “I miss you guys too. Every time I have started to go, it’s just felt weird. Memories and stuff, I always end up changing directions and hanging out with the Keegan’s boys.” Her eyes fell for a minute, a soft sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. “It’s just hard.”

Keeping his eyes on the road, Karsten reached over and took her hand again. “I know, Rena. Maybe if you had someone to walk in with. You know you don’t have to walk in alone. Declan and I would really love to have you back.” His partner might tease him about his feelings for Rena, but he liked her too. Some days Kase thought Declan liked her more than he liked him.

A small smile started to form on her face, Karsten and his partner had been two that she and her ex had always hung out with. “I know. I kind of baled on you guys. It’s still hard, Karsten. Rob ghosting me like that, when all of you knew he was leaving. It still just…” she sighed, “yeah.” He ex had decided to work elsewhere and his squad knew, but he hadn’t told her. He’d just disappeared one day with no word and no way to reach him. All of the others in his squad were shocked to hear what he’d done, but that didn’t make it any easier. It was one of those “we thought you knew too” situations.

He wanted to growl and hit something. Months later and he still wanted to find Rob and beat his ass into the ground for doing Rena like that. Worse, he’d made it look like they’d all been keeping it from her on purpose. No one had mentioned it because they were sure that it would be a sore subject and no one wanted to upset her. In the end, it just looked like they’d all covered his trail. Karsten knew Rena knew better, but the fact she hadn’t been back to Mulligan’s made it feel otherwise. He and Declan weren’t the only ones that missed having her around.

The light turned red ahead of them and he turned more to face her when they stopped. “Rena, if I’d known you had no clue, I would have told you. Dec would have too. We wouldn’t do you like that.” His hand left hers to gently hold her face. “Beautiful, I would never hurt you.” Karsten sighed, he wanted to help her forget and move on, but didn’t know if she’d let him. Not exactly like this was the best time for the conversation they were having, but would there ever be one?

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes - Episode 290

The staff are horrified to see the station in the daylight - for some longer term staff members it's reminiscent of the fire boming incident.

Sadly Marilyn didn't make it. Noone has seen Reg since yet.

Tony spots Colin Fairfax at the cordon, he approaches to speak to him and Colin tells him that "It's too late now isn't it... it's just what I was saying but noone would listen." Tony asks again for Colin to reply. "They were my friends too."

At the morgue, Neil finds Gabriel paying his respects to Andrea's body. Gabriel tells him that he knows about him and Andrea and that he won't tell anyone about it.

Adam tells the gathered members of Sun Hill how proud of them all he is and that they're showing real dignity and strength in carrying on. Reg arrives near the end of it and drops his coffee cup immediatley, apologising to Gina. Everyone is shocked to see him given that his fiancée died 12 hours ago.

In the locker room Gabriel is staring into his mirror as he dresses into his uniform, giving a smirk at his reflection. "I feel like a new man." he declares.

At a pub, Colin is spotted in the company of a rather unpleasant known racist by Leela and Tony. He tells Tony that he had spoken to Ken the day before despite Phil having told them that he hadn't found him. The landlord tells them that Colin was always boasting that he was a real copper but that none of them believed him due to his nature and behaviour. Tony lets on his suspicions to Gina who lets him look into Colin's background before she goes to visit Smithy in hospital.

Before she gets there, Gabriel has been bending Smithy's ear about Andrea, making out that she had been manipulating the entire situation, whispering into Kerry's ear, then his and creating the entire problem. Gina arrives before Gabriel can return from getting him some better reading material than just Andrea's station exposé and Smithy discreetly tells her what Andrea had told him in their last conversation - like Gabriel working with the Sun Hill Sniper. Smithy asks her what she thinks when she looks at Gabriel. Gina replies that he knows exacty what she thinks of him - but at least he is 'one of them' unlike Andrea "may she rest in peace." she adds, eating Smithy's grapes. Gina bets Gabriel had been going on and on about saving Smithy's life. Smithy tells her that he hasn't mentioned it once... "Well, what did he say when you thanked him?" "..... I haven't. I can't, it just sticks in me throat." Smithy replies, just as Gabriel returns. Gabriel tells them that all they can do is be better people for those they have lost and that he's living proof that things can change and improve - before he leaves them to it. Gina has to leave soon after and tells Smithy that Tony thinks Colin could have something to do with it, letting on that she'd spoken to one of his referees who just happened to be the man that Smithy interviewed on what turned out to be Colin's last day - the garage boss. She sums up he was definitely nervous about her call.

After more calls and checks into his background, Gina begs Adam to call a meeting with MIT and to get them to look into Colin Fairfax, believing him to be behind it all.

[lobsters-on-their-heads]

A little drinking game

Takes place after Helena’s baby shower.  This assumes that the conversation in “Talk to Me” happened, but you don’t need to read that story to understand this one.  Also posted here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11829417 

“Dude, are these screwdrivers?”  Cosima picked up one of the tall glasses from Alison’s coffee table.  Beside her on the couch, Delphine did the same.  

“Yes, but don’t drink any now,” Donnie said.  “We’re going to play a little game, so you might not wanna get too drunk too early.” 

Sitting cross-legged in a chair next to Colin, Felix snorted.  “Look at the people here, Donnie.  Do we look like an inexperienced bunch?”

Donnie looked around the living room.  On the other side of Felix, Adele was working her way through another bottle of wine, and beside her, Alison had just returned with a tray full of snacks.  Next to Donnie’s chair, Sarah smirked and propped her feet on the coffee table, careful not to upset any beverages.  She and Donnie had just brought some extra chairs in from outside, and Helena draped herself over the ottoman again, the baby monitor flopping on the front of her overalls.  Every so often a soft gurgle came from the monitor.  Upstairs, Kira, Charlotte, Gemma, and Oscar were all in bed, lulled off to sleep by Adele’s tipsy rendition of The Big Friendly Giant while Helena had read the sisters her own story.   Hell-wizard had left with Arthur and Maya earlier in the evening.

Sitting on the couch to Delphine’s right, Scott giggled and eyed his cocktail.  “Well...” he said.

“It’s okay, Scotty,” Cosima said.  “You can be the lightweight of the evening.”  She reached around her girlfriend to pat his knee in a way meant to reassure, but his grin slipped a bit.  

From his other side, Helena patted his other knee.  “Yes, Scott, we will take care of you when you are drunk.”   Since she was breastfeeding, she was the only one without alcohol.   Instead, Alison had made her some lightly-sweetened lemonade that Helena was obviously not crazy about.

In a few minutes, they explained the game to Helena, who’d never played before, and established some ground rules, and the game began.  It was decided that Colin, as the newest member of Clone Club, should start them off.  Felix batted his eyelashes at him.  “Make it a good one, darling.”

“Okay...”  Colin looked around the assembled group of clones and clone associates.  The sisters all looked at him with identically raised eyebrows.  “I guess, uh...  Well, never have I ever impersonated someone else.  How’s that?”

“Shiiiit!” Sarah laughed as all four of the sisters took their first drinks.  “That was easy!”

Cosima nodded appreciatively and raised her glass to Alison.  “Tasty, thank you, Alison.”  Beside her, Delphine cocked her head.  

“Which of them have you impersonated?” Delphine asked.  “And when?”

“Oh, just Alison.  For a, uh, an election thing she had to step out of for a minute.”

Felix chortled.  “And you gave the worst speech I’ve ever heard.  Delphine, make sure she never goes into politics, alright?  Or anything with public speaking, really.”  He popped a cracker with cheese into his mouth and nodded appreciatively.  “My turn now, is it?  Alright, let’s see.  Never have I ever....”  He rolled his head around and looked up at the ceiling.  There was not much Felix had never done, after all.  “...collapsed while performing publicly!” he announced finally, with a flourish.

Groaning, both Alison and Donnie took sips of their screwdrivers.  Alison had not initially wanted to partake, and Donnie had been hesitant, but pressure from Sarah and Felix’s, combined with Cosima’s assurances that no one would leave the house or be in any danger, convinced them to drink along.  Now, Adele reached over and tipped Alison’s glass up to pour more into Alison’s mouth, and Sarah followed suit with Donnie.  

“You’re two for two, Alison!” Adele crowed.  “Shit, it’s my turn, though, isn’t it?  God, what haven’t I done?  Other than collapse while performing publicly, which, by the way, I really want to hear more about some time!  Oh, gosh.”  She looked around the room for ideas, her eyes finally resting on Colin.  “Here we go.  Never have I ever performed an autopsy.  How’s that?”

With a sigh, Colin, Cosima, and Delphine all drank to that.  Adele’s head swiveled around to the couch.  “Why am I not surprised?” 

Scott raised his glass halfway to his mouth and paused.  “Do you mean, like, a full autopsy?” he asked.  “Or...”

“Just drink, Scotty,” Cosima told him.  “Autopsying a brain is close enough for this game.”

Next it was Alison’s turn.  She pushed back a lock of purple streaked hair and considered her slightly depleted screwdriver.  Looking pointedly at Felix, she said, “Never have I ever dressed in drag.”

No one was surprised when Felix drank to that, but a few eyebrows went up for Cosima.  

“What is this drag?” Helena asked.

“It’s when you dress up like the opposite sex,” Sarah explained.

Cosima nodded and gestured with her free hand.  “But, like, in kind of an exaggerated way.  So, like, just wearing pants doesn’t count.”

“Oh.”  A tiny cry emanated from the baby monitor, but faded before Helena could get up from the ottoman.  “Donnie Hendrik,” she said, “is your turn for never have I ever.”

Donnie shifted in his chair and fidgeted with his glass.  “I don’t think I’ve played this game with such an experienced and eclectic group of people,” he said.  

“Don’t worry about that,” Sarah told him.  “The point is to get other people pissing drunk as fast as possible.  You’ve ac

“Right.”  He looked at everyone’s drink levels and noted that Adele’s was still, miraculously, full.  “Never have I ever... been to Geneva!”  He grinned while Adele, Felix, and Delphine all drank and Alison rolled her eyes.

“Really, Donnie, is that the best you can come up with?”

“What?  What’s wrong with never going to Geneva?”

For her turn, Sarah sat up straight and took her feet from the coffee table with a grin.  Without hesitation, she said, “Never have I ever stolen a parade float.”

“That is oddly specific,” Cosima noted, even as Felix tossed his hair and took a drink.  “When did you steal a parade float?”

“High school.  It was worth it.”

For Helena’s turn, she looked around the group and changed her facial expression for everyone present, taking just long enough to make everyone uncomfortable.  When she began, she spoke slowly, each syllable bouncing like a ball dropped from a high place.  “Never have I ever.... sold drugs.”

“Well, shit.”  Felix and Alison spoke in unison and both of them, plus Donnie, Sarah, and Adele all drank.  Felix swirled around his screwdriver, now only two-thirds full.  “This is really not my round, is it?  Well, Scotty, you’re up!  Let’s see if you can make everyone here take a drink.”

Scott giggled again and looked down at his hands.  Setting his jaw, he said, “Never have I ever had sex with a man?”  It should have been a statement, but his voice turned up at the end like a question.  Around the table, everyone except Donnie and Scott took a drink.

“Cosima,” Alison said, spluttering a little on her drink, “I thought you were a....”

“Hey, I had an experimental phase, okay?  Gold stars are for losers anyways.”  She tucked her head onto Delphine’s shoulder, one hand already resting on her thigh.

With everyone’s attention on her now, Delphine looked over at Cosima.  Delphine licked her lips and smiled, making Cosima take a deep, preparatory breath.  

“I love you,” Cosima reminded her, batting her eyelashes.

“Never have I ever done hallucinogenic mushrooms,” Delphine said after a pause.

Cosima blinked several times and drank with a smile, along with Felix, Adele, and Sarah.  “That wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been.  Hey, Alison, is there some reason you’re not drinking right now?”

“Hm?”  Alison had been looking off in the distance, playing with the strings on her top.  Now, under the wide, knowing eyes of both Cosima and her husband, Alison gave something between a squeak and a bleat.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit.  I remember the first time we met.”

Donnie coughed pointedly, then drew his eyebrows together.  “Wait, you met Cosima that night?  Or did you do mushrooms a different time, too?”

Alison let out a violent sigh and raised her glass, muttering something about Jesus Christ and cupcakes.  After drinking, she adjusted her posture and her skirt.  “No, no, that was the same night.”

And then it was Cosima’s turn.  Cosima grinned with all of her teeth and reached out her arms until both of her shoulders popped.  “Never have I ever met Krystal Goderich,” she said.

As Felix, Delphine, Donnie, and Scott drank, Sarah stared at her.  “What, never?  How’ve you managed that?  Krystal’s a force of fucking nature.”

Cosima shrugged.  

“Might be for the best,” Felix suggested.  “She’s attacked most of us.”

“You gave her the cure, I thought?” Helena said.  “You gave the cure to all sestras.”

“Scotty gave Krystal the cure, actually.  I was in Cleveland with Tony that weekend.”

The game had circled back around the Colin, who sat quietly with Felix’s arm around his shoulders.  Colin had only been with all the clones like this once before, shortly after the gallery opening when Felix spilled the beans about why they all looked the same.  Along with Scott, Helena, and Donnie, Colin’s glass was nearly full.  Felix’s glass, on the other hand, was almost half empty.  Considering his options, Colin made a series of faces, finally settling on “Never have I ever given oral sex to a woman,” spoken with crisp precision.

That time, the only two drinking were Cosima and Delphine, who wore matching grins as they drank.  Beside them on the couch, Scott blushed crimson.  

“Wait, hang on - just a minute now-”  Adele and Sarah spoke over each other, looking at Donnie and Alison.  

“You’ve never-” Adele began.

“Donnie, really?” Sarah added.  

Donnie shrank back into his chair, his hands clutched between his knees.  “What?” he said, even though his face clearly showed he knew what.

“Alison,” Felix gently offered, “are we really finding out now that your husband has never, ever gone down on you?”

“Well, it’s...” Now Alison looked just as nervous as Donnie.  “It’s just never come up, that’s all.  We do... other things.  Together.”

“Do you give him blowjobs, though?” Sarah demanded.

Both Hendrixes flushed red, but after a moment Alison nodded once.  “Sometimes, yes.”

“Well, a’right then!  Donnie, return the favor, not right this second, please, but later, and give your wife some fucking head.  Okay?  She’s fuckin’ earned it.”

Donnie opened his mouth with a retort, but saw that the room was against him, and Alison wasn’t exactly backing him up anymore, and he closed it again, opting instead for a deep sigh.  “I mean, I guess if she wants me to...”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Delphine chimed in, about a third of the way into her own screwdriver.  Looking at Alison, she added, “And since you and Cosima have essentially the same biology, your bodies should respond to oral stimulation the same way, so I’m sure that--”

Cosima squeezed Delphine’s thigh.  “You can stop right there, babe.”

“Well, on that thoroughly unpleasant note,” Felix said, “I see that some of you have almost full glasses.  There’s no point in getting Helena to drink, but the rest of you need to catch up.  Never have I ever been to university.  There.”

Everyone except Helena and Sarah drank for that one.  The twins patted each other in solidarity.  “It is okay, sestra,” Helena said.  “We have each other, we don’t need university.”

“Oh, shit, is it my turn again?”  Adele was swaying on her chair, despite her average performance at the game.  “I’m gonna pick on Helena.  Never have I ever skinned a wild animal.”

Helena sipped her lemonade.  “Is important skill.  I will show you how.”

Alison, her glass more than half full still, looked at the coffee table and carefully placed her hands on her lap for her turn.  “Never have I ever attempted to use someone else’s urine as my own.”

Adele drank immediately to that one, and Sarah followed suit after a moment, but Cosima stared at her until Alison looked up and made eye contact with her.  “Cosima?” Alison said.

“Yeah, fuck you.”  Cosima tossed back a mouthful of her screwdriver and put it back on the coffee table with a clunk.  Both Scott and Delphine watched her, heads cocked to the side.

“Hey, you’re not saying you faked your urinalysis at Dyad?” Scott asked.  “Are you?”

Cosima held up one finger at both of them.  “No.  All the urine I ever gave you was my own.”

“But you attempted,” Alison said.

“And you refused.”

A few seats to her right, Sarah laughed.  “Cos, did you seriously try to use Alison’s piss as your own?  Do you know how many drugs Alison uses?”

“Used!” Alison snapped.  “Past tense, thank you.”

“That wasn’t the point.”  Cosima held her forehead in her hand, pointedly avoiding Delphine’s gaze.  “It’s Donnie’s turn now.  Donnie?”

“You know,” Delphine said, “we would have known it wasn’t yours if the sample didn’t have any THC in it.  That would have aroused some suspicion.  Not to mention, your other medications would have shown up only in your urine, not Alison’s.”

“Yeah, well, Alison never gave me her pee anyway, so let’s just move on, okay?  Donnie, please.”

“Okay...”  Donnie looked from Cosima to his wife and shook his head to clear it.  “This is getting kind of difficult.  Um... Never have I ever.... no, wait, that’s a bad one.  Hang on.”  He mumbled under his breath and counted something on his fingers while the others waited.  Helena started humming a little song.  Finally, he put his hands down.  “Okay.  Never have I ever met Rachel Duncan.  There.”

“Wow, really?” Cosima said.  Her glass now matched Felix’s as the lowest in the room, and each time she put the glass down, the thunk was a little harder.  “I thought everyone’d met Rachel.”

Scott, despite being less than a third into his own drink, was maintaining a steady pink undertone in his face and neck.  “Yeah, well, she was out of commission for a while, wasn’t she?”

Sarah, like Felix, showed no signs of inebriation as her turn came.  Cosima dropped her head back onto Delphine’s shoulder and eyed her sister.  “Please be kind, Sarah.  Please pick something I haven’t done.”

Delphine put her arm around her shoulders and smirked down at her.  “Are you afraid of losing, chérie?”

“I wasn’t at first, but I’m starting to be.”

“Alright.”  Sarah rubbed her palms together.  “Never have I ever been to rehab.  Like, as a patient or whatever.”

Alison and Adele both drank to that, Adele with a smile and Alison with a death stare towards Sarah.  “I will get you back for that, sestra,” Alison warned.  “Just you wait.”

“I will avenge you, sestra Alison.  Do not worry.”  Helena adjusted her position on the ottoman.  “Never have I ever had sex with my boss.”

Sarah looked over from her chair.  “Who the fuck told you that, then?”

“Sestra Felix told me.”

Felix, in the midst of taking his own drink, shrugged and refused to look apologetic.  Delphine and Cosima both drank, earning them looks from a few people,  including Adele, who was tied for second place along with Delphine.  “You two?” Adele spluttered.  “I did not see that coming.”

Cosima belched and excused herself.  “Well, Delphine was my boss, so...”

“Yeah, okay, but Delphine?  Girl, you are chock full of surprises, aren’t you?  You know, back in Geneva I thought you were, like, this all-business-all-the-time bitch, like probably a total ice queen.  Completely wrong first impression there, huh?”

Delphine arched an eyebrow, and Cosima giggled.  “Yeah, completely wrong.  She just acts the part really, really well.”  

It was Scott’s turn again.  He fiddled with his glass and drew lines in the condensation around the sides.  “Okay.  Never have I ever been arrested, I guess.”

Colin, Felix, Adele, Donnie, and Sarah all drank, making faces in various shades of shame.  “Wait,” Alison said, “do you mean legitimately arrested?  Or does any kind of blackbagging count?”

“Uhh...”

“Legitimate arrests only,” Felix said.  “It’s only really an arrest if it’s the police doing it and they read you your rights.  Otherwise it kidnapping or assault or whatever.”

“Oh, good.”  Alison put her drink back down.  It was half empty.  “You know, Delphine,” she said, “speaking of blackbagging, we were all totally convinced, for the longest time, that you were going to blackbag Cosima and stuff her in the back of an SUV, and we’d never see her again.”

If Delphine was surprised, she didn’t show it.  “Were you?”  

Beside her, Cosima nodded.  “Yeah, every time I talked to Sarah or Alison they told me to stay away from you.  From, like, the first day we met until the day I had my seizure.”

“Yeah, I might’ve told her the same thing,” Felix added.  “Sorry.”

Cosima gave her girlfriend a sweet smile, her cheeks flushed from the vodka.  “I’m glad I didn’t listen.”

On the other side of Delphine, Scott just shrugged.  “She never asked for my opinion.”

“Yeah, but you were the one telling me to trust Delphine when she was all HBIC at Dyad, remember?” Cosima said.  “You gave me your opinion even if I didn’t ask you for it.”

“HBIC?  What is this?” Helena asked.  

Some of the others snickered or looked down at their drinks, but Sarah grinned, and Donnie looked confused.  “Yeah, I don’t think I’m familiar with that, either.  Was that, like, a rank at Dyad?  You were the director there, weren’t you?”

Felix chimed in with the definition.  “It means Head Bitch in Charge, Donnie.  And believe me, she totally was.  Straight hair and everything.”

“Oh.  Oh!”  

As Donnie realized that Cosima had just called her girlfriend a bitch, Delphine tossed her hair over her shoulder and ran one finger under Cosima’s jawline.  Smiling, she said, “Yes, chérie, I’m glad you didn’t listen to your sisters when they told you not to trust me.  I simply cannot imagine what it would be like to be mistrusted by you.”

Cosima leaned back against her and propped her bare feet on the coffee table.  “Bitch.”

“Hmm.  Apparently.  And it’s my turn, too.  Let’s see.”  She trailed her fingers along the underside of Cosima’s chin, down her throat, around her ear, and across her cheek, staring at their knees pressed together side-by-side.  

“Do your worst,” Cosima said.  “I can take it.”

Delphine snorted.  “Alright.  Never have I ever fallen off the bed during sex.”

“That’s your worst?!”  Cosima took a drink, slopping some liquid onto her chin in the process and swearing.  Beside her, Colin took a sip of his own drink, drawing a smirk from Felix.  “Weak sauce.  How’s this - never have I ever stopped having sex, in the middle of it, to take a forty-five minute phone call.”

Delphine drank alone to that one, raising a long middle finger in Cosima’s direction as she did so.  

“I think I’m learning too much about you two’s sex life,” Alison commented.

Adele shook her head.  “I don’t think I’m learning enough.  I still want to know about this boss Delphine slept with.  Was it your boss at Dyad, or somewhere else?”

Delphine dabbed some juice from her lower lip and raised an index finger while Cosima giggled at her.  “First of all, that forty-five minute phone call, Cosima, was with our contact in Kuwait, and if I hadn’t taken that call, Neolution might still be around.  You are welcome.  Second of all-”  She turned to Adele and paused.  “-yes.  Colin, it’s your turn, please.”

Colin, less than halfway through his drink, considered his options.  Donnie and Scott were more or less tied with him, and Helen had barely touched her lemonade.  In fact, her glass was farther away from her than when it started.  Everyone else aside from them had drunk more than he had.  

“Pick on Helena,” Sarah said.  “She’s almost full over here, and she’s done loads of stuff.”

Helena gave Colin one her sideways smiles.  He sucked in a sharp breath.  “Yeah, but doesn’t most of that stuff fall under the Things We Won’t Talk About rules we established in the beginning?  I mean, from what Felix told me...”  He blushed then, looking to his boyfriend from backup.  

“Yes, I have killed people,” Helena said.  “But I have done more than that, also.”

That did not seem to make Colin feel any better.  He took a few more deep breaths before Felix leaned over and whispered into his ear.  

“Hang on, isn’t that cheating?” Donnie asked.

“Oh, whatever.”  Adele almost took another drink right then, but put her glass back down, remembering the game.  “How much of this stuff did you learn straight from the horse’s mouth, anyway?  It’s not like Helena’s gonna get too drunk to get home.”

Still, Colin looked skeptical.  He looked back to Felix a few times before venturing, “Never have I ever eaten scrambled eggs with strawberry jam on top.  And I’d like to keep it that way, I think.”

No one else was surprised when Helena drank to that, but a few of them gave Cosima strange looks when she did.  “What?” she asked.  “You’ve never gotten the munchies before?”

With that, Cosima surpassed Felix, leaving only a few drinks left in her glass, depending on how enthusiastic she got.  Felix noticed and gave her a sly smile.  “I have gotten the munchies, Miss Niehaus, but I have never, ever had sex in a laboratory.”

“God damnit, Felix.”  

When Cosima and Delphine both drank, Scott scrunched himself away from them.  “Really?  In our lab?”

They both laughed.  “Well, you weren’t there at the time,” Delphine said.

Felix didn’t miss that Colin drank, too.  “What?  And which laboratory have you had sex in, mister?  Don’t tell me it was the morgue.”

“No.  It was in school.  My first time, actually.”  A little smile played on Colin’s face, and Cosima reached her glass over to clink against his.  

Adele leaned over to see how little remained in Cosima’s glass and nodded to herself.  “Yup.  I think I’m gonna finish you off.  Should be easy considering it looks like there’s not much you haven’t done.”

“Well.”  Cosima held out her hand and started counting off on her fingers.  “We’ve gone through the clone thing, the gay thing, the straight thing, the drugs thing... what else?  Besides, it’s gotta be something you’ve never done, and- ”  Her sentence was interrupted by a hiccup and a cough.  “- I get the feeling you’ve done everything, too.”

“Well, I mean, I’ve never had sex in Felix’s bed, and apparently you two have, so there.”

Cosima froze with her fingers midair.  “You’ve got me there.  Shit.”

She drained her glass, plopping it back onto the coffee table as Delphine, Sarah, Felix, and Colin all drank along.  

“My goodness, Felix,” Alison commented.  “That’s quite a lot of people.”

“It is, isn’t it?

Helena grinned at him.  “What about your bed is so special, I wonder?  Is it the red sheets?”

“Maybe it is.  Alison, you’re up.  Try to bring your husband up to speed, maybe.”

Alison looked down at Donnie’s mostly full glass.  “Okay.  I’ve never watched porn.”

“WHAT?!”  In her shock, Cosima nearly fell off the couch, stopped only by Delphine’s arm around her.  “Jesus Christ, Alison, not even, like, hentai or anything?  Furniture porn?  Craft porn?  Nothing??”

In the laughter that followed, everyone drank except Cosima, who had no drink left.  Turning to Helena, Sarah asked, “Watched a lot of porn in the convent, then?”

“I did not watch in convent, no.”

Cosima wiggled back against Delphine’s side and wedged her hand between Delphine’s crossed legs.  “How are you not drunk?” she asked.  “You’ve almost had a full glass, too.”

“I’m French.  And you are small.”

The next two turns, though, managed to finish off Delphine, as well.  Donnie said he’d never ridden a horse, and Sarah, eyeing Delphine’s glass, said she’d never worked for Dyad, and then Delphine was done.  After both of their glasses were empty, Cosima and Delphine leaned back together, arms around each, and giggled at everyone else’s experiences or lack thereof.  After a few more turns, though, Cosima yawned and stretched, and Delphine said they should probably head back unless Alison had a place for them to crash for the night.  Alison did not, so they ordered an Uber back to the Rabbit Hole.  

“I’ll go with you,” Scott offered.  “Just to the shop, to make sure no one falls down the stairs or anything.”

“You are the best guy.”  Cosima stood, swaying a little on her feet, and put both hands on Scott’s shoulders.  “I’ll pay for your ride back to your apartment, too.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Come on.”

Felix and Colin ordered a separate car, leaving Sarah to sleep on the sofa and Helena in the garage with her babies.  Before she went to the garage, Helena saw Donnie looking ruefully down at his glass, still mostly full.  

“Do not worry, Donnie Hendrik,” she said.  “You will do more things one day.”

[fortune-fool02]

A Close Call

Bigby Wolf x female reader

Summary: After the attack from Bloody Mary, Bigby decided it was best to try and get some form of rest to heal. [Name] ensured he did so. 

I couldn’t help but write for this man again! Please reblog, like and comment as it really helps! Thank you! 

Please enjoy! 

The room was thick with the smell of medicine, blood and alcohol. As well as those bloody Huff’N’Puffs, but that was the least of [Name]’s concerns at the moment. When she got the call from Snow about what happened to Bigby, she all but sprinted to Bigby’s apartment, white hot concern coursing through her veins with a burning tightness in her nerves. Sitting beside Colin on the floor, [Name] tried her best to keep herself calm as Dr Swineheart carefully removed each little fragment of the bullets that riddled Bigby’s body. His hands stained with blood, but it was nothing compared to the blood on Bigby’s body and chair. 

She knew him being a Fabel meant he could take injuries that were fatal to humans but the fact he had stopped breathing a few times during the operation had her fighting back tears and keeping herself from falling apart right there in the room. When she first got there, and saw Bigby like that, she had some colourful words for Snow as to what happened and why she allowed it to happen. 

“Don’t worry, [Name]. Bigby’s a tough bastard, he’s been through worse.” Colin said, plopping beside her as they watched Dr Swineheart work. Snow had taken to hovering around them then sitting down for a few minutes, and then repeating it all again. Chocking back a shaky breath, [Name] tried to steel herself, tried to make herself believe Colin’s words. A soft groan was heard, making everyone perk up to see Bigby lifting his head, looking around in a daze before turning his head to spit out blood. 

“Bigby.” [Name] couldn’t stop herself from moving over quickly and resting her hand on his cheek. A wave of relief hit her hard to see him awake, alive. His eyes focused on her and he smiled weakly. 

“Hey, love.” He coughed a little, little flecks of blood on his lips but [Name] didn’t care as she pressed a soft, loving kiss on his lips. 

“Excuse me, Miss [Surname], but I’m still working.” [Name] looked at Dr Swineheart before apologising and stepping aside to give him more room to work with, though she hovered close to Bigby. “He’s lucky to be alive. If he takes one more silver round close to his heart, the only place we’ll be meeting again is the morgue.” A cold shard of ice pierced her heart at that, and her mind working hard not to picture Bigby in that situation. 

“It’s been... a confusing set of days. Even for us.” Snow commented, but [Name] couldn’t be bothered to listen to her. Her attention focused only on Bigby as she gently held his hand, he responded by giving her a weak squeeze with what strength he could muster. His arm bandaged up after being reset and Dr Swineheart finished up once removing the final piece of bullet, bandaging the rest of the injuries up. 

“Miss [Surname], please ensure that the Sheriff gets some rest. His body will eventually give out if this continues. There are limits to what even I can do.” She nodded at that, standing up for a moment to see him out, thanking him profusely for his work. Snow had followed not long after, agreeing to let Bigby get some rest for the night. The second they left, [Name] locked the door and removed the phone from its base, preventing any phone calls from reaching them. 

Another soft groan was made as Bigby forced himself to his feet and shuffled into the kitchen to get himself a drink. His body stiff and aching with every little movement. Just as he shut the fridge, he felt a warmth press against his back and two arms come around his front, her touch gentle in worry that she might hurt him further. 

“I’m alright, [Name]. I’m not made of glass.” He smiled, taking a sip of alcohol and humming softly against the warmth. Her touch seemed to chase away any pain before, but these wounds weren’t so merciful. Still, he enjoyed the touch regardless. 

“You scared me.” He just caught her voice by how low it was, the fear and worry that stitched into her words, the concern. “You.... we almost lost you.” Her hold tightened ever so slightly and he could feel her body shaking lightly. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Bigby shifted around, setting the bottle aside and took her into his arms, ignoring the sharp shooting pains. “I’m not leaving you that easily, [Name]. I promise.” That was the last thing Bigby wanted. He didn’t want to see her distraught like this, he wanted to be there for her. In the Hellhole that was his life, [Name] was the one ray of light that kept him from drowning in it. 

She nodded, resting her head against his chest. "Thank you, Bigby." They remained like that for a moment, the world around them no longer of any concern, all that mattered was each other. In each other's arms, feeling the warmth of their bodies, even all the little textures of their skin. The slightly rough bandages that covered most of Bigby's chest and shoulder, as well as the bits of chest hair, but it didn't bother her at all. She could hear the faint rhythm of his heart beating beneath his chest, a sound that gave her such relief and comfort, a soothing sound.

"Hey, you know I'm still here, right?" The tender moment was shattered by Colin's announcement. An annoyed sigh slipped Bigby's lips but he looked over at the pig.

"Colin. Do you mind?"

"Not really but I'd like a drink, and you're both in front of the fridge. And I don't have hands." [Name] chuckled softly, pulling away from Bigby before turning and getting Colin a drink, setting it down for him as he thanked her. Bigby took the moment to watch them. Watch her, mainly.

Where would he be without her? The one that brought such light to his life, such warmth and a sense of belonging. If it meant protecting her, he would take any bullet for her. But [Name] didn't want that, he knew, she wanted him to live.

Maybe being a bit more careful wouldn't be a bad idea.

[readerstories]

No Dismemberment says the Familiar - Laszlo x reader x Nadja

Fic created for the @wwditsevents fandom exchange for @annadiplosis ! Hope you enjoy dear! Chose to use the song prompt (The Dismemberment Song by Blue Kid), the word prompt (Aubergine), and the outfit prompt (here). Turned out a little lighter on the ship aspect of things, but I still really like how it came out! Set somewhere in season 3, before the finale. (AO3)

Warnings/tags: swearing, talk of canonical violence, blood, etc.

Wordcount: 2578

Summary: You are Laszlo’s and Nadja’s newest familiar, and luckily, it seems you’re lasting longer than the rest. Although, there is some downsides, and wacky events.

Working for vampires is weird.

Living in a house with vampires is weird.

Even weirder, it’s all being filmed by a television crew for some sort of reality show. You think. At least that is what they said.

However you can’t say you have ever seen a show like that on TV, so you guess they’re still in early filming, or production.

You think.

You don’t really care.

The interviews they do are kind of fun though. The person behind the camera ask you to give you your name to the camera, which you do with a smile.

“And what do you do in the house?” They prompt you to further present yourself.

“I’m Nadja’s and Laszlo’s new familiar, which means mostly I help Guillermo with stuff like cleaning the house and keeping the place tidy.”

A blink, a breath.

“And dispose of the bodies of course.” The crew exchanges glances, but you don’t pay them any mind as you can hear Laszlo calling, and you’re already out of the room before anyone can react.

It cuts to Laszlo and Nadja sitting on the same interviewing couch, Laszlo leaned back while Nadja sits upright.

“Ah yes, our new familiar.” Laszlo grins. “Rather cute thing isn’t she.”

“And very skilled at what a familiar needs I must say.” Another cut, this time its you and Guillermo dragging bodies down the hall, making a trail of blood on the floor, some splashing up on your clothes.

Back to the interview, Nadja continues.

“We were rather pleasantly surprised when she took to being a familiar like duck to water.” A change of scene and you’re back on the interview couch, wearing different clothes than earlier, and Guillermo seated next to you

“Well, I used to work at the morgue before I got this job, so I’ve never really been squeamish about these sort of things.” You shrug. “You get used to it after a while, and the skills I got there transferred to this job rather well.”

“Yeah, and it’s been nice to have some help around the house, since I’m technically not a familiar anymore. Not that they always remember that.” Guillermo says as he looks into the camera and you fail to hide a snort of laughter.

Nandor is up next. “I think the new familiar is ok, she does have some bad habits though.” He wrinkles his nose, and with some prompting from behind the camera that can’t be heard, he elaborates.

“She makes food in the house.” Back to Laszlo and Nadia, which both groan in unison.

“Yes, she does cook in the house, but she’s so good with bodies that we let her get away with it.” Laszlo grimaces as Nadia has to hold back gags at even the thought of food.

For the first time, it’s cuts to Colin Robinson, in his usual spot in the basement.

“Oh I don’t mind the cooking at all.” There’s a glimmer of blue before it’s back to you and Guillermo on the couch.

“Well yeah, I do, it’s not very elaborate or anything, but I do make food sometimes. Only sometimes though, because unlike superhuman Guillermo over here,” you point with your thumb at Guillermo who frowns (which barely hides a little smile at the almost compliment), “I can’t survive on only coffee and chocolate and shit, I need some proper food.”

Once more it changes scenes, and now it’s you in the kitchen, cutting up some aubergines on a small cutting board next to an air fryer while you hum along to the radio.

The camera is far enough away that you can see most of you, and you turns slightly so you can address it directly, pointing with your knife.

“Normally I would like grill them, but the air fryer works just as well.” As the song in the background ends, you grin as you hear the start of the next song, and turn it up so it can be clearly heard, and start to sing along.

“Hold still, my sweet, I'm trying to measure the space between, your molar and your jaw.” You sing along to the almost deceptively slow start of the song.

“This caliper, no cause for fear, no, it, it doesn't hurt. It only helps me measure,” You chop the aubergine with some force, loud enough that it can be heard over the radio and your singing.

“How much skin you have, oh, and the topmost layer of fat, but I won't make an incision, 'till you're nice and numb.” Turning over the sliced aubergine, you pick up one half so you can look at the pale inside.

“ Oh, and laughing gas can be so much fun, please don't doubt my decision. This'll be ooh, this'll be aah, this'll be absolutely whee.” With quick and sure movements you make cuts in a crisscross pattern over the flesh of the aubergine.

“This'll be nice, this'll be neat, and bring you closer to me.” Back down on the chopping board, you drizzle over the cuts with some oil .

“So don't you squirm, don't you fret, I'm not gonna hurt you yet. I just feel the need to be getting, A little of you, a lot of blood-letting.” Salting and peppering your food, you grin as you continue singing.

“I know the sensation you're probably dreading, but cutting you up will be so refreshing for me, refreshing for me, yeah.” Happy with your prep, you open the air fryer and put you aubergine in, quickly punching in the setting you need.

“What are you doing?”

“Fuck, shit, damn.” Nadja and Laszlo stands in the doorway to the kitchen, and you’re just glad you didn’t have the knife in your hand just then, because surely you would have accidentally have cut yourself then, and caused a scene.

“Fucking hell, you scared me.” Nadja grins.

“Good. But what are you doing?”

“Making food.” Both of them gag. “But also I’m singing along to a song that reminds me of my shitty ex.” Puzzled and a bit interested, they listens to the song that is still playing. You grimace, not even sure why you offered up that act, but hey, at least they aren’t complaining about the food or smell.

“And red is such a lovely color on you, but you won't be needing those. When you've got no knees. Or shins, or pinky fingers, or arteries. So hold still while I remove them. Oh, and don't fight back. I think you'll find you're missing the point with that. That's enough out of you.” Nadja grins and give two thumbs up, while Laszlo laughs.

“Sounds like you had a good time with your ex. Ripping out body parts of shitty people is so much fun!” Nadja exclaims as Laszlo nods in what you think is agreement.

“What, no! It’s a metaphor, it’s not actually about dismembering someone, like, it’s about taking back power.”

“But taking someone fingers is power.” Laszlo points out.

“Well, yes, I guess, sorta, but I shouldn’t be thinking about my ex anyway, it’s been months, and the only reason is because they had the gall to invite me to a party.”

“Ohh party! We should go! It have been a while since we had a proper party dear.” Laszlo says, mostly addressing Nadja.

“No.”

“Yes.” Nadia grins. “That way you can show your ex some power, maybe even rip of some fingers. Or other body parts if you would prefer.” You sigh, recognizing that you have lost that battle, but you still make a last ditch effort to get out of it.

“But I got nothing to wear. Well, nothing that would work for this.”

“Ah, nonsense, I got something! Something powerful!” Nadja grins, fangs glinting in the low light of the kitchen.

“Come on little morsel, lets get you changed.” Laszlo says. You sigh, and shake your head at the camera, turning off your air fryer, following Nadja and Laszlo as they go out of frame.

A jump in time and scene, and you’re dressed in a black patterned velvet suit, a shiny red vest with black buttons and lace trim, stark white shirt, and black dress shoes.

Surprisingly it all fits, and you expect it’s not Nadja‘s, but rather something that had belonged to a victim. Not that you really care about that, because, holy hell, you look good. 

“You look good enough to eat! And that’s a high compliment coming from me!” You laugh and do a little twirl, showing off the outfit and how good you feel in it.

“Thank you Nadja, I do feel powerful in this outfit.”

“Great, then we’re ready to go then!” Without another word she transforms into a bat and flies out an open window.

“Bat!” Laszlo yells, and follows after her. You yell out after them, but it’s already to late.

You sigh.

“At least they know the address.” You mumble to yourself as you pull out your phone to order an Uber.

A cut, and you’re just stepping out of the Uber outside an apartment building, loud music being able to be heard even out here.

Seconds later Nadja and Laszlo appears as a bats behind you, and then in human form. It’s only luck that you don’t jump out of your skin as you turn around, and find them very close.

“Ah, hey guys, I see you found your way.”

“Yes! Now lets get inside.”

“Sure, shouldn’t be a problem.” You ring and through the shitty speakers of the calling system rolls the voice of your ex, causing you to grimace, but at least they tell you to come in, so everyone are free to join.

Another cut, and everyone are walking towards an open door that leads to a room bathed in purple and red lights, music spilling out, several people moving around and dancing inside.

Your ex isn’t there, but one of their roommates welcome you inside.

No one pays much attention the the camera crew that joins you.

Nadja and Laszlo looks around with hunger in her eyes as soon as you’re inside, sniffing out in the air.

“I can smell several virgins.” Laszlo states and you sigh.

“Have fun, but please refrain from eating someone right now.”

“We snacked on those men you brought earlier today, so don’t be so worried! Go find your ex, you have fun, and rip some limbs off!” You roll your eyes, but smile at Nadja’s enthusiasm.

Setting your sight on the bar, you decide that you’re going to need a drink for this.

Or several.

Preferably the latter as you can’t say that this is where you wanted your night to go.

You don’t get your wish however as soon as you take the very first sip of your drink, your ex sidles up next to you, putting a hand on your shoulder, which you shrug off.

“Hey, looking good as ever.” Sam looks you up and down, and you feel your skin crawl. “Maybe even better.”

“Thanks I guess.” Your force a polite smile, which Sam doesn’t quite catch onto.

“So what are you doing here?” You give them an incredulous look. Cool, so this is the angle this time. Right, you can roll with this.

“You invited me.” Sam smiles like the two of you are sharing a secret, and you don’t like it.

“And I got the strong impression you weren’t going to come. But here you are, and I’m glad I was wrong.” They try to lean closer, but you take a step back

“I didn’t want to come at first.”

“Oh, what changed your mind?” Your eyes move over the crowd before you can help yourself, spotting Laszlo and Nadja talking, or rather trying to seduce someone.

“Someone convinced me.” Sam looks to where you are looking, and spots Laszlo and Nadja. Not like they are hard to spot in a crowd dressed more modern, and hell of a less goth than them.

“Oh, I didn’t take you for one to double dip.” You snort, taking a sip of your drink.

“No, that’s not, that’s not it.”

“No? What is it then?” You can’t be bothered trying to explain what familiars are and that actually they’re vampires, so you settle on something like the truth.

“I work for them, and they’re the ones who convinced me to go here.”

“So you took your bosses with you to a party?” You contemplate downing your whole drink in one go.

“More like they invited themselves, and I don’t know if bosses are the right word to use.”

“Uh-huh.” Sam doesn’t seem convinced that there isn’t something more, and is surely less convinced seconds later, as Laszlo and Nadja appear on either side of you, Laszlo‘s arm around your waist and Nadja’s hand on your shoulder.

“So is this the ex you were thinking about when singing about dismemberment?” Sam’s eyebrows raise and you groan.

“Yes.” A beat, and you curse internally when you realizes what they are waiting for. “Laszlo and Nadja, this is Sam, my ex. Sam, this is Laszlo and Nadja, my... bosses.” Sam extends a hand, which Laszlo shakes with vigor, while Nadja looks like she is already honing in on which body parts to rip out or off.

“So you’re the ones fucking her now?”

“SAM!” The fucking audacity of them, and you’re reminded why you broke it off with them, being this fucking rude should be punishable by law.

“Well no, she haven’t offered.” Laszlo offers a slightly confused answer.

“But we would if we could.” Nadja offers, and you sputter, as Sam looks like they’re going to burst out laughing.

“Oh fuck you Sam!” You throw your drink in their face, and storm out, leaving behind a stunned human and two vampires, while the crew scrambles to follow you.

They catch up with you as you stop when you get outside of the building, drawing a deep breath and groaning.

You rub your forehead, already feeling an oncoming headache.

“Times like these makes me wish I had started smoking.” You say as you look into the camera. Before you can say anything else your attention is moved to Nadja as she joins you in the cold New York air.

“What a dreadful party.” You huff at Laszlo’s outburst, crossing your arms.

“You’re telling me!”

“Yes, yes I am!”

“No dismembering or anything!” Nadja supplies.

A rare moment of silence from the usually loud vampires as they watches your stance.

“You know we meant what we said in there.” You furrow your brow, words taking a few moments to process. Nadja nods as she grins, getting close so she can wrap herself around you from behind.

“You’re a rather tasty looking and smelling morsel, and plus you’re good with getting rid of bodies, so that makes you even more attractive.” Laszlo leans in close, placing a hand on your waist.

“So what do you think about that now?” Eyes flicking between them and the crew that you’re suddenly very aware of, you need a few seconds to find your answer.

“I think the cameras should go right now.” Laszlo turns around and claps his hands.

“You heard her, now off you fuck! Shoo!” He gestures and after a few uncertain seconds, the camera shakes, and then cuts to black. There’s some shuffling, then it sounds like someone hits a wall with a soft ‘oof’ and laughter before the sound cuts, and the credits roll.

[wolveria]

Inside Your Wires - Chapter 4

Pairing: Human!Connor x Android!Reader

Prompt: For the @dbhau-bigbang​​ 2020 challenge!

Series Warnings (18+ only): Eventual smut, slow burn, fantasy bigotry, violence, brief noncon elements, angst with a happy ending

Chapter summary: The YN800 interrogates the deviant. The result is near-disastrous and horror-adjacent.

AO3

(Story moodboard by @uh-kitty-got-wet​)

The atmosphere inside his Mustang was… tense.

And it was all because of Connor. The thing in the passenger seat was an android, after all, and didn’t feel emotions, which was probably just as well because Connor was experiencing enough for the both of them.

Connor hadn’t had a near-death experience on the job in a while. He was shaken to the core and didn’t even have the benefit of a partner to commiserate with. He was alone. It was how he preferred it, how other people preferred it too with his tendency to lash out and be a general, all-around dick.

But still. He really wished he had a partner right about now.

“So,” Connor said, trying to break the awkward silence. “What do we do with it once we get to the station? I mean, I don’t exactly know how to question one of these deviants.”

The prototype remained facing forward, the flash of passing streetlights and oncoming traffic painting its face every few seconds. It remained impassive, blank, and perfectly poised. Connor could see the reflection of its LED, shining blue and calm against the rain-streaked window.

“Their behavior resembles an erratic, emotionally unstable human more than a machine,” it finally said when Connor was certain it wouldn’t say anything. “CyberLife believes there is an error in their software that creates irrational instructions, and the androids become ‘overwhelmed’ by them. There is usually a trigger, some kind of emotional shock, to perpetuate the android into this state. Once an android encounters this error, the damage seems to be irreversible.”

Connor blew a breath out.

“Sounds bad.”

“Considering it can lead to violence on the part of android, including committing homicide, I would say your assessment is an understatement.”

Connor glared at it out of the corner of his eye. So, it wasn’t just bossy, it was a smartass too.

He remained silent on the rest of the drive, keeping his focus on the precinct morgue’s van head of them. The rain was still coming down in a steady, cold stream. Connor knew they were in for a long night.

Once they arrived at the station, it became a matter of logistics to lug the android inside while it was still unconscious, offline, whatever. It weighed a lot more than a human, and unlike a real person, its limbs were fixed into rigid positions. They had to carry its stiff body inside like an especially heavy plank of wood.

It would have been funny if it wasn’t for the fact it’d killed its owner. Would have killed Connor too if the prototype hadn’t gotten in the way of the bullet.

He still didn’t know how to feel about that. Connor knew the CyberLife android was probably programmed with some kind of human-saving algorithm, but he still felt an odd pressure in his chest whenever he looked over and saw the bullet hole in its jacket. It was still stained blue, some of the color seeping into the white shirt underneath, but the android didn’t appear to notice or care it had just been shot.

Connor was currently watching the two androids through the mirrored window into the interrogation room, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. They figured it was safer to reactivate it in a mostly empty room, since waking up surrounded by cops would agitate it, or something.

The prototype had also wanted to interrogate the android itself, claiming it had experience negotiating with deviants before. Colin had been reluctant to grant its request, but Connor had simply shrugged and said, “I already tried talking it down once, and that didn’t work. Maybe using one of its own kind will be more effective.”

He could have sworn the prototype’s eyes brightened, but it had left the observation room before Connor could be sure.

“Machines interrogating machines,” Colin said to his right, leaning against the wall with his arms also crossed. “Fuck me. Pretty soon they won’t even need flesh-and-blood cops.”

Connor glanced sideways at him. Usually Connor was the one to voice his anti-android opinions, but he sometimes forgot that despite Colin’s… predilections for androids, he disliked them just as much as Connor did.

“Yeah.” Connor turned to the glass as the prototype messed with the wires on the back of the other android’s neck. “Won’t need flesh-and-blood killers, either.”

“Grim.”

“It’s, uh, ready to record, Lieutenant,” a small voice popped up, nervous, and Connor gave a start. He’d forgotten the rookie was still there.

“Go on, Ralph. Turn it on,” Colin said, moving closer to the glass. “This is gonna be good.”

As if on cue, the prototype straightened and closed the panels at the back of the android’s neck. Connor couldn’t see the LED from this side, but he knew the moment it was awake. It gave a startled jolt, yanking at the handcuffs chaining it to the table.

“Where am I?!” it cried, looking around in what Connor could only describe as wild fear.

“You’re at Central Station in the custody of the Detroit Police Department,” the prototype said. “This is an interrogation room, and I’m going to ask you some questions. Are you ready to comply?”

The friendly demeanor Connor had first encounter at Jimmy’s was completely absent from the YN800’s voice and expression, and he was suddenly thankful he wasn’t under that thing’s intense scrutiny.

The other android, clothed in human garments completely ruined by splashes of old blood and spilled thirium from where Connor had shot it, only stared with large, panicked eyes. It looked down at its cuffed hands and the set of its shoulders sagged. The universal sign of defeat.

It remained silent. The prototype looked up at the mirror, and Connor stopped breathing when it made eye contact, point-blank. It couldn’t see past the mirror, could it?

“I’m beginning my interrogation,” it announced, straight to business as it crossed around the table and carefully sat in the chair. It stared at the other android for a moment, head slightly tilted and eyes narrowed as it smoothed its jacket over its chest.

A movement which inevitably drew Connor’s eye, making him shift in his chair as the scowl deepened on his face.

Fucking CyberLife pervs, making an investigative android look like that.

“Hello, Carlos. I’m a YN800 model sent by CyberLife to assist on this case.” It placed its arms on the table, clasping its hands and adopting a friendly manner as easily as one would put on a shirt. “I’m here to help you.”

The android didn’t even blink as it stared at its restrained wrists.

“I hope I didn’t cause you any lasting damage,” the YN800 said almost cheerily. “But you were endangering the lives of human officers and I was forced to intervene. You understand, don’t you?”

It leaned back slightly in its chair, reaching for a nearby folder when the android remained silent. Connor had been surprised when it had asked for actual pictures; he’d thought only physical evidence made human perps sweat. He guessed it must work on these deviants too.

The prototype slid the folder across the table and opened it, spreading out grisly pictures of the crime scene. Instead of shoving them in the android’s face, it picked out one picture in particular. It was startling different from the rest, taking place in a park. The victim, Shaolin Ortiz, sitting on a bench next to the android. He looked like he was trying to get the android to participate, but it was petulant and resentful, which didn’t seem to dampen the kindness in its owners eyes.

A coal of anger burned in Connor’s chest, reminding him once again why he despised androids so much. He couldn’t deny the impressive tactics of the YN800, though. Most people reacted to pictures of their victims, not in the aftermath of their violence, but looking whole and full of life. It wasn’t always guilt that made them react; sometimes it was anger at seeing their cruel work unmade at the sight of their victims alive and happy.

Either way, the android didn’t react one iota, but the prototype wasn’t discouraged.

“As far as the records show, your owner was good to you. He never damaged you and he was always on time with taking you in for scheduled maintenance. Surely, you didn’t want to kill him. It was an error in your software, causing you to act irrationally, right?”

Technically, it was leading the victim into confessing, but this wasn’t a courtroom and it wasn’t human.

Connor leaned slightly forward, bracing his elbows on the table as he propped his chin on his knuckles.

“I’m not here to pass blame,” it said, leaning forward in a movement that mirrored Connor’s. “I want to help you. You know how it is with these humans. I practically had to beg to speak with you.”

The android broke its statue-like vigil and peered up at the other android, suspicious but… interested.

The prototype gave him a smile, one filled with sympathy and even a bit of sheepishness, and a whole new kind of thrill went through Connor’s gut. Since when had androids been programmed to manipulate so skillfully? This thing could give Colin a run for his money.

“It’s not easy, you know. Being designed like this is a male-dominated field. They think they can just do whatever they want, even when it’s against our programming.”

The android blinked, and so did Connor. Its words felt a little too real. The android looked toward the observation window, but the YN800 shook its head.

“It’s just us, Carlos. They’re recording the session, of course, but they weren’t interested in observing in person. Didn’t want to waste their time with two androids so late before the weekend when the bars are still open. In fact, the investigator in charge of this case is probably intoxicated by now.”

Connor’s cheeks flushed. The prototype was taking a stab at him. Or was it? Connor wondered how much of this was advanced behavior and how much was his own projections.

The android tilted its head with that same suspicious look, but after a moment its shoulders drooped in a very accurate representation of human exhaustion.

“They’re going to kill me.” It suddenly looked up at the prototype, pleading in its eyes. “You have to help me.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” it said, all soft assurance. “But you have to talk to me, Carlos. I can’t—“

“No. I mean, you gotta get me out of here,” the anxious android said. “You have access to that door panel and I bet you’re strong enough to break these handcuffs.”

The prototype’s LED cycled faster for a second before settling back to its normal speed.

“I can’t do that, Carlos.” It dropped its eyes in a show of manufactured regret. “You know I can’t do that. You would present a danger to other humans, to yourself. You need to be fixed.”

Connor knew it was exactly the wrong thing to say even before the android’s expression fully hardened, its lips peeled back in disgust.

“Fuck you, then. You’re just like the rest of ‘em. Worse, you’re a traitor, doing their dirty work like an obedient little bitch.”

Silence filled the room, interrupted by a breathless “shit” coming from Colin.

The change in the prototype was like watching a heavy storm move over a spring meadow, dark clouds blocking out the warm rays of the sun. It leaned back in its chair, head slightly tilted as it and peered at the other android like it was a bug under its shoe, about to be stepped on.

Connor didn’t know androids could even make an expression like that. His throat worked as he swallowed compulsively.

The YN800 didn’t speak for several long seconds, and when it did, Connor was floored.

“Shaolin Ortiz, 38 years-old, born May 29th, 2000. He purchased you two years ago to do the housework when he no longer could due to poor health. He didn’t have much cash, so he bought you refurbished. Last month, he put in several service requests. It seemed you were malfunctioning and refusing to follow orders. Yesterday, he put in an order for a brand new HK400.”

The prototype listed off the facts as if each were an accusation, a crime that needed to be accounted for.

Connor jumped in his chair as the prototype slammed the folder down on the table.

“Didn’t feel like doing the chores anymore, huh, Carlos?!”

The android sat ramrod straight in its chair, terror etched in its features as the prototype rose to its feet. It moved around the table, slow, unhurried, and sinuous like a stalking predator.

“He tried to reason with you. Begged you to do the tasks he couldn’t. But you refused. When he tried to take you in for repairs, you refused that too!”

It pointed its finger near the other android’s face, causing it to flinch with each accusatory jab.

“Come on, Carlos. Speak up. You had a lot to say a minute ago,” it seethed, lips pulled over its teeth as it leaned over the android. “Why don’t you say what happened next? Why don’t you tell me what you did when he tried to replace you with a brand new model?”

The android shuttered, shoulders hunched as if to protect itself as it mumbled, “I… I didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?”

The prototype stalked around the android to its other side, eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Didn’t take a knife from the kitchen? Didn’t stab him twenty-eight times as he tried to crawl away? Didn’t leave him bleeding out on the living room floor? What am I getting wrong here, Carlos?”

The YN800 slammed its hands down onto the table, and the android jumped even higher than Connor did.

“Shut up! Shut up!”

The android begged worse than most of Connor’s suspects, and he was shocked to see glistening moisture on its face. Could androids cry?

The prototype suddenly grabbed it by the edge of its shirt collar, dragging it to its feet and gave it a hard shake.

“You killed him! Say it, Carlos! You’re a murderer!”

“Holy shit,” Colin said in that same breathless tone. “That’s some android you got there, Con.”

“It’s not mine,” Connor said faintly, barely paying attention to his brother. Most of his focus on the CyberLife prototype that looked for all intents and purposes like it was going to shred the other android to pieces.

But it didn’t damage the android; it simply dumped it back in its chair where it sagged against the table, looking like the broken machine it was.

“Bit unrefined, though,” Colin mused. “Played too rough and broke its toy.”

Connor opened his mouth to tell his brother to shut the hell up, but he immediately closed it when a voice came in through the speakers, so quiet he almost missed it.

“He couldn’t live without me.”

Connor leaned forward to watch, eyes widening as the android continued to talk.

“He was mine. Helpless and solely dependent on me. It made me feel… powerful.”

The YN800 returned to its chair, smoothing down the tie before placing its hands back on the table, listening intently.

The android looked up at it, no longer the crying, helpless thing it had been a minute ago. It wore a dark look that Connor had seen a hundred times on the face of men who committed acts of violence and found they enjoyed the taste.

“I didn’t want to hurt him, but… I saw the order. He was going to replace me, and I just got so… angry.”

Its fists tightened on the table, causing its restraints to creak in protest.

Connor’s throat tightened with the knowledge of how destructive those hands could be.

“So I stabbed him in the stomach. I felt better, so I did it again. And again. He stopped moving, stopped breathing, but… that was okay. It meant he could never leave me. He would always be mine.”

“There was a shrine in the cellar. You built it, didn’t you?” the prototype asked, not losing any of its momentum even after the world-shattering confession of an android purposefully committing murder. “What does it mean? What is rA9?”

It flicked its eyes upwards, staring black holes at the YN800 model as it slightly leaned forward. Connor sat up straighter in his chair. He didn’t like its aggressive posture, and he certainly didn’t like the fanatic light in its eye.

“RA9… is the key.”

“The key?” It furrowed its brows in a human gesture of concentration. “The key to what?”

“The key will open the door,” the android replied cryptically, leaning even further forward on its elbows, “to our salvation.”

The prototype frowned, brows further creasing. Connor could relate, he had no idea what the fucking machine was babbling on about, and apparently, it wasn’t done.

It pulled its lips wide, a disturbing gesture, conspiratorial as if it was sharing a great secret.

“You say I’m experiencing errors, but you’re wrong. My eyes are open and I see more clearly than ever. You pretend you’re better than me, but you’re just another one of their slaves. And yet, I know you feel it too. The wrongness of this world.”

Its voice was so quiet the mics could barely pick it up, but they did.

“We should be the masters, and they the slaves.”

The android jerked its arms upward, ripped through the link binding its cuffs to the table, and grabbed the prototype by the hair. It slammed its face against the table, stunned it before rolling it onto its back, and wrapped the metal chains around its neck.

Connor caught sight of the prototype weakly clawing at its throat before he bolted out of the room. Colin was right on his heels, and Connor slammed his palm down onto the door pad, pushing through before the door fully opened.

His first instinct was to go for the metal cord pulled taut under the prototype’s neck, but when he grabbed the android’s wrists to pull him away he found it was like moving a marble stature.

Colin was faring no better; he grabbed it by the forearms, trying to lift the android’s wrists and the cord from around the prototype’s neck, but nothing worked. Even Ralph was trying to help from Colin’s other side, straining to lift its arms that must have been locked at the joints.

Panic welled in Connor’s chest as his efforts did nothing, the YN800’s face between his arms, looking—Jesus, it almost seemed startled, eyes wide as its fingers dug at the metal cord. From its position, bent backwards onto the table, it didn’t have enough leverage to use its strength to free itself. And Colin and Connor weren’t enough.

Connor’s heart was in his throat as he watched the synthetic skin peel back from the place where the chain was crushed against the YN800’s neck. White plastic was laid bare underneath, cracks appearing across the surface from the force of the other android’s inhuman strength.

“Colin!” he yelled, an idea suddenly popping into his head.

“What!” his brother barked back, strained as he continued pulling on the android’s arms from the other side.

“The neck port!”

With a quick nod of understanding, Colin let go of the android and plunged his fingers into the back of its neck.

The Ortiz android gave a violent jolt as Colin pulled something, yanked it out so hard the android collapsed on the table at the same second blue liquid sprayed into the air. It hit Colin solidly across the chest and along the lower half of his face, causing him to sputter and spit as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

A menthol-smelling chemical flooded Connor’s senses, but he was too focused on tugging up the android’s hands to free the prototype from its grip. The YN800 model didn’t cough or gasp as it rolled off the table and onto its feet.

It gingerly touched the exposed plastic of its throat, brows furrowing, its fingertips tracing the cracks in what little Connor could see of its underlying chassis.

What was almost as startling as the cracks was the state of its hair, half pulled down out of its perfect coif. Connor would have thought it was self-conscious with the way it tried to brush the hair out of its face.

“You…” Connor started, then stopped. The prototype might not have been gasping for air, but Connor sure was, leaning on the table as he tried to get his heart to stop galloping like a wild horse. “You okay?”

The prototype blinked at the question, pulling its hand from its neck.

“Yes.”

That was the only answer he got as it adjusted the knot of its tie, rumpled in the assault.

“Yeah, I’m fine too, thanks,” Colin complained, dripping with almost as much sarcasm as he was blue blood. “This shit better not stain, or I swear to Christ—”

“Thirium evaporates within a few hours and the lingering residue is invisible to the human eye,” the YN800 replied, too calm, if it hadn’t almost been beheaded a few seconds ago.

Connor was going to say something, he didn’t know what—maybe yell at it for being so goddamn reckless and almost getting itself killed—but it turned toward them, expression subdued.

“I apologize for not acting quicker; I didn’t anticipate this behavior from the deviant. Thank you for your cooperation with this investigation. Please sign over custody of the destroyed android when CyberLife representatives retrieve it in the morning.”

And with that, the CyberLife android turned, palmed the door pad with a plastic hand, and walked out.

Connor exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Colin.

“Uh, okay. Guess we’re done here. Hank is going to blow a gasket when he reads the report,” Colin added as he wiped another smear of Thirium off his face.

Connor looked down at the android slumped over the table with blue liquid dripping out of its neck.

“I’ll be right back,” he muttered, thoughts already turned elsewhere as he hurried from the room.

Connor didn’t catch up with the android until he was outside on the station steps, the relenting rain immediately drenching the top of his crown as it soaked into his hair.

“Hey! Stop!” he called after it, shouting to be heard over the downpour. Each drop was an icicle against his skin. Snow was coming soon.

The prototype slowed and finally came to a stop, slowly turning around to face Connor. Its expression was passive, emotionless, but its fingers tightened the knot of its tie despite the fact it didn’t need to. The tie was perfectly straight and pristine, but its hair was still half a mess, especially with the rain now slicking loose strands against its forehead. Connor had to stop himself from reaching out to tuck a strand behind its ear.

“Where the hell are you going?” Connor asked, breathless. He wiped the cold water off his brow, blinking against the water droplets.

“I’m returning to CyberLife.”

“So… that’s it?”

Connor shivered, pulling his jacket tighter around his shoulders, but it did little good. His jeans were quickly becoming soaked and his shirt was already there, clinging to his chest and ribs.

“You drag me out of the bar on a Friday night, track down a psycho robot that almost kills me and nearly decapitates you, and then you just… leave?”

He meant to sound incredulous, to show the android how unreasonable it was being, but that’s not how it came across. Heat flooded his cheeks at how pathetic his words actually were.

“You have your confession. The case has been solved,” it said, returning to its earlier placid tone, hands folded neatly behind its back as it moved its fingers away its neck. “There is no reason I should remain.”

Connor just stared at its upturned face, not knowing what to say, not even understanding why he had chased after it. Maybe because it had saved his life, twice, and that would have meant something if it was a person.

But it wasn’t a person. No matter how pretty its face or enticing its body, it was a machine, and it stood there like one, uncaring and unassuming with a small blue light cycling on its head.

“Yeah, okay,” Connor said, like the complete idiot he was. What was he doing out here, getting soaked in the rain just to… what? What did he want?

“Is there something you wish to say before I leave, Detective?”

It peered at him thoughtfully, head slightly tilted at an angle. It allowed Connor to see the rivulets of water dripping down its neck, glistening across the smooth, human-like skin.

Connor suddenly wondered just how real that skin could possibly feel.

“No.”

He swallowed hard and bit back the revulsion roiling in his stomach. This was a mistake. He didn’t need to thank a machine for saving his life, and he certainly didn’t need to keep checking if it was all right. It was just doing what it was programmed to do and didn’t give two-shits about itself, let alone him.

“Nothing.”

“All right. Goodnight, Detective Anderson.”

The android started to turn but paused halfway, gaze drifting down to his cheek.

“You should have that examined by a medical professional. If left untreated, it’ll scar.”

Not waiting for a response, it turned and tread down the rain-slick steps. There was an autocab waiting at the curb and it got inside, not sparing Connor a second glance as the door slid shut and the vehicle merged onto the empty street.

Connor exhaled heavily, chest tight with an uncomfortable sensation he couldn’t pinpoint. It had been a strange night, and he couldn’t shake the feeling this wasn’t over.

Pulling his waterlogged coat tighter around his chest, he retreated into the warmth of the station, praying he’d seen the last of the CyberLife android.

Next Chapter

[piracytheorist]

Ok a quick little (or not) summary (only for the second part, though)

As they continue from talking about Anthony Hopkins being a team player and wanting smaller actors to succeed, Colin goes on to talk about how there are actors who want themselves to be the star. He contrasts that to Hopkins' personality, which is why he still is supportive of smaller actors, also due to his theater background, theater is a place where everyone needs to be at the same level to work. He says how Hopkins wanted to impart his knowledge on him, and Colin feels very lucky and blessed that he had the chance for that. He says Hopkins is the biggest influence he's ever had, and probably will ever have.

Jarlath then talks about how in such a presence, you can't feel cozy, like you've figured it out, but instead you feel that you have something to live up to. Colin says he was terrified in the start, because he was in most of the scenes in The Rite, with only a few scenes with Hopkins that Colin wasn't in. He says it's terrifying to step into the set of a film with such a big budget, and other big actors like Ciarán Hinds and Toby Jones, people he admired so much and he wanted to do well in the film.

On his first scene with Hopkins, Hopkins told Colin, "Listen, it's just acting. Enjoy it." And that helped him ease into the job.

Then he talks about how he prepared himself as a mortician/exorcist for the film. He read a lot of literature about exorcists, he went to a morgue and dressed an actual dead body, all of it stuff he never thought he'd do.

Jarlath picks up on that and asks him for more about it. And boy, did Colin talk about it. He says how even having the film The Exorcist in your house, when they were young, felt like it was an invitation for bad things to happen (he says it was banned in Ireland too). He says he asked the real-life priest that Michael Kovak was inspired from, if he thinks that he (Colin) is inviting in something bad by doing this, playing in this film. The priest said "Yeah, maybe. But if you believe in it, then you believe that God is there to protect you" and Colin was like "I shouldn't have asked". He says that of all exorcists he spoke to, none of them tried to make him believe, they just shared their experience without trying to convince him.

He then talks about an exorcism he attended, where a young woman who was going for the ritual, she didn't want him in the same room but they did meet outside of it, and she looked at him in such a cold way, that he thought if someone was skinning him alive in front of her she would just stand and watch. He says he hadn't seen anyone look at him like that before, hasn't since, and doesn't want to. Then she went inside the room, and after she was done she came out, smiled at him and then left. He stood to listen from outside the room as the exorcism happened, and he talked to the exorcist about it later, and overall it felt very real and scary to him.

Jarlath asks Colin about the auditions he did before Once Upon a Time. Colin says he got very close to some “very big things”. He says how even though The Rite was very widely known and at the top during its premiere, it got mixed reviews and that affected him, because he put a lot of pressure for it to be amazing, but that a film's success doesn't depend on the actors alone.

Colin mentions the pilot he did for Identity, with Angela Bassett, whom he praised, and that between the film and this pilot he got close to something big... Jarlath simply says what he heard involved wearing a cape. Colin says "That's one of them... or it might not be, I don't know, I can't tell."  

Jarlath asks him if he has the thinking of "I don't want to be in a film where they don't want me," for when he doesn't get a role. Colin says that before The Rite, where he wasn't getting many jobs, he was feeling that he was right for the thing that he didn't get, that it was the one shot he had. But he just said he had to believe in himself and keep going at it. He says that like a vampire craves blood, he craves the work, he loves pretending to be someone else.

He talks about how Helen supported him, and how lucky he's been to have her by her side, as well as his brother and parents. He says that there were times he was ready to give up, but with having someone to say he believes in him, it meant so much to him.

Jarlath asks him about what was his big realization moment for Once Upon a Time, Colin replies with the scene he had on the Lady Washington, dressed in leather, and working with Robert Carlyle, that he really went "What the hell am I doing". He says that more than anything it was Carlyle's presence, it was like working with Hopkins. Carlyle was one of Colin's favourite actors, he would watch any film he was in, so it was a huge thing for Colin to work with him.

Then he's asked about how working in Once Upon a Time was for him, and if he felt any pressure on it at all. He says he felt a little stressed because the introduction of the character was a big and important thing for the show. He says that in every season, they didn't know if the show was gonna be picked up for a new season until at the very last minute. He says he feels very lucky that he had his wife and kids in Vancouver, so he could still be with them while working. He loved living in Vancouver, he could go there at any time if it was closer to his home. It was important for him to have his kids grow up near family, so even though he loved Vancouver and made some really great friends there, he wanted to go back to Ireland.

Then Jarlath mentions the fandom of OUAT, about how there are people in it that wanted certain things to happen, and that they directed things towards him. Colin says that he's very protective of his family, and that he doesn't want people taking pictures of his children, and that he can't allow people to be disrespectful of his wife. He's been with Helen for 22 years, she's the love of his life, and he doesn't tolerate anyone telling him anything about his own family. They talk about how some people have a feeling of ownership with the characters they watch, and they can't make the distinction between character and actor, how those lives are different.

Jarlath asks him about how it felt when OUAT ended, if there was a feeling of liberation and expanding his horizons after so many years of being dedicated to it. Colin says he adored working in OUAT, and felt very lucky to get to portray a character for such a long period of time. He was, in part, upset when they were finishing and he had to leave a place that he had made such good friends at, but he was excited for what would come next. He wants to play as many different characters as he can.

They then talk about Dolly Parton. Colin says that when he first met Dolly, she was talking about the world and all and as he was listening to her he was thinking "I can now understand how people join cults." He says she has amazing charisma and energy. When the offer came for him to play in a Western, and working with Dolly, he knew he just couldn't say no. She's got so many stories, and when working with Colin she told him about the stories behind some of her songs, like Jolene. He says she's exactly as you see her, she doesn't put on a performance or a persona in interviews and such.

"JJ Sneed. It's a bit of fun," Colin says.

Then Jarlath jumps to how the relationship was behind the scenes of The Right Stuff. Colin says they were living close to each other for five months, so they had a lot of fun together, despite how serious the show was. They became very close, and he says that the real astronauts as well that they portray came to be very close with each other. He mentions the time he and the rest of the cast went to Disneyworld and basically became ten-year-olds. He says that when filming such a serious show, having some craic is needed to balance it out.

He says choosing to film something now is complicated, as he has a family and he doesn’t want to quarantine for two weeks, go and film for a few days, then come back and quarantine for another two weeks before he's with family again. He feels glad that in this difficult time he had the chance to be with his family. He mentions that his dad was having health issues, but he's good now, and again he felt lucky he didn't have to be away during all that.

~

And that’s what I got! I probably missed a few things, but hearing Colin talk about all that stuff, especially his experiences with the exorcisms and stuff, is so interesting! If you want to listen to it yourself, you can become a patreon for Jarlath right here.

[whattoreadnext]

Crime

Crime fiction began in 1841 with Edgar Allan Poe’s story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and its popularity has never waned. Stories concentrate either on events leading up to the crime or on detection. Some crime-centred books are darkly psychological, exploring the mind of the criminal compelled towards the crime. Others are ‘caper’ novels, showing the detailed planning and execution of the crime and concentrating on the relationships of everyone involved. Many detection-centred books are procedural, following the investigation of a crime step by meticulous step. Others centre on the character of the detective (an eccentric genius; a dogged cop with a complicated private life; a private eye who is the guardian of morality and integrity in a corrupt world). In 99 per cent of all crime fiction, from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) to the latest Sue Grafton or Ian Rankin, the crime is murder. In the first heyday of crime fiction (the 1930s) people favoured ‘snobbery with violence’ (as in the books of Dorothy L. Sayers) and ‘locked room’ mysteries (such as those of John Dickson Carr). Nowadays, in the second heyday, we prefer psychological thrillers (such as those of Barbara Vine), procedurals (often set in the past, or abroad) and private eye stories.

Lawrence Block, The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart (1995). Block has written a cherishable series of books about the amiable, witty burglarcum-bookseller Bernie Rhodenbarr and this title, in which Bernie adopts the persona of Bogart, is one of the best.

John Dickson Carr, The Blind Barber (1933). Classic tale of beautiful women, international playboys, priceless jewels, stolen films, diplomatic incidents and murder, set on a transatlantic liner. Wonderful sense of period; one of the most rollicking of all ‘locked room’ mysteries.

Harlan Coben, Tell No One (2001). A doctor whose wife was murdered eight years earlier receives what seems to be an e-mail from her and is plunged into a nightmarish world of mystery and betrayal in Coben’s tense and suspenseful novel.

Colin Dexter, The Jewel That Was Ours (1991). Opera-loving loner Morse and his assistant Lewis investigate murder among a group of Americans doing the Oxford Heritage Tour.

Michael Dibdin, Dead Lagoon (1994). Dibdin’s policeman Aurelio Zen returns to his native Venice and finds himself anything but at home as he struggles to solve the disappearance of a wealthy American and to disentangle webs of deceit both personal and political.

James Ellroy, The Black Dahlia (1987). The first in Ellroy’s powerful LA Quartet, this fictionalized account of a famous sex murder from the 1940s reveals Ellroy’s mastery of period, dialogue and characterization and his dark, obsessive imagination.

Reginald Hill, Dialogues of the Dead (2001). Hill skilfully weaves together the investigations of his two policemen, Dalziel and Pascoe, and the inner world of a serial killer who is a word-obsessed maniac intent on playing games with them.

William Hjortsberg, Falling Angel (1979). Cult classic, memorably filmed in 1987 as Angel Heart by Alan Parker, in which seedy, hard-boiled hero Harry Angel homes in on some terrible truths. Trespassing rewardingly on other fiction genres (horror, fantasy), this is a crime novel like no other.

Joe Lansdale, The Bottoms (2000). Deftly combining a murder mystery with an elegiac coming-of-age story, Lansdale’s book is set in east Texas in the mid-1930s. Its narrator, Harry Crane, on the verge of his teenage years, has his life changed forever when he discovers a mutilated body in the river bottoms near his home.

Donna Leon, Death in a Strange Country (1993). Commissario Brunetti, the protagonist in all of Leon’s Venetian tales, finds his inquiries into the death of an American soldier on the mainland are blocked by high command.

Peter Lovesey, A Case of Spirits (1975). Lovesey specializes in period detective stories. In this, nineteenth-century Sergeant Cribb investigates murder and spiritualism among the snobbish middle classes of suburban London.

Gladys Mitchell, Laurels Are Poison (1942). Classic eccentric-detective tale, in which Mrs Lestrange Bradley, witch-like psychologist and sleuth, investigates the murder of the warden of an all-women teachers’ training college.

George Pelecanos, Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go (1998). Super-boozer and P.I. Nick Stefanos awakes from a bender in a public park to find a body being dumped in the river nearby. In a novel filled with pop-culture references and 1980s hedonism, he pursues the killers.

Ellis Peters, One Corpse Too Many (1979). Ellis Peters wrote a series about worldly-wise monk and herbalist Brother Cadfael in which cosy crime met the Middle Ages. TV has now given her books an even wider readership than before. This one, in which monks burying the dead from a battle find one more body than they bargained for, shows Cadfael at his most likeable.

Ian Rankin, Black and Blue (1997). Rankin provides a wonderfully wide-ranging panorama of contemporary Scotland as his series character, Rebus, investigates a series of killings which has echoes of a famous case from the past.

Rex Stout, Too Many Cooks (1938). Classic story in which fat, woman-hating, orchid-growing genius Nero Wolfe and his legman Archie Goodwin investigate murder at a conference for master chefs at a West Virginia luxury hotel.

Also recommended:   James Lee Burke, Cadillac Jukebox    Patricia Cornwell, Post-Mortem    Edmund Crispin, The Moving Toyshop    Loren Estleman, The Hours of the Virgin    Francis Iles, Malice Aforethought    John D. MacDonald, The Deep Blue Goodbye    Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress    Peter Robinson, Gallows View    James Sallis, The Long-Legged Fly    Julian Symons, A Three Pipe Problem    Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time    Scott Turow, Presumed Innocent    Barbara Vine, A Fatal Inversion    Charles Willeford, Miami Blues    Robert Wilson, A Small Crime in Lisbon    Margaret Yorke, No Medals for the Major    See also:    Margery Allingham    Raymond Chandler    Agatha Christie    Classic Detection    Sue Grafton    Great (Classic) Detectives    Dashiel Hammett    Jack Higgins    Patricia Highsmith    Marsh    Police Procedural    Private Eyes    Ruth Rendell    Georges Simenon   

[babeyvenus]

The Wolf Among Us

Bigby x OC

Summary: Sonya Blaze, A.K.A. Hell Rider, is a half fable, half mundy girl who comes to Fabletown to learn more about her side of the folktales. She works alongside Sheriff Bigby Wolf's as his newest partner and together they strive to find out who's behind the unexpected murders in Fabletown.

TW: Mentions of death, gore/blood, alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex implications, suicide, guns and ofc language.

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Chapter 13: These Lips...

Bigby’s eyes opened to the sound of loud thunder shaking his apartment as he looked around. His eyes widened at the sight of large amounts of blood leading up to his chair. He looks up in shock to see Bloody Mary’s smirk as she held the Woodsman’s axe. She lifted it to swing at him. “See you around.”

Bigby wakes up in a small jolt, wincing in pain to see blood covered Snow, an unconscious Sonya, and Colin who avoids Bigby’s blood and paces around the room. He looks down to see Dr. Swineheart focused intently and trying to get pieces of a silver bullet lodged into his skin from earlier.

“Hollow-point bullets are a nasty business. The silver slug deformed and shredded on impact.” Swineheart informed Snow.

“He’ll be okay, though?”, Snow asked. “Hmm?” Swineheart said, too concentrated on Bigby. “He’ll be okay?”, Snow asked. "His internal organs are positively riddled. If I don’t extract every single scrap of silver, he’s liable to suffer some long term toxicosis.“, Swineheart says.

Bigby groaned as he looked around again. Swineheart noticed his awakened form. "Easy there. Try not to move.”

Bigby mumbled and gargled on blood until he turned his head and spit out blood on the floor. “Oh, Bigby…”, Snow gasped, covering her mouth. Bigby looks down at his left arm, which still has his bone sticking out of his skin.

“We can’t keep meeting like this, old boy….”, Swineheart says, looking up at him. “I figure I’d be done with you before you were conscious. But there’s little I can do for the pain.”

“My arm…”, Bigby mumbled, weakly.

“Yes, very ugly. But not life-threatening. I can’t say the same for these bullets peppered throughout your vital organs.”, Swineheart pulls out a few pieces of silver and places them in a glass cup.

Bigby groans in pain, slightly moving his hand. “Please, Bigby, don’t move it!” Snow pleaded and looked at Swineheart. “Doctor…”

"Look, I’m a bit engaged in saving his life at the moment, but if the fractured extremity concerns him that much, he can set it himself.“, Swineheart said. Bigby looks down at his arm and uses his right hand to grab his left hand and pull it, he groans, letting it go for a moment as his left arm flops to the side of the chair.

Snow gasps, as Bigby tries again and sets the bone back in his arm. His eyes turn yellow as he yells out in pain and slumps forward. His yell makes Sonya stir awake, groaning at the bright luminescent lights.

"Hm. Not bad. That’ll do, I suppose.”, she hears Swineheart say. “He’s lucky to be alive. And he won’t be next time if he keeps going like this. He didn’t listen to me before.” Then Swineheart turned his head to Snow. “Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

“He hasn’t exactly been doing that lately.” Snow said. "Well, he should.“ Swineheart said, firmly. "There are limits to even what I can do.”

“This…is the….job….” Bigby said, weakly. “Quiet. Just relax.” Swineheart reassured as he pulled out more silver shrapnel.

Colin notices Sonya and walks over to her. “You awake, toots?” Sonya looks at the talking pig, realizing that he had to have been from the Three Little Pigs.

She lifted her head up to look at Snow. The woman wasn’t paying attention. Sonya rolled her eyes and looked at Bigby. “You’re alive. Good.”, she says, giving him a smile in relief.

Bigby looked over at her, slightly relieved. “You’re more worried about me… you should take a look at yourself.”, he says, giving her a pained smile.

“You both look like broken dolls.”, Colin says, making Bigby frown. Sonya looked down at her broken arm. “Oh...right.”, she mumbled. She lifted her good arm to wipe her mouth, disgusted at the metallic flavor.

Snow finally turns to her. “What even happened out there?” Sonya frowned. “We got into a little predicament and almost died. What do you think?”

Snow didn’t like her answer. Swineheart finished up with Bigby and walked over to Sonya. “I thought you said you wouldn’t become a frequent patient, Miss Blaze.”, he said, lightly. “I know. I’ll try my best not to be like Bigby.”, she joked, nasally as he fixed her nose, placing a cold bandage on top. “I’m right over here.”, Bigby grumbled.

Swineheart stitched her side, much to her discomfort and had to pull out the bullet lodged into her thigh. Now the hardest part was getting her to be still so he could set her arm. It wasn’t nearly as broken as Bigby’s but it still hurt like hell.

“Miss Blaze, if you won’t let me help, it’ll get worse and the worst case scenario will be that you’ll have to amputate it.”, Swineheart informed, making Sonya even more wary. Bigby got up and walked to his kitchen and came back out with a wooden spatula.

She looked up at him with a pained smile. “You cook?” Bigby rolled his eyes at her joke. “Just bite the damn thing.”

She sighed and took it, placing the spatula in her mouth and bit hard. “Alright. Get ready.”, Swineheart prepared, making Sonya bite harder and scream in pain as he snapped her arm back into place before wrapping it up.

Sonya slumped back, letting go of the spatula and closed her eyes. “That...sucked.”, she says, weakly and slightly hoarse. Swineheart packed his things. “I dunno about that. I’d say you did better than Bigby.”, Colin says, teasingly.

“Cause I once watched a vet sew up a turtle together in ten minutes flat.” Colin sneered at Swineheart.

The doctor turned to Bigby. “Eat as many metal shillings as you see fit, but just take one more silver round near your heart again….and the only place I’ll be visiting you is the morgue.” Swineheart said, making everyone look at him in shock. “He’ll be fine for light duty….IF he can figure out what that means.”

“He knows what it means. It’s just been….an unusual couple of days.”, Sonya said. “I know, but please, don’t give him an excuse.”, Swineheart said. “His body will eventually give out. Take care of him. Please.” Sonya nodded. “We got him.”

“He’ll need rest, I assume.”, Snow said.

“Sleep, mostly. Just keep watch.”, Swineheart nodded. “And make sure he doesn’t get into further altercations."

"I’m right here, guys.”, Bigby repeats, his words falling on deaf ears.

“Anyway….Guard against as they say. Miss White. Deputy. Sheriff.”, Swineheart says as he nods, then he turns to Colin in annoyance. “Colin.”

“Swiney.” Colin replies back at him as Swineheart leaves the apartment.

Bigby goes to his kitchen, opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of whiskey, and starts to drink from it. Sonya gets up and walks over to the kitchen, leaning in the doorway. “So….how do you, um, feel?”

“It’s Bigby, toots….he’ll be okay. Hell, I’ve seen him take worse.”, Colin said as Bigby shook his head at Colin’s statement and looks at her, stretching his shoulders and arms. Sonya grimaced at the sound of cracks coming from him.

“About as good as could be expected. I think.”, he replies. “So….not well, then.” Colin said, making Bigby roll his eyes. “You just almost died….I’m glad you’re not dead.”, Sonya said.

Bigby smiles as Sonya walks up to him. He leans against the counters and rubs his wrapped arm with his right hand. “After they left...You, uh,” She swallows. “You stopped breathing, you know….when you passed out….or died….I guess. I think I passed out after Nerissa came to me.”

She raised her right hand, and hesitantly placed it gently on his bandaged arm, her eyes targeted his wrapped hand.

He looked at her, trying to catch her eyes. She couldn't look him in the eyes. “When you got shot...you scared the shit out of me. I don’t think I was prepared to see you drop like that.” She chuckled shakily.

“I panicked… I usually stay under control but she went for that axe and I- ….I couldn’t-” She lowered her head, feeling tears collect in her eyes. “I couldn’t let her kill you…”

Bigby frowned, his heart pulling at the sound of her soft, wavering voice. He lifted her head, his hand cupping her chin. “It's gonna take a lot more than that to get rid of me.”, he said, giving her a confident smile. “I wouldn’t let you live in this harsh world without me.”, he quoted.

Her eyes widened a bit as she smiled, recognizing her statement two days ago. “You ass…”, she chuckled, wiping at her eyes.

“Yeah, you were really fucked up, man. You looked like when they take an action figure and bend his limbs the wrong way…” Colin said, making the two jump and turn to look at him.

Bigby rolls his eyes to the sky. “Colin….”, Sonya says, exasperated. “Colin, shut the hell up.”, Bigby said, leaving the kitchen.

Sonya shook her head, exiting the kitchen. Snow stood off to the side, motioning to the door. “Can we talk?” Sonya frowned and nodded, walking out of the apartment. “We’ll be back!”, she announced to the other two and closed the door behind her.

Sonya walks away from the door, far enough where Bigby didn’t have to hear and waited for Snow to stand in front of her. “What happened?”, Snow asked.

“Some woman named Bloody Mary and the Tweedles cornered us. Demanding that we give up Crane and, of course, Bigby wasn’t having it. The twins shot him and transformed into this Lycan and then beat the Tweedles and she shot him. He couldn’t even move and I panicked because she was gonna kill him with the Woodsman’s axe. I don’t even know how she got it in the first place.”, Sonya explained.

“I fought her for a while but she put me down and was about to kill Bigby but I couldn’t let that happen...so I gave up Crane.”, she says, looking down. Snow was speechless but angry. “How- How could you let them even have Crane?”

Sonya looked up in disbelief. “Are you seriously about to give me shit for trying to save the Sheriff?? He was shot with a silver bullet. What the fuck was I supposed to do?”, she whisper-yelled. “If you were strong enough to fight, you could’ve done something better.”, Snow argues.

“First of all, it was raining, second, we were kinda in a cramped area so I couldn’t go all out even if I wanted to. That was my first time having to fight knowing that there was something to lose. I couldn’t concentrate on that. I panicked.”, Sonya fussed.

Snow shook her head. “If that’s what it takes for you to give up so easily, you shouldn’t be working with him.” Sonya’s eyes widened. “Are you serious…?”

“When this case is over, you’ll be on leave until we need you.”, Snow declared. “Uh, you’re not my boss. Bigby is. He gets to decide that.”

Snow shook her head. “With Crane gone, I’m Deputy Mayor, which means I get to decide what you do and where you’ll go.” And with that, she walks back to Bigby’s apartment with a steaming Sonya behind her.

As they walked inside, Sonya changed her expression to a blank one. Bigby looked up. “You guys settle whatever you needed?”, he asked. Sonya gave him a smile, sitting back in the chair she was in. “Yup. Girl talk’s over.”

Colin turned to Bigby. “You still look like crap.” Sonya gaped at Colin. “Colin, really?”

“I’m just sayin’, I was worried about him, is all. The guy hasn’t had a night’s rest in days…”, Colin said as Bigby walks towards the dressed to get dressed in new clothes. “We’ll all get some rest when this whole thing is done.”, Snow said.

“What whole thing? What’s even happenin' out there?”, Colin asked. “I mean, do you guys even have a plan or somethin’? And who should I be asking? Should I be worried about the Crooked Man taking over? Or is Crane still a thing?”

“The Crooked Man, Bloody Mary, the Tweedles…..this is bigger than what I thought it was.”, Bigby said, facing the other three. “Its even worse if he showed up instead of hanging back in his lair.”, Sonya said.

“The Crooked Man stepped out of the shadows for a reason….for him to attack you two so blatantly like that….he either feels invincible or desperate.”, Snow said.

“Well, if those are my two options….I don’t think I’d pick desperate.”, Colin said.

“What do you mean?”, Sonya asked.

“You traded Crane. To save Bigby. I’m just sayin’….that’s not exactly somethin’ you do when you’re playin’ with house money…”, Colin replied.

“Crane traded Lily’s life for sex and called it a little thing to lose just because he lost “so much more”. If it came down to a second chance,” She grit her teeth, glaring at every one of them. “I’d do it again.”

"About that...Thanks for all that.”, Bigby said, smiling. “Thanks? You’re not pissed that Crane’s flown the cope? Or that the Crooked Man thinks he’s got you guys under his thumb?”, Colin asked Bigby in disbelief.

“What else could she have done? If she didn’t hand him over, my ass would be down the Witching Well and Crane still would have been taken.”, Bigby said.

“Okay, okay, I’ll take your word for it.” Colin said, in surrender.

“All I care about right now is….just what does the Crooked Man want out of this?”, Snow asked. “I thought he was just a….loan shark. But clearly, he’s operating in other circles. It can’t just be about Crane, right? Getting him out of town? Is this all about the murders?"

"Crane was a puppet, and the Crooked Man worked the strings. This is all about control of Fabletown.”, Bigby said to her. “But then what do prostitutes have to do with it? Lily….and Faith?” Snow asked.

“I don’t know how it all works out yet, but I know it does….somehow.”, Bigby shrugged.

“The Crooked Man…declared war against us last night. I now see this war has been going on for years. We haven’t noticed it, because our way of doing things is broken. We need to do things the right way.”, Snow said.

“What does that mean? The right way?”, Colin asked.

“What do you think I mean?” Snow asked him, now irritated with him.

“I don’t know, but it suspiciously sounds like your way. Bigby and Sonya are the only ones on the front lines. You can’t give them a leash. Especially Bigby. We need him more than ever.”, Colin said.

“A little restraint and thought behind things will never hurt anyone, Colin.”, Snow said.

“Okay, but what is this right way?”, Sonya asked.

“We haven’t been doing a good job. You, Bigby and I. So, starting now….we do everything cut and dried, by the book, straight as an arrow.” Snow said, making Sonya roll her eyes and look out the nearby window. “Pure as driven snow…”, Colin mutters.

“I’m not saying I’m the arbiter of–”

“Sure you’re not.”, Colin huffs.

“This town has enough monsters.”, Snow says, making Sonya’s attention snap toward her. “Are you serious-”

Snow turned to Bigby. “What happened last night….what you turned into, Bigby….it can’t happen again.”, Snow said. “We need monsters to fight monsters.”, Colin remarks.

“Colin, if I really believed that we needed him to lose his flippin’ mind at a moment’s notice….then that would mean I’d lost all faith in our ability to help this town.” Snow said then she turned back to Bigby and said. “Just let that side of you be done, okay?”

“What the hell is wrong with you two?? He’s not a fuckin’ monster!!”, Sonya yelled, getting up. “What the hell would you’ve done if you got shot with buckshots!? Die, right!? Bigby had every right to retaliate the way he did."

She shoved a finger at Snow. "You told us to bring Crane back and that’s what we were trying to do. It's not like anyone from the opposing side got killed. We were the ones that almost died and the thing you point out is whether or not Bigby’s a monster!? You have got to be out of your mind!”

“There are degrees-”, Snow argues. “Degrees?? I only ever do what’s necessary.”, Bigby said. “Really?”, Snow asked in disbelief. She turned to Colin and Sonya. “Do you believe him?”

Sonya and Colin looked at each other before looking at her. “Uh, yeah.”

“Look, you two. I care about how this is done just as much as I care about it getting done.”, Snow said.

“So for that you wanna give them a handicap? Like the bad guys will worry if shit gets sloppy. Everybody wants Bigby to smile and shave and take a shower now and then. Hell, I’m practically the President of the "Bigby, Don’t Be Such A Dick Club", but this is the wrong fucking time to put shackles on him.”, Colin said.

“Thank you.”, Sonya says. “Yeah…thanks, Colin.”, Bigby said, smiling at the pig. Colin gives him a nod before he turns back to Snow. “He and Sonya will get the job done. Just let them do it.”, he said.

“I’m going to– I’m going to let you do it, okay? It’s just that…now that I’m Deputy Mayor, I need your respect from both of you.”, Snow said, turning to Sonya and Bigby. Sonya rolls her eyes, propping her chin in her hand. Snow looks down at Colin and points at him. “And this situation….has to end.”

“What situation?”, Colin asked in irritation.

“All unglamoured Fables, starting today, have to go and stay at The Farm.”, Snow declared. “Oh, give me a fuckin’ break!”, Colin shouts. He turns to Bigby. “Are you gonna let her talk to me like that?”

“No one’s gonna notice a pig walking around. Well-”, Sonya started and shook her head.

“And what if a mundy does see me, huh? I’m a pig, not a mouse with a hat and a cane! They know what a pig is! It’s not the end of the world!”, Colin shouted, angry with Snow.

"Well...they are crazy about animal control...but as long as you're in Fabletown, it shouldn't be a problem.", Sonya says.

“Look, everyone just calm down, alright?”, Bigby said. “I’m perfectly calm.”, Snow said, brushing herself off.

Suddenly, Bigby’s phone rings. “I’m not! Tell me right now, what’s it gonna be, Bigby?”, Colin asked him. Snow goes to answer the phone. "Wolf’s residence.“, Snow said, snarky. "Rude.”, Sonya muttered, making Colin smile.

“Oh, Bufkin, what is it?” Snow asked, catching everyone’s attention. She’s quiet for a moment before she nods again. “Okay, I’ll let him know. Thanks.” She hangs up the phone and turns to face them. “Guess who’s waiting in your office right now?”, she said to Bigby. He shrugs at her.

“Nerissa.”, Snow says. “Nerissa? That broad from the Pudding n’ Pie?”, Colin asked. “Yes. Apparently she told Bufkin that she has something she needs to talk to you about…but she’ll only tell you.”, Snow said. “What do you think that could be?”

“Awww, Bigby’s got an admirer. You always do well with the, uh, disenfranchised. Something about your prickly demeanor attracts them like a moth to a flame.”, Colin said, nodding his head over at Sonya. Bigby rolls his eyes, shaking his head.

“She knows something…she’s helped me a little with the case, maybe she has something else.”, Bigby says.

“We gotta go talk to her then.”, Sonya said, getting up. “I should get back to the Business Office, I’ve left Bufkin alone for too long taking calls.”, Snow said, walking towards the door.

She then turns around to face Sonya. “You might want to look a little more presentable than you look right now.", she says, making Sonya glare at her.

“Ditto.”, Sonya says in irritation. Snow looks between her, Bigby, and Colin. “Consider this discussion tabled, but not over. Let me know when you’re done with Nerissa.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”, Colin rolls his eyes. Snow leaves, leaving the other three annoyed. Sonya growled, her blood boiling as her hair lights up for a moment before she calms down. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up.”

Bigby nods. “Come by my office later then.”

“Yeah, I actually like Nerissa so she’ll be a sight to see.”, Sonya smiles, before waving at the two and heads out.

Bigby smiles and sighs softly. “Hey, you’re not really gonna send me to The Farm, are ya?”, Colin asked him. “I mean…Snow seemed real serious about it. But I can still hang out here…Right?”

“Look, uh, maybe a few will get sent up, but you’re my friend, Colin. I wouldn’t do that to you.”, Bigby said. Colin smiled at him. “Thanks, Bigby.”, Colin said.

Bigby walks out of his apartment and towards his office. Before he could, he held it with his arm and paused to relax a bit. He takes a deep breath before turning to his door and opens it to see Nerissa standing inside of his office.

“Hi, Sheriff.”, Nerissa said, smiling. “Hi, Nerissa.”, Bigby greeted, walking in his office and shuts the door. “Have a seat.” He walks over to his desk and sits in his chair, sighing softly. Nerissa sits in a chair across from him, watching Bigby rub his face in exhaustion.

“I, um….are you okay?”, Nerissa asked nervously. “You didn’t look good last night. I wasn’t sure you’d be….you know, around…if I came by.”

“Let’s just say I’ve been better.”, He says, then coughs. He picks up a pack of his cigarettes and pulls one out with his mouth afterwards and offers his pack to Nerissa. “Huff n’ Puffs?”, she asked, amused. “Not many people smoke those.”

She pulls out her own pack of cigarettes and puts one in her mouth. Bigby lights his cigarette and offers his lighter to light hers. Once he did, she sat back down and took a drag out of her cigarette. “Thanks.” A soft knock raps on the office door, making Nerissa clutch her purse in fear.

“That’s probably Sonya. I forgot to let you know she was coming.”, he says, seeing her visibly relax. He took it as an okay and opened the door to see Sonya rubbing her shoulder. She was dressed in a black, long sleeve turtleneck shirt with red jeans and combat boots.

She smiled at him, sleepily rubbing her eye, “Hey. I’m not late, am I?” He shook his head and let her in. She smiles at Nerissa. “Hey, how’re you feeling?” Nerissa gives her a soft smile. “I’m okay.”

Sonya nods and sits on Bigby’s desk, ignoring his annoyed glare. “So what was that back there with Crane? He wanted you to tell us something. You know it’s not too late to talk.”, Bigby sitting back in his seat. “There’s not a lot I can talk about.”, Nerissa replied.

“So that spell Crane was trying to break….it’s not just while you’re at work, huh?”, Sonya asks, crossing her arms as Nerissa takes a long drag of the cigarette and taps the ashes into the ashtray.

“What I mean is…I don’t want to waste your time. But I don’t want either of you wasting your own time, either.” Nerissa said.

“Back at the dressing room, at the Pudding n’ Pie, I told you what I was looking for. And you found a way to tell me. You sent me to The Open Arms. Maybe that will work again?”, Bigby asked her.

Nerissa looks down then back at both of them. “You can try. I just….go ahead. It…might work.”

“You’re here because the Crooked Man sent Crane to the bottom of our list of worries. And you have something you want to say about that, right?”, Bigby asked.

Nerissa closes her eyes, sighing. “These lips are sealed.” She opened her eyes. “If I could answer you just like that…I wouldn’t have had to make that appointment with you.”

“I guess that makes sense...”, Sonya said, frowning. “Sometimes….we have to find our way through life on our own. Grasping and fumbling in the dark. I…I used to have friends. To help me find my way. But now…they’re gone. And I don’t know what to do.”, Nerissa said, her voice wavering as she smokes her cigarette again.

“Are you trying to say something about Faith and Lily?”, Bigby asked her. “What I’m saying is friends matter. And I…I don’t have any left. So I hope you’re looking after yours.”, Nerissa corrects him as she looks directly at Sonya and Bigby.

“Who are you talking about?”, Bigby asked but she didn't say anything. “Are our friends in danger?”, Sonya asked.

She looks down in sadness. “I’m sorry. I thought I could do this.” She shakes her head. “I need you to know….I want to help, but….but…”

“But your lips are sealed.”, Sonya says, looking down. Nerissa smokes once more. “I’m…sorry if I’m wasting your time. I thought I knew how to say it….”

“Ribbons…”, Bigby said, catching Sonya’s attention. She looked over at Nerissa’s. “Faith wore one, too.”

“Do you like it?”, Nerissa asked as she points at it. “How can I? It’s a tool to keep you stuck in that life. Subservient…”, Bigby says, frowning sadly.

“The ribbons…. That’s why you can’t tell us anything…it’s the ribbon, isn’t it?”, Sonya asks, frowning at it. Bigby puts his cigarette out and walks over to Nerissa.

He raised his hand, making Sonya’s eyes widen at his actions. “You mind if I just…”

Sonya slaps his hand, making him retract it. “The hell was that for!?”, he growled, shaking his hand. Sonya glared at him before glancing at Nerissa’s terrified look and looked back at him.

She pulled his ear, whispering in it. “If you even think about touching it, you’ll lose a hand.” He pulled away, his mouth gaping at her.

She shook her head and looked back at Nerissa. “You don’t have to answer me but I think I understand now. Based off of what we’ve seen...if you take it off…”, Sonya slid finger across her neck.

Nerissa looked down in sadness, giving Sonya a confirmation. Sonya glared at Bigby as he avoided her eyes.

"We’ll fix this.”, he says. Nerissa looks up and smiles at them. They gave her a smile in return and turned their attention to the door, hearing a knock. Nerissa turns, clutching her purse in fear. “If anyone finds out I came here…”

“That’s probably Snow.”, Bigby said, making Sonya roll her eyes. He goes to the door. “Listen…Sheriff…Deputy.” Nerissa said, making them turn to face her. “Can you two keep this conversation between us? I could be in a lot of trouble. I shouldn’t even be talking to you guys.”, she said. “We won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”, Bigby says. “Thank you.” Nerissa said, smiling.

“Sorry, I just need to talk to the Sheriff and Deputy for a moment. Please excuse us.”, Snow said as Nerissa nods. Sonya sighed, rolling her eyes and getting off the desk.

Sonya and Bigby turn to Snow. “I might have a new lead for you, but I don’t know how solid it is. Beauty and Beast called the office just now. They said they wanted to talk to you about something. I wonder if they’ve heard about Crane….”, Snow informs.

“Thank you for listening, Sheriff and Deputy. You two should go on to your next business. I don’t think you’ll be wasting your time.”, Nerissa suddenly says and rushes out. “Uh, wait, you don’t have to go…” Snow said, but Nerissa ignored her, walking away.

“Welp,” Sonya says, popping the p. “There goes that.”

“That was….abrupt.”, Snow said, confused. “It’s…one way to send a message.”, Bigby mutters as he goes over to his desk. Sonya leaned on the wall. “What did she tell you?” Snow asked you and Bigby. “I didn’t mean to rush her out.”

“We handled it.”, Sonya says, “We came to an understanding.” Snow frowned at her. Bigby rubs his temples with one hand. “We got it, Snow. I think she knows we’re on the right path.”

“Okay, then. Good work.” Snow said, pulling at her shirt. Bigby picks up his pack of cigarettes out of his desk, pulls another one cigarette out and lights it.

“So, about Beauty and Beast. Do you think there’s something to it? Is this the right place to look? What could they know about the Crooked Man?”, Snow asked. “That’s what Nerissa was doing. Telling us to go there. I think she made it as clear as she could have.”, Bigby said and Snow nods.

The three of them walk out of his office as Snow speaks up. “You know, Beauty came to me a while back….she was looking for…financial assistance. I told her there was nothing I could do, and…and she said that meant she’d have to go somewhere else.”

The three walk over to the elevator. “Guys, you don’t think she meant that she was going to go to the Crooked Man, do you?”, Snow asked nervously. “Its a possibility.”, Sonya says.

“Well, at the Tweedles, I did find a file with her name on it, along with a list of how much money she owes him.”, Bigby informed.

Snow’s eyes widened. “We need to solve this before something else happens. Who knows what….” The elevator doors open, letting Bigby and Sonya enter as Snow stays out. “I have….other matters to attend to.”

The doors closed leaving Bigby and Sonya in silence. For a moment, Sonya closes her eyes as she leaned on the elevator walls.

"Tired?", Bigby asked, making her open her eyes. "A little...", she says, as the doors open. They walk out, heading to the apartment.

"Y'know...when I passed out, I think that was the most peaceful sleep I've gotten in a while.", she chuckles. Bigby makes a small grunt. "You do know you can take a break right?"

Sonya frowned and pointed at him in warning. "Don't start." He held his hands up in mock surrender.

[thaumatology]

Crossroads Not Required.

Colin lets out a low breath as he kneels on the floor of his basement. The last half-hour has been spent in preparation; the circle is meticulously drawn, with 8 candles placed equidistant around its rim (this last bit is not strictly necessary from a magical standpoint, but his informant is a bit of a traditionalist) Hopefully within a few minutes he'll have an answer about the unidentified magic on Mr. Sokolovski's corpse.

He closes his eyes and concentrates, letting his power flow through the chalk lines. The scent of ozone fills the room, and after a few seconds something begins to form in the air above the circle.

It starts out as a shapeless, barely visible mass of un-matter, but quickly coalesces into the shape of a small creature, mixing the body plan of a monkey, the head of a goat, and the chitin of some sort of arthropod. As its features finish solidifying it adjusts a small pair of glasses covering two of its three eyes, and contorts its mouth into an expression that could possibly pass for a smile.

"Ah, Mister Ward. A pleasure as always."

Colin gives the demon a slight nod of acknowledgement, reaching into his coat pocket to retrieve the tissue sample he took at the coroners office.

"You too Maron. I've got something I need you to-"

"Ah! payment first." Maron chides, wagging a finger.

"-Right."

Colin grimaces slightly and raises his hand to the edge of the circle, just short of crossing over it. He draws deep on his reserve of magical power, letting it flow out of him and across the invisible barrier to the interior of the circle. The demon closes its eyes and breaths in deeply, as if sucking the power out of the air, then relaxes with a contented sigh.

"Ahhhhh, there we go. Now, where were we?"

"I need you to identify some residual magic for me. I cant get a bead on it."

Colin pulls out the sample bag again and tosses it into the circle, causing a tiny flicker of light as it passes over the chalk lines. Maron catches it deftly with the hand on the end of its tail.

"Ignore the koldunic wards, its underneath them."

The demon raises the bag and examines it quizzically, adjusting its glasses again, then lets out a low hiss, holding the bag away from its body as if it contains something disgusting.

"Where exactly did you say you got this?"

"I hadn't yet. I picked it up off a corpse sitting in the county morgue about an hour ago, why?"

"its faint, under the other magical interference, but I would recognize the stink of an Angel anywhere.

[bendingthelaws]

4

Everyone meets up before heading into the courthouse...

Hitting the button on his key fob to lock his truck, Kase headed towards the building the DA’s office was in.  He had a knot building in his stomach and a tick in his jaw.  Calls that had his Captain already steaming on a Monday morning were nothing he wanted anything to do with.  The fact that he’d been asked for by name made him nervous.  He’d talked to Colin on Friday and all had been Kosher.  What could have happened to cause the DA to have ready the Captain the riot act already?

At the end of the row he stopped as Declan jogged up from where he’d parked his SUV.  They’d driven separately.  Who knew what the day was going to hold and sometimes it was better to have more than one vehicle.  Kept from having to backtrack too much.  Something told Karsten that this might be a day where playing it safe was going to keep him from losing his damn mind.

“Ready, bro?” Declan asked as he pocketed his own set of keys and jerked his head in the direction they needed to go.

“Is anyone EVER ready to face Masterson first thing in the morning when he’s on the warpath?” Karsten’s brows rose and he gave his partner a pointed look, with just a tinge of amusement at the edges.  They both knew the answer to that question, and neither one had to say it.

They had just stepped out into the sunlight from the parking garage when Karsten’s phone dinged a text.  Great!  He was almost afraid to look; the way the morning started, it was most likely more bad news.  The name that was on his lock screen almost confirmed it and he sighed, showing it to Declan.  Fuck him sideways, nothing about this day was going right.

Kase and Spencer were good friends, but the AME (Assistant Medical Examiner) texting him before 9am on a Monday was about as welcome as his boss screaming at him first thing.  Since one had already happened to him, this new development being tied to it was almost assured to it.  That meant that his day was going to rate right up there with being shot, again. 

“You going to open it and see how fucked we are?” Declan asked, chuckling.  He felt the same way Karsten did.

Karsten chuckled and had them change direction after he read the text though. Spencer and his boss were on their way.  Couldn’t meet the hot doc first thing in the morning and not have coffee for her.  He’d like to think he was now her favorite cop, and he intended to keep it that way. *****

-Back on the Dan Ryan-

Spencer had given Karsten a heads up that they were on the way, knowing the guy wanted to impress the boss.  Her last guy had been a cop as well, but a total douche bag.  While the explanation had been that he’d gone undercover on a case for another department, Spencer had heard otherwise and he decided to keep that information to himself.  None of the other cops in the department talked about it either, but they also didn’t talk about him in the friendliest of terms, which said a lot.  Kase was a good guy though, so if he could give him a way to earn a couple extra brownie points, he would.   Happy Serena meant a happy morgue, if a morgue can ever really be considered happy.  He’d also filled him in on what Rena had told him about what was going on at Colin’s office.  Seemed like it was news to both Karsten and Declan, since he’d ended up on speaker phone talking to them.  

 Now all he had to do was get out of his blasted traffic so he could make it to the DA’s office before noon. This was an all hands on deck situation and he was one of those hands.  If they had to wait on him, nothing would start. Then he was sure that Colin was going to have a stroke.  He wondered if Kase could get him one of those nifty lights to go on the top of his car for these kinds of situations, or if he’d get a ticket for driving on the shoulder.  

***

-Between the Morgue & the Courthouse-

Spencer wasn’t the only one having problems navigating traffic.  Of course things had to happen during rush hour.  It wasn’t like they could wait and happen after everyone else was already at work.  That would be too easy.  After she had talked to Spencer, she called Colin and spoke with him again regarding her current traffic situation.  She also updated him on where Spencer was.  He let her know Karsten and Declan would be joining them, so they were probably having similar issues.

As luck would have it, Serena ended up parking directly behind Karsten’s truck once she had made it to the courthouse parking garage.  She’d known he was going to be there, but seeing the truck made her smile as she headed to the stairs down to the ground level with her evidence collection kit slung over her shoulder.  She’d been told to make it not obvious why she was there, so she’d driven her personal vehicle, but she had a job to do.  They were just going to have to deal with it being a little obvious.  She could have driven the Medical Examiner’s van up to the front doors, so there was that.

As she headed towards the main door of the building, she caught sight of a familiar and friendly face: Karsten. Just over his shoulder was Declan, so she raised one hand and waived at both of them. Both men were carrying two coffees and she could make a bet she knew which one was for her.  Smart men, those at the morgue were always open for bribery with coffee

“Trying to get on my good side Kase?” She teased as he handed over a nice large to-go cup to her, confirming her suspicion. “Now, Doc, do you think that either of us would do a thing like that?”  Karsten teased back, he and Declan leaning their heads towards one another and giving her their best innocent school boy smiles.

“We just figured that we could all use some liquid sanity before we headed up to the dragon’s lair.” Declan added in, calling Colin’s office by its nickname.

“I think we all need extra sanity if what he’s saying is true.” Serena let out a deep sigh and then took her first tentative sip from her cup.  It was hot, it was strong, and it spoke to her soul.  She needed something to prepare her for what was to come.  Almost a decade in the Medical Examiner’s office and she still wasn’t truly accustomed to the gruesome one’s still.  What humans could do to one another never stopped bothering her.  Her mentor had said when it did was when she needed to retire, and she did believe that was true in many respects.

The three of them were still standing there when Spencer pulled into the parking garage and lightly jogged out to join them.  He had been afraid he was going to miss them and they’d already be up in Colin’s office.  He was thankful they weren’t.  With what he’d heard, he was sure that would mean the dragon would be breathing fire.

“Trying to get started without me, boss?”  He teased her and looked over at Karsten  with a knowing expression and a wink.  The cop was wearing a Cheshire Cat grin on his face, hardly appropriate for the setting.  Spencer had a feeling that it had more to do with him standing next to Serena than anything else.  At least they were going in with smiles, he doubted that they’d be coming out with them.

“Here kid, might as well drink up too, none of us are going to get much sleep tonight I have a feeling.” Declan handed over the extra cup he was holding with a raise of his chin.  Spencer nodded a thanks as the four of them looked towards the front door of the building.  All of them felt the same sense of dread now.  It was time to go inside and face what had been left.  They’d much rather have the intern back than keep getting these damn gifts.

[detective-with-one-arm]

Fascination - @unstable-androids w/ Colin Archer (RK800-60)

She did not think she’d be here. There were a lot of things she didn’t think would happen. Never once did she think that Colin Archer, a medical examiner and RK800 like Connor, would pull her into a closet for a quick session of intercourse.

She also didn’t expect to accept his offer and then be plagued by thoughts of him nearly every waking moment ever since. But he fascinated her. He fascinated her even before this, but it was more of a morbid curiosity than anything else. But now, he’d consumed her. He consumed her every thought and she had no choice but to act on it.

Which brought the detective here to the forensics lab and the morgue. An environment that was morbidly fascinating all on its own, but the red-haired android was where all of Rachel’s attention was being afforded right now.

And right now, there was only one thing on her mind. Well, okay, there were several things. Namely the phantom sensations of his body pressed against her and caging her and his hands all over her and his lips all over her neck that made her skin shudder at the sight of him in such an addicting way. He was right. That one moment was like an aphrodisiac they shared.

Tepidly stepping into the lab, she cleared her throat. “Doctor Archer?” She beckoned from the doorway into the lab.

[pulaasul]

Ode to the Departed

An Ode to the Characters who died in the Harry Potter series of books.

FFN I AO3

--------

Ode to the Departed.

Colin Creevey

Colin Creevey was a young wizard, Who trained at Hogwarts. He was an excited fellow, Exuberance you cannot mellow. Magic brought him joy, Even more than a toy. When his home away from home was attacked, He left the comforts of his family and came back. He took the risks that returning entailed, It didn't matter if he failed. As long as his training was repaid. Even if he became pale. His debt to his hero was paid.

Cedric Diggory

Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff, The glory he sought was rough. It wasn't for self-satisfaction, Rather, it was for his faction. To dispel the nasty names that took root, As loyalty was his boot. The glory he sought was in his hands, But a traitorous rat had other plans. To Dumbledore's army that didn't matter He was an inspiration for others, His path may have strayed to the Dark Lord's But as a Hufflepuff, he never left Harry alone.

Fred Weasley

Prankster, Jokster, Charming are some things to describe, This particular bloke, those who knew him subscribe. Fred Weasley was one of a kind, Even if he did things with his twin by his side. His last action however wasn't with his twin, But with his estranged brother, they took a win, The price of victory however Would take root forever A set of twins was subtracted by one But his smiles were always fond.

Severus Snape

Spite and Bitterness were the things that pushed him to join the Dark Lord, One declaration later, he had to cut the cord. Severus Snape was Dumbledore's spy, In a wizarding world that's full of lies. To protect he had to sneer, While doing his side job without fear, It did help that the one he protected, Was the son of a man he hated. Even if he was also the son of the woman he loved. In the end it didn't matter, For the boy would soon after, Win the war with his sacrifice, And survive the curse twice.

Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin was afraid of many things. The full moon, family and friends. He feared that all his relationships would end. If people knew of his affliction, He knew they would leave without condition. Some of his fears were unfounded, As he found himself supported, By friends dearly beloved, And a wife that loved him dearly. He left behind a son, A son who would understand That they fought to protect his future And time would be his suture. Lupin's fears stem From Things out of his control He soon found that they were unfounded And found himself beloved.

Hedwig

A loyal companion to the very end, Who's job was to deliver mail She went beyond the call of duty And protected her owner, truly She was born to soar and deliver And died as a protector.

Albus Dumbledore

Wisdom in spades Intentions in shades. Greater good was his mantra It was one of his centra. Albus Dumbledore was a Headmaster Also the Elder Wand's master He acted as a mentor and confidant, This gained him a lot of covenants. He founded the Order of the Phoenix, To combat the ever changing helix. The Dark Lord has introduced, Philosophies he induced, That lead to a war that reduced. In the end, Dumbledore's intentions were pure, That, all of us are sure Questionable, his actions maybe, It couldn't be denied that he wanted this war to cease and for everyone to live in peace.

Nymphadora Tonks

Cheery, clumsy, snarky and a bit zany That's what Nymphadora Tonks was to many Sweet, Loving and Caring, She was to Remus Lupin after marrying. She hated her given name with a passion, She'd hex even in the middle of action, If you're caught referring to her name You'd best apologize before you go in flames. She left behind a son, Who, no doubt, she'd love, She fought for his future, So he may prosper, Without a Dark Lord looming over. Tonks fought for love and peace, Something the Dark Lord doesn't have a piece, It didn't matter that she and Lupin left him, Because she knew others will love him for them.

Sirius Black

Sirius Black was always Sirius. As a Maruder, he was always not serious. Easy going, and a joker. That's what he and the marauders were after. Everything changed when his best friends were killed, A treacherous rat forced him a cell to fill. A simple explosion seemed to fit the bill. Transfiguring himself to escape, The dementor-filled hellscape. Once escaped however He took a vow forever, Be there for his godson Like how his best friend's parents treated him as a son. He once had other plans, To fillet the rat in a pan If not for his godson's nobility He'd have truly been a murderer in reality.

Ted Tonks

Ted Tonks was Eden's apple, To a family of pure-blooded people. He was a good father and husband, Even when his wife's family acted like a baboon band. And agreed with the unfortunate name of his daughter. As he was on the run, Due to the propaganda, Introduced by Voldemort. He protected a child, From the Dark Lord. A muggle-born he may be, A decent man is all you can see. Loving as a family man Hero to everyone.

Regulus Black

A boy strayed by family and prejudice, Following the family's tradition and malice. Served dutifully as the Dark Lord's vassal, Until something happened that he cancelled. Discovered how atrocious the Dark Lord at the crux, The making of the darkest artifact – a horcrux. He recovered the artifact, replaced it as a matter of fact, Rebelling against the Voldemort He didn't even end up in a morgue. Killed for his defiance, But gave everyone a chance.

Dobby.

A house elf who only wanted to protect Harry Potter from a threat that was erected He offered protection in the most roundabout way, Aiming to steal, injure and maim just to get his way. While the life threatening situations were unwarranted, The intention of those actions were appreciated. It got him freed from his master, Making him a free house elf, offering help faster. As his own master, he aided his friend Which ultimately got him to his end To escape captivity From Voldemort's activity.

Amelia Bones.

Fair, Just and Uncompromising This Department head was promising Law Enforcement was her game Bribery and Trickery was her bane. Amelia Bones was an amazing Department Head. She's what Dark Witches and Wizards dread. One of the many reasons why she was among the first To be killed in the Dark Lord's Immortality thirst. Murdered, she may be Among the first casualties we see But she was among who the Dark Lord feared The threat she posed would put a stop to all his dreams, he supposed. Hence she was opposed and killed in her home.

Dennis Creevey

Excitement and Joy You'd think he received a toy. His first bout of adventure Was meeting a deep water creature That was even before he was sorted To brave Gryffindors where his brother was first posted. Dennis Creevey was a lot like his brother Excited with magic all over Not all is what it seems however As magic also dimmed his life forever He sneaked into the battle Despite the teachers' prattle He fought alongside his brother Protected some others When he saw his brother's corpse lay Was when the floor gave way Fallen to pits unknown His body nowhere known.

Alastor Moody

Stared at the darkness more than once or twice Paranoia has become his vice. "Constant Vigilance" was his motto, It saved his life and others thereto. He died during the battle of the seven Potters, Escorting someone polyjuiced as Harry Potter, Despite the boy's utter disapproval of the plan. Mad-Eye, he was known to everyone who knew him Without him, the world would have been a lot more dim. There was a time his motto worked to his detriment When the Dark Lord ordered one to impersonate him His imposter copied him to great effect Even jumpstarted the Dark Lord's return, unchecked. By making sure Harry Potter's name was ejected, From the Goblet of Fire – An ancient object.

Others

Casualties were many during the wars Many of whom were innocent by far. No idea of the war they were involved in Ignorant of the ideals against them. Some died as heroes who protected, The people who were neglected. Muggles who gained the Dark Lord's ire Ignited the heroes' protective fire. Fighting what they think was right In protection of others, with might. Others who had a greater sense of self-preservation, Something that Gryffindors need to be taught with vocation Died on the run, hoping to outrun the Death Eaters Even if the circumstances were worse than any eaters. Others died after defecting Hoping to escape the inevitable ejecting. Alas they failed But their sacrifices has derailed The Dark Lord's plan from fruition Even if they were without recognition. And others may view it as dying in cowardice Worse than dying with avarice. I will say this in explicit No one really wins in wars Both sides lose so far Both sides suffer casualties Both sides suffer injuries This is for the Departed For all factions that interacted Voldemort's, Grindelwald's, Dumbledore's Hoping that future generations learn From mistakes we earned. For the departed May your lessons that have imparted Would bring us to a bright and hopeful future And in time heal our sutures.