#I'm almost done with Samantha's collection

[no-one-picked-maris]

Why I Think They Won't Re-Release Felicity (in any meaningful capacity)

Felicity's stories are very white and protestant in a very alienating way - and I say this as someone who related to her as a child. She's literally a member of the gentry, she's Samantha of the 18th century.

Fun Fact: In the earliest editions of Meet Felicity, rather than referring to Jiggy Nye's language as "not proper", it's referred to as "sinful". Felicity is also chided with reminding her that disobeying one's parent's is a sin. Oh, and this change:

Nan: "Then Mr. Nye called the horse a nag, and he said the devil could have it. And he said he would skin us alive if we ever came back!”

Nan: "Then Mr. Nye called the horse a nag, and he said anyone could take it if they could ride it. And he said he would skin us alive if we ever came back!”

Her hornbook:

(and the parentification)

Felicity and Kirsten share a very similar problem in the way they present history, they are literally the mascots for sanitized white people history. There are no black people in Kirsten's stories. Kirsten is literally Manifest Destiny: the Doll.

There's only one free man in Felicity's stories, Issac. Rose and Marcus are slaves. King's Creek is a plantation, a plantation left to Mother and the children when Grandfather dies (he knew they "loved it so.") Felicity is a slaveowner.

She's not reading Thomas Paine there guys.

I haven't read Felicity's Beforever series. I know they're abridged, and I know they didn't substantially change them. Felicity's relationship with her Grandfather, and his subsequent death, are integral to the series.

How do her central series present her slaveownership? It was ignored as some sort of background consequence of her possession of King's Creek. Like it's just a fact of life, with no need to remark upon it.

okay, and:

Felicity was the worst selling light skinned doll in the collection. Even worse than Kirsten whose sales got cannibalized by Kit after 2000.

I'm not sure if there's a consensus on why Felicity sold so poorly. Red hair, a dainty collection, not girly enough? Her class contemporary, Samantha, is widely agreed to be one of the most popular historical dolls AG released. So it's not class consciousness.

Both don't follow the rules of the time (being a tomboy, befriending people outside her class status):

Felicity only got a movie because Julia Roberts loved her.

Kirsten: Little House on the Prairie and All American History. This is the time of the Oregon Trail Game, after all. I lived on pioneer stories when I was little (1990s).

Samantha: Romanticized "victorian" era things were popular, and her clothing is pretty 1980s inspired. Look at it.

Molly: The Grandmothers' generation.

Is it Felicity's mob caps? She was the horse girl, and that wasn't enough. Was she frumpy, with her gowns rather than dresses? Her schooling - it's unrelatable. She's learning etiquette with Miss Manderly rather than struggling with Miss Campbell's times tables:

Her daddy owning a fucking general store and being prominent enough to provoke a reaction with his refusal to sell tea?

Her Beforever release was out for 2 years, releasing during the 2017 Doll Deluge or whatever we call it. She was gone by 2019. She got a doll, accessories, and undergarments. At least the latter were more period accurate.

you have to keep your trademark active.

Kirsten's unpopularity prior to archival is easily explained by the release of Kit, the decreasing popularity of pioneer stories, and the changing times.

Felicity was never popular at the outset.

Why?

Felicity's 35th Anniversary Edition was the first to sell out, but that can mean a lot of things. AG doesn't realize sales figures and stock figures. Selling out of 2,500 Felicity is relative to selling out of, say, 10,000 Samantha. Businesses order stock based on projected sales. I'd argue, without the benefit of the full statistical picture, that Felicity collectors are a small and passionate group.

They removed Felicity from catalogs in 2001, making her an online exclusive. Did sixty somethings use the internet at the turn of the century? Mine didn't! She wasn't worth the catalog space a year after American Girl was sold to Mattel. Pleasant was inspired by colonial Williamsburg to create AG. She wasn't enough to gamble a new doll line on. She had to wait until they had some footing. I'd argue Pleasant always knew Felicity would be a poor seller.

When Felicity was removed, I got Kit. She was my next favorite after Felicity and I related to her as a small child, too.

Which reminds me, Kit is responsible for a lot in the AG Historical Collection:

She was another blonde haired blue eyed doll, but with a more relatable collection, and easier to deal with hair:

Ta dah ^

I think Kit also a soft relaunch of Felicity:

In photos and brief:

wearing boys' clothing

close with their fathers

tomboys: with felicity being interested in footraces and racehorses, and kit being a newshound, lacking patience for Ruthie's princess stories (at first).

Kit was like a two-for-one special. I'd really like to see her sales stats compared to Felicity and Kirsten.

[randomfoggytiger]

"Let people send you an emoji of their choice and you’ll reply with telling them your favorite fic that they have written"

🫣

Hit me with your best shot. The ego has landed.

Thank you for dropping in~. And hope this gives your ego a boost. ;)))

Okay, this will be long, too; so, I'm going to include a "below the cut" section-- how the tables have turned.

Specific Fics

Picking my tip-top from my collection of your links, I have to select BATB as well as X-Files-- can't leave it behind.

Light Don't Sleep: Gorgeous. I know I'm prejudiced as a S8 viewer (though it's a love-hate relationship, but still...) and I know your canon ends at Requiem; but WOW, wow wow wow. I love every aspect of this piece: slowly coming back together, Mulder warming to his new role, opening up about some abduction memories as well as his grandparents and the nightlight, "I'll be here" and then ditching to the living room and turning on his thinking music, just... just so many things. I adore it, have reread it, will continue to reread it into infinity.

Anchored/Anchored: Gorgeous piece of work. This moment between them is beautifully done: not overly saccharine or morose, weighted and realistic and true. It's so good I'm going to do a reread after I finish this ask. ;)))

Quonochontaug/tumblr: One of my favorite niches is Mulder (and Scully) spending time at Teena's house-- and this is the toppest of tiers. His memories and the resolution and the waitress... it tugs at my heartstrings in a "cleanse away the bitter" way.

The Sticking Place and The Possibility of Being: I won't even attempt to separate these two because they are inseparable. These stories are incredible to me, not only because you write the characters to a T and build a railroad on top of the tracks S3 laid down, but also because-- for lack of a better word-- I got to see you in your work. Having read hundreds, thousands of fics, it became a point of interest to shave away the fandom and get to the voice of the author. I read your x-files fics first (and I treasure them, of course); but it wasn't until I started reading The Sticking Place that I realized THIS is amplifyme-- it clicked together all your turns of phrases and your MSR angles and the twists and turns you took in your x-files fics. I can't describe it any other way than when I turn back the clock and read some of my older (offline) fandom work: you click into that world, that place. You belong there. And no wonder-- that was your fandom before The X-Files even existed. It's a piece of you I'm honored to have seen.

Singular Moments that Stand Out in My Mind

Whenever I think of your work, these moments immediately pop up:

Mulder and Scully dancing under the lights until she's triggered in an abduction flashback.

Mulder laminating and keeping Scully's DOD number.

Scully and Mulder celebrating New Years on a stakeout, S8 not included~.

Mulder telling Scully he hid her cure in his Jersey Devil scar.

Post Redux II Scully being the glue that keeps Mulder from shattering about Samantha.

Maggie made Mulder pie and Scully is almost jealous about it.

Vincent confronting the shooter in The Sticking Place, Father and the community hailing Vincent a hero (to his anguish), and Cullen thinking differently.

Diana and Father's conversations, Vincent and Father's conversations: there are too many masterful moments to name one.

Your descriptions of Vincent's rich internal world mapping onto the world Below and Above.

And I'm not joking when I mean the below:

Every. single. thing. about Light Don't Sleep (but particularly the details mentioned above, as well as the head-to-toe cradling, and these lines: "I believe you," he said. "I just want to know that everything is going to be all right. I need to know that."/She pulled his hand up and kissed the knuckles. "It'll be as right as we can make it. And I think we've got a very good start." She held his hand to her cheek and blinked against the tears gathering in her eyes. His vulnerability could rip her heart out faster than anything else. She felt his chest swell against her back as he took in a deep breath./"Ah, Scully," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "We got our miracle, didn't we?")

Every. single. thing. about The Possibility of Being: this is one of those fics that is perfect for a reread; and, if one doesn't have the time, then for imperative, selective rereading. I shall be doing both countless times.

A Farewell

Again, thanks for dropping in! And I hope this satisfied~. :DDDD

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[echo-three-one]

Run run run....

Table of Contents

Previous Chapter : Going Dark - Part 1

Chapter 23 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

Going Dark - Part 2

John "Soap" MacTavish

London, United Kingdom

Soap never knew that the bloody guy would pull that trick off his sleeve. He's been sick of the same ringing he first experienced when they went out with Francine.

So he did what he could and quickly got up to his feet as soon as he saw Alex attempt to halt the hostage on his tracks. That bastard's going to pay for stomping on Alex like that.

With comms down once again, he had to act fast, stomping down the stairs, never leaving sight of the runner. He could sense someone following him and assumed it's any of Roach, Price or Jack. And it looked like Ghost caught wind of what happened too.

"Oi! Let's flank him!" Soap roared across the empty streets as Ghost and Roach split ways and ran toward their target.

They're not kidding when they said the Shadow Company is at par with the 141, the guy ran like a horse which Soap never expected from his build. He could see Ghost and Roach sprinting from his sides, one wrong turn and he's done for, but he still had one last trick. 

He raced to the emergency stairs as his heavy feet clanged against the metal. Soap followed, optimizing the steps on edges to gain on him. Going up the rooftops was his biggest mistake.

"Bollocks, he's still running!" he announced as he felt his ears crackling. 

"Well…. st….by…. do….airs.." His earpiece crackled through the static. It's recovering but they're already far off MacMillan's truck where their line connected.

He leaped. Soap almost stopped in his tracks as the runner courageously leapt across the huge gap and rolled on to the next building. He braced himself and continued dashing across the roof and did a mighty leap, his arms circled like he was swimming and he carefully placed his feet to perform a proper land and rolled.

That's going to hurt as soon as the adrenaline fades, but he quickly got up and made use of his remaining burst of energy. 

The runner stopped in his tracks as soon as Roach emerged from the opposite fire escape, raising a pistol pointed straight at him as he raised his hand in surrender.

"Nowhere to run now." Roach said, cautiously walking near him. He's aware that his phone is still inside his pocket and that they had no idea when it'll go off again.

He didn't talk, but he looked panicked. He was sweating all over and his face was beyond recognizable. It looked like he's out of options.

"Tell us Where Shepherd is…" Gary pointed the loaded gun on his head, the desperation in Gary's eyes were obvious.

"There's an abandoned plane graveyard near Afghanistan…" he whimpered. His voice was shaky enough to warrant the truth.

"What's he doing there?" Soap added.

"He's trading the blueprints for the I.P. Address… Please that's all I know" he begged and they quickly left the place, walking back to MacMillan's car.

"You got something?" Ghost asked as soon as Roach's feet landed on the dark alley.

"A place. In Afghanistan." Roach answered.

"And he also had the I.P. Address.." Soap added.

"But that's impossible… didn't Samantha already forget about it?" Ghost asked but there was a quiet pause. Their brains almost looked like working together.

"Holy Crap." Roach finally broke the silence.

And from that moment they realized the other reason behind Samantha's memory returning. One way or another, her memories were once again toyed with.

~

"So how was it?" Price asked the team that ran off to chase the runner.

"We got an address. An abandoned plane yard in Afghanistan." Roach replied. Soap turned to Alex as he sat at the back of the jeep tending to his wound. 

"You okay mate?" he asked walking close to his ally, who was wincing in pain.

"The guy's boots are heavy." He chuckled and so did Soap.

"Listen, Alex. We heard that Shepherd has the I P. address, did Samantha tell you anything about remembering it?" Soap asked as the whole team fell silent and turned to the two.

"Not really. What's bothered me is that she remembers everything except after when Shepherd explained his plans to her… Could it be that…" Alex trailed.

"She remembered because they undid their operation on her…" Jack continued. The whole group stood in silence. 

Price's phone rang and delivered them with more bad news. It looked like while chasing the runner, Shepherd had caught wind of their activity and had some of London police scour the nearby streets for them.

"Da, It's time to go, my comrades." Nikolai announced as soon as Price relayed the message. Their ride home was compromised.

"Where to?" He asked.

"I know a place." Soap said.

TRAIN STATION

It looked like Soap's hunch was right. None of the people onboard to Scotland mind about the faces of the fugitives flashed on the news recently. 

Their day packs had reserved clothes and they opted to change to something more civilian. Soap could smell the fabric conditioner France used to wash his newly bought clothes and couldn't help but miss her. If they weren't on a rush, Soap could've topped up for international calls.

"How long is this trip? 7 hours?" Price asked a civilian with surprised expressions.

"Wow. It's like a plane ride, but I'm still in the same country!" Jack cackled at the idea. He does have a different sense of humor. Just as Alex described him.

The rest of the team took this time to rest, they sat on the emptiest part of the train, away from the people that might recognize them and report their presence.

"I've contacted Samantha. It looks like they're having a small problem over there." Alex said.

"Someone saw one of us fugitives and tried to get inside the house to claim his bounty. At first they just talked him off but he's persistent now. So they decided to fly to our location and regroup there. And Soap, where exactly are we going?" Alex asked. Soap took a careful look around his team and felt nervous about his decision.

"Our old house. In Scotland. It's far off civilization. I think no one would look for us there." he muttered, gaining a nod from Price and Jack. Soap sighed in relief as soon as they thought of it as a good idea. Roach actually felt excited despite having to go there by train for seven hours. He immediately made that decision a few minutes ago without anyone's approval, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Hey, you three… Thanks for chasing that runner while we were out. Go catch some sleep. We'll watch over this train. It's going to be a long trip." Price nudged and Jack nodded. Soap gave a pair of earbuds to Price, the old man immediately looked at him with question.

"What's this? A hearing aid?" Price asked.

"Our runner wore that so it might be the reason he wasn't affected by his own blast." He muttered before crossing his arms.

"Thanks, mate. I'll let someone have a look at this." Price nodded and Jack immediately inserted with a suggestion.

"I know someone near Glasgow. A close friend of mine." 

"That's great. He's closer." Price agreed and Soap slowly drifted himself asleep, trying to rest his tired legs all while also trying not to worry about Francine.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

The never shifting scenery of the road home sent John MacTavish into a little nostalgia trip. The sound of trains screeching across the station reminded him of so many things from the past.  The road they're walking along now was the same road he's walked on everyday of his life, and now after a lot of years, he can't believe he's back.

"I don't see anything nearby,  are you sure we're not lost Soap?" Roach asked.

"We aren't. The house is just obstructed by the trees. They've grown taller since I last left." he replied enthusiastically. He looked obviously excited to see his home.

As soon as they reached the short curve, a huge cream-painted house greeted them from the distance. He could hear Alex and Roach's collective oohs and aahs every step they took closer.

"When you said old, I was really expecting it to be abandoned." Roach mused.

"It is, actually. My parents are off… somewhere else." he replied leading the way inside the house. The pool was already dirty and most weeds already outgrew the fences.

Soap pushed the huge wooden double door open and was greeted by the same visage of their entrance way back when he was a kid. Same pictures hung on the walls of his adventures as a kid up to the recent photo of his graduation. His mom was always proud of him no matter what, but he couldn't forget the way she looked at him once he chose to enlist to the riskiest job ever.

The rest of the team helped themselves to discovering the inside of the house, looking at photos, sitting on the couches and grabbing a glass of water. Soap quickly gave them a tour of the house and that they're free to pick a guest room of their choice. It was appropriate that they'd feel comfortable after a tough day.

"Nice place you got here, comrade. Why'd you give this all up for a life that's always hanging on the ledge?" Nikolai asked, tapping his shoulder. 

"I don't even know." he muttered and Nikolai chuckled, making his way to the living room. The team was quick to adapt to the place. Roach and Ghost already chose their rooms and he assumed they already attempted to recover while the three older men gathered around the television and watched the news. Alex was by the telephone, probably contacting Samantha. He wanted to check on France himself, so he planned to go to his room and make a call.

"The New York attack stopped." Price discussed with Nikolai and Jack, the three began speculating about a lot of things. Soap would love to join in the conversation but he decided to update on Francine first.

His room looked the same as when he left, the same shade of blue wallpaper, the same color sheets that were changed weekly and the same things on top of his bedside drawer.

Dialing her number, which he subconsciously memorized, he immediately placed the receiver on his ear and anxiously waited for her to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" her voice sounded different over the phone, but it still sent shivers across his spine as soon as he heard it.

"Hey. It's me." he replied.

"Angelo?" she asked, her voice almost sounded like she's fighting herself not to laugh.

"It's John." 

"I know, silly. Who would mistake you for anyone else with that accent." she retorted.

"Do ya like it?" he teased, making sure he emphasized his Scottish accent well.

"Why'd you call?" She changed the topic. She wasn't budging on his teasing, but he knew she's already blushing on the other side of the line.

"Did Price give you the landing coordinates?" he asked.

"Yeah. Maxine looked it up on the map. It looks like a shady house in the middle of nowhere. Who are you?" she joked.

"Great. I'll see you here. I-" he hesitated. He wanted to tell her how much he misses her. But even with his oozing confidence, he felt like chickening out this time.

"Yeah. We're on our way. Take care out there John." She said and dropped the call. Soap sighed and plopped himself on his bed, deeply sighing at his actions. This girl was making him crazy… and the funny thing is he's all fine with it.

Next Chapter : Going Dark - Part 3

Notification Squad my Beloved

@smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @enderio @beemybee @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

Click HERE to read more LGBTQ stories TODAY!

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima.  

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield. 

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being. 

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker. 

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit. 

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building. 

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home. 

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle.  

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested. 

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh. 

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft. 

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen.  

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha. 

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple of drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking. 

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more.  

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship. 

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now. 

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen. 

“Ahh shit.” She said. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call. 

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful. 

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted.  

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to. 

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said. 

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up.  

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment. 

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella.  

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked. 

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain. 

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall. 

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue.  

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket. 

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart. 

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t. 

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted. 

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least. 

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission.  

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating. 

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love. 

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis.  

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s. 

“We should talk.” Sam said. 

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.”  

Raven said, shaking her head.  

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later. 

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed.  

Soon, clothes began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs.  

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day.  

[the-royal-blue-network]

Raindrops fell against the windows of Raven’s black Nissan Altima. 

‘What am I doing?’ She thought to herself as she watched droplets collect on her windshield.

It was eleven o’clock at night and she should’ve been at home getting the eight hours of sleep she required simply to function as a human being.

She had a massive meeting at seven tomorrow morning; yet there she was, sitting outside Samantha’s condo like some kind of fucking stalker.

“I should leave.” She said out loud, nothing good would come of this visit.

But instead of starting up the car and taking off like she knew she should, she simply sat there; watching the rain fall and periodically looking up at the window in the very top left corner of the building.

Staring at the window, she could practically smell the vanilla-scented candles that were always burning inside the loft whenever Samantha was home.

Raven could practically feel the softness of the fuzzy rug beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, Raven could almost hear the whistle of the old-school tea kettle. 

“Why don’t you get one of those electric kettles? You know, the ones that automatically turn off once the water’s boiled.” Raven suggested.

Samantha made a face; one of disgust, causing Raven to laugh.

“The one I have is perfectly capable of getting the job done.” Samantha said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Raven laughed yet again, throwing her hands up as Samantha rose up from the couch and headed into the small kitchen area of her loft.

Rising up from the couch, Raven made her way to the kitchen. 

“I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Raven said as she walked over to Samantha.

Samantha let out a low hum, letting Raven know that she accepted her apology. Then, after dropping two tea bags into the waiting mugs, Sam poured water into each of their mugs. After a couple drops of honey and lemon, the women made their way over to the couch and began talking.

That night they talked about everything from work to films, their childhoods, their ‘straight days’ as Sam liked to call them, and so much more. 

Still sitting outside of Sam’s loft, Raven’s heart ached as she reminisced on better days. Days when she and Sam didn’t have to whip out their calendars every time they wanted to see each other. It was this, the constant penciling in of one another that weighed heavily on them and eventually led to the demise of their relationship.

But as Raven sat outside Sam’s building, the place that was like a second home to her, all Raven could think about were the good times; the sex, the laughter, the sharing of hopes and dreams, that’s what Raven remembered. But that was it, it was all just memories now.

As she leaned forward to start the car and take off, her phone rang. Leaning back in her seat, Raven picked up her phone from the cup holder and check the screen.

“Ahh shit.” She said.

Taking a deep breath, Raven composed herself before accepting the call.

“Hey stalker.” Sam said, her tone light and playful.

Raven’s heart slammed against her ribcage as she let out a laugh.

“I was just in the neighborhood and thought of you.” Raven admitted. 

She hadn’t expected to be so honest with Sam; not when she spent so much of the end of her and Sam’s relationship lying to both herself and Sam; or at least trying to.

“The door’s unlocked. I’ll turn the kettle on.” Sam said.

She didn’t even wait for Raven’s response before hanging up. 

“What the-” Raven ripped the phone from her ear, staring at it for a moment.

Was she really going to do this? COULD she do this? Ahh fuck it; grabbing the umbrella that she always kept in her center console, she threw open the door and opened the umbrella. 

When she arrived at the door to Sam’s building, Sam was already waiting, dressed in her ‘headmaster robe’, as Raven liked to call it because of the way it flowed so gracefully behind her every time Sam walked.

“Hi.” Sam said, pulling Raven into the building and out of the rain.

Sam dropped the open umbrella as she fell against Raven, causing the other woman to fall back against the wall.

The women chuckled as their eyes met; brown mixing with bright blue. 

Raven rested her forehead against Sam’s, Sam’s hands instantly finding the lapels of Raven’s jacket.

Sam pulled Raven closer, allowing Raven to feel the rapid thumbing of her heart.

Thank God, Raven wasn’t the only one feeling excited and nervous; at least Raven hoped she wasn’t.

“I’ve missed you.” Sam admitted.

Well, this was new, in the decade or so that Raven had known Sam, Raven had never known the other woman to be so forward; not when it came to her feelings at least.

Raven smiled brightly, her chest warming at Sam’s admission. 

Rather than saying anything, Raven leaned in and captured Sam’s lips with her own. The hands of time stopped and Raven felt like she was floating.

The reason for their split was forgotten, as they were transported back to a time when life didn’t ask so much of them, back when they were simply free to be young and in love.

Sam tasted like red wine and popcorn, a combination which Raven knew to mean Sam had had a long day, Raven too had had a long day, a day filled with boring meetings and middle-aged white men in suits that believed that they deserved the world and then some, simply because of the color of their skin and the fact that they had a penis. 

Before either woman could get too lost in the other, Raven pulled back from the kiss, panting a little as she rested her forehead against Sam’s.

“We should talk.” Sam said.

“No, please, not tonight. Tonight I just wanna be with you.” 

Raven said, shaking her head. 

Sam wanted to protest, but they had plenty of time to talk later.

Crashing her lips into Sam’s, Raven walked Sam back into her loft. After making their way upstairs, the women stumbled into Sam’s warm bed. 

Soon, close began to fall as nails racked against backs, arms, and thighs. 

Now, this is how Raven preferred to spend a rainy day. 

Click HERE for more LGBTQIA stories.

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

Alex relives the old days as he single-handedly embarks on a mission to help local German Militia regain their village from the hands of Augustus. But he seemed a little distracted. I wonder why.

Previous Chapter : Roach - A Walk to Remember

Chapter 7 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

"Just Like Old Times"

"Alex"

Task Force 141

1 km East of A Local Militia Settlement, Germany

"Guten Morgen. Hallo." Alex muttered as the plane slowly descended toward his drop off area. He was readying his accent for the negotiation. A few more walks and he'll be on potential enemy territory or ally territory, depending how well he seals the deal. For the whole duration of the flight, he cleared his head on Samantha, how she has no clue about him, and focused on his new task. He was confident he'd get this one right, as this was his playing field. The CIA days were almost nostalgic as he plopped his metal foot on the ground and signaled the chopper goodbye.

Leading small armies to help create forces to counter terrorism. That was his role in the Special Activities Division of the CIA. He was Kate Laswell's favorite when it comes to these kinds of activities and he's confident enough that he could convince them to fight.

The walk was long and quiet, no one was around, most of Alex's trails were just forest upon forest upon forest. He started heading to the sound of the water, and immediately spotted four men, armed and possibly his ticket inside the settlement. Taking a deep breath he emerged from the forest and greeted the gentlemen.

"Hello. Does anyone here know anyone named Blitz?" Alex asked in fluent german. The four of them pointed their guns directly at him and he quickly dropped his bag and raised his hands showing surrender.

"No no. I'm here to help." He kicked the bag as it started to pour out heavy grenadier weapons and bullets. One of them grabbed a radio and called the base.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Call me Alex." he replied with a grin. The next thing he knew is that he was being tied and escorted to the village. He didn't mind, it's always normal for them to be cautious, especially when facing an unknown person.

They trod the dense forestry until they got to a small settlement buzzing with activity.

Alex found himself seated on a small wooden table, his bag of weapons in front of him while Blitz slowly stepped out of the shadows. Blitz was the leader of the said settlement. He has a pale white skin and almost bald hair, his brethren surrounded him, guns pointed at Alex.

"What brings you to this little town, Alex?" he asked. 

"Augustus." he replied confidently, all the other brothers whispered with each other.

"Shhh!" he silenced the group. "What about him?"

"I want answers from him and I need your help." 

~

Alex took a sip of their popular soup recipe, they were all gathered by the campfire outside but Blitz wanted to talk to him in private.

"Augustus, has done a lot of bad things in our village. He has slaughtered our animals, stolen some of our men and worst of all, he took away our village." he frowned.

"My wife and kids, they are still there… He's using them as shields so your heavy weapons have no use to win them back." he pushed the bag back to him.

"I still have friends who can help. If you're willing to lend us your strength." Blitz looked concerned at Alex's eagerness.

"Tell me, why do you want this Augustus man so bad?" he asked, his eyes reflected the little burn they had on their campfire.

"He's our only hope to save a lot of people," he replied.

"Good. Join us later for our plans. If we are able to evacuate my people, we can have time to play with your toys." he smiled and Alex nodded. Tomorrow, the 141 is going to have Augustus for interrogation.

~

"Don't get your hopes too high, Alex. I don't want to live waiting for uncertainty. I'm done with that." Samantha's words hit him like a brick. Alex peeked at the scope and took a general sweep of the view looking for possible hostiles. It's been months since they last met and if she's true to her word and lives a normal life, she must have someone else looking for her right now, someone else she currently loves and he just had to suck it up when his suspicions were to be true.

He had his chance to tell her everything back at the infirmary but seeing her smile like that made him hesitate. Bringing back memories of him would just cause him pain, like what Maxine felt when she heard her name. And he didn't want her hurt, he just wanted her back.

He started to crumple her letter as he fished it from his pocket. It was inside the ziploc he had to protect from the rain, but now he just wanted to forget. He had been hurt many times in the past days that he couldn't handle facing her anymore. The feeling that he isn't reciprocated the way he expected was pushing him down.

'Don't you dare forget about me.' he sighed. 

He wished it would be the same as last time. She rejected him at first but convinced herself to give him a chance the next day, but even with Maxine badgering her about him, it didn't seem to work.

"There they go Alex. The 6 am supply drop." Blitz whispered over comms. The plan was easy: Augustus supplies a lot of boxes to the base. They contain food and weapons stolen from farms or delivered to them from their higher leaders. This is the opening where most of their forces carry boxes, Anja, Blitz's wife, would lead all their members to a small tunnel they built in cases of invasion. Once everyone is out and accounted for, we will barge in and surround them, taking back what's rightfully theirs.

It's also important that most forces will focus on the northern ridge as that was the place where they came from before they invaded, and Blitz believes that a bigger base is situated there. Alex quickly relays this intel to the Task Force and reconnaissance has since begun.

"Ready, Alex?" Blitz asked one last time, holding their guns.

"Let's go." he said as they slowly creeped towards the entrance.

Alex's fingers gently felt the trigger through his gloves, he was alone with new found friends and he's not going to let Augustus slide past his hands. This has to end now. For Samantha.

For Samantha, who doesn't recognize him anymore, those days in Brazil were Alex's best days as a normal person. He got to experience living full of love for a while and he got into it. He liked the idea.

One huge explosion on an open area inside the settlement. They were smart, they're reclaiming the base so they didn't destroy anything in there. They just set out a warning.

"Alex! These weapons are top-notch!" One of the soldiers he's with roared, dashing across the field and started firing rounds. 

Alex quickly covered himself by an empty barrel, peeking with his sights and firing at the tangos who were defending, slowly pressing themselves inward onto the base.

"Brothers! Let's take back what's rightfully ours!" Blitz yelled in their language, followed by a collective "Ja!" from the men.

Enemies scattered, those with weapons slung on their shoulders immediately retaliated while some of them retreated far back into the village. Alex took note of this and shot runners when he could.

"Brothers, they're going to reinforce themselves with weapons!" Blitz yelled, commanding the rest of the forces to flank, putting pressure on the back exit where most of them could retreat.

"Alex, come with me. Let's get Augustus." The leader commanded and Alex nodded, fighting their way inside the central tent. It was heavily guarded and the duo cautiously made their way in shooting hostiles one barrage of bullets at a time. By the time they made it in a huge chunk of metal caught their attention, it had some sort of satellite components and it hummed dangerously.

Alex and Blitz successfully entered the base but it was Augustus-less, more bad news were reported as their weapons cache was already empty.

"Scheisse!!" Blitz cursed loudly as the village fell quiet. They had won their fight back, but at what cost? Alex consoled the leader and turned to the machine which hummed louder.

"We gotta get out of here!" he yelled, escorting Blitz to the door. But it was too late, the machine whirred and released some sort of small scale EMP blast, forcing their comms to ring in static followed by a loud side effect of ear ringing and minor dizziness.

Alex felt himself drop on the floor, trying his hardest to remove his earpiece. The feeling was mind bending, the ringing didn't stop and it felt piercing straight to the brain, unlike standard military EMP grenades, these lasted longer and rang louder. Whatever this contraption was, he needed it to be destroyed.

With the last of his strength, Alex covered his already bleeding ears and dragged Blitz outside the tent, threw a grenade and hid to safety. It was a slow and steady action but as soon as the machine blasted into pieces, the ringing stopped and everyone started to recover.

The group slowly recovered and got up. Some of Blitz's men began puking as their minds were assaulted by the big machine. If this is one of Nero's big plans, then the team must prepare. Alex still pondered how these blasts weren't familiar on his previous mission and how they could potentially tie to the missing person cases that continued to spread across America.

Alex was afraid of what this thing is capable of and he must report this immediately to the rest of the squad, who he thinks is making their way inside Augustus' base just beyond the mountains behind them.

Next Chapter : Experiment 001

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NOTIFICATION SQUAD, MY BELOVED

[echo-three-one]

Chapter 44

The Road so Far

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more...

The TWO of us, together

Alex

Hotel Lustig, Prague, Czech Republic

"Thank you, Kid." Alex saw Jack's mouth move as their eyes met. His eyes which were once filled with determination and optimism were now screaming for help and desperation. He felt like Jack didn't have any other choice. He had to do what needed to be done.

"Nooo!" Alex forced himself to get up as his possible last words weren't the ones he wanted to hear. Not here. Not now. He wanted to see him carrying a possible child. He wanted to still be a part of his life.

Alex had been assigned under Jack's supervision since he was moved to the CIA. It was Jack's optimism and dedication to responsibility that made him who he was today. He was a great mentor and Alex almost considered him as a father figure.

Even in the most inhumane situations, Alex had thrived to succeed in his missions and he owes it all to Jack. The man was a treasure trove of skills and knowledge and Alex was one of the lucky few whom he had imparted it with. He remembered how Jack saved them both in Brazil, buying them more time evading capture.

But there was one thing that Jack would have regretted before going. It was to meet his son. He'd probably be 20 by now but he was afraid to ever show up out of the blue. His divorce with his ex-wife was quite tragic. Because he had to do it just to keep them safe. That's why Jack was always reluctant about him and Samantha. He would never want the same thing to happen to him.

So in the absence of a son, he channeled his fatherly attitude towards Alex, and Alex admittedly hated it when he's being called a kid despite his age. But as time went by and they kept on being assigned together, he had grown accustomed to it and it kinda grew on him.

In a split second, Alex remembered all the times they've been together. All the almost impossible missions they finished, all the times they thought they were goners but somehow they escaped it. All those things were soon to become memories to tell the people who will miss him.

A tear fell on Alex's eyes as he forced himself to get up and catch up on the two as they dove down three flights, ignoring the searing pain from the helicopter blast. He grabbed on to the ledge as he saw Jack and Nero, huddled together, followed by a burst of light with a loud booming sound just before they hit the ground.

A black burnmark was the only thing left on the ground as the place was blotched with a mix of debris and blood. Pieces of both of their clothes were everywhere as the smoke from the explosion dissipated.

The war was over, with Nero gone, his troops will surely retreat. But it cost one important person. A soul for a soul.

Alex couldn't feel himself as his whole body froze while looking at the aftermath of the explosion. He was trained to withstand any feeling but this was too much for him. He hadn't realized how loss hurts until he was able to see for it himself. It was devastating.

"Didn't realize it'd end this way." Price said.

"We were too caught up with Nero, we didn't realize the possibility of him being alive." he added.

"No." Alex finally said, it was hard for him to say as he could feel his heart on his throat.

"His eyes. It looked hopeless. It was the only way…" He said to them, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Roach said, extending an arm on his back for emotional support.

"He's the hopeful type. If he sees a good way out, you could see it in his eyes. What he did was the only choice he could think of." Alex sighed as the resistance team started to signal their victory. The city was cleared from Nero.

"He sacrificed his life because he had no other choice." He breathed, standing up and looking at the sky.

"I'll never forget you, Jack. Thanks for everything." he whispered, honoring his mentor and father figure.

The aftermath of Nero wasn't on the news. It was all just a story on how Prague was free from the militia groups that invaded their city as Alex turned it off and closed his eyes.

"How are you holding up?" Samantha plopped down beside him, leaning on his shoulders. Alex inhaled and looked for her hand, wrapping it against his and kissing it.

"Still devastated." He whispered as Samantha turned to him and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Jack wouldn't want to see you like that, you know." Her eyes were watery, but she was trying her best not to cry.

"You too…" he attempted to make her smile but they both ended up hugging each other for emotional support.

"Maybe he'll accept this every once in a while. The man would want to feel missed too." he whispered as they both curled up and let their emotions out.

The next day, it was back to usual at 141 except things were a little bit formal. With everyone in their black funeral attire, they gathered by the small park to honor a hero's sacrifice.

Alex stood by the podium and looked at the notable few people who attended. They were all familiar as Jack was always keen to introduce him to anyone he knows albeit professionally or casually.

"When I met Jack, my first impression of him was a stereotypical angry old man. Some of you may have thought of it like this toward Captain Price, no offense" he said as the crowd laughed a little, looking at the British captain.

"But once you get to know him, he's actually one of the best persons you'll ever meet. Every day felt like a school day. He might not point it out, but every move he made was a lesson in life. The man knew a lot of things that were vital for surviving this world. I once referred to him as a treasure trove of information." Everyone muttered their thoughts and nodded in agreement.

"He taught me how to stay positive even in the most trying times and how every decision is vital. He taught me how to think outside the box and utilize every resource you have, something that I admittedly didn't master but I'm always trying and he kept on telling me that there was no harm in trying. That's when I realized how lucky I was to be with him as my Commanding Officer."

"The man saved me multiple times and I owe him a lot for that. I'm actually blaming myself for his loss but the way he looked at me before he jumped was telling me that I shouldn't blame myself and neither should anyone. He told me once that when he goes, he doesn't want anyone to worry about him, as he'd probably be swimming in the clouds drinking unlimited liquor. And that's what he was looking forward to." Another chuckle from the crowd.

"So, for us who would not accept his death. He would want us to think that wherever he is right now, he's having a blast and we shouldn't be worrying about him." He smiled at the crowd as he stepped out of the podium and went back to the seat beside Samantha, hugging her before they both sat down. The ceremony continued with a few more words from Jack's closest friend.

Later that afternoon, Alex preferred to stay with Jack one last time before going home. He still had a few more moments to relive, and the rest of the squad, including the girls, were more than okay to join him.

"Hey guys. Thanks for waiting for me." Alex muttered as Samantha quickly joined him, locking her arm on his. It looked like everyone was also doing it with their partners.

"You guys should wear suits more often. But I'm not wishing for another funeral, okay?" Maxine said as the group chuckled.

"I used to wear these all the time. I look good at it, right France?" Soap nudged his girlfriend, making France blush uncontrollably.

"Yeah fine. You do." She replied nonchalantly. But everyone knows she's more than smitten.

"Now that this is over, what's next for us?" Roach asked the group, as they collectively shot an 'I don't know' look.

"Well. It's obviously an R and R for us." France said, proudly citing one of 141's rules.

"R and R?" Maxine asked.

"It means Rest and Recreation." Roach was quick to reply.

Alex looked at Samantha with a smile. R and R

sounded perfect.

"I'm actually finishing my psych exam tomorrow." France stated.

"I'll go with her for a check up as well. That nasty fall still bothered me." Soap added, holding on to France's waist and pulling it close to him.

"Well, looks like everyone's got plans." Roach grinned, looking at Maxine, suggesting that they had something for themselves as well.

Next Chapter : Epilogue - ONE's Sacrifice

Notification Squad my Beloved

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