#New Suv In Louisiana
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goodpix2021 · 5 months ago
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Exploring America's Abandoned Treasures
Let’s face it. I like old junk. Although it wouldn’t be hard to do a really cool rest mod on the sedan delivery in the pictures. Resto mod is a term that means restoring a car to its original specs, but adding modern technology to the vehicle. In this case that means a new, more powerful motor, transmission, new suspension, wheels and tires. The interior would be improved with new high tech…
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wlw-multi-fandom-imagines · 26 days ago
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I have a sorta specific request for either Emily or JJ from criminal minds. You're sorta new to the BAU and you end up getting sick while on a case, you don't hide being sick and do take care of yourself the best you can while still working you just don't want anyone to worry about you but E/JJ end up noticing and end up taking care of you? Kinda specific but I don't really like the whole "won't take medicine nor take care of themselves" trope. Thanks in advance! Or no worries if you don't want to write this!
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Emily watched from a distance as you downed another round of DayQuil and shoved the bottle back into your bag. As hard as you had tried to fight it, the virus you had picked up at the start of the trip to Louisiana was taking it's toll. All of the vitamin C and other preventative measures had seemingly been for nothing, but she had to admit it was impressive how you were still managing to power through.
"How're you holding up?" she asked, entering your make-shift "office" in the corner of the small-town police station the team was temporarily operating out of.
"I am going to sleep for at least three days when we get home. Maybe four, but that might be considered a coma," you responded, voice raw from coughing. "How about you?"
"I'll probably just need a day and a half, two tops. You wanna head back to the hotel for the night? Garcia isn't going to have news until the morning, and we're kind of just spinning our wheels til then."
You nodded gratefully and stood, grabbing the bag stuffed with case files and cold medicine at your feet. Though you hadn't realized it, the two of you were the last ones left at the station. Emily knew part of the reason you were pushing yourself so hard was to impress the rest of the team, as this was your first official case with them since joining the BAU a few weeks prior. What Emily didn't know, was that you were also trying to impress her specifically, even if you weren't willing to admit that to yourself just yet.
"I'm not going to lie, I have taken enough cold medicine in the last 12 hours that I could be legally impaired at this point. Would you mind driving?" you asked as the two of you headed towards the single remaining black SUV in the parking lot. She chuckled and nodded, having already started searching her pockets for the keys.
"No worries, I was already planning on it. Also, totally won't judge you if you take a power nap on the way back. You have definitely earned one."
Grateful for the darkness, you blushed and felt your cheeks burn against the cool night air as you reached the passenger side door and got in. As she started the engine, the air that blasted from the vents blew a waft of her perfume towards you and you felt your stomach leap for a second. If you weren't so fatigued, you might have scolded yourself for how quickly you were developing a crush on your coworker. However, you were already drifting off after less than a minute of settling into your head and had no time to do so.
Emily, on the other hand, did not have the luxury of a nap to avoid the conflicting thoughts in her head. Had you not drifted off so quickly, you might have caught the glance she sent your way at the first red light she encountered, and how this time it was her that blushed.
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ofstoriesandstardust · 6 months ago
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can't take the home out of oklahoma - iiii. (k.c.)
a/n: dear God the behemoth of the crossover fic is finally finished. please remember to be kind in my comments, but of course i'd love to hear what everyone thought :). if you're new here, you can check out the other three parts here
summary: Two years after leaving California, Tyler hears from Jake, asking him to come to his engagement party. With an offer of putting the whole crew up in a hotel for two nights and an off-season lull, Tyler accepts. Two years after leaving California, you finally have to confront Javy. 
warnings: background iceman and hangster, happy ending, alcohol, swearing, please remember we are all the villains in someone's story thank you
word count: 13.2k
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“So, I was thinking-” 
“Dangerous thing.” Kate mutters around a bite of waffle, prompting a fit of giggling from the two of you as Tyler narrows his eyes. 
“-I was thinking, instead of heading out to Arkansas straight after the end of the season, we take a road trip.”
“Where you thinking T?” Boone asks as you pick up your coffee cup. 
“San Diego, California.” 
You freeze, eyes flickering over to the blonde over the rim of your coffee cup, thankful you hadn’t taken a sip of the hot liquid yet. 
“What the hell, Owens?” You ask tersely, setting the mug down harder than you intend to, the brown liquid sloshing over the side. 
Tyler is pointedly avoiding your look as he sighs, shoulders deflating. “Look, my brother called. He- He’s getting married.” 
Your eyebrows shoot up. “To Bradley?” 
He nods, confirming. “Anyways, they’re having an engagement party out at Brad’s godfather’s. Jake’s invited us, all of us. Offered to put us all up in a hotel for two nights. I was uh- thinking about going.” 
“I think I’ll sit this out.” You say quietly, pushing your chair out. 
“Yeah, I ain’t so sure it’s the best idea to throw her into all of that.” Dani says, Lilly nodding alongside her. 
The girls had been told the story of your fiery departure from your hometown one night this past season, motel beds pushed together, wine drunk and cheap pizza forgotten. You’d told Dexter a week later, while you remarked on your ex-boyfriend’s love for a Louisiana crab boil, after you all had crossed into Louisiana to follow a storm. 
“Jake asked specifically about you.” Tyler admits quietly. 
You sigh, glancing up at the ceiling. “I don’t think the rest of them care to see me.” 
“We’ll make it work, okay? I ain’t gonna let anybody come at you.” Tyler pleads and you sigh again. 
You look at him for a moment but that’s all you need. It’s clear that Jake reaching out, asking him to come to this monumental event, means a great deal to him and you know as his family, it’s only right to step up to the plate for Tyler, no matter how uncomfortable it might make you. 
You know Tyler would do the same for you in a heartbeat. 
“Okay, T.  I’ll go with you guys.” 
His grin is splitting as Boone whoops, already chattering about the beach. 
“I ain’t promising to be nice to them.” 
Your words don’t even phase Tyler.
“Wouldn’t even dreaming of asking that of you, kid.”
-
The blue water sparkles as you peer out the window, the golden sunlight making it shine. 
“Jesus, I forget how blue it is.” You whisper to yourself as you take in downtown. 
The skyscrapers peer down back at you, the boats in the bay dotted across the docks. In the distance, you can see the outlines figures of the USS Midway and the Star of India. 
“How you feeling?” 
You shake your head, looking back at Kate. “It’s weird, kind of. Disorientating. I remember the first time I came home from college, it’s kind of like that. It all looks the same but the world kept turning after you left. Life kept going even though you’re not there to witness it.” 
She reaches out to squeeze your hand from the back of the truck. “I get what you mean.” 
Tyler glances at the two of you from his position in the drivers seat. The group had elected to take the van and your car, the SUV you’d bought last winter after you’d gotten sick of sharing Kate’s own storm chasing truck. 
Tyler’s red truck and Kate’s pickup had just not suited themselves to a cross country road-trip, which led you and Kate to driving most of the way. Tyler had finally corralled you into giving him the keys, under the condition you would sit passenger seat and give him directions. 
“Hey T, can we stop and get food before this thing?” 
Boone’s voice crackles over the radio and Tyler grabs it. You hadn’t really needed a radio of your own, but Boone and Tyler had insisted, outfitted the whole thing themselves. It sort of made you feel like a kid again, shouting across the room with your siblings in lieu of having walkie talkies while you played — everything followed with an OVER.
“I think they’re gonna feed us there Booney.” 
“Tyler, I am a starved woman. You rushed us out of breakfast this morning and we’ve been up before the sun was. It’s almost three in the afternoon and California already said we’ve got a decent drive across the city to get to this place. We’re stopping.” Dani’s voices comes through and Kate lets out a laugh from her seat. 
“Know any good places California?” 
You light up at Boone’s question, reaching for the radio but Tyler holds it just out of reach. 
“If you suggest In-N-Out one more time, I will drive this car into the ocean, so help me God.”
-
Niall Horan’s voice floats softly through the speakers as the car creaks to a stop in front of a familiar house. 
Your stomach flips as the barbecue from a locally owned joint near your Mom’s threatens to resurface. You distantly recall telling the group you’d been friends with the owners daughter in high school in a sad attempt to drown out Boone’s loud voice saying it would never be as good as Cathy’s. 
“You good California?” Javi asks and you startle, not even having realized you’d pulled yourself from the car. “You’re looking a little queasy there.” 
“Nerves.” You breathe and Kate takes your hand, squeezing it. 
“Thought you said they were nice.” Lilly says. 
“They are.” Just not to me. 
“This is quite the affair.” Dexter comments, glancing around the street as you walk up the road. “There’s hardly any spaces left.” 
“Bradley’s family is big.” You blurt out. “Lots of retired pilots who are probably thrilled to see their Baby Goose get married. Lots of friends from the service too I’m guessing.” 
“I wouldn’t want to be footing the bill for that wedding.” Dani whistles. 
The group begins to chatter and you wince, feeling your stomach roll as you step onto the grass. 
“You got this.” Kate whispers as you follow Tyler to the front porch. Tyler reaches out to press the doorbell, only to pull back at the last second. 
You raise your eyebrows. You don’t think you’ve seen the Tyler Owens cower back down from anything, much less a doorbell separating him from his twin. 
“You do it.” He says to you, stepping back.
“Me do it?” You ask incredulously. “You want to be kicked out before we ever step foot inside?” 
“I’ll do it.” Kate volunteers. She rings the doorbell, a short buzz followed by the sound of an I got it Mom! from somewhere inside behind the closed door. 
The door opens a few minutes later, revealing the now-taller daughter of Penny Benjamin. She blinks at the rag-tag crew. “Can I help you?” 
“Hi. I’m Kate and this is Tyler, we’re here for-“ Kate cuts herself off under the rather impressive stare of Amelia. Kate tugs on your arm, pulling you into view. “Here, you talk to the scary teenager.” 
“Hi Amelia.” You say softly. 
Amelia’s face lights up at the sight of you, exclaiming your name, drawing the attention of Tom as he rounds the corner to see who was at the door. Tom appears over her shoulder, nudging the girl back inside the house. 
“Tell Jake his brother’s here!” Tom calls after her before turning his attention back to your crew. “You must be Tyler and his crew. Jake mentioned that you guys would be stopping by. They’re all out in the back playing dogfight football.” 
Dogfight football? Tyler mouths to you as you all step inside the foyer. You shrug at his confused look. 
Long story you mouth back. 
“Anyways, I’m Tom, I’m one of Brad’s godfathers. I can take you all out to the back to meet the group?” 
You let your friends filter in front of you, hanging by the entrance to the kitchen and living room area. 
-
“I’m just gonna…” You mutter, letting your friends file out the glass door after Amelia and Tom. Penny gives you an unimpressed look from where she catches sight of you at the kitchen island and you give a sheepish shrug, feeling your cheeks heat up. “Selfish self-perseveration, sue me.” 
Pete glances up at you from one of the cabinets at the sound of your voice, lighting up as he does. “Well kid, I do have to say we never expected to see you again.” He holds out his arms and you grin, taking the invitation for a hug. 
If there was anything you’d learned about Pete Mitchell in the two and a half years you’d spent around his pilots, was that he offered Dad hugs to anyone at any chance he got. And boy, were they some of the safest hugs you’d ever had. 
“Hi Pete.” You say into his shoulder as he squeezes you. 
He pulls back, studying you. His thumb ghosts over a new scar on your cheek (thanks to an ill-timed rocket from Boone) and taking in the new piercings. “You look good kid.” 
“Thanks.” You breathe, unable to stop the genuine smile at earning his approval. 
His hand rests on your shoulder, guiding you farther into the kitchen. “Nick and Carole are outside with Coyote’s Dad and brother getting all the fixings grilled up. Do you want anything to drink?” 
You pause, stopping next to Javy’s Mom Lydia. You swallow, unsure of how she’ll react to you as you tell Pete you don’t want anything. He nods, grabbing his glass and nudging Penny towards the back patio after her daughter. 
“Hi Lydia.” You say softly. She studies you for a moment before pulling you into a tight hug. You melt into her touch, knowing you had accepted you may never get it again. 
You think of all the times you’d gotten the same hug from her, the innate soft care and compassion the woman had offered you, the same one she’d passed down to her son. 
You pull back, smiling at Javy’s sister-in-law (it seems like James had finally put a ring on it) and the little boy she holds in her arms. “Hi Scarlet.” 
The girl gives you a big grin. “How you doing?” 
“I’m good.” You answer. “Yeah, I’ve been good.” 
She smiles. “Good to hear.” She glances over Lydia’s shoulder. “Would you want to hold baby Jameson here for a minute while Dia and I go grab something from outside?” 
Your eyes grow wide. “You want me to hold your baby?” 
She shrugs. “I trusted you enough back then, I doubt I can’t trust you now.” 
You swallow, nodding. “Yeah, yeah of course.” You take the boy gingerly from her arms as he grins up real big at you. The boy only has two teeth but it looks like the nub of a third is growing in. “You and James make really cute babies.”
“I know.” She says smugly, before heading outside with Lydia.
You bounce the baby in your arms gently, cooing at him softly. 
“I sort of feel like I’m watching some alternate version of my future right now.” You gasp, whipping towards the sound of the voice. 
Leaning up against the doorjamb is Javy. 
The same Javy you’d fallen in love with all those years ago, a fond and yet pained smile on his face as he sticks his hands in his pockets. 
“Self preservation doesn’t work if you’re not outside with all your friends.” You breathe out as Jameson starts making grabby hands for his uncle. Javy walks towards the boy, letting him take his finger. It quickly becomes his new favorite chew toy as he shrugs. 
You snort as Javy smiles down at the kid. “Wanted to change. Scarlet knew I was in here so now I’m kinda figuring she left him here with you so we’d have to be civil.” You swallow, all humor leaving you as your eyes dart around the kitchen. 
In all the years you’d been gone, the Mitchell-Kazansky house hadn’t changed all that much. Maybe there were a few more pictures on the fridge, a coupon for a new pizza place, new throw pillows on the same worn couch, but the small beach front property that was inherently them had remained the same. 
“I don’t- I never expected- How are you here?” Javy asks, finally landing on words after a minute of silence and restarted attempts. 
“Jake’s brother.” You say quietly. “I’ve been working with Tyler in Oklahoma.” 
Javy reels back, Jameson letting go of his finger as he does. The toddler is quick to shift his attention to your hair, tugging on it. You wince. “Okay, I probably deserve this.” You mutter after a particularly hard yank from the toddler’s fist. 
Javy snorts, and you think it surprises him as much as it does you as a shy, goofy smile flickers on his face. “In another life, you were probably his auntie.” 
The words are meant to be light-hearted but they’re like an iron punch as the breath gets knocked clean from your lungs. 
“Javy-“ 
“Sorry, that wasn’t funny.” He dismisses as he crosses his arms. “So- Oklahoma huh? You liking it? The countryside is the last place I expected you to end up but you, uh- you look like you’re doing well.” 
You swallow around the lump that’s growing in your throat at the grief you’re having to confront earlier than you had anticipated. 
“I- Yeah, I like it out there. I’m good. Happy.” 
“I’m actually uh, not surprised to hear it. That you’re in Oklahoma. Just surprised at finally getting the confirmation.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“Well, about a year ago, Fanboy had one of their streams on. He was just a casual fan, you know, background noise. The camera couldn’t have been on you for more than thirty seconds but I swore it was you. I made him go back and replay it a hundred times, I pulled up a hundred examples from other videos on the channel. The team was so convinced I was starting to lose it that Fanboy got banned from playing those streams anymore. Your hair was shorter in that first video, but I just- I knew it was you.” 
You hum, thinking to yourself. You’d appeared in the background of streams and edited videos countless times, but there had only been one haircut in two years. “It must’ve been after the rocket incident.” 
His eyes go wide. “The rocket incident?” 
“Boone still feels bad and Ty won’t let anyone really bring it up because it makes his blood pressure rise but imagine my surprise when I’m fiddling with something on top on the truck and Boone leans over on the console and accidentally sets off a rocket.” 
“That would only happen to you.” 
You snort. “I know. Most of the hair on one side was singed off anyways so I took the kitchen shears we have and chopped it all off in the back of the RV after we left urgent care.”
A beat passes as he drums his fingers against the countertop. “Hey, how long are you in town for?” 
“We’re supposed to leave sometime tomorrow, we’re gonna stop off in Vegas. Why?” 
“I was gonna see if you wanted to stop by the house. I’ve still got, actually quite a lot of your stuff. Like keepsakes and stuff your Mom tried to get rid of. If you wanted to swing by on your way out and pick through it.”
You nod. “Yeah, I should be able to fit that in.” You reach a hand out, nudging his shoulder. “Hey, how was Bob and Sophia’s wedding?” 
“The kind of classy country you can only imagine. It was so them.”
“Did you cry?” You tease and he ducks his head. 
“Maybe shed a tear or two.” 
“Hey, how’s your Mom?” You ask softly.
You remember all too well Javy getting that phone call. 
Four days before you were meant to defend your Masters thesis, Javy had gotten a call from his Mom, telling him that she had been diagnosed with DCIS — breast cancer. 
It had been non-invasive, thankfully, and after a quickly scheduled surgery, Lydia had expected to have a full recovery. 
Still — it had been a terrifying few weeks for Javy and you’d written out and deleted a hundred text messages to him on each anniversary of the diagnosis. 
“She’s good.” He says softly. “Still no signs of a return. Thanks for asking.” 
You nod. “I think about her a lot. And you, you know. How you all are doing. If she’s healthy, if you’re safe.” 
His eyes shine with a feeling you can’t quite name, but can describe only as a response to hearing words he never thought he’d hear but mean more to him then he’ll ever admit. 
“I think about you too. If you’re happy, if you’re happier than you were with me. If you found what it was you had been searching for.” He shakes his head, clearing your throat. “Grieving someone who was still alive-“ He lets out a low whistle. 
“I’m sorry.” You whisper. You know he hears you but he doesn’t say anything, letting the two of you exist in silence as baby Jameson babbles nonsensically.
“I can’t help but ask — you dating anyone?” 
The questions feels so stilted as you swallow. You knew he was trying to play at some cool nonchalance but he missed by a mile; it was obvious your answer meant a great deal to him. “I am.” He raises his eyebrows, clearly waiting for more information. “I have a girlfriend.” 
“What’s this girlfriend’s name?” 
You shake your head. “Don’t think it’s appropriate to bring her into this.” 
He sighs, letting his weight rest against the kitchen island. “I guess that’s fair. You were always more mature than me about stuff.”
The two of you sit in an awkward silence for a few minutes, the hollers of his friends from the back patio coming closer. You have a hundred questions for him and he probably has a thousand more for you but you both know you can’t ask them in this moment. His team must have come up off the beach and would probably be headed inside soon. His eyes flicker towards the back door, probably making the same assumptions as you. 
“Hey, do- do you think we could talk sometime tonight?” Your eyes flicker over to him, seeing the pain in them so clear. It feels unnatural to not reach out and smooth out the lines in between his eyebrows. “Now’s not the time but I- uh-“ He cuts himself off, shaking his head. 
You nod. “Yeah, we can. Just- later, okay?” 
You owed him closure. After the way you’d left, with the way you’d burned him, you owed him that at the very least.
Kate would understand. 
The backdoor slides open, the pilots shuffling in. Behind them, you can see the Wranglers, save for Kate and Tyler, take hesitant seats on the couches. It looks like Dexter’s still outside.
“Holy shit!” Omaha yells, sliding his sunglasses up. The pilots turn, a bunch of oohs being tossed up. 
“Does anybody else get the weird feeling we walked into some weird alternate timeline where her and Coyote got married and had kids?” Payback asks and Javy lets out a low groan. 
“Aliens.” Fanboy breathes out and his pilot tosses him a strange look. 
“It’s like seeing a ghost.” Natasha comments. 
“Yeah, a really bitchy ghost.” Omaha adds and you turn sharply, plopping the toddler into his uncle’s arms. 
“Would you look at that, some things really do never change. I still really hate your friends.” 
“Can I have a hug?” Jake blurts out, silencing his friends. 
You raise an eyebrow as you give him a once-over. “Um, I guess. If you put a shirt on first.”
Mickey hits his pilot as Jake disappears around the corner. “My alien theory isn’t so weird now, is it?” 
Payback winces, rubbing his stomach where Mickey had smacked him. “Nice to see you too Mickey.” You say, rounding the kitchen island. 
The boy gives you a nervous smile. It’s an odd look on the boy who’d always greeted you with a wide grin, home-cooked food, and a picture of his new Lego set. It’s an odd look for the kid who’d probably been your favorite of Javy’s friends, and definitely the closest to you, so long as no one said that in front of Bradley. (Bradley Bradshaw had taken it upon himself to name his role in your life as unintentional big brother). “Hey.” 
Jake reappears, having tugged one of Bradley’s old Top Gun shirts over his head. “Hi.” He says softly, stopping in front of you. “Can I have a hug now?” 
You sigh. “Fine, I guess.” 
You’re not sure what you’re expecting from Jake (a hug certainly wasn’t on the table) but his hug is tight, borderline painful as you hesitantly and awkwardly wrap your arms around his much larger and taller frame. You step back as someone clears their throat. Jake lets you go willingly as Boone reaches out for your wrist, tugging you to sit down in between him and Dani. 
Jake turns, facing the person who’s just walked into the house. 
“Knock knock.” She says and your head turns, catching sight of Lainey’s blond hair. Javi reaches around Boone, nudging your back, reminding you to breathe as Jake’s face lights up. “Wait, there’s two of you?” 
“Lainey! Didn’t think you’d make it! Yeah, uh, this is my twin brother Tyler. We, uh don’t talk much.” 
“Oh, we know.” You say under your breath, only loud enough for your friends to hear, and Boone spits out a laugh, Javi having to cough into his fist to cover up his own laughter. 
Tyler snaps, eyes narrowing, turning to you. “I thought you’d agreed to being on your best behavior.” 
“I didn’t say anything!” You defend, which elicits a loud laugh from Dani as Lilly throws out a “Stop being so hard on her T!” 
Tyler huffs, his hands fall to his waist and you have to bite back a giggle that eventually falls out anyways when you see Kate doing the same thing.
“You’re such a Dad, T.” You say through a laugh, shaking your head which elicits laughter from the whole group. 
Lainey turns as you talk, face softening. “I didn’t think any of us would ever see you again. Where you’ve been?” 
“Oklahoma!” Javy shouts from across the kitchen. It sends his friends into an uproar, reeling from the fact. 
“See, my aliens theory is looking more and more true!” 
-
Kate doesn’t want to admit that her stomach drops at the sight of your ex quietly slipping out the door after you but she knows it’s warranted given the way all his friends notice. 
“What’re the odds she gives Javy another chance?” Jake’s fiancé asks Jake. Jake lets out some discontented noise from the back of his throat before pushing himself off his seat on the floor and meandering into the kitchen. 
“I will put money on her coming back. I’m so Team Javy, you know this.” One of the other pilots (Fanboy, her brain recalls). 
“I’m team her staying in Oklahoma with her girlfriend. She’s earned that quiet life.” One of the girlfriends (Kaycee, she’s dating Phoenix, you’d run through all the possible attendees with her and Tyler in the car this morning in the quiet calm, dawn barely peaking over the horizon) pipes up with. 
“Of course you’re on her side.” One of the others says. “You always liked her more than the rest of us.” 
Kaycee’s eyes slide up to the man. “Well yeah, Payback, I was the one consoling at her at every group event when Hangman came down on her and made her feel unwanted. So of fucking course I don’t want her to get back together with the guy
whose friends made her feel like shit.” 
“You take that too seriously, K. We were obviously just fooling around, not our fault she’s too sensitive.” 
The girl’s eyes narrow at the man. “Omaha, so help me-“ 
“She’s not your piece of meat to fight over!” Dani finally bursts. The in-fighting stops abruptly as the attention turns to them. “I’m just saying- if she’s happy, can’t you just leave her be? She’s a person, not some object for y’all to fight about.” 
The group all but forgets Dani even said anything when the one with the glasses turns back to Bradley. “You really think she’ll take Javy back?”
“A hundred percent. You remember how she used to look at him. And he was ass over teacups for her. Remember that year she bought him the Saints jersey with his last name on the back and he near lost his mind the first time she stole it to wear?” 
“Dude, he wasn’t half as bad dating as he was before. Remember the first time he brought her to the Hard Deck and he insisted he buy every drink for her?” Mickey chimes in. 
“I remember when they came to the house for the first time to watch a movie and Mickey kept teasing her about not doing anything on the couch, I thought Coyote was gonna drown Mick in the pool. He was so desperate to impress her and yelled at us for potentially making it so she never talked to him again.” Bob adds through a laugh. “Which she totally did, she fucking loved him from the first time they matched. Remember how his hands used to start sweating cause he got so nervous around her?” 
She glances at Javi and Boone next to her, glad to see her own unease is mirrored on their faces. Lilly’s reminder from earlier resurfaces in her mind as she plays with tab on her soda can. 
She loves you Kate. She wouldn’t go anywhere in the world you ain’t. 
“Coyote’s always had a way with words around her. He’ll say the right thing, tell her he’ll miss her, and she’ll come back just like she was always meant to.” Phoenix comments and she swallows, looking down at her jeans. 
Javi and Boone both stand up next to her, a whispered conversation happening she doesn’t care to try and hear as their exit goes unnoticed. The discomfort and unease in her stomach grows, feeling her whole world tilt at the thought that someone may say something to make you realize you’d been wrong to come to Oklahoma, wrong to love her, and that you’d go back to the place you had belonged this whole time. 
She catches Tyler’s eye, a stormy look growing on his face. 
I don’t like this, it says. 
She didn’t either. 
-
“See, I’d ask if you’re just taking a breather, but I know you, so you’re definitely hiding.”
Your eyes shoot up at Javy as he gently shuts the front door to the house, moving to sit down on the porch swing across from where you’re resting your weight on the porch railing. 
“Yeah, well, when they start eating my food straight from my hands I think I have to bow out.” 
He grins at the memory. 
Just half an hour ago, you’d been trying to shove Boone off of you as he attempted to take a bite of your burger, crowded up into Lilly and Dani’s space more than they probably ever wanted you to be. Javi had leaned over, taking a huge bite of burger as it had been sitting in your hand farthest away from Boone’s reach and you’d frozen in shock when you’d seen what he’d done out of your periphery. 
Dexter had tried to save face, over the sound of Dani yelling about how foul the move was, by saying that usually the lot of you were much more civilized but Tyler and Kate had immediately refuted it with a unified no, we ain’t. It had been all the encouragement you needed to plop what was left of the burger in Javi’s hand and to disappear outside.
“They seem to really like you. That one, Boone, was telling me we weren’t allowed to have you back. You’re theirs now.” 
You sigh, crossing your arms. “They’re- they’re really good to me. They’re family.” 
“I’ll admit that’s kind of hard to hear. Rooster and Fanboy kinda seem to be under the impression that you still might come back. Mav too. If I play my cards right.” 
You let out another sigh, looking away from him. “Javy, don’t even go there. Please don’t start that with me, cause you aren’t gonna like what I have to say.”
He shifts, bending to lean on his knees as he does his best to catch your eye. “What can I say to fix this? What can I say to convince you to come home?” 
“Oklahoma is my home!” You insist, feeling frustration begin to tighten in your chest. 
“No the hell it isn’t. How many times did you say your heart belonged here? How many times did you say you were meant for city living by the beach? And now you’re telling me that you live on a farm in the middle of buttfuck nowhere Oklahoma and you just what, love your life? I don’t believe that. Not for a minute.”
A whimper of frustration slips out as your hands come down to scrub your face. “Javy.” You say shakily. “I am happy to have any kind of closure conversation you need to have to find peace and move on. But if this is going to be about you trying to convince me to come back to a life I don’t want anymore, then I will go back inside.” You say, mustering up a calm tone you don’t feel and he reels back as if you’ve hit him. 
“I just don’t understand.” He says softly and your shoulders deflate. “I love you. You were my whole world, I wanted everything with you. I don’t understand. Help me understand.” 
His voice cracks and the lump in your throat from earlier reappears. “I was- I was unhappy for a really long time Javy.” 
He immediately shakes his head, cutting you off. “No, no that’s bullshit. I know that’s bullshit. C’mon, was there someone else?” 
“Are you insinuating I fucking cheated on you?” You near shout, straightening up. 
“Well!” He matches the raise in voice, standing up from the porch swing. 
“That’s bullshit.” You say. “If I recall, I was 25, working a dead end barista job because the masters degree I went into thousands of dollars of debt for proved to be useless with a boyfriend who let his friends walk all over me! I didn’t just wake up that day and decide I was miserable Javy! It was a slow build, a build you contributed to!” 
The front door opens and shuts and you spare a glance to see Boone and Javi lingering by the front door. 
Later, they’ll confess to you that the only reason they’d ventured outside to interrupt the conversation is because the pilots inside had gotten so smug in their surety that Javy would convince you to leave Oklahoma to be with him, they’d started to worry about you being alone on the porch. 
Javi had hastily assured you that they didn’t think you couldn’t handle yourself, but he was afraid he’d hit all your guilty spots, Boone sure he’d say all the things you’d wanted to hear back then, and you’d leave the Wranglers without so much as backwards glance. They’d wanted you to know they had your back. 
They’ll admit it was selfish of them and Dani will tell them they’re stupid for not remembering how much you love your life here, and you’ll tell them that you’re not angry, that their intentions had been good. 
All their presence does now in this moment though is piss your ex-boyfriend off as he throws his hands up. “Can’t even have one conversation without your little fucking guard dogs, huh? Little side pieces behind your girlfriend’s back?” 
“Stop it.” You say sternly. “Stop going there. You know I was never unfaithful to you, you know that I never would’ve done that.” 
“I don’t know if I ever knew you at all. Not really. So yeah, who’s to say if you aren’t a cheater if you were quietly miserable enough to dump me and run halfway across the country.”
You groan, rubbing your temples. “God, you’re not listening to me. You didn’t listen to me then, you don’t listen to me now.” 
“All I ever did was fucking listen to you! You never shut up!” 
Boone lets out a “Hey man!” alongside Javi’s “Whoa there.”
“Don’t talk to her like that man.” Boone says. “Have some respect, that there’s a lady and she was a lady you cared a lot about, so be nice.” Boone drawls. 
Your ex fixes him with a glare that would’ve made a weaker man whimper, but Boone isn’t one to back down. He drives into tornados and shoots rockets at them for fuck’s sake. 
Unintentionally or not, Boone’s intervention gives you the pause you need to take a deep breath and collect yourself. “Javy.” You start, softer this time. His eyes snap over to yours. “I understand the anger and frustration and the confusion. I know that I left rather suddenly and I never gave you any explanation as to why. But you have to know, we were fighting all the time and I was so unhappy, not just in my relationship with you, but in my job and myself. And after Texas, I snapped. It was a catalyst event that permanently altered the course of my life.” 
His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “The fuck does Texas have to do with anything?” 
You sigh. “You keep saying that you still love me, yeah? The problem with that Javy is that you’re in love with a version of me that doesn’t exist anymore. That girl that you loved died in Texas and she’s never coming back.” 
“I still don’t understand.” You sigh, licking your lips as you glance at your friends. Javy’s voice is rising again but you know that you’ll never be able to get him to understand the truth without blowing up Jake’s spot. And truthfully, maybe it’s long past due. “We were in love, we were happy, you were my best friend. We go to Texas for Bob’s bachelor party and three days later, you’re dumping me to go hop on a plane to Oklahoma to never be seen again. That doesn’t make any fucking sense! What the hell does Texas have to do with anything?!” 
You move faster than you let your brain think about it, sliding through your friends as you push open the front door, striding through the foyer. You catch Bradley’s eye as you do so and he straightens. “Where the fuck is Jake?” 
Jake comes into view as he shuts the fridge, turning to face you. “What?” He asks tiredly, but judging by the look on his face, you think he already knows. 
“I want you to be honest.” You say, every bit of the calm you’d tried to collect slipping through your grasp as you inch closer to Dani and Lilly. “Tell them the truth about what happened in Texas.” 
“Are we really doing this?” He asks, plopping down on one of the bar stools by the kitchen island. 
“You owe me, Seresin. After everything you put me through, you owe me.” 
Jake sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face as Javy’s head swings wildly between the two of you. 
Just when you’re about to turn and accept the villain narrative these men had decided for you, Jake sighs again. “I asked her to lie about the rodeo.” He says quietly. “We never made it to shelter.” 
“So? A little wind, a little rain, that’s your excuse for going off the deep end?” Javy snaps but Jake isn’t finished. 
“We watched Steven die.” 
The silence that follows is one you never want to experience again as the whole room tunnels in on Jake. Lilly stands up, Dani not far behind her, nudging you towards the door and silently talking over your head to your friends but you feel rooted to your spot. 
“What?” Lainey asks first, pushing her self up as she takes shaky breaths. “You- you saw him die? And you never told me?” 
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that Jake?” Bradley asks quietly, a quiet concern and cool anger laced into the words. 
“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. I don’t know if I was trying to protect her or me but I did it anyways. It’s why I gave her Tyler’s number.” He says, finally raising his eyes to meet the room. “I’m the one who gave her Tyler’s info. When she dumped Coyote that day, I knew she was a serious flight risk in more ways than one and I- I knew if I could get her to Tyler, he’d take care of her. I knew she’d be safe with Ty. And I mean obviously he did.” He says, waving a hand at his brother and Kate. “I owed it to her after all this times I said those things about y’alls sex life, all those times I made fun of her behind your back. I mean, everything I said about her age or about how you guys wouldn’t work long-term so you guys would break up-“ Jake cuts himself off, sniffing. “I was awful to her under the guise of trying to be a good friend but I was a rotten friend and a rotten person and I’m sorry.” 
“What the hell is wrong with you?” 
You expect it to be Javy but it’s Tyler and you think you can see his hand shake as he pulls himself off of the couch. 
“Genuinely, you haven’t changed a day. You’re still that same piece of shit you were then, when you couldn’t bother showing up to our grandparents funeral, the people who raised us, because of some stupid little trophy. You’re out here a decade later making a poor girl in her twenties who was simply trying to exist with the guy she loved feel like her life isn’t worth living anymore, that she doesn’t offer anything of value to this world.” 
“But, I mean- it worked out right? she’s been with you guys and she’s happier than she’s ever been in her whole life.” 
“Oh, sure no, it worked out.” Javi intervenes. “If you discount the irreversible trauma and her inherent belief that she would always, eventually, force the people around her to see her as a burden, then yeah, it totally worked out.”
“Which we’re still working on undoing, by the way. Thanks for that. ” Dani comments dryly. 
“Okay, hey, hold on- that’s not all on Jake.” You interrupt and Bradley’s head swings towards you. 
“Are you seriously fucking defending him right now?” 
“I’m defending him because that’s wrong! What Jake did didn’t do anything other than reinforce an idea I have held about myself my whole life, Bradshaw! But you don’t get that, just like you never got it back then! You had two parents who loved you unconditionally and friends and all the support in the world! I’ve never had that! I grew up with a piece of shit family, I grew up with awful friends and an even worse ex-boyfriend, and you people refused to ever understand the life I came from! Don’t pin that all on Jake!” 
Lilly tugs on your arm, telling you to breathe and it’s the first time you realize you’re even crying. 
In a flash, you dig the keys for one of the cars out from Lilly’s pocket, turning on your heel. Your friends call out after you but you don’t listen to them as you wipe tears from your eyes, vision blurry as you make your way towards the car. 
And then someone’s there, wrestling the keys from your grasp. 
It’s Javi.
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” He says softly. “I just- don’t want you driving right now.” 
You nod, climbing into the car passenger seat. Once you’re in, Javi reaches over the console to give you a hug. It’s at an awkward angle and you can’t stop crying, but it’s warm and safe and all you need in that moment. 
“You’re gonna be okay, California. We got you.” 
-
“Where did you guys go?” 
Boone asks from his spot on the couch. He’s leaned up against Lilly, feet on Dani’s lap as Dexter putters around the kitchenette in your two bedroom suite Jake had paid for. 
“The beach.” Javi says, setting the keys on the entryway table. 
“Where’s Ty and Kate?” You ask.
It goes eerily quiet. “Um, they had to run an errand.” Boone says after a long minute. 
“I’m too tired to even unpack that.” You say, running a hand down your face. “I’m going to go shower.” 
You slip inside to the bedroom you and Kate had been sharing with Dani and Lilly, walking into the bathroom. After shedding your clothes, you step into the hot water. It soothing against your skin as you bite back a yawn. 
You’d told Javi to pick a beach, any beach, and the two of you had found a picnic table over looking the shore as you looked out at the moonlit waves. 
It had been a quiet, grounding peace that had settled over you as you had reviewed the events of the night. Javi’s quiet voice mixed with the crashing of the waves, soothing you as he talked about Miami, and the Tornado Tamers, and the military, and a hundred different things.
Now though, in the lull of noise, save for the quiet murmurs of your friends through the wall, guilt prickles at you underneath your skin, heavy and all consuming. 
It’s second nature, autopilot, climbing out of the shower and tugging on Kate’s sweatshirt, blindly pulling out a pair of sleep shorts from one of your bags. The bed that had once looked so appealing no longer looks comfortable as you have to work considerably to swallow around the rapidly growing lump in your throat. 
You open the door right as Kate and Tyler return to the hotel room. Tyler gives you a grin as he waves a bag in the air. “Look where we trekked to. Surprise.”
Normally, you would’ve grinned and laughed and said I’d pay good money to see the Midwesterners in an In-N-Out but now all you can do is shrink into Kate’s sweatshirt as you get the overwhelming feeling that you don’t deserve this. 
You don’t deserve Kate, you don’t deserve this team. Not this job you loved so much, not this life you’d carved out for yourself. 
Kate’s face falls as she closes the distance between the two of you. “What’s wrong?” 
“I’m so tired of feeling guilty.” You gasp out, a sob you hadn’t expected coming out. It leaves you scrambling for breath, coming in ragged pants. “I’m tired of feeling guilty for being happy, for having this job, for tricking all of you into thinking that I’m- that I’m worth something. I’m so tired of- of feeling guilty for leaving him and- and I’m tired of feeling guilty for living.”
Kate’s hug is tight, almost as if she lets go, you’ll slip right through her fingers. “Sweetheart.” She whispers into your shoulder as you hesitate to wrap your arms around her. 
“I don’t feel like I deserve it. I don’t feel like I deserve any of it. I didn’t feel like I deserved it then and I don’t feel like I deserve it now.” 
Kate lets you go, a soft look coming over her face as her hands find your face. You feel like you look worse than you ever have, tears sliding down your face, choking on your own words and sobs and snot. 
“Baby…” She says, so soft and tender, in that way that’s all Kate and usually makes you blush, makes you feel more seen then you ever have in your entire life. “You’ve had one hell of a go at life, I’ll admit you got a rough set of cards. But you- you went through something traumatic and you made the only decisions you could at the time. Those people- they’re angry at you because they feel bad for their friend cause he got hurt. And maybe we’re all a villain in someone else’s life but you shouldn’t feel guilty for doing what you need to do for you.” She takes a deep breath. “You didn’t deserve to die for him any more than I deserved to die for my friends. And for the first time, I really mean that. We don’t deserve to suffer or feel pain for the rest of our lives because of it, you know? It’s okay for us to continue to live and laugh and love — our mistakes, they don’t define us. We don’t have to live there.” Kate’s eyes are pleading, begging you to hear her and understand her; to believe her. 
You nod as she swipes a thumb to wipe away a tear. 
“You would never blame me for what my happened to my friends. You’d never say I should suffer in pain or in a life of exile because of it. You’d tell me for what it is — that it was a freak accident and it was out of your control. You can’t spend the rest of your life in those haunted what ifs and I know you’d never want that for me either.”
“Yeah.” Your voice is gravely, raw, but you can’t even focus on it as Boone’s lanky arms wrap around your frame. “Yeah, I hear you.” 
“Sides, even if it were your fault-“ 
“Boone!” Lilly chides, even as she wraps her own arms around you. 
“I ain’t saying it is! You people, you always assume the worst outta me-“ 
“Get to the point!” Javi’s exhausted voice comes from the kitchen. You snort, leaning your head into Boone’s shoulder. 
“Get on with it, Booney.” You whisper. 
“‘M just saying, even if it were your fault, it don’t change that your part of our family now. Always gonna be, no matter where them wind or tornados take us. Or what some stupid Navy guy says about you for that matter.” 
Boone squeezes you before he steps back. Lilly lets you go, albeit hesitantly and you wipe your nose on the sleeve of Kate’s sweatshirt. Javi’s hand finds your back, wrapping you into a tight hug as you turn.  
“You gotta start letting yourself believe you’re worthy of good things.” He mumbles into your sweatshirt. “Trust me, I- I get it okay. It was just as rough for me when I left StormPar, but Boone’s right. We’re a family.” 
You nod into Javi’s shoulder, squeezing the man before letting him go. You wipe your eyes, taking a breath. “Okay, okay, I think I’m good. Just been a hell of a night.” 
Javi nods and the room breaks into quiet chatter as the bags of food get passed around, burgers getting split up among the group. 
Tyler grabs your arm as you pad over to sit on the couch next to Kate. His hug is tight, the smell of cedar and campfire lingering on his flannel a far cry from the smell of jet fuel and whiskey that followed his brother. 
“You saved my life T.” You say quietly, even though no one would be able to hear you through the conversation at the couch. “The Wranglers saved my life. I hope you know that.” 
He squeezes you. “Nah, kid. We just loved you enough for you to see why you should stay. The saving part was all you.” 
-
“I need to go run an errand.” The table looks up at you, pausing around mid-conversation, breakfast plates forgotten. “So you guys can head out on the road ahead of us.” 
“What’re you up to?” Boone asks.
You shake your head. “There’s just something I gotta do before we head out.” 
“Some unfinished business?” Javi asks. 
“Something like that.”
-
The weather is unusually dreary, rain drizzling down on and off as you make the drive over the Coronado bridge. You park in front of the boys house, turning the key in the ignition as you turn to face Tyler and Javi in the backseat. 
“I’m not sure how long this is gonna take, but I’ll be back.” 
“Man, what am I supposed to do to entertain myself?” Javi moans and Kate turns, giving him a sharp glare. 
Late last night, after everyone had fallen asleep, you’d admitted to Kate that you didn’t think you could leave things with him like that, that you couldn’t live with yourself if you never gave him the closure he so desperately needed. 
Kate had told you, voice muffled, that she understood. That she’d stand by you in whatever conversation you wanted to have with him. 
“Go take a walk for all I care. It’s a nice neighborhood.” You say, before wrenching the car door opening, cutting off Javi’s bemoaned But it’s raining! as you slam it harder behind you than you normally ever would’ve allowed it to. 
You wince, already hearing Tyler scold you in your head as you stride up the expansive driveway, saying a silent thank you that Javy’s beat-up truck is sitting in the driveway. 
You force yourself to take a deep breath as you knock on the door. The blue paint is peeling more than ever you note, before it swings open, revealing Mickey. He’s donned in basketball shorts and a muscle tee and must’ve just come back from a run, based on the sweat and rain accumulated on him.
He almost doesn’t seem surprised to see you. 
“Hey.” He says, leaning against the door. 
“Hey.” You respond. “Is Javy here?” 
He nods, opening the door enough to let you inside and the oak shuts firmly behind you as you follow him through the familiar foyer to the couches in the living room. 
“You guys are not much for redecorating.” 
Mickey groans. “Kid, the fact that we’ve gotten anything on the walls as long as we lived in this place is a miracle in and of itself, you know that.” 
Despite the situation, you snort, recalling when the boys had enlisted you to build Mickey’s desk one time two years into them living here. “Oh, I remember.” 
“Coyote!” Mickey shouts up the stairs as you arrive next to the couch, nudging Jake. He gives you a soft smile, pushing himself up to give you a quick hug. 
“I’m really sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to ruin it.” 
Jake shakes his head. “‘S my fault. You and I both know there was probably no other outcome than that.”
The fabric of his Texas sweatshirt is soft as he squeezes you, letting you go as you hear footsteps on the stairs. 
You sigh, turning catching sight of your ex turning the corner. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of you and he tugs on the edges of his Saints sweatshirt. 
He’s nervous, you realize. The taste of that truth is bitter and acrid on your tongue. 
“We need to talk.” You say with more stern bravado then you feel and you force yourself to soften as Mickey lets out a low whistle. “And you, uh, said you had some of my stuff.” 
“We have all of your stuff.” Mickey comments into his protein shake. “It’s all in Bob’s old room.” He points with a finger over his shoulder, but you still know the way. 
You head in the direction to Bob’s room, tugging on the sleeve of Javy’s hoodie as you do. 
He follows you, shutting the bedroom door behind him as you scan the room. “When did Bob move out?” You ask as you pull a box out, sifting through the books. 
“Like two or three months after you left. Think he had plans to move out earlier but uh-“ Javi pauses and your eyes flicker up to study him. “I think they were concerned I’d do something stupid to myself if it was too much change at once.” 
You sigh, eyes fluttering shut as you squat and brace yourself against the box. “Javy.” You breathe out. 
“I’m really sorry about how last night went.” He says as he leans up against one of the taller stacks of boxes. “My Mom’s pretty pissed at me for how I handled myself. I’m mad at myself too. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Drinking or not, you didn’t deserve it. I was just- confused and frustrated and so hopeful it made me scared. I guess I never prepared myself for what it would be like to see you again, even though clearly-“ He says, gesturing to the room. “I always let myself keep that door open.” 
“Why did you keep this shit anyways?” You ask. “You coulda let my Mom toss all this shit out.” 
He shakes his head. “I couldn’t have. I- I always thought maybe you’d come home. That when you did come home, you’d roll your eyes about your Mom and want your stuff back. Fools hope I guess.” 
You let yourself fall to the floor in a cross-crossed position, scrubbing a hand down your face. “Javy, I am so sorry about how I left. You deserved a lot better than that from me, after everything you did for me. But I was scared and I ran and you got caught in that.”
“Every day since then, I’ve wondered what it was about me that wasn’t enough to make you stay. Did I not love you right? Did I do something to hurt you? Did I not stop when I should’ve?” He takes a sharp breath at the thought that he might’ve pushed you too far while being intimate as being your reason for running. “Every night for two years, I’ve laid in bed at night, going over every single detail. But last night, after hearing that it was Jake’s fault, I’ve gone over every what if. What if he had listened to you? What if he hadn’t taken you? What if I hadn’t gotten drunk that night before or- or had convinced you to stay? What if you had stayed home from the trip; what if Sophia had never asked you to be a bridesmaid? What if-“ 
“Javy, stop.” You stay sternly, pushing yourself up off the floor. “You can’t live in those what ifs. They’ll drive you fucking crazy. You can’t keep living in the past. And it ain’t Jake’s fault, much as we would all, himself probably included, like to lay the blame on him. We can’t go back and change it and we can’t live in that history neither. What happened, happened.” 
He lets out a breath. “You’re handling this better than me.” 
“I’ve had two years to process it. I’ve had two years in a new town with a new job and a new partner and new friends to heal from all of it. You haven’t even had two days to grapple with the truth.” You say as you pop the lid on the box. Your eyes scan the room as you let him process the information, trying to catalogue all that he has, what you need and what you don’t. 
“My Niall Horan shirt!” You exclaim, wrestling a box out of the corner of the room. “I’d been wondering what happened to this!” You pop the lid off, subsequently discovering your American Girl doll. “And Julie! I remember that year I went as her for Halloween and brought her over here. She was the highlight of the party for all the drunken idiots.” 
“That was the year of the dolls.” He comments from behind you. 
“Yeah, yeah, cause you guys all went as Ken dolls, except for Mickey, who went as Carlos from Big Time Rush, and I finally had to explain to you who they were after I made that joke, that they were the greatest boy band of our generation, on our second date.” 
“It’s crazy to think about now, how the yahoos could all see how I felt about you and I was still insisting we were just friends.” 
“Oh, enough time has passed. We can admit now that we weren’t just friends. We made out too much, in public no less, for that to be anywhere near platonic.” 
He doesn’t say anything for a minute and you turn, worried you’ve gone too far. His eyes are glassy, a fond smile on his face. 
“I really loved you, you know that?” 
“Javy…” 
He gives a half-shrug, looking down. “You can say what you want about being unhappy, about needing to leave, but I hope you know that I really loved you. I really cared about you and I really thought some day you’d come home to me. You were my best friend and I wanted to grow old with you. It just- it just feels like it didn’t mean anything to you.” 
A lump grows in your throat as he wipes a few tears away from his cheeks. You look down, unsure if you should admit the truth. 
“Javy, I found the ring.” 
“W-what?”
“The night we got back from Texas, I accidentally found it. But it- it freaked me out. I was already walking such a fine line those days, so afraid and so mixed up from what happened, already so unhappy and I knew it was over then and there. Because I found it and pictured you getting down on one knee and tried to think of what I’d say and when I knew I’d say no, I knew I needed to end it.” 
He lets out a choked sob as you work your throat around the ever-growing lump, knowing you have to finish this conversation, as much as it pains you. 
“Javy, of course it meant something to me.” You say, unclenching your hand from where it’s fisted in the dark blue material of the t-shirt. You set the objects down back in the box, taking a few steps towards him. “Javy, I did love you. Really. You were my first real boyfriend, my first serious boyfriend, my first. I thought the world of you and you were my best friend too. Okay, my favorite times were when we would stay up all night laughing or- or all those times we just existed together. But both things can be true — you can have hurt me, I can have been unhappy, and we both can still have loved each other the best we could’ve at the time.” You say, taking another step towards him. “But that’s what I keep trying to tell you. That girl that I was with you, that person you fell in love with, she doesn’t exist anymore. I’m not that version of me anymore.” Javy only looks at you as he cries as you cling to the hope that this time he’ll finally listen.
“Can I have a hug?” He croaks. You nod, reaching out for him and he’s quick to tug you into his embrace, as if you might change your mind waiting a hair of a second longer. 
His hug is tight, and you can feel the way his tears wet your pale yellow Oklahoma crewneck, the same way you know you’re soaking his Saints hoodie. 
It’s weird, because hugging him doesn’t feel like coming home like it used to. 
It’s weird, because it feels like the door on this part of your life is finally shutting behind you. 
You think you’re at peace with it.
“You sure you won’t come back?” His muffled voice sounds. 
“You know I can’t.” He whimpers as you  shake your head. “I’d be coming back to a place that isn’t my home anymore, a life that isn’t mine. Javy, you have to let me go. If not for me, then for yourself.” 
“I don’t know how.” He pleads into your shoulder. 
“It takes time.” You whisper. “But one day it won’t hurt so much. I promise.”
You aren’t sure how long the two of you stand there, but finally he lets you go, stepping back as his back hits the wall, sliding down. You take that as a sign that you can get back to sorting. 
“Hey, you’ve asked me a lot of questions about what’s changed since you been gone. Can I ask you questions about what you’ve been up to?” He asks, voice watery and raw. 
“Seems only fair.” You say, squatting down to rifle through a box full of high school memorabilia. 
“Are you dating Kate?” 
You swallow, glancing at him as you pull out your yearbooks. “Yeah, I am.” 
“I figured.” 
“How’d you figure it out?” 
“She looks at you like how I used to.” He says with a shrug as he stretches his legs out in front of him. Upon seeing your dubious look, he lets out a wet laugh. “She just- she always found a reason to be next to you last night. She always brought you into conversation, looked for you when you weren’t with her, looked for you even when you were with her. It was obvious she cared a great deal about you and I sort of guessed she was who you didn’t want to bring into this.” 
You shake your head. “This isn’t her fight. She’s got my back, I know that, but this didn’t need to involve her if I could help it. It was between me and you.” 
“She seems cool.” He finally comments after a minute. 
“Freaky genius and all the wit to match.” 
“Like you.” Your cheeks warm at the compliment as you untangle the honor cords. “She make you happy?” 
“Honestly?” You say and he nods. “I see my whole life with her in a way I’ve never seen it before. She’s my best friend and my partner. I love her to death and there’s nowhere in this world I wouldn’t follow her.” 
“You guys have any pets?” 
“Two dogs and a cat.” 
“Jesus, is this farm you live on really a zoo?” 
“I think her Mom feels that way sometimes.” You say with a chuckle. “No, the team has Buttons, but he’s really Boone’s if you want to get into it. Ty’s taken on a dog I named Enid by sheer force of will from this dog. And Kate and I adopted a kitten named Peaches about this time two years ago. Ty and I are getting horses in October too.” 
“So… you and Kate living together?” 
You shake your head. “No. Not yet, anyways. Technically, I got a small two bedroom apartment in Tulsa I rent with the other Javi but he’s almost always somewhere in Arkansas with Boone in the off-season and I spend all my time with Kate on her farm when we aren’t out on the road.”
“They seem like really good people.” 
“They’re some of the best. Hey, are you still in touch with Elle?” 
Javy’s eyes widen. “Your friend from grad school? Some, why?” 
“You should ask her on a date.”
“No- No, I couldn’t.” 
You fix him with a look. “Why not? I bet that girl is still enamored with you.” 
“She was your best friend, that would be wrong.” 
You shrug, setting aside a snow globe. “We ain’t together anymore and Elle and I ain’t friends anymore. And trust me, if you and I hadn’t been what we were when Elle came into my life, Elle would’ve a hundred percent gone after you. And I wouldn’t be mad you know. You deserve to move on.” 
“Not with one of your friends.” 
You click your tongue. “I’m just saying…”
-
Kate’s drumming her fingertips on the edges of the door as the minutes tick by, the gnawing in her stomach resurfacing as the time drags on. Javi huffs for the millionth time, blowing a stray curl away from his face as a blue Bronco passes them, pulling up to park in the driveway. 
Javi leans forward, peering over the center console to study the two men climbing out of the Bronco through the windshield. “Hey Ty, isn’t that your brother’s fiancé?” 
Tyler looks up from his phone, glancing out his window. When he finally responds, his voice is impossibly tight, making her wince. “Kate, where exactly are we right now?” 
Upon her non-answer, Tyler pulls himself from the car, a colorful swear leaving his mouth as Javi follows right behind him. She scrambles out of her door, tugging on the two men’s arms. “Stop it.” She pleads, causing them both to turn. “Look, I don’t like it either but I gotta respect the fact that she wants closure. I’d do anything to have that, you know that.” 
Tyler yanks his arm back, striding across the lawn towards the two men as they let themselves in the house. Bradley’s eyes are wide as he catches sight of Tyler, shouting into the house. 
She groans when Tyler shoulders past Bradley and Pete, Javi still hot on his heels. “I am so sorry about them.” She apologizes to the two men as they shut the front door. 
“Tyler.” Jake growls, yanking on his brother’s arm. “I will sit on your head like I did when we were kids.” 
“I am not gonna let you do this to her again. For two years, my team has been putting that girl back together, putting together pieces of her you broke.” Tyler snaps, poking his finger into Jake’s chest. 
“Yeah? And he’s waited two years for this conversation, to finally get closure. They need this. And if you interrupt it, so help me God.” Jake says as he pushes his brother towards the couch. Jake takes the hint, sitting as Javi hesitantly follows suit. After a few moments of awkward silence, Kate clears her throat, catching Tyler’s eye. She jerks her head to his brother and he shakes his head. She does it again, causing Pete to glance up at her. 
“Are you okay, kid?” 
“Tyler.” She crosses her arms. “You know she doesn’t want you to leave it like this.” 
Jake’s eyes flicker up at her, giving her an eery sense of deja vu. It had been a strange adjustment, seeing a carbon copy of a person they all knew and loved, but yet acted so different. Whereas Tyler was rough around the edges, thick cowboy country accent and swear words that would make milk curdle and friends with everyone, ever the life of the party, Jake had kept a lot to himself the night before. He held himself together, never in anyway that would indicate cracks in his well-maintained image. She saw him let loose a few times with his friends, eager to hear about your and Tyler’s lives, and always polite to the Wranglers but there was a certain detachment from it all that Tyler lacked. 
“Tyler, I am sorry.” Tyler grunts, crossing his arms. Jake sighs before trying again. “For all of it. Genuinely. I know you’re thinking I’m real selfish right about now and I’m thinking it too. I’m sure she didn’t let up to the worst of it and I’m really sorry about all of it. But I didn’t call you for some sick or twisted reason of hurting her. I called you here because you’re my brother and I want you here. I want you to see this life that I’ve built for myself, cause I’m finally happy, and I- I want to share it with you.”
“Oh, you mean the life you were too busy building to come to our grandparents funeral? Some life.” Tyler scoffs. 
Jake’s shoulders fall. “Ty, I’m sorry.” He whispers. “You’re my brother, you were my best friend, and there hasn’t been a day that goes by that I don’t regret stepping up when it mattered. No stupid trophy or promotion was ever worth losing you.”
Tyler swallows, letting out a deep breath but doesn’t say anything further and Jake clearly accepts that that’s all he’s going to get out of him. He turns to Kate. “Is she happy? With you?” 
“Yes.” Javi blurts out. “So happy.” 
She peers down at her friend, who has a rapidly growing sheepish grin on his scarlet face. “The way you say that makes it sound like we aren’t happy.” 
“Just have to make the point.” 
She gives an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.” She turns back to Jake and Bradley. “Yeah, yeah she really is happy.” 
“Does this mean I can go back to watching the Wranglers streams now or am I gonna get yelled at again? Cause now that you think about it, we all kinda gaslit Coyote.” Fanboy calls from across the kitchen. Tyler turns, giving the boy a curious look. 
“What?” 
“Mickey used to watch your guys streams until I started appearing in them.” You comment, appearing next to Kate. She jumps a little, taking you in. Your face has the remnants of tears, voice raw, but there’s a lack of weight in your body she’s been seeing you carry ever since she’s known you. You wrap your arms around one of Kate’s leaning your head on your shoulder after setting a plastic tub on the ground. “They all convinced him,” You say, jerking your head towards your ex. “That he was losing his mind. Also, how come my errands never get to just be my errands? What part of stay in the car until I got back did we not understand?” 
-
“I tried to stop them, really I did.” Kate protests. You let out a quiet laugh, hiding your face in the back of her shirt. 
“Have T and Jake made up?” You say quietly. She shakes her head and you sigh.  
“Tyler-“
“No, and we’re leaving.” Tyler says, cutting you off as he pushes himself off the couch. “With the way Boone drives they’re probably halfway to Vegas by now.” 
“That’s physically not possible.” Kate mutters and you snort. 
“Tyler, I don’t want you to leave things like this.” 
“That’s not your choice.” Tyler says gruffly, stalking to the front door. Both you and Kate wince as he slams it. 
“I don’t know where he thinks he’s going, I still have the keys.” You say, finally letting go of Kate. “It’s my car anyways.” You mutter under your breath before sighing. “Anyways, we should really be on the road because Boone’s probably stopped at the alien tourist stop in Bakersfield by now.” 
“If Tyler complains about traffic again, can we take a group vote to leave him on the side of the road?” Javi asks as he cranes his head up at you. 
“We’re not leaving Tyler on the side of the road.” Kate says with a tired sigh. 
“Even if he walks to Vegas?” Javi protests earning a tired laugh from you. 
“Okay Kate, will you drive?” She nods as you hand her the keys, Javi standing up from the couch. “Javi, take that.” You say, pointing to the box. “I’m going to be out in just a minute.”
You wait for the door to shut behind them before turning to Jake. “Okay Jake, you can have your real hug now.” He grins as you pull him into a hug. “Don’t worry about him. It’ll take time.” 
“I’m sure with a couple hours trapped in a car with you, he’ll cave and call.” Jake says softly, forced humor in the words. 
(It would take three weeks, an incessantly annoying three weeks on your part, before Ty got so frustrated with you he’d called Jake while sitting on top of his truck on the ranch in Arkansas. You’re still not sure what they talked about, what was said, but by the end of the week, Tyler walked into the house with a wedding invitation on fancy card stock Tyler teased Jake endlessly for.) 
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, though.” You say, squeezing him. “Let bygones by bygones. I have.” 
He hums. “Take care of yourself.” 
Bradley gives you a brief hug. “I’m glad you’re happy and safe kid. That’s all I would’ve ever wanted for you.” 
“Hope you weren’t too hard on Jake.” 
“No more than the normal amount.” 
“The normal amount is zero.” 
Bradley laughs. “You’re being more fair to him than he deserves, hope you know that.”
“Something something time space therapy.”
You reach your arms out for Pete and he stands up, giving you a grin, as Bradley laughs harder. “Don’t do anything out there that I would do.” 
You laugh. “No promises.” You pad over to Mickey, giving him a tight hug. “If you ever decide you get tired of the pilot life and want to become a storm chaser, you let me know.” Mickey laughs. 
“You’ll have to unblock me first.” You cringe at the reminder and pat his back. 
“Done. You take care of yourself.” He gives you a two finger salute, letting you step back. 
You turn back to Javy, who’s mostly kept to himself through the whole conversation. “Come here you.” He looks surprised you’re offering him another hug, but he returns it nonetheless. “You be safe out there, you hear me.” 
“Yes ma’am.” He whispers. “Don’t get sucked up into a tornado.” 
“I’ll try my hardest. And uh, really do think about my Elle suggestion.”
You both linger for a minute longer before eventually he pulls away. “You sure that’s all you want to take?”
You shrug. “Yeah, I got what I need out there. Sell the rest of the stuff, make a quick buck off of me. It’s the least I can do.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Sounds like a deal. Uh, can I walk you to the door?” You nod and he trails behind you quietly. “So this is uh, really goodbye.” 
“Seems like it.” 
“I’m uh, really happy you found what you’re looking for. I can only hope I’ll find it someday.”
“You will.” You say quietly. “I’m really sorry it didn’t work out between us.” 
“It’s for the better it seems.” 
You nod. “Well-“ You clear your throat. “Goodbye Javy.” 
The door shut behinds you with a soft thud. You sigh, padding across the wet grass as you slip in the seat next to Kate. As she pulls away from the curb, Javi asks how you’re feeling. 
“It’s stupid.” You mumble. “But I keep thinking of this Taylor Swift lyric.” 
“Not this again.” Tyler mutters and through the rear view mirror you can see Javi flick his ear. 
“What is it?” Kate asks softly. 
“It’s just this one line — what a valiant roar, what a bland goodbye. It’s just odd, I think. I did really love him at one point and I did really think maybe I’d spend the rest of my life with him, that those would be my best days. And it all just kind of ends here.” You sigh, settling back into your seat. “But- I don’t know. I’m not mad about how it all happened, I guess. It lead me here.” 
Tyler lifts his chin, giving you a soft yet sincere smile through the rearview mirror. “And we’re happy to have you here.” 
-
“So,” Kate starts from the balcony of your Vegas hotel room. Your friends are fast asleep inside, all piled somewhere on the beds pushed together. You’re pretty sure when you left, Boone had pushed himself in between Tyler and Javi and was snoring. “I’ve been sort of- I kind of have something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.” 
You glance at your girlfriend. “Yeah?”
She nods. “Last night, when Javi and Boone left cause of the bad feeling they got- they weren’t the only ones who felt that. It kinda made me sick, hearing them talk about you like that, and thinking about the fact that you might actually do it. That you might remember that you liked your life there better and leave Oklahoma.” She takes a sharp breath. “Leave me.”
“Kate-“ 
“I know I’m not really the best at- at always showing you how much you mean to me, that sometimes I get caught up in chasing the storm, in actually making it all mean something, that I forgot about how great of a thing I have. I’m trying really hard not to take it for granted, because I did once and I can’t- I can’t go through that again. To lose you would be one of the greatest losses of my life.” 
“Kate, I love you. You aren’t gonna lose me, I’m not going anywhere. I only want to be with you, there isn’t any other life for me except for the one right next to you.” 
She reached up, brushing away an eyelash that had fallen onto your cheek. “I think I’m sort of starting to understand that now.” She reaches out for your hand. “Listen, I‘ve sort of- sort of been keeping my eye on some places going up for sale in Sapulpa. I know my Mom doesn’t mind having us around but I think maybe it’s time we give her back her peace and quiet.”
“Kate…”
She reaches a hand up, tucking a hair behind your ear. “We can keep the barn as home base but I found this really cute place for not too bad of a price while we were driving out here. I sort of scheduled a tour with the realtor for the day after next.” She’s wearing a soft, cautious smile.
“Kate,” Your breath hitches. “Kate Carter, are you asking me to move in with you? Are you asking me to buy a house with you?”
She gives a sort of nonchalant shrug. “If that’s what you want.” 
“I- Yes, of course that’s what I want!” You exclaim, belatedly realizing you may wake your friends. Well, not Boone at least, who sleeps like the dead. Your voice drops considerably. “Yes, yes I would love that.” 
Kate gives you a grin, reaching out to tug on the elastic band of your pajama pants to bring you closer to her. You laugh, colliding into her. Your hands brace yourself on her shoulders as Kate smiles wider than you think you’ve ever seen her. 
“I love you so much.” She whispers. “How lucky am I.”
“I hope it’s like this forever.” You say softly. “I know, there’s no guarantee and eventually, they’ll find other things. But I hope it’s always this easy, you know? Not just with us but with them too you know? They might not be the Wranglers forever but I hope they’re our family forever.” You say, turning your head to look at your friends through the glass. 
You feel the outline of Kate’s smile on your cheek. “They will be. I promise. No matter where we all go, they’ll still be here. Can’t take the home out of Oklahoma, right?”
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darkmaga-returns · 1 month ago
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Consider these European and American binaries.
On December 20, 2024, a terrorist, Taleb Al-Abdul Mohsen, rammed his SUV into a Christmas crowd in Magdeburg, Germany. He killed 6 pedestrians and injured 299 others.
Eleven days later, on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, Louisiana, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar smashed his pickup into a festive crowd. He murdered fifteen and hurt over 35.
Germany’s fertility rate is scarcely above 1.4—about average for a shrinking European Union. About 20 percent of the country is now foreign-born, a record high.
American fertility has precipitously dived to 1.6. The foreign-born now represent 15 percent of the American resident population, the highest in both actual numbers (50 million) and percentages in history.
The German military is a shell of its former self, with fewer than 200,000 soldiers and a shortage of almost all types of weapons.
The U.S. military, after being humiliated in Afghanistan, is currently down some 40,000-plus recruits. It faces shortages of anti-tank weapons, artillery shells, ships, and logistical support.
Germany may finally manage to spend 2% of its GDP on defense; the United States is heading downward below 3%—the lowest in over 80 years since the Great Depression.
Last year, the German economy shrank; this year, it will scarcely grow, in part because of shortages of affordable fossil fuels.
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truecrimecrystals · 1 year ago
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Shantell Pollard was only 19 years-old when she died after being shot on October 31st, 2017. The teenage girl planned to celebrate Halloween that evening with friends on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Unfortunately, Shantell never made it to the celebration. 
Shantell's friends picked her up from her family's home in Thibodaux around 10:00 PM on the evening of the shooting. Their plan was to make the hour-long drive to New Orleans, but first they needed to drop Shantell's friend's children off at a home in a nearby Marydale neighborhood. It was in that neighborhood where Shantell was fatally shot in the head. 
According to reports, police were called to Park Avenue around 10:35 PM. Once officers arrived on the scene, they found Shantell unresponsive in the front seat of an SUV. It was clear that she had been shot, and she was subsequently transported to a local hospital. Unfortunately, she did not survive the gunshot wounds. Shantell passed away on November 3rd, 2017. 
No arrests have ever been made in Shantell's case, nor have any suspects been publicly announced. A motive for her murder remains unknown. Shantell's family members are inevitably devastated by her death, and they hope to one day receive justice. 
If you have any information that could lead to the arrest of Shantell's killer(s), please contact Crime Stoppers Bayou Region at 1-800-743-7433 or submit a tip online.
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8pinkdreaming8 · 23 days ago
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SUV (Yes that is what I'm calling it)
Hello everyone and thank all 28 (woah) for voting in my first poll! Now this doesn't mean all of my au's are out of the picture but y'all asked and y'all will receive. So context I made this AU when I was very little I just happened to get into Steven Universe and Voltron at the same time. SVTFOE was also supposed to be here but I couldn't find a way to make it fit and make sense in the grand story.
But let's into it starting with headcannons, or canons since I'm the creator? Idk what to call them
Aqua
•Daughter of Lance and Lapis she is kinda the group leader. Born on March 5, 2125 (Pisces) in Beach City, Delaware. She actually got the hang of her powers pretty young compared to her friends and luckily for her the city actually became a city, now being the gem human capital of the world. She went to school at little homeschool and became a volunteer for the place. Since her parents were still close there kids became friends, a little more then friends actually.
•Aqua and Jay have only been dating for a few months now, in my mind it's around maybe 6-8 but the two deeply care about each other. Sometimes on dates Aqua will let him ride on her back and they just fly around the city with no cares in the world, even exploring the ocean. The two have even fused into Iolite on occasions, or as they like to call them, Io.
•But the girl has secrets, secrets she doesn't want even her closest friends to know. SHE'S A FANFIC WRITER. Her favorite show is called Moon Mist and it's about intergalactic medieval space fighters who go on daring quests and wonderful adventures. She thinks it's embarrassing though, even her friends make fun of her cause they kinda think the show is dumb.
•The girl's hair is genetic, along with all of her friends. Hair like that has become a lot more common since gem and human relations have gotten better.
•Even seeing a fish dead or in food can make the girl shed a tear she hates it, flying around the ocean, picking up trash, it makes her dad proud.
•Just like her mother, she has dabbled in the art of watercolor and other medians of paint. A little fun though she can never seem to get it right, even with her practice it's hard.
•Like the rest of her friends though, they miss their moms. Aqua misses hers the most, with all the other lazuli's flying around and teaching her how to use her powers, she can't help but still long for that tear drop hole in her heart.
Jay
•Kid of Hunk and Amethyst and heir to the Garrett cooking empire he is the the kid under, what he feels is crazy pressure. Born on April 28, 2124 (Taurus) in New Orleans, Louisiana he's the oldest out of the kids. Unlike the other kids his dad left Earth only a few months after he was born. With the growing empire of his dad's restaurant caused the two to move around a lot, never staying in one place for more then a few months. He hates it though. Every month is a new place farther and farther away from his friends, and lover.
•As his mother and father always say, the key to love is through a persons stomach, and he lives by that. It's how he shows his love to all his friends and family, especially with Aqua. He's always there when she needs a pick me up with her favorite homemade ice cream, or just on the fly with her burger.
•Being a shapeshifter Jay had always struggled with his identity, till when he was 13 he finally realized he was xenogender. Not being tied to any real gender or any concept of it. Then again his friends don't care about whatever he identifies as or choses to be, as long as he's Jay, him and them are happy.
•Hunk never once put pressure on his kid. He was always scared that he'd be like him when he was a teen, scared of everything and not wiling to be adventurous. But Hunk never had to do that oh no, oh no, Jay did that to himself. He feels like his has to continue his fathers legacy in some way to make him proud, even though the guy couldn't be prouder
•He tries to visit his friends as much as possibly, even if they are miles and miles away
•He's always trying new combos of food and making his friends taste them. Mostly there good, sometimes there amazing, but on the rare expected times he makes something bad, it's bad. Like, that one time he gave everyone food poisoning for a week straight.
Rose
•Child of Shiro and Pink Pearl she's a flip flop of characters. She's smart but stupid, naive and paranoid, no one can get a real good read on her. When she born Shiro and his husband had been wanting a kid and well, him and pink pearl had become really good friends so she decided to sacrifice herself to give her friend what he wanted. And before you know it with a little science, Rose popped out on November 31, 2135 in New York, New York.
•When she was about 3 her family moved to LA for Shiro's job which lead to Rose being around all the finder things in life. She wasn't the top 1% her family was just, rich, a Glinda type.
•As a kid her house was always the house the group would want to hang out with since it had all the hottest games and toys and everything a kid could want. But now it's just one of the many places they go to hang out.
•Even with her high statis in life, she always wished she's could be a run of the mill kid. No famous parent, no riches, wished she could go back into the past and when she found out about the 2000s through 2090s? God she was amazed. Which led her to spiral more, into the 1990s, 80s, 70s, 60s, 50s, times gone by. But she knows that's never gonna be her life.
•Like I mentioned, Rose makes bracelets for her friends, but her favorite is the one she made for Elliot. She doesn't fully know why but he's always been special to her
Elliot
•Speaking of which it's the man of the hour! Elliot was born April 3rd, 2124 (Aries) in the desserts of New Mexico along with his sister. After years Ruby and Sapphire wanted kids so Keith helped them out which lead them to give up there forms to make them.
•Elliot got Ruby's side which lead to anger, lots of angry mumbling, and only being able to focus on one thing at a time. The guy was never the best in school being known as the joker and pranker which got him in trouble with his dad. Along with Ruby's anger he got her powers and weapon
•Even with his troubles, the guy is surprisingly smart with fire. Since it can't effect him like a normal person he's always trying to find something to make his powers stronger, better, it's why he carries around a pair of goggles, it blows up in his face!
•He'd never admit this to anyone, but he has a minor crush on Rose. He thinks she so sweet and pretty and caring, and he couldn't help but smile more then he did anytime of his life when she gave him that bracelet. He's always careful with it, a bit paranoid about losing or blowing it up lmao
•He looks up to his Galura grandmother and wishes to be like her. We’ll more like have the markings of a Galura.
Frost
• Born April 3rd, 2134 Frost is the opposite of her brother. Even though the two are known to get into mischief once in a while her grades are out of this world, has really good control of her powers, yet not as popular as her more extroverted brother, but she doesn’t care.
• The girl got the powers of ice and future vision, only the future vision kinda stinks. It’s always a blur whenever they try to use it
•Is like Keith at the start of Voltron, she even takes her outfit from what he looked like as a teenager just changed the color to blue
•Was apart of some sports teams, but it never worked out for her
•Want to be just like her dad and be a pilot, even though Keith is scared it would be to dangerous from her even if he does encourage it
•Has a few other friends outside the friend group from clubs and volunteering
•Dances her sadness out when something bad happens. Just goes to the bathroom and busts it down lmao
Alexis
•Born February 5th, 2135 at 2:00am on a Saturday in New Mexico, with the two biggest brains on the team, they’re a super genius. They were made in a tube and laid dormant for almost nine months, but they came out pre-mature
•Alexis took a few years to warm up to the rest of the group, it was till 7 she begun to talk but used a tablet to speech to her mother. She never exactly liked the group at first, she could never understand how they worked, or any humans work really
• She despises the feeling of dirt and grime on her skin, it why unlike her mothers she hate gardening and going outside with a passion. It’s why they’re so pale.
•Has metal powers which are useful since also like their mothers, they love and adore tech and think it's better then any magical power out there
•Avid gamer that has one of those 'I paused my game to be here' shirts they were around the Garrison, it's where here and the twins go to school
•Buts heads with Frost a lot since the two are both the smartest kids there. But they do study together and for Alexis Frost is the only other person aside from their mother who they can have intelligent conversation with
•Yet that doesn't make them immune to drama. TV DRAMA THAT IS, Alexis is crazy about camp pining hearts were talking watching every episode, movie, cast interviews. Reading every book, script, even creating a whole video essay spanning 10 hours explaining every episode and plot point in the show in so much detail it could make your head spin
•For some reason dogs have always been special to them
That's it! If y'all want more just tell me cause I got a lot more
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cljordan-imperium · 1 year ago
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Heaven Visits The LaVeaus - 2
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“See, I told you this trip would be good for you.”  Cade finally made it up to them and clapped Arthur on the shoulder.  “And Mama Marie and the spooky bunch has adopted another stray.  I guess we’re brothers now, Arthur.  Wait till you taste her food!  We may never get you back to England.”  They all laughed as they began to head in to see exactly how big of a feast Marie HAD prepared.
Arthur snorted at Cade’s quit and rolled his eyes.  “You’re all spoiling her. How am I supposed to take her home now?”  He side-eyed Cade, a slight smirk toying on his lips.
Cade shook his head, “I guess you won’t.  We’ll keep her and you can go home alone, you grumpy asshole.  She’ll fit in better here anyway.  Bet she’ll think it’s a vacation.” He ducked a swing from Arthur, who wasn’t really trying hard to actually hit him.  Laughing he shoved his friend back, glad to see that the man was..could it be...no…actually SMILING?!  Seemed the slight and fair beauty he’d brought over with him HAD done some good for the old goat.
“Do I need to go get Alexander to separate you two old war horses?” Mel’s amused voice broke into the men’s exchange.  “Hey, don’t threaten us with a good time, beautiful.”  Cade winked over at his fiance’.  “Although I’ve dealt with his cranky ass when he’s tired before, I’d prefer you NOT.”  This got a laugh from Arthur.  Damn, the little woman had started to heal the man.  Hot damn!  This might not be the serious visit he’d been afraid of.  Eggshells shelved?
“Where is the bastard?” Arthur asked, looking around the estate that was even larger than his brother’s back in England.  The land here was different, but just as old, and there was something about it that had a different feel.  Something darker, even in the bright Louisiana sunshine.
“He didn’t land until almost midnight last night from his flight, so he is still passed out upstairs.  We can see if he’s awake when we drop off your luggage, old man.  If he misses Mama Marie’s cooking, he’ll be pissed.”  Cade laughed and clapped Arthur on the back as he jerked his head toward the back of the SUV.  “Come on, your wife packs like mine.  I’m not hauling all that up by myself.”  
Arthur looked between Cade and Melania for a moment, a brow raised.  “Maybe it’s something about witches.” It was said flatly, with no derision, and then he headed to the back of the vehicle, leaving both Mel and Cade staring at one another, mouths slightly agape and trying not to laugh.  Yes, he was going to fit right in.  
*****
Alexander had been groggy, but awake, when the men had taken the luggage upstairs.   He made some kind of unintelligible response about breakfast and headed in to get a shower.  Cade just shook his head as he headed downstairs again.   Alexander has known Mel for over a decade and was considered family.  After all that had gone down jn Serbia and after, Cade considered him a brother too. 
"The grumpy Brit will be down in a minute he's showering." Cade announced as he came into the dining room that looked like a Cajun and Creole buffet had exploded all over it.
"There is more than one?  I thought mine was it." Heaven teased her husband who made a grumble but pulled her close to kiss her softly none the less.
''He learned it from Alexander I think." Mel teased.  "Especially before coffee it's not safe to have him around loaded weapons."  
"No weapons talk around the new children." Marie came through and tsked at Mel. "Breakfast. If I'm going to have to listen to the men and their guns all day, I'm not listening to you talk about them while we eat." 
"Of course, Mama." Mel kissed her mom lightly on the cheek before starting to point out all the delicacies that Marie had prepared.  Crayfish, shrimp, grits, cream sauces, and richness abounded.  As a nod to their guests, Marie had even been able to get the local butcher to make blood sausage.
"And someone remember to feed Archibald so he doesn't try to come in and visit." Dontanion's very heavily old French accented voice called from the kitchen.
"Who is Archibald?" Heaven asked, looking confused why a friend would not be wanted as a visitor with so much food being laid out.
"My pet albino alligator.  Come on, you two have a complexion in common.  I raised him from a baby.  Albinos aren't rare to be born, but they rarely make it to adulthood.  Being white in the bayou is a liability." Mel explained as she led the petite woman into the kitchen grabbing a bag of mega marshmallows and then chicken thighs.  "He LOVES marshmallows!"
"You spoil him!" Cade called after her in tease.  
"Says the man I equally spoil!" Mel turned and stuck out her tongue at him.  "He's ornery, but I love him."  She laughed as she looped her arm with Heaven's and led her to the dock.  “I just tolerate Cade.”  Winking over at the beauty next to her, she laughed harder.
Heaven & Arthur Shelby belong to @call-sign-shark
@raincoffeeandfandoms @blind-the-winds @saltysupercomputer @aziz-reads @toribookworm22 @writingmaidenwarrior @jessica-writes22 @late-to-the-fandom
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silasdrake · 2 years ago
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JERK
“Pulled Over & Busted”
I began the long journey from Fort Lauderdale to visit my buddy in New Orleans. I figured it would take me about 14 hours, give-or-take, to complete the journey to Louisiana. I was so excited to venture out on my own and visit a state that I have never been to.  Little did I know how exciting this little excursion would become before I even crossed the Florida border.
It was about 3pm at the time and I was heading north about 1 hour from the Florida/Georgia border when I saw flashing lights behind me.  Fuck! I was getting pulled over and I imagined it was for speeding but I wasn’t really sure.  I pulled my car over to the side of the highway and the police cruiser followed suit.  I anxiously waited for the officer to walk over to my window.  When he did, he asked me if I was aware of why he pulled me over.  I apologized to the officer and said that I wasn’t sure.  I asked the officer if I was speeding and he smirked, nodded his head yes and stated that I was traveling 20 miles over the speed limit.
I assumed that I was about to receive a speeding ticket but that thought immediately left my mind once I noticed how beautiful this cop was.  He must have been in his early 30’s, had a short, trimmed beard and mustache, had aviator glasses on and looked to have a body of a Greek god.  Just looking at this dude was worth the price I would inevitably end up paying in fines and insurance rate increases from a speeding ticket.  If it was only that simple…
The officer asked me to step out of my vehicle.  I began wishing that he would just give me a ticket and send me on my way.  Was I in more trouble than I expected? Did I say something wrong to him?  I was pretty scared and unsure of what was to come. I have never been asked to exit my vehicle by a police officer.  I mean…I was hours from home.  I was freaking out!  I am definitely not the type that would fare well in a northern Florida jail.
As I opened my door and stepped out of my car, the officer guided me to a grassy area on the right side of his police SUV.  The SUV windows were tinted so you could not see either of us from the highway.  It seemed that he had guided me to an area where his vehicle would act as a barrier and prevent passer-by visibility.  I was definitely nervous. I had no idea what was going on.  
The office had me stand with my back against the rear passenger door and stood directly in front of me as he took off his sunglasses and hooked them onto his uniform.  To no surprise, he had beautiful green eyes and was way more attractive than I had originally thought. For a brief second, my nerves went away; that was until he asked me if I was hiding any drugs. I quickly responded that I did not have any drugs of any kind on my person or in my vehicle.  
The officer then asked if I minded if he checked and knowing that I didn’t have any drugs, I agreed to his search request.  Little did I know that by search, he meant ME!  He took his hand and pulled my tucked-in tee-shirt from my shorts exposing my stomach and the view of my CK underwear elastic poking out above my khaki shorts.  He took his index finger and slid it just behind my underwear elastic and I could feel his finger brush against the top of my dick pubes.  At this point, I was not sure where all this was all heading but I was certain it was not about drugs.  
The cop continued to move his fingers under my briefs and my dick naturally began to thicken up and the officer must have noticed the lack of space inside my shorts especially considering that he still had 2 fingers in my jock.  I have an 8-inch cock, so you could surely see the full shape of my dick forming through my shorts.  It was also pretty obvious when my pre-cum soaked through exposing a wet spot on my tan shorts.  
I figured by this time, the cop knew I was on board to fuck around with him on the side of a highway and I was correct because he moved his fingers deeper into my underwear and gently stroked my dick with his fingers.  I am a major pre-jack leaker so when the cop pulled his hands out of my underwear, he saw his wet fingers and licked them clean all while smiling at me and looking directly into my eyes.  I smiled back and attempted to lower myself to access his zipper and expose his cock but he resisted and asked that I stay standing right where I was.  I anxiously said, ok. If he wanted to be in control, I was going to let him.
Right then, he got on his knees in front of me and began sucking and licking the pre-cum spot on my shorts. His mouth pushing against my dick felt amazing.  Once he sucked all the flavor out of my shorts, he asked if he could unzip my shorts and of course, I said “FUCK YES”.  In one swift motion, my khakis were around my ankles and my big cock hiding underneath my white briefs was exposed to him.  He commented on how hot I was and how turned on he was and then put his mouth on the wettest area of my briefs, right where my hard cock head was resting and began to lick and suck the pre-cum out of my underwear, too.  This dude loved pre-cum like no other man that I have ever met.  It was so hot to watch this cop worship my dick through my briefs but I wanted more.  I needed more.  I wanted to see his cock.  Fuck!  I wanted to taste this dude all over, so badly!  
After he was finished milking my briefs, without any warning, he pulled my CK’s down exposing my huge, wet erection and immediately began sucking on the head of my willing member.  I was in pure ecstasy but still, I wanted this guy in my mouth, so badly. I had to taste him in every way that he would allow me.  I mean, this kind of shit never happens so I was certain that I was going to make the most of it. So, I took a chance and told him that I wanted to suck on his cock and balls.  With my cock still in his mouth, he looked up at me and said “ok”.  
The officer stood up from his blow job position and stood in front of me, staring into my eyes and nodding his head.  I then, slowly started to unbutton his tuxedo striped police pants and to my surprise, he was commando.  He had very thick, dark skinned, cut cock and it was also leaking pre-cum pretty heavily…just like me.  I put my hand on his cock and began to lick the underside of his cock-head, gently.  He moaned with pleasure and I immediately tasted his salty pre-juice and swallowed it down.  God, I loved having this cock in my mouth. I could suck it for days.
The officer clearly wanted to take full advantage of this moment because he asked me if I would lick his asshole.  Without hesitation, I said “fuck yes, officer”.  After my response, the cop pulled out a wool blanket from the cargo space of his SUV.  He spread it down on the grass next to his car and laid down on his back with his legs up in the air, exposing his perfectly furry asshole.  His hole was perfect!  My lips and tongue took a quick dive into his hole.  His ass tasted musky and masculine and it was perfect. As I made out with his asshole, the cop moaned loudly while tugging on his cock.  
He began to push on the back of my head which seemed to be his way of asking me to get my tongue deeper inside of his asshole.  I thought this was the perfect time to slip a finger inside him along with my tongue.  While I was enjoying his manly flavor, the cop was squirming and I could tell he was definitely into getting fucked and that he wanted more of me deep inside him.  Without asking, I began rubbing my juicy cock-head on his tight, little hairy hole.  I spread my pre-cum all over his hole to get it naturally lubed up and ready for my cock.  I could see that he didn’t want me to stop so I began to push my raw cock through his tight, yet willing hole. After a little more pressure, my dick slipped completely into his wet, warm hole.  Just seeing my cock completely inside this dude made me so hard that my cock was pulsating inside him.  I was in heaven on the side of a highway bare fucking a police officer that pulled me over!
After a good amount of cock thrusts into this man, he told me that he was getting close to shooting and that he wanted me to kiss him while he came.  Of course, I obliged and kissed this man with all the passion that I had while I continued to drill my fat dick into him.  I could feel his asshole tighten up as he began to shoot his load all over his uniform shirt.  Midway through his orgasm, I began to unload all of my load into the depths of his asshole.  I could tell he felt every drop of cum from every thrust because his eyes rolled back into his head as we both continued to kiss and release our loads, together.
In the end, I did not get a ticket but I certainly got “busted”.  I’m not sure if I fucked my way out of it but this will go down as one of the hottest fucks of my life, so far.  I will fantasize about this moment forever.  And for the record, I did make it to New Orleans and had an amazing time.
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itslenagain · 2 years ago
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(Part 1 here)
PART 2
(Two months earlier, in June...)
Kimberly wraps her arms around Hera's waist and pulls her down onto the bed, both laughing with joy.
The apartment is mostly barren, with just a mattress on the floor and some scattered boxes. They arrived in the early afternoon to sign the lease. They'd been on the run from Zeus for five months now, expertly dodging his scouts, defeating desperate attempts to capture Hera. They were used to running, never staying long in one place or another. Now here, in Wilson, Wyoming, they just had to keep their heads down long enough to meet the 60-day state residency requirement.
Kimberly runs a hand through Hera's silky hair. *How did I get this lucky,* she thinks, *to be dating a literal goddess?* Her eyes close and she imagines a beautiful life; late-morning coffee on a balcony somewhere beautiful (but not as beautiful as her) after spending an evening tangled up in soft bedsheets. Holding hands in the streets of Paris, kissing under Moroccan cypress trees, the wink she'd give her over cups of fragrant tea in Japan. The places they'd go, the things they'd see...
"Are you okay, my love?" Hera leans over to look at Kimberly, who quickly wipes away a tear forming in the corner of her eye.
"It's just... are you sure about this? About me?" Her voice cracks on the last syllable. "I'm sorry, I know I keep asking and you keep reassuring me, but..."
Hera cups Kimberly's face in her hands. "Agápi mou - my love - I have doubted myself for long enough. I have no doubts now. This is what I want for my life - to be a part of yours." She kisses Kimberly, warm and soft. "Mortals are full of so many anxieties," she teases.
(July...)
Bev Jones drives under yet another billboard advertising her practice. "Marriage on the rocks? Let's take stock!" The tagline is cheesy and Bev hates it, but the marketing team says they saw a 36% increase in call volume with the new design, so it stays. Bev lights a cigarette and swears under her breath.
The office has been wild with celebrity divorces lately, all for petty nonsense. She's tired of it. It all means nothing. What happened to the days where divorces were meaningful? She parks her in the VIP spot in front of the glass façade of her Reno office. She watches her reflection step out of her sleek black SUV, long pale legs beneath a navy pencil skirt, the gray blazer she wears on Tuesdays because Rhonda comes in to pick up the mail and she called it beautiful, and finally the long scarlet hair atop her head. Her large sunglasses reflect it all back.
She struts into the office, greeted by Joanne, her assistant. Joanne hands her a bone-dry cappuccino and pauses, waiting for the cue to speak. Bev takes a long drag off of her beverage, and then nods at Joanne. They begin to walk from the lobby to Bev's office. "Ok, today I sent out your bar fees for Louisiana and California, and I just need your signature on the paperwork to renew your law license in Colorado. You have a client at 1PM and 4PM. And I have a voicemail for you from Ronald Frump, what do you want me to tell him?"
"Ughh, tell him I'm busy." She takes another sip of coffee.
"Marketing said it would be a big case, and he always pays well-"
"Did I stutter?" Joanne goes quiet and begins writing on her notepad. "I'm done with that asshole, he can find another attorney. I don't need any more of his money. Marketing can suck it." She swings open the door to her office and sits down in her cushioned swivel chair. She eyes her calendar, rolling her eyes at the long list of clients planned for the month. Maybe next month will bring a case worth her time.
(August, two days ago...)
"Hello, I'm calling for attorney Bev Jones. My name is, uh, Sara, and I want to divorce my husband." Hera still isn't used to phone calls. Kimberly smiles at her encouragingly.
"Sara Gilbert? Sarah McLachlan? Sara Palin? Listen, you've got to be more specific, I'm not your agent." Joanne purses her lips.
"No, haha, I'm Sara Vasileiou. I don't have an agent."
"Bev Jones prefers to work with high-profile clients. Why do you think she should take your case?"
"I can pay her handsomely, and I promise my case will be worth it. I am a high-profile client, I promise you that, but I cannot tell you much more at this time." Hera closes her eyes. "I have been on the run from my husband and I am afraid of him finding me, so I just need you to trust me."
Joanne ponders. Who the hell is this woman? She Googled "Sara Vasileiou" and couldn't find any information, is it an alias? Bev *did* say she was looking for an interesting case, and this sounded like it might fit the bill. "Okay, Bev will see you. Be at the Reno office on Thursday, 10AM sharp. Don't be late."
[ Next ]
You are a divorce lawyer, the best in your field. You have just received word that you will representing the Greek goddess Hera in her divorce from Zeus.
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themfp1 · 1 month ago
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America and Europe Can Hang Together -- Or Hang Separately
By: Victor Davis Hanson Consider these European and American binaries. On December 20, 2024, a terrorist, Taleb Al-Abdul Mohsen, rammed his SUV into a Christmas crowd in Magdeburg, Germany. He killed six pedestrians and injured 299 others. Eleven days later, on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, Louisiana, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar smashed his pickup into a festive crowd. He murdered 15 and hurt…
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mightyflamethrower · 1 month ago
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Consider these European and American binaries.
On December 20, 2024, a terrorist, Taleb Al-Abdul Mohsen, rammed his SUV into a Christmas crowd in Magdeburg, Germany. He killed 6 pedestrians and injured 299 others.
Eleven days later, on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, Louisiana, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar smashed his pickup into a festive crowd. He murdered fifteen and hurt over 35.
Germany’s fertility rate is scarcely above 1.4—about average for a shrinking European Union. About 20 percent of the country is now foreign-born, a record high.
American fertility has precipitously dived to 1.6. The foreign-born now represent 15 percent of the American resident population, the highest in both actual numbers (50 million) and percentages in history.
The German military is a shell of its former self, with fewer than 200,000 soldiers and a shortage of almost all types of weapons.
The U.S. military, after being humiliated in Afghanistan, is currently down some 40,000-plus recruits. It faces shortages of anti-tank weapons, artillery shells, ships, and logistical support.
Germany may finally manage to spend 2% of its GDP on defense; the United States is heading downward below 3%—the lowest in over 80 years since the Great Depression.
Last year, the German economy shrank; this year, it will scarcely grow, in part because of shortages of affordable fossil fuels.
Germans pay four times what Americans on average do for electricity. Yet the Trump administration has promised an oil and natural gas renaissance, hoping to expand both production and exports with envisioned new pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals.
In sum, the U.S. is beginning to mimic the pathologies of Europe—and yet in the next four years, renewal could help slow the decline of both.
Both face shrinking and aging populations. Both either cannot or will not control their borders, despite popular protests. Both suffer from woke political correctness and are pushing back.
The proverbial people of both nations want smaller government—and more freedom of expression and less woke. They insist on less and legal-only immigration and secure borders.
They vote for cheaper energy and fewer regulations.
Europeans and Americans alike want more meritocracy and fewer fixations on race and gender.
In the chaos of the postmodern 21st century, Europe and the U.S. nevertheless are still likely to share the same enemies and friends.
Both resent the asymmetrical Chinese approach to global commerce, based on a mercantilism that would never allow Europe and the United States to treat China as it does both.
The Europeans and the Americans are both worried about a vastly expanding conventional and nuclear Chinese military.
Neither wants Iran to develop nuclear-tipped missiles with ranges to hit the capitals of both. They do not want Vladimir Putin to recreate the former Soviet Union’s borders.
Europe, as a rule, loves Democrats as kindred quasi-socialists. But privately many Europeans assume their own security and prosperity do better when America is governed by conservatives.
In the past, Europe has not been a fan of Donald Trump, both as president and as a pre- and post-presidency candidate.
They fear that he is an isolationist, insufficiently diplomatic, not fully supportive of NATO, or too tariff-happy for their tastes—and are scared of his art-of-the-deal trolling to prompt wake-up calls.
But 2025 is certainly not 2017 or even 2020. And a “reset” in thinking on both sides is urgently now needed more than ever.
The Biden administration was no model partner for Europe. It quite outrageously forced cancellations of a joint Cypriot, Greek, and Israeli EastMed pipeline to bring much-needed natural gas to Europe.
It talked a great game about strengthening NATO. But the alliance’s bulwark, the U.S. military, saw its real budget cut, its Pentagon politicized, and recruitment short more than 40,000 enlistees.
The humiliating 2021 skedaddle from Afghanistan not only eroded American credibility but undermined all Western deterrence as well.
Biden opposed building new liquefied natural gas export terminals in the U.S. designed to help energy-starved Europe find a reliable and honest supplier and decouple from Russia.
Trump, in contrast, promises to “drill, drill, drill,” in part to ensure needed income by exporting huge amounts of LNG to fuel-starved Europe.
Europe was angry that a bantering Trump once bullied them to meet their promises to increase their defense spending.
But after the invasion of Ukraine, they are happy that some countries did just that.
Europeans likely want—and need—Trump to restore a more deterrent U.S. military, not a woke one.
Europe and America are both in crisis and need radical new thinking.
So, who knows—Europe may soon quietly rejoice that Biden is gone, Trump is back, and they have a strong, loyal, and rowdy friend rather than a simpering enabler.
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head-post · 4 months ago
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Harris targets black men with new economic proposals, armed suspect arrested near Trump rally amid rising threats
With just 22 days to go until the US presidential election, tensions around the campaign of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continue to rise. As Harris unveils a new programme aimed at boosting the financial and career prospects of black men, police in California have detained an armed man on suspicion of plotting an assassination attempt on Trump, US media reported.
Harris unveils policy agenda targeted at black men
The release of the Harris campaign’s “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” on Monday came just four days after former President Obama, in comments that went viral, rebuked black male voters for their lack of enthusiasm in supporting Harris. Obama’s comments came at a time when polls show former President Trump gaining ground among black men, who have traditionally been some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters.
The Harris campaign, with just over three weeks until election day, hopes to draw attention to its programme to help black men achieve “the opportunity to get ahead and thrive” by equipping them with “the tools to achieve financial freedom, lower costs to better provide for themselves and their families, and protect their rights.”
Among the proposals are 1 million loans that can be fully forgiven to black entrepreneurs and others to start businesses, support for education, training and mentoring programmes that will help black men get well-paying jobs in in-demand industries and lead their communities, including opportunities to become teachers.
The campaign also developed a regulatory framework to protect black men’s investments in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, a black male-focused health equity initiative to address sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer and other issues that disproportionately affect their health, and the creation of opportunities for black Americans in the recreational marijuana industry.
Former Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond, a national co-chair of the Harris campaign, said the new programme aims to ensure that “black men have everything they need to thrive: to be able to buy a home, provide for a family, start a business and build wealth.” Richmond said:
Donald Trump could care less about equipping hardworking Americans with the tools needed to get ahead. While Vice President Harris is promising to equip Black men with the tools needed to pursue our dreams and aspirations, Donald Trump is promising Black in America a national nightmare.
To help spread this message, the Harris campaign says it will team up with celebrities, influencers and black male activists in key battleground states this week for “Black Men Huddle Up”. The campaign emphasises that it will also enlist the support of influential entrepreneurs to hold what it calls an “Economic Freedom Talk” series with black business owners.
The new effort comes at a time when Democrats are increasingly concerned about wavering support for Harris, who will make history if elected as the nation’s first female president, among black men, particularly young black men.
Armed suspect arrested near Trump rally amid rising threats
An armed man was arrested near a Trump rally in the Coachella Valley on Saturday, marking the second possible assassination attempt in recent months. The suspect, 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las Vegas, was apprehended at a police checkpoint about a half-mile from the entrance to the rally.
Riverside County Sheriff, Chad Bianco, confirmed that Miller was found in possession of a loaded shotgun, a handgun and a high-capacity magazine. Bianco explained in a statement:
On October 12, 2024, at 4:59 p.m., deputies assigned to the event stopped the driver of a black SUV at a checkpoint near Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive.
Miller, who was also carrying a fake rally pass, was arrested without resistance and later booked into the John J. Benoit Detention for possession of a firearm and ammunition.
While officials said there was no immediate threat to Trump or the rally attendees, Sheriff Bianco noted:
We likely prevented another assassination attempt.
This incident comes after a previous attempt on Trump’s life during a rally when a bullet grazed his ear before security intervened.
Another disturbing incident occurred in September when gunshots rang out near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, forcing the Secret Service to evacuate it. As the election approaches, security at Trump’s events has increased, reflecting growing concerns about his safety.
Read more HERE
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renee-writer · 9 months ago
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Today I read an article my friend sent to me. The article was something that went viral on social media. When I finished reading it, I felt so bad that I had to take some Pepto-Bismol and lie down.
It was depressing. The writer complained about nearly everything. Politics, religion, pollution, crime, taxes, pesticides, SUV’s, pop stars, the price of gas.
And worse, thousands of people agreed that this world is a terrible place.
Well, who am I to say that it isn’t? Nobody, that’s who. Even so, all that reading left me asking myself an important question:
What about chocolate?
Can this world be all that bad as long as we have milk chocolate? Have you ever had a Hershey’s bar when it’s room temperature? It’s a little soft, and it tastes sweeter than a Gaither Homecoming DVD.
It’s hard not to believe that everything is going to be okay while you’re eating chocolate.
And how about pimento cheese? Has the writer ever tried homemade pimento cheese? If he hasn’t, he ought to. Today, my wife just made a fresh batch. I took one bite and I started shaking my leg like Elvis at a revival.
What about daylilies? Or peonies? Or tulips? The colors of summer are almost overwhelming. A pink peony is reason enough to believe life is good.
And there are also the mystical things of life. Things so beautiful that they are hard to name because they are too vast, too immense, and too wistful. Namely, I am speaking of beer.
Have you ever tasted a Budweiser after spending an afternoon mowing your lawn? Mowing the lawn in the heat is brutal and will make even the strongest person weak. But suddenly, here comes your wife with a beer that’s cold enough to crack your teeth. She hands you a beer and you say “Thank you, sweetie. Thank you for mowing our lawn.”
How about all-night-singings at church? I don’t know if you’ve ever been to one of those, I don’t even know if people still do them.
Young folks might not know what I’m talking about. But long before Sunday-morning rock bands, there used to be all-night-singing in the country.
We didn’t really sing all night long, of course. But we sang until maybe ten or eleven thirty. We’d sing the old songs. Like: “Down by the Riverside,” and “In the Sweet By and By,” and all fifty verses to “Rock of Ages.”
And has the writer of the article ever watched an old man dance with his granddaughter at a wedding reception? I’m guessing not.
Last week, I went to a friend’s reception at a seafood restaurant. I saw an old man take the dancefloor with a nine-year-old girl whose hair was in ribbons. The song was “You are so Beautiful.” Niagara Falls.
And what about the Gulf of Mexico? Isn’t the article even going even mention that?
I am a product of the Gulf Coast. There is something magical within our water. Something so incredible that it transcends space and time. You think I’m exaggerating?
Here’s something a foreign language professor once told me:
Hundreds of years ago, when Choctaw Indians still lived on the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, they had a word in their language. It was a short word.
It was a great word, a happy word, sort of a utility word that you could use in all kinds of scenarios. The word was “okeh.”
Missionaries loved the word right off the bat. After they learned to speak the native language, they started using “okeh” all the time. They even started using it in place of “amen.”
Thus, while missionaries were busy teaching the Choctaw natives not drink, cuss, or touch Cosmopolitan magazines, “okeh” crept into the English language.
Missionaries started writing this word in their journals, their Bibles, and writing it in postcards sent home. And since there was no official spelling for this new word, they abbreviated it:
“O.K.”
Over time, the word became a big hit. Today, it still is. It is the most used word in the world. It is used in one hundred and ninety-five countries, and almost six thousand languages.
Six thousand.
And just think, it all started here in the South Eastern Conference. Maybe even within eyeshot of the Gulf of Mexico.
Who knows, maybe the native guy who invented the word sat where my childhood backyard was located. Or maybe he sat on the beach. Maybe he looked at the Gulf of Mexico and was reminded of all the wonderful things in life. Things like wildflowers, children's laughter, clouds, pasta, saturated fat, and the ”Cha Cha Slide.”
Sunrises. Trees. Babies. Old men dancing at wedding receptions with granddaughters. And love.
Perhaps this Choctaw native thought about these things and declared to himself that this world was not so bad after all.
Maybe he decided that no matter what kind of hell breaks loose, no matter what newspapers say, no matter what viral articles claim, everything—and I mean everything—is going to be “okeh.”
Maybe what we all need is just a little more chocolate.
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darkmaga-returns · 2 months ago
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Terror attack in New Orleans. Cybertruck Explodes At Trump Vegas Hotel. Hostage Situation in Vegas. Iranian general threatens Trump. Xi announces reunification of Taiwan. US landmarks hit by lightning
Lioness of Judah Ministry
Jan 02, 2025
15 killed in ‘ISIS inspired’ New Orleans terrorist attack: LIVE UPDATES
The driver of a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of people before getting out and opening fire at police, witnesses have said
At least 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured after an SUV ran into a crowd celebrating New Year in New Orleans, Louisiana, with authorities investigating it as “an act of terrorism.” The incident occurred in the city’s French Quarter at around 3:15 am local time, WGNO said on Wednesday. The area, which has numerous bars and restaurants, is popular with tourists. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described what happened as “a horrific act of violence,” and urged the public to avoid the area. New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) chief Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters that the attacker drove down Bourbon Street with the “clear intent” of causing ”carnage.”
UPDATE: President Trump Releases an Explosive Statement in Response to the New Orleans “Terror Attack”
America’s real president has weighed in on the harrowing terrorist attack in New Orleans early this morning while Joe Biden apparently remains asleep.
As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier, a reported terror attack hit New Orleans this morning, with at least 12 people dead and at least 35 injured. Fox News reported a driver in a white pick-up truck intentionally plowed a car into a crowd of New Year’s gatherers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, according to authorities. The driver exited the vehicle and fired a weapon after hitting the crowd. Two police officers were reportedly injured in the gunfight.
Authorities Believe There Are At Least 4 to 5 Additional Suspects in New Orleans Truck Attack (VIDEO)
In the wake of the devastating New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street, New Orleans, law enforcement agencies are intensifying efforts to identify and apprehend additional suspects linked to the incident.
The primary assailant, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, was fatally shot by police after he drove a pickup truck into a crowd, resulting in ten deaths and over thirty injuries. Investigators have uncovered evidence suggesting that Jabbar did not act alone, Fox News reported. A high-level source indicated that there are at least four to five other suspects involved in the planning and execution of this heinous act.
New video captures the beginning of the terrorist attack in New Orleans
DEVELOPING: FBI carries out investigation in Houston related to terror attack in New Orleans
The FBI says their agents and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are currently conducting law enforcement activity in Houston in relation to the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on Wednesday morning.
The agency says their personnel and specialized teams will be at the location near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive in north Houston for several hours. The FBI has secured a perimeter, and the public is asked to avoid the area. Because of the ongoing investigation, the FBI declined to provide further information.
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rogerblackwolf · 11 months ago
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Audience at Dusk.
New Orleans, Louisiana.
August 15, 2011.
The quiet evening over the swamps of Louisiana were disturbed by the sound of a C-37 jet landing at a deserted airfield, rolling to a stop inside a hangar. Once the jet door was opened, a single person, a young man in his mid twenties with short blonde hair and wearing a dark blue blazer over his dress pants and shirt that complimented his slender build, stepped out and walked to an awaiting SUV. After hopping into the front passenger seat and sitting his shoulder bag on the floorboard between his legs, the young man looked at the driver who was waiting patiently. A man who looked in his late forties with dark brown hair and trimmed beard to match. One odd feature he possessed was his slightly pointed ears as well as his piercing gray eyes. He only wore a white short sleeved button up shirt tucked into his khaki pants, none of which did anything to hide his fit, muscular physique.
“Agent Ross, I assume?”, the young man asked.
“Yeah. And you're the detective from the Bureau.”, He answered with a slightly indiscernible accent.
“Uh yes, I’m Agent Lewis, Drew Lewis at your service.”, the young man said, extending his hand to Ross. Ross took the hand and shook it before holding him in place with a firm grip.
“That was a test and you failed.”, Ross said.
“I’m sorry?”, Drew responded with a questioning look.
“First lesson when dealing with vampires is to never let them know your true name. So from this moment forward, your name is Rook. Got it?”, Ross explained seriously.
“Understood, and Rook?”, Drew asked.
“Short for rookie.”, Ross clarified as he let go of Drew’s hand then put the SUV into gear and started driving. The dirt road jostled Drew and Ross and hindered any conversation at least until they finally turned down a two lane paved road.
“So, Agent Ross, I assume you know the reason that I am here?”, Drew asked, readjusting himself in his seat.
“Something about needing an escort to visit one of the local vampire covens and following up on a lead.”, Agent Ross responded, keeping his eye on the road.
“Yes um, in essence I assume you know of the Cromwell incident a few months back. The rogue vampire turned a whole town into ghouls and then said ghouls turned into a horde of zombies after the rogue was put down. Luckily we were able to handle it before it could get out of hand. That all aside, we still don’t know who or where the rogue vampire came from.”, Drew explained.
“Well I have an understanding with one of the covens in New Orleans, they may open up but I can’t guarantee that you will get all your answers. And didn’t you send several investigators to these covens before?”, Ross said.
“Well yes, but I am being sent out this time just to be sure their statements haven’t changed since the last investigator. And we also have a new lead. Would you give me a rundown of the covens here? The politics are always shifting after all. And I only had time to read one of the statements I was given.”, Drew asked.
“Hmm, alright. There’s a journal in the glovebox. Feel free to peruse it while we drive. In the meantime I’ll give the short version, the covens of New Orleans are on non-aggressive terms, but also on thin ice at the same time. At one point there were four but the fourth was wiped out by garouls about a year ago. So only three remain…”, Ross started but Drew interrupted him with a question.
“Garouls?”
“Garouls are werewolves. You may be more familiar with the term Rougarou, they’re the same thing, the Rougarous are just the ones that live here in America. Course the garouls are a separate kind of werewolf, at least to the ones we know of.”, Ross replied.
“Care to elaborate?”, Drew asked.
“In short, there are at least two varieties of werewolves that we know of extensively, the garouls and the fenris. The garouls are named from the old French term “garou” and their origins are magic in nature. They can transform at will no matter how long they have been a garoul and still retain their humanity. So much so in fact they can function with the fine motor skills and memory retention of a human but with a werewolf’s body, even hold conversations in their hybrid forms. The fenris on the other hand are werewolves that got their abilities, or curse, from the wolf Fenrir’s bloodline.”, Ross explained.
“I didn’t know Fenrir had a bloodline.”, Drew commented as he read through Ross’s journal.
“Fenrir is the son of a god, and he sowed quite a few oats before he was imprisoned. His bloodline may be powerful but those affected by it are cursed to go into an intense rage when they transform. A rage so strong that the wolf can overpower or even replace the human, making a feral werewolf. Some fenris have mellowed out through the generations but they are forces of nature that even we agents should be very cautious when fighting them. But let’s pray we don’t encounter any.”, Ross said.
“I see…I fear we’ve diverged from the topic at hand.”, Drew said with a nervous chuckle.
“Right, the covens. The three covens of New Orleans are the Sanguine Shroud, the Fang Lords, and the Erebos Sanctum. The fourth was known as the Invictus Amalgamatum, but like I said, they were wiped out by a pack known as the Creek Stalkers a year ago. Since then the garouls have occupied that territory, putting the other three covens on edge. However, the Creek Stalkers mainly have issues with the Fang Lords because their territories border each other. But perhaps you can remind me of the coven structure from my journal.”, Ross explained.
“Oh alright,”, Drew said before clearing his throat, reading directly from the journal, “The covens operate as a clan headed by the heads of the household who hold the title of Matriarch or Patriarch. They’re the leaders of their covens, sire to their undead brood, and also responsible for creating new vampires. But they are also servants to other vampires who hold greater positions of power.”
“Good. And can you give me an example, Rook?”, Ross asked, testing Drew’s knowledge.
“Hmm, if I am remembering correctly, the coven we are visiting is the coven of the Sanguine Shroud, whose coven head is a woman named Matriarch Giovanna. She, as I assume the other two coven heads, answers to the Regent of Louisiana, a male vampire named Prince Zayan, who is part of a vampiric council of regents who then answer to the Grand Elders of America. Our records show there are only two elders in America, but the Bureau thinks there could be others. Either here or abroad if memory serves.”, Drew replied.
“You learn quickly, Rook.”, Ross added with a light chuckle.
“What about rogue vampires? Where do they fall?”, Drew asked.
“Rogues fall under the clanless variety, they’re vampires who broke away from their covens to either be lone pariahs or join gangs of other vampires that do things their way, which makes them dangerous. They tend to follow the oldest among their number but their hierarchy is always changing.”, Ross explained.
“Oh, I see. Knowing that I am a little more concerned about the interview with the rogue vamps at the field office.”, Drew chuckled nervously.
“I wouldn’t, rogues are predictable especially when they’re angry. But be especially on guard when meeting with anyone from any of the covens. They like getting you at ease with their calm demeanor then wrestle you to the ground to sink their fangs into you. But I’ll be around, so you should be fine.”, Ross said.
Drew felt less at ease than before but tried to mask it. His attention suddenly shifted to the bright lights of the city of New Orleans. As the car drove through the city, Drew took in the sights as they passed through the French Quarter to the residential districts. More specifically the Garden District, home to the rich and famous of New Orleans. Sandra Bullock apparently owned a mansion in this district. Drew perked up at the prospect of meeting one of his favorite actresses, unfortunately Ross told him they had no time.
“Damn…really wanted an autograph.”, Drew thought as the SUV came to a stop, parking in front of a gated mansion.
Drew exited the SUV, putting the bag strap over his shoulder, as Ross opened the back and looked like he was searching for something. The mansion was painted white and modeled in a gothic style, even down to the tower on one of the corners. Ross tapped Drew on his shoulder suddenly, handing him a pistol in a holster that clipped to the belt.
“You did get cleared for a pistol right?”, he asked.
“Of course. Just haven’t been to the range in a while.”, Drew responded.
“Then let’s hope we don’t have to use them.”, Ross said, doing a quick check of his weapon.
Drew did the same, clipping the holster to his belt before removing the pistol, a Glock 20 in 10mm according to the slide. He dropped the magazine, checking the capacity and weight in one hand before sliding it back into the pistol. He then pulled the slide back, chambering one of the 10mm rounds. Drew then holstered his weapon and concealed it with his blazer. Ross however seemed to favor a shoulder holster as he tucked his own Glock 20 under his left armpit.
Ross then went to the intercom on the side of the outside gate, buzzing whoever was on gate duty that night.
“Who is it?”, a male voice asked from the intercom.
“Agent Ross and guest here to see the matriarch.”
“Just a moment.”, the voice crackled before the gate started automatically swinging open. Ross pressed the lock button on his key fob, locking the SUV, before he led the way inside with Drew right behind him. The duo walked up the walkway to the front door as the gate closed, not a moment later did the front door open. In the doorway stood an older gentleman who looked in his mid fifties and wore a fitted tuxedo.
“Good evening Agent Ross and guest, come in please.”, he said, inviting them inside the foyer. Once they were inside, the gentleman closed the door then stepped in front of the two men.
“First introductions, I am Angelo the majordomo and head thrall to the Matriarch. I already know you Mr. Ross but if I may have your name sir, so I may introduce you.”, Angelo asked politely.
Thralls were simply the human servants of vampires. Unlike ghouls that were humans resurrected with vampiric magic, thralls were humans that were enthralled through the consumption of vampire blood. The small amounts of blood gifted a modicum of the vampire’s abilities to their thralls, while at the same time enslaved them to the vampire’s will. Because of the potency of vampire blood, it is highly addicting and the thralls are placated through hypnosis to keep them in check. The longer a thrall is under the control of a vampire, their free will is further suppressed until it is no longer present, and given his position, Angelo likely has lost his humanity and free will a long time ago.
“You may refer to me as Mr. Rook if you don’t mind.”, Drew replied finally, glancing at Ross who nodded in response.
“As you wish sir. The Matriarch is expecting you both. This way please.”, Angelo said, gesturing for the two men to follow him.
Angelo guided them down the long hallway where the trio passed baroque style paintings of humans with long fangs slaying humans withs all manner of weapons. Gruesome scenes of blood and bodies that were bizarre yet intriguing. The hallway also had a crimson and pinkish color palette as did most of the other rooms they passed by. There were no other servants that could be seen which kind of unnerved Drew. If Angelo is the majordomo, then where were the other servants? Finally, Angelo came to a pair of double doors, opening them widely with enough force they slowly stopped just short of the wall. Angelo then stepped into the room and announced the two visitors.
“Milady, allow me to present Mr. Ross and Mr. Rook, the agents from the Bureau.”, Angelo said, stepping to the side so Ross and Drew could walk inside.
The room was a large sitting room with a single light reflecting off the crimson paint of the walls and furniture, bathing the room in a low bloody hue. The room was occupied by three individuals, two men and one woman. One of the men was in a suit with a red blazer and dress pants. He looked young, maybe in his early thirties, with unblemished white skin and dark black hair that hung past his shoulders. He was standing off to the side and currently glaring holes at Drew and Ross. The second man was sitting in a chair off to the side. He was balding with his grayish hair slicked back and a trimmed gray mustache that stopped at the corners of his mouth. He was dressed similarly to the younger man with the exception of a white coat, like what a doctor would wear with the addition of red pants and shoes. The older man smirked at the two agents showing off his long fangs, almost delighted at their presence.
“Thank you, Angelo. That will be all.”, The woman said, her back to everyone in the room. Angelo bowed respectfully before turning to leave, closing both doors as he left.
The woman was dressed in a Victorian style evening dress that was dark red in color with highlights of black. Her dark hair was done up in a bun, held in place with an ornate hairpin, exposing her neck and shoulders as well as the lacings of her corset. The woman turned around revealing a beautiful face that looked no older than fifty but given vampiric lifespans she’d most likely be far older. Her dark eyes looked at the two agents before giving a wide smile, her long fangs on full display behind blood red lips.
“Ah, Agent Ross, always a pleasure when you visit. And you have brought along someone new, how very nice.”, She greeted with a voice like honey.
Ross simply nodded in greeting while Drew slightly bowed before he spoke, “Matriarch Giovanna, I presume?”
“Yes, Mr. Rook, I am Giovanna Pissari, the Matriarch of the Sanguine Shroud. Welcome to my home.”, Giovanna said, extending her hand to Drew, her half-inch long claws extended from her nails. As Drew was about to take it, the younger vampire swiftly rushed to Giovanna’s side.
“My Lady!”, he shouted, “My lady I must protest against this action. It is a breach of conduct for one such as yourself to touch a lowly simian in such a familiar manner.”, he didn’t have another chance to speak as Giovanna backhanded the vampire, her claws slashing across his face. Drew took a step back as the air of calm suddenly took a dark turn.
“I will not be embarrassed in front of our guests.”, Giovanna hissed as the vampire kneeled before her. The two deep gashes on his cheek closing instantly as blood still stained his unblemished cheek.
“My deepest apologies Matriarch, it is only my concern for your safety that I acted so. I can overlook the presence of the half-blooded but this new human is a breach I struggle to...”, The vampire apologized, pausing as Giovanna’s hand, still slick with his blood, lifted his chin so he could look up at her.
The smile returned as she spoke to him, “My dear Antony, that is why you are my praetorian. Who else would guard me so fiercely?”
Drew noticed the tension was subsiding but looked at Ross, who took a breath simultaneously releasing the grip of his pistol. It was no secret that the Bureau had sought help from supernatural creatures in the past. It was only within the last couple of centuries that the Bureau had started recruiting supernaturals into the agency. Agent Ross, whose true name is redacted due to security purposes, according to his file is a dhampir, the hybrid offspring of a human and a vampire. All the strengths of a vampire and none of their weaknesses, at least on paper. Drew stirred from his thoughts and quickly tried to start on the right foot again.
“I’m sorry if this meeting has caused some friction between you and your brood, Matriarch. I assure you, we are only here to ask some questions. Once we have done that we will be out of your hair.”, Drew explained.
“Yes, please let us get on with this meeting. Our latest fledglings are in need of my full attention.”, The older vampire in the chair finally spoke up.
“But first introductions, we wouldn’t want to be rude to our newest guest.”, Giovanna responded, turning back to Ross and Drew, “Mr. Rook, this is my Praetorian Antony. Aside from protecting me, he is also my head of security of the coven and as you can see, he takes it very seriously. And this is the keeper of my brood, Lorenzo Carmine, he is in charge of making sure my fledglings reach maturity.”, Giovanna introduced.
“It’s good to meet you both. Now, to not take up any of your time, shall we?”, Drew asked.
“Yes, please take a seat.”, Giovanna answered, gesturing to the red cloth couch. Once everyone was seated and settled, Drew put his bag on the floor, leaning it against his leg before he took out his smartphone and unlocked it before opening a recording app.
“This conversation will be recorded, I hope that won’t be an issue.”, Drew mentioned as he prepared to press the record button.
“Not a problem, we have come to expect this from the last agent who interviewed us. Although he had a larger recording device with a microphone and everything. Do you have all that in that small handheld device?”, Giovanna questioned as she spied the smartphone with curiosity.
“Yes, I just bought it some time ago. It still surprises me how much these little things are capable of.”, Drew chuckled before pressing the record button on his phone.
“So just for introductory reasons, I am Agent Rook, accompanied by Agent Ross, and I will be leading this interview. We are currently in the Sanguine Shroud coven in the presence of Matriarch Giovanna Pissari and two of her brood. It is August 15th, 2011 and the time is 10:38pm, can you confirm that for me, milady?”, Drew asked Giovanna.
“On the dot, Sir Agent.”, Giovanna giggled, a little flattered.
“Thank you milady, now to get this started…I believe you are aware of the event that took place in New Mexico on the 21st to the 22nd of May, in which a rogue vampire attacked a isolationist cult camp, turned them into ghouls, then quickly turned them loose on the town of Cromwell.”, Drew explained.
“Yes, the previous investigator disclosed as much. He also asked us if we knew this rogue, which I assured him we did not. He most certainly wasn’t one of my brood.”, Giovanna said.
“Yes, I have the transcribed report right here.”, Drew said, glancing down at the bag against his leg before continuing, “However, there has been a development.”
“A development?”, Lorenzo asked, his position shifting from a laid back to a forward hunched over position.
Antony simultaneously balled his fists in his lap as Giovanna’s hands seemed to fidget slightly. Everyone was a mix of nervous and on the brink of some sort of action, Drew then reached slowly into his bag to retrieve a manila folder. He carefully opened it and pulled out some papers and photographs.
“Now, as you may know, we use pheromone tracking technology to track every vampire in the US. Whenever a Matriarch or Patriarch create a new vampire they share their blood and pheromones. The rogue vampire who we now know through DNA testing was named Jeff Peterson, and that his pheromone trail came here multiple times. There’s even a picture of him leaving your coven.”, Drew explained, showing them the picture to emphasize.
Lorenzo glanced at Antony who met his gaze as Giovanna cursed under her breath.
“Would you care to explain why you lied to the Bureau? Twice now, including the statement you said moments ago.”, Drew asked.
Antony rose from his seat but before he could hiss a word, Giovanna raised her hand halting him where he stood.
“Yes…we may have withheld some information that we thought we could handle in secret. Clearly we weren’t careful enough.”, Giovanna responded leaning forward.
“Could you elaborate please?”, Drew asked.
“Mr. Peterson is not part of mine, but he is connected to one of my brood. One of my fledglings, Marie, saw Mr. Peterson on one of her outings with the other fledglings and performed a blood binding without my knowledge. When we found out she was reprimanded, but Mr. Peterson was a persistent pest.”, Giovanna responded, before turning to Lorenzo.
“A blood binding is exactly what it sounds like, it binds a person in servitude to the vampire who shared their blood. It also gives a semblance of our power, like enhanced senses and physical strength but like any drug it has drawbacks. When our mistress reprimanded Marie, she was in solitary confinement during which Mr. Peterson went through severe withdrawals. He killed two tourists before we were able to get him contained.” Lorenzo explained.
“Yes, I’m aware of that incident. Our initial thoughts were that it was one of the Fang Lords fledglings. It certainly explains why they were so enthused about it.” Drew said.
“Ugh, don’t get us started on those needleteeth.” Antony hissed.
“Needleteeth?” Drew chuckled.
“It is a derogatory term for a vampire so new that their teeth have not hardened. You know because needles need to be replaced after every use. It is also used in the subtext of being brittle, thin-skinned, and impotence apparently. These new covens have so many modern additions with no respect for their elders or traditions.” Lorenzo explained.
“Oh, I see. Anyway, if we can return to the subject at hand. I believe you were about to tell us what happened after you had captured Mr. Peterson.” Drew reminded Lorenzo.
“Yes, we brought Mr. Peterson into our coven in order to break his binding. Unlike when you make a new fledgling in which the person dies from being drained of their blood then revived by drinking the blood of the coven head; a blood binding can be broken if the bound person is deprived of blood however if they continue to drink blood they will turn into a mockery of our kind, a lesser form if you will. Deformed, driven only by the thirst to feed, no longer the human they once were. We believed we were making progress, as it is a lengthy process, but we were fooled. Marie had been giving Mr. Peterson small amounts of blood to mask his withdrawal symptoms, making us believe he was getting better. When we believed he was cured, we let him go.” Lorenzo said.
“It almost sounds like a bad love story.” Drew commented.
“That’s exactly what she thought it was. Poor girl found a handsome devil and became a lovesick imbecile. It was only later when Antony found Marie sneaking out to meet Mr. Peterson. This was far beyond a breach of conduct for a fledgling of my coven. I warned her that there would be severe consequences to her actions if she continued…but she did anyway. In the course of a year she threw away her immortality for a thrall.” Giovanna spoke up.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to interview Marie.” Drew said, though he noticed the trio of vampires having a mix of reactions. Giovanna sighed while Antony looked down then away as Lorenzo rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
“Unfortunately Mr. Rook, Marie is dead. Not only because of her insolence and repeated disregard for tradition, she also stole a tome from my library on vampiric rituals and magics. For these acts she was condemned to die in the sun. A barbaric practice but an effective deterrent.” Giovanna said.
“If you say so.” Drew replied in a tone of indifference, but under his professionality, he was a little horrified.
“I have an inkling of what you might be thinking, Mr. Rook. That our customs are strange to you, but everything we do is to ensure our own continued existence. At one point, humans had hunted us to near extinction. But thanks to the people like your Bureau, we are allowed to exist.” Giovanna said, her motherly tone attempting to calm the slight tension in the room.
“The Bureau protects you because so far you have shown your willingness to coexist. You are allowed to feed on people to sustain yourselves but you also understand that if any of you step out of line, your lives are forfeit. Or should I say your un-lives.” Agent Ross spoke up finally as he had sat in silence next to Drew. Just the mere mention of the vampire treatises seemed to stoke the coals of the fire that was cooling and it showed when Antony glared at Ross who locked his eyes with Antony’s.
“I think we have once again diverged from the subject but rest assured we are nearly done. Just a few more questions then we will leave you to the rest of your evening.” Drew assured the trio of vampires.
“Of that I am thankful for, my brood should be returning from their outing pretty soon. And some of the younger ones have a penchant to be…distrustful of strangers.” Giovanna said, a hint of relief in her warning.
“So, what happened the day Marie died? Did Mr. Peterson return?” Drew asked.
“Yes, he returned in the daytime, Angelo along with some of the other thralls met him at the gate but didn't let him onto the grounds. Angelo later informed us that he told Mr. Peterson about Marie and became rather…irate. So much in fact that Angelo ordered a few of our thralls to forcefully escort him away from the grounds. Although for our own piece of mind I ordered a hunt to ensure Mr. Peterson left New Orleans.” Giovanna said.
“I see, I’ll need to ask Angelo if he can confirm that, not that I am doubting you but can’t be too careful.” Drew said.
“Of course, Mr. Rook.” Giovanna added.
The interview consisted of some more minor questions. Angelo was summoned and corroborated Giovanna’s story about Jeff Peterson’s daytime visit and his forced removal from the grounds. Angelo was also considerate enough to provide surveillance of the incident. Drew also asked why Jeff Peterson would go to New Mexico instead of sticking around in Louisiana since he did live here. As it turned out, he may have lived in Louisiana but he originally was from New Mexico. And since he was being hunted by the Sanguine Shroud, it made sense that Jeff Peterson simply returned to where he felt safe. Once he was back home he made plans to most likely come back with a vengeance for his love. Sometimes things were just that simple, although destroying a town and starting a zombie apocalypse may have been overkill at least in Drew’s opinion.
“Alright, I think that covers just about everything. That should conclude this interview.” Drew said, turning his recording app off before adding, “Thank you so much for your cooperation, I’ll be sure to inform you if there is anything else that comes up.”
“Thank you for being an absolute dear. You were very well mannered and understanding. I’ll be sure to inform your Bureau of your superb work.” Giovanna responded.
“I am only doing my job milady, professionalism is a must in this line of work.” Drew said, chuckling a bit as Giovanna giggled.
“Of course, of course. Anywho I’m sure you would like to leave. Angelo, please escort our guests out.” Giovanna called.
Angelo bowed before waiting by the double doors for Ross and Rook as they thanked Giovanna for her hospitality. Once they were outside, Drew made one more glance back at the house noticing Giovanna in one of the windows. Ross started the SUV before Drew got in, waited til he buckled his seatbelt then put the SUV into gear. Both men were silent during the drive but even though their questions had been answered, one thing still bothered Drew. Giovanna and her two subordinates were forthcoming with their information, were they entirely truthful or were they still deceiving them? If it is a vampire’s nature to lie to ensure their own survival, could they be trusted to tell the whole truth?
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luxuryridesnola · 1 year ago
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Beyond Ordinary: The Pinnacle of Premium Transport in Kenner, LA
Introduction
Kenner, Louisiana, a city known for its dynamic energy and cultural diversity, stands as a hub where premium transport goes beyond the ordinary. This comprehensive guide unravels the layers of sophistication and luxury that define the pinnacle of Premium transportation services in Kenner, LA. From exclusive vehicles to personalized services, the city's commitment to elevating the travel experience sets a new standard for those seeking a journey that transcends the conventional.
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Conclusion
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Kenner stands as a city where each ride becomes an exploration, a journey that goes beyond the ordinary. It's a testament to a lifestyle that mirrors the city's vibrancy and cultural richness. For those seeking more than just transportation, Kenner's premium transport services beckon as an invitation to embark on a voyage that transcends the conventional, where every mile is a celebration of luxury and every moment a testament to the extraordinary.
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