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crispychrissy · 7 years

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Ramble On

Summary: Soulmate AU where Dean’s soulmate, who he blamed himself for losing years ago, returns and makes him realize he still has a chance to do what he couldn’t back then. Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader, Sam Winchester Word Count: 3852 Warnings: Sexuality, angst, language, character death, hurt!Sam, fluff A/N: This is a Soulmate AU. About 1 in 100,000 people are marked with an infinity symbol on their ring finger which means they have a soulmate. When they get closer in proximity to their match, the symbol gets darker and darker until the veins of pigment from the mark spell out the name of the soulmate in their palm. When they find each other, they bond... and the emotional and spiritual link from the bond allows them to fall in love quickly and completely. If their soulmate dies, the mark fades or disappears completely. This is for @there-must-be-a-lock‘s Lou’s Musical Madness Challenge! She also beta’d it, so she’s double awesome and a fantastic beta. I picked Ramble On by Led Zeppelin, lyrics are in bold, flashbacks in italics, and I hope you all enjoy! Gif made by me!

Dean woke with a low grumble that vibrated through his chest. He blinked his eyes open and squinted, eyeing the nude and asleep female form passed out in the bed next to him. His eyes raked over the curve of her back and rested on the indent right above her ass. He glanced at the clock on the wall and rubbed his temples when he saw that it read just past three in the morning. He sighed, throwing the covers off his still-naked body, and stumbled to the bathroom.

He had finished the solo hunt Sam sent him on yesterday afternoon and had gone immediately to the closest bar. He drank whiskey until he didn’t think about the blank space on his finger, opting to take home a lovely and drunk redhead when the whiskey wasn’t working as well as he hoped.

Dean had been trying to move on for years, and every time he failed, he would fall into bed with another distraction from the ache in his heart. He knew she had existed; the memory of the small infinity symbol on the underside of his ring finger could attest to that. He could never forgive himself, though. He could never forgive himself for not looking.

Three years ago…

“Sammy, come on! We gotta get there before they open the maze,” Dean yelled from his spot on the end of his bed in this week’s dingy motel room. They were hunting a vengeful spirit that was haunting a local Halloween maze. Once the bodies started dropping, the Winchesters had decided to swing by and take care of it.

“Dean, are you gonna talk about it or just deflect like you normally do?” Sam stepped out from the bathroom, a toothbrush in his fingers and white froth on both corners of his mouth.

“I know she’s close, Sam,” Dean absentmindedly ran his finger over the black soulmate mark on the base of his finger, “but we have a job to do.”

“How do you know it’s a she, Dean?” Sam wiggled his eyebrows.

Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. “Bitch.”

“Jerk,” Sam mumbled, his mouth full of toothpaste.

Dean knew his brother was right. Not about his soulmate being a man, but about his unwillingness to talk about it. The mark was the darkest it’s ever been, and Dean knew she was close. He wanted to look for her, to search this entire dusty town and finally find the part of him he’d been missing, but he didn’t want to let fate rule him. He didn’t want to be a burden on someone or risk her life, even if they were soulmates.

He was a Winchester. They tore up the rulebook once before, why couldn’t they do it again?

They found the bones of the old woman that was terrorizing the maze and quickly burned them. Sam looked over at Dean and raised his eyebrows, silently asking the question that Dean was hoping he wouldn’t. Dean shook his head and picked up the bag of salt, heading away from the dug-up grave and back to the Impala.

Dean paused for a moment, bracing his arms on the roof of his car, watching the fallen leaves swirling around the dark and empty graveyard. He felt a stinging sensation on his finger, and watched in horror when the soulmate mark faded from his skin until it was gone completely. He clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it down on the roof of his car, a painful scream ripping from his throat. Of course this would happen to him, especially when he was so close.

His soulmate was dead.

Since that day, the Fall was always the worst. It constantly reminded him of what he came so close to having and what he stubbornly let slip through his fingers. Maybe if he had found her he could have saved her… maybe if he had tried harder to look for her, he could have protected her and she’d still be alive. He walked out of the motel’s bathroom and pulled his jeans and shoes on, quietly slipping from the room and leaving last night’s companion as just a pleasant memory in his mind.

He slipped into the driver’s seat of the Impala and turned the key in the ignition, looking out at the multicolored leaves blowing about the parking lot in the cold autumn wind. It was going to rain soon; the moon was covered by thick, dark clouds. Dean wanted to make sure he got back to the bunker and went out for breakfast with Sam before he was forced to eat more of his brother’s stockpile of rabbit food.

He clicked the radio on and the tape in the player began to play, filling the Impala with the unique voice of Robert Plant.

Leaves are falling all around It's time I was on my way Thanks to you I'm much obliged For such a pleasant stay But now it's time for me to go The autumn moon lights my way For now I smell the rain And with it pain And it's headed my way

Dean closed his eyes and shook his head at the ironic lyrics of what he considered to be his favorite song. He clicked the knob off before the chorus began and gripped the steering wheel tight as he pulled out of the motel parking lot.

Sam was limping his way across the war room to the library when Dean walked in the front door of the bunker.

“So you couldn’t find any crutches in freakishly tall, could you?” Dean laughed, earning a stern bitch face from a very unimpressed Sam, who was now struggling to climb up the small set of stairs at the entrance of the library.

“No, I couldn’t. The only ones I could find only go up to five-ten, and I’d have to hunch over like Quasimodo in order to use them. Limping is better than throwing out my back.” Sam groaned when he lowered himself into a wooden chair in the library and lifted his leg up to rest on the chair next to him.

“I always told you running was dangerous,” Dean laughed, “but you never listened to me.”

Sam rolled his eyes and Dean sat down across from his brother, letting out a heavy sigh as he leaned back in the chair. Sam had gone out for a run last week, unaware it had rained the night before. The cold Kansas November morning had frozen most of the puddles, and Sam had the unfortunate luck of slipping on one during his morning run, causing him to fracture one of the bones in his foot.

Sam had been finding cases for his brother, but keeping them local at Dean’s insistence; he was opting to stay close to the bunker in case Sam needed anything while he healed. Sam let out an exaggerated sigh when he saw his brother rubbing the spot on his finger where the mark used to be, staring off into space.

“You got something to say, Sammy?” Dean glanced over at his brother, who just shrugged.

“You get like this every fall. You think about that vengeful spirit case three years ago and how close you came.” Sam leaned up and watched his brother instinctively lean back away. “I’m sorry she’s gone, Dean… but you can’t keep dwelling on it. You need to move on.”

“What if I could have saved her, Sam?” Dean dropped his hands under the table and glared at Sam. “My soulmate is dead and maybe if I wasn’t such a stubborn asshole I could have saved her. Don’t tell me not to blame myself because it won’t make a difference. It never will.” Dean stood up quickly, the chair making a loud scraping noise across the floor at the force.

“Dean-“

“No, Sam. I’m going to go get a few extra hours of sleep.” Dean stomped his way out of the library. “Wake me up if you need some help with anything, gimpy.” He didn’t let Sam reply as he disappeared around the corner and walked toward his room.

A sharp knock on his door pulled Dean from another dreamless sleep. He rolled over to face the door and untangled his limbs from the blankets around him.

“What?” he called, his throat dry with sleep.

Sam opened his door, allowing the light to pour in from the hallway, making Dean squint and wince as his brother limped into his room.

“I found a case for you.” Sam had a huge smile on his face. “It’s six miles away.”

Dean rubbed his eye with the back of his hand and blinked a few times. “In Lebanon? What monster was dumb enough to start killing people in our backyard?”

Dean felt a faint itch on his finger and he scratched it, thinking it was a bug bite. When the itch wouldn’t go away as he scratched, he looked down. The infinity mark on his finger was there again in an opaque inky black color, the darkest and deepest pigment it had ever been. Dean’s eyes shot open and he looked up at his brother.

“She’s alive,” he whispered. “Her… her proximity must have refreshed the bond. She has to be so close. We need to find her, Sam.” Sam looked down at Dean’s hand and he nodded. “Okay, just relax Dean. Let me come with you. I can stay in the car or use a cane or something. You need backup as a brother, not a fellow hunter.”

Dean sprung from the bed and pushed past his brother, making Sam wobble in his injured state.

“We need to go now! I gotta find her, Sammy. I can’t let her go again!” Dean’s voice carried down the hallway and Sam sighed and limped after him, concerned as to why his brother seemed not to care that his soulmate was somehow alive again.

Dean was down the hallway and in the Impala in seconds, leaving Sam to grab his things and hobble down the hallway after him. Once Sam had maneuvered himself into the passenger’s seat, Dean started the engine. Even though the radio had been off when Dean had arrived back to the bunker earlier in the morning, the chorus of Dean’s favorite song began to play as loud as it could go, making Sam wince.

Ramble on And now's the time, the time is now To sing my song I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl On my way I've been this way ten years to the day Ramble on Gotta find the queen of all my dreams

“This is a sign, Sam. I gotta find my girl.” Dean grinned and looked over at his brother. “Let’s ramble on.”

The tires of the Impala squealed as Dean slammed his foot on the gas and tore off out of the garage.

You sat back down at the table in the motel room, scratching at your finger. It was itchy, but you ignored it… you needed to kill the werewolf that had been eluding you since you caught the trail in west Kansas. It was early morning, and your stomach growled, pulling your attention from your laptop.

You sighed and pulled up a map of the town you were in, looking for a diner or some place you could get breakfast. You spotted one within walking distance, pulled your coat from the back of the chair, opened the door, and headed out into the cold morning chill.

You were sitting in a booth at the diner and just about to take a sip of your second cup of coffee when the front door opened, the bells over the doorway jingling. You almost dropped your coffee cup when you eyed the two men that walked (well, one walked and the other limped) into the diner.

The first man was tall, although not as tall as the man he was with, with short light brown hair, bright green eyes and a dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His lips were full and pink, and you almost moaned when his tongue poked out and wet those downright kissable lips.

You couldn’t pull your eyes away from him to study the limping man he walked in with. Something was drawing you to him. You looked down at your ring finger and your mouth fell open. The previously faded infinity symbol on your finger was now pitch black and thin veins of dark pigment were spreading up your finger from the symbol.

You looked up at the green-eyed man, who was also staring at his hand as well, and you took in a shaky breath. Could it be…?

Your whole body froze the moment he locked eyes with you. It was almost like someone dumped cold water all over your body in the middle of an Alaskan winter and he was the only source of heat. You immediately stood, causing the man he was with to eye you with suspicion.

The man you locked eyes with held up his hand to the man he was with and his expression immediately softened. You could also see the dark veins running along the length of his finger, mirroring yours. You took a step closer to him and watched as the dark veins began to thicken and spread down into your palm.

You watched his eyes constantly shift between you and his hand as you continued to move closer to him. You could see the dark veins spreading down his palm and branching out in a unique design. You continued walking until you were just a foot away from him. The dark veins covering each of your palms stopped moving the moment you got that close and you both looked down at your hands.

“Y/N?” He asked, looking back up at you.

You smiled and looked down at your hand. The dark veins branching from the mark on your finger had creeped down to your palm and spelled out four letters: the name of the person you were meant to find, the name of the person you’d been looking for, the one that could finally give you peace...the name of your soulmate.

“Dean?”

The smile that spread across his face was so big that you thought he would have pulled a muscle. You couldn’t help but smile back at him, your heart fluttering in your chest. You had assumed he moved on when you were gone, but you were overwhelmed with glee when you didn’t spot a ring on his finger.

He held up his hand, palm facing you, and you stared at your name written across it. You knew what he was asking and you took in a deep breath and smiled. You ignored the other patrons in the diner that were staring at the two of you, watching the magical moment when two soulmates meet. You rolled up your sleeve, lifted your hand, and pressed your palm flat against his and closed your eyes.

You felt a surge of energy flow through your palm, warming it and spreading across your entire body just under your skin. You opened your eyes and watched the black veins dance across both of your arms. The feeling was indescribable. It was like your whole life was a puzzle and you finally found the missing piece you’ve been looking for. A comforting sense of belonging, a sense of home, took over.

The moment the intense warmth simmered down into a blissful tingle, Dean pulled you into his arms and held you close against his body. You had tears rolling down your cheeks and you smiled when the entire diner broke out into a thunderous applause. It was always a magical sight to see two soulmates accept each other, and you bashfully smiled at the attention you and Dean were receiving.

You spent the next few hours getting to know Dean Winchester and his brother, Sam. They had both eyed the anti-possession symbol on your forearm and you noticed the heavy breath of relief that Dean exhaled when he found out you were a hunter, too.

After six hours of talking at the diner, they brought you to their bunker and Sam gave you a grand tour while Dean made some food for the three of you. When you came into the kitchen and saw salad and cheeseburgers laid out on the counter, you immediately beelined to the closest burger and put it on your plate. You sat down and waited for the Winchesters to join you before you took a huge bite of the burger.

You looked up at Dean when you realized he was staring at you with a soft smile on his face. “Was that a test?” You jerked your thumb to the counter where the food was.

Dean nodded sheepishly and handed you a beer. “You passed.”

When you finished eating, you found yourself curled up on the couch in their cozy and delightfully large library, thumbing through a dusty old lore book about angels. Dean walked in and looked at the empty spot next to you, as if asking permission. You nodded and moved your feet closer to you, patting the empty spot with your hand.

“So.” Dean sat. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened three years ago.”

You froze. That part of your life was tough, and you never talked about what happened to you. Dean, as if sensing your fear, turned toward you and put his hand on your thigh.

“Are you okay?” He shifted closer to you. “Y/N, sweetheart, what happened to you?”

You looked down in your lap and took in a shaky breath. “I died.”

Dean removed his hand from your leg and nodded. “I figured that when my mark disappeared. I was close to you when it faded away.”

You were hesitant to tell Dean what happened, but he had been so welcoming and you could already feel yourself falling for him. You wanted to be truthful about your past just like he promised he would be when you got to know each other better.

“I used to hunt with my dad. We were an amazing team and… and he was my best friend.” You could feel your emotions bubbling up and you cleared your throat before continuing. “We were hunting a werewolf pack. We thought there was only four, but there was actually six. We managed to kill almost all of them, but the last one, the alpha of the pack, ripped me apart before my dad could kill him.”

“Oh, wow. I’m… I’m sorry.” Dean was picking at the cracked leather on the arm of the couch and you could tell he felt uncomfortable learning about how his soulmate died.

“Yeah, not as sorry as my dad. Six months after I died, he… he made a crossroads deal. He brought me back to life in exchange for his soul in ten years. One minute I’m in my childhood home baking cookies in the kitchen with my mom in heaven, and then next minute I’m lying on the ground and looking up at my dad as tears pour out of his eyes.”

Dean hung his head and nodded. “I’ve been there. Sammy died a long time ago and I made a deal, also.” You remembered years ago when your mark faded, and you were about to ask him what he meant but he spoke before you could. “I’ll explain after, continue with your story.”

“Well, I’m sure you know what happened when he told me he made a deal. I was pissed. I ended up packing in the middle of the night and leaving, my anger getting the best of me. A few months passed when I got a call from Garth, asking me if I had heard from my dad recently. After some calls to other hunters, I found out he died on a hunt only a month after I left.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” Dean wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him as tears began to fall down your cheeks. “You’ve been on your own since then?”

You nodded against Dean’s solid chest and fisted your hand in his shirt. “I couldn’t save him. If I just stayed with him he wouldn’t have died and I could have spent more time with him. Now he’s in Hell and it’s all because of me.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Dean murmured, “it’s not your fault. You’ve been on your own for almost three years and you’ve continued on, you’re doing what he would have wanted. Your dad saved you because he loved you, he knew what was going to happen and it didn’t matter. He wanted you to live.”

“But-” you hiccupped a sob- “I was an inconsiderate brat. I abandoned him after he pretty much signed his life away for me. I had no way of saying goodbye or telling him I was sorry.”

“Y/N, stop. You can’t blame yourself. We all do things we regret when we’re upset.” Dean rubbed circles on your back. “There might be a way we can help, though. Sam and I know the demon that runs hell, Crowley. He owes us a favor. Well, several favors. If you want I can ask him about your dad, maybe even see if he can release him.”

“You- you’d do that?”

He nodded. “I can try my best. It’s not a guaranteed thing, but I want you to be happy. You’re too beautiful to cry. I know we just met, but I already feel connected to you. The soulmate thing aside, you’re perfect in every way, including the fact that you’re a hunter.”

“I just wanted to be like my dad.” You nuzzled into his chest again as fresh tears fell.

Dean was silent for a few seconds and you sniffled before looking up at him. “I remember hearing about when he died. I never met him, but I know he was a good hunter by the stories I heard.”

“He was the best.” You tried your best to smile. “But I might be a little biased.”

“Understandably so,” Dean laughed and squeezed his arm tighter around you.

You both sat in peaceful silence for almost ten minutes. You had reached out and intertwined your fingers with Dean’s, watching as your soulmate marks pressed together again, filling you with a sense of calm and peace.

You were almost asleep when your cell phone began to ring and the main chorus of Ramble On by Led Zeppelin filled the silence of the library. You pulled it out of your back pocket and saw it was Garth calling. You ignored the call with a groan and tucked the phone back into your pocket.

You heard the sweet sound of Dean’s laughter fill your ears as his chest vibrated with the sound against your head. You looked up at him, confused, and he just kissed your forehead with a fond smile on his lips.

“Perfect,” he whispered. “You’re perfect.”

Forever Tags: @katymacsupernatural @queen-of-deans-booty @your-modern-shakespeare @wh1sp3r1ng-impala @wheresthekillswitch @holyfuckloueh @just-another-busy-fangirl @growningupgeek @ididntasktogetmadedidi @trashimaginezblog @jensen-gal @spnbaby-67 @feelmyroarrrr @donnaintx @potterhead1265 @mizzezm @atc74 @mereka18 @pilaxia @supernatural-jackles @squirrel-moose-winchester @impala-dreamer @bambi95-blog @batmmgray @brooke-supernatural16 @ilostmyshoe-79

Dean/Jensen Tags: @akshi8278

#dean x reader #soulmate AU #soulmates #supernatural au #reader insert #dean x y/n #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #fluff #angst #death #angry dean #ramble on #led zeppelin #song fic #guppy fic #SPNFamily

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booksareawayoflife · 7 years

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City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

‘Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn towards a group of sexy demon hunters, Clary encounters the dark side of New York City - and the dangers of forbidden love.’

Book Review: no spoilers

This part of the review will be spoiler-free. I have read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments but that was about 6/7 years ago. My reading tastes have changed slightly since then. Luckily, I can say that I actually liked this book more now, than when I first read it. I think it is a combination of me being able to relate to the characters more through my life experiences, and the fact that I absolutely love the TV show. Because I love the TV show, I want to read every single thing relating to the characters to better understand the origins of the characters that I love so much. I feel like I do have to say that this book may have it’s flaws, but I really liked it. I am surprised to say that so far, City of Bones is on my favourites of all time, and I hope the rest of the series joins it. It’s nostalgic to read a Young Adult Classic like City of Bones.

I remember the character of Simon being really funny, because Cassandra Clare did make me laugh out loud the first time I read it. I didn’t remember that a lot of the other characters are also funny, and SO FULL OF SASS. I love all the sassy comments that the characters said to each other. It made the characters seem like real people. I remember liking this book so much that on a day trip to Oxford, I literally read this book the entire time I was there. This book is captivating, entertaining, and a really good, fun read. I am so looking forward to continuing this book, and the rest of the Shadowhunter Chronicles.

Overall, I gave this book 10/10 or 5/5. I am surprised that I liked this book so much after re-reading it... but I do. I could easily see myself reading this book again, and I hope that is the same for the rest of the series. So far, City of Bones is on my favourite books of all time, and I hope that it stays that way.

SPOILERS

From here on out, I’ll be talking more in depth on the specifics of the books. If you haven’t read this series, I would recommend not reading any further.

Plot/writing - I did feel like there was a lot of info-dumping through Jace’s dialogue. But us, as the readers, we are novices about the Shadow World, as Clary is. Though, I do wish there were more things Clary could have learnt through experience, that way the dialogue would seem less info-dumpy. I do think that Alec/Isabelle should have had a more prominent role in this book, and accompany Jace/Clary on every “mission” that they went on, because I feel like the characters wouldn’t let Jace go out on his own without backup. I wish we saw Magnus healing Alec so badly. Overall, I think it was a decently written book, that set up the Shadow World very well.

Clary - I love how much of a fighter Clary is, and how she doesn’t take shit from nobody. Not from Jace, or Alec. I wish TV show Clary had a bit more of a spine, like book Clary in the first couple of episodes of Season 1. I loved it when she told Jace not to call her Fray, because it’s what Simon calls her. I love their friendship. But, when Simon is escorted from the Institute, the first time he arrived there, I wish Clary would have asked for him to stay. I feel like he would have really helped her deal with everything that happened to her. She is my favourite character in the series so far.

Jace - Jace is a very hit and miss character with me. I don’t mind his arrogance, because Clary is very good at putting him in his place. But I didn’t like him after he got kidnapped by Valentine... though I don’t think that you are supposed to like the change in him. I did find it stalkerish when he turned up a Java Jones, just to find Clary, and suss her out. Right now, I like Jace more than I dislike him.

Simon - I remembered liking him the first time I read this book, and I loved him more this time round. Simon deserves the world because he is such a sweetheart. My heart went out to him when he told Clary that he has loved her for over ten years. I just wanted to hug him. I also like the fact that Simon, as a mundane, isn’t completely helpless. I LOVE the fact that a mundane saved 4 shadowhunters from a greater demon by using Alec’s bow, and shooting it at the sky light. I wish that was in the TV show, because I would have loved to have seen Alec’s reaction. I hope in the later books, I like Sizzy, because I am more of a Climon fan. I don’t remember how Simon gets transformed into a vampire, so I am looking forward to reading that. I am not looking forward to his love triangle though. He is definitely one of my favourite characters.

Alec - I didn’t like Alec the first time I read this book. I’m glad that I liked him more this time round, but that is more because I love TV show Alec. The first time that I read this book I think that the ending, where Alec and Clary reconciled, went over my head because I never forgave Alec for being rude to Clary, but now I can. I wish we saw more of him, and more of Malec, but I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I’m glad that the TV show went another route about the revelation of Alec being gay. It was a longer plot line, and a more intriguing one, because you wanted to find out what Jace would think. Also, it makes Alec seems less prone to violence, because book Alec threw Clary against the wall, and issued her a death threat. I much rather preferred Alec being intimidating, and not actually violent. Alec is one of my favourite characters in the TV show, but I am indifferent to him in the books. I hope that changes.

Isabelle - I’m not sure how I feel about Isabelle. I didn’t really care for her in the TV show, but she has grown on me a lot. In this book... I didn’t like her at all. It seems like she’s stringing Simon along, and the fact that she didn’t properly look out for Simon at Magnus’s party is the reason why he got kidnapped. She also didn’t like Clary... until the end, where she’s says I’ll learn to have a female friend. I’m not sure what to think of her, but I do hope that I like her in the later books.

Magnus - I love Magnus, AKA The King of Sass. I wish he was in the book more, and more of MALEC. MALEC is OTP. I didn’t like the revelation of Magnus’s backstory though. I wish it could have been in a Malec scene, or just done in a way that it didn’t seem like Magnus was garnering for pity. I wanted Magnus to be better developed, but I have a feeling he’ll be better developed in the later books. I love Malec in the TV show, and I hope to see more of them in the later books. I can’t wait for the Magnus Bane Trilogy. I think the casting of Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus is perfect. No other person could ever be Magnus as perfectly as he can. I do think that the introduction of Magnus in the TV show was better, but that was more because Magnus took a more prominent role from the beginning of the show. He is my favourite character in the TV show, and I hope that I love him as much in the books.

Luke - I was really surprised at how rude Luke was towards Clary. I knew that he was basically going to abandon her, to keep her safe, but I forgot just how rude he was. I think I prefer TV show Luke to book Luke. Luke could have also contacted Clary after he became Pack Leader of the wolves in New York, as opposed to let her think that she was alone in the world. I haven’t forgiven book Luke for that yet. I love Luke in the TV show, and I hope that I start to grow on him in the later books.

Valentine - I prefer TV show Valentine, because he is a ruthless killer/leader. Book Valentine just seems deluded. I love the fact that in the TV show Valentine ambushed Luke into a werewolf den, which lead to him becoming a werewolf. It makes Valentine seem more evil, and more ruthless/calculating than book Valentine. I hope book Valentine becomes a better ruthless bad guy.

TV Show - I wish that Church was in the TV show, just for a Malec scene where Magnus would come to the Institute, and Church would love him. Alec would then come along, and be like, “He normally doesn’t like people.” For Magnus to reply, “I’m hardly normal, Alexander.” Apart from that, I wouldn't change the TV show all that much. I think that it is golden, and it is the main reason why I am reading the series now. I think that they took the books, and made it better.

I am looking forward to reading City of Ashes!

Love Lou xx

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geckogirl89 · 8 years

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Criminal Persuasion

Based on this text post by @earthdragon1. The name for the OC criminal came from this generator.

Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010) Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny pairing; others appear (Kono, Chin, Lou, Duke, Eric, and Pua). There’s an OC criminal. Rating: T (some violence and language) Word Count: Almost 3,000. Warnings: Graphic violence (see the original post for more information). Brief mentions of human trafficking (including sex trafficking) that isn’t depicted within the story. Notes: Set after 7.18 (thanks to a minor spoiler from that episode), but it could work anytime during season 7. The canon girlfriends are not mentioned and are ignored for the purposes of this story. The POV in the first section is Steve’s, then it switches over to Danny’s POV.

Roman Hellier was an infuriatingly slippery criminal. Five-0 suspected him of leading a trafficking ring that led underage girls into prostitution and poor, desperate immigrants into slavery, but so far they had been unable to accumulate enough evidence to arrest him. They had been able to incarcerate lower level leaders of the operation, but they hadn't been able to take down the suspected kingpin yet. None of the men they had arrested had been willing to testify against him, and every time he was in interrogation, Hellier would remain tight-lipped and leave with an evil smirk on his face that Steve wanted to punch right off.

Of course, he knew he couldn't do that. They needed his eventual conviction to be clean, with no possibility that he might get off on a technicality due to police brutality. This guy had made way too many people suffer, and Steve wouldn't let him get off because he lost his temper. But Steve had not expected Hellier to be so bold as to plant himself in one of Steve's beach chairs while he was out for his morning swim.

His arms tensed, braced for a fight, as he got out of the ocean and saw Hellier making himself at home in his backyard. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You know that I could arrest you for trespassing right now."

Hellier smiled in his typical vicious manner. "The better question is, how I managed to get into your backyard while you were unarmed." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "You're very predictable, Commander."

Steve stalked toward the asshole, who laughed as if he was the one in control. Steve was even more pissed that the guy was getting inside his head, making him wonder how he had ended up violating the sanctity of his home like this. "As for arresting me, I don't think you'll want to do that. But that is typical of you, Commander, all bark and no bite. How about you sit down so we can have a chat, like gentlemen?"

Steve was not stupid enough to sit down. Hellier probably had a trained sniper ready to strike when he sat down. "How about you just tell me what you want or I call the police right now?"

Hellier shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way. He produced a document folder. "I think you should see these."

Steve cautiously took the folder, wary of opening it in case it had anthrax or something in it. Hellier seemed to be reading his mind. "I promise that the contents of it are quite safe, Commander. I'm endeavoring to persuade you, not kill you. Open the envelope."

Steve slowly opened the envelope, and his stomach sank when he saw a series of pictures. There were some of him and Danny, Danny alone, Danny with Grace and Charlie, Grace and Charlie by themselves, and Steve with all of them. The photos had been taken over the past year, some months before the investigation on Hellier had begun, and had been taken in public places, at Steve's own house, at Danny's house, and both Grace and Charlie's schools. Steve wanted to throw up.

"Where the hell did you get these?" he asked, rifling through the photos. His voice couldn't hide the fear he felt.

Hellier simply hummed instead of answering his question. "I am a man with many resources. They're quite important to you, aren't they?"

The bastard was smiling at Steve. Steve clenched his jaw, even more angry that Hellier had found out this particular truth about him so easily. "What kind of game are you playing?"

Hellier blinked with false innocence. "It's not a game, more of a... quid pro quo, shall we say. If Five-0 drops their investigation against me, Detective Williams and his children will remain safe. If not, well..." He trailed off, shrugging. "I can't make any promises."

That tiny smug quirk of Hellier's lip and evil glint in his eye had Steve seeing red. No way was he going to let him get away with this bullshit.

Danny pulled up to Steve's house earlier than he normally would when they went to work together. He shook his head at himself when he checked the time display on the radio in his car and saw how early it still was. Steve might not even be out of the ocean yet, and Danny didn't know how he would explain his odd behavior to his friend. Danny had woken up early that morning with a chill running through his bones, the kind of feeling that someone more superstitious might attribute to a person walking over his grave. He had the inexplicable sense that something was deeply, terribly wrong and that it had something to do with Steve. Before he knew it, he had driven over to his partner's house.

Danny decided to go ahead and greet his partner. Steve would likely reassure him that everything was fine, and then they would engage in their normal bickering that would make him feel more normal. Confident in his plan, Danny turned off the ignition in his car.

Danny's heart immediately began to race as he heard what sounded like shouting from Steve's backyard. He removed his gun from his holster, clicking off the safety and immediately making his way to Steve's beach.

Danny froze when he saw the sight in front of him. Steve was on top of Roman Hellier, a criminal Five-0 had been investigating for some time, and choking him. He had a split lip and a bruise that would form into a black eye later, but he had clearly gained the upper hand in whatever fight the two had. Danny had never seen Steve with so much out of control fury in his eyes before. This wasn't an interrogation technique Danny thought was crossing the line. Steve seemed like he wanted to kill Hellier and didn't care about the consequences.

"No one goes after my family, you son of a bitch! Do you hear me, no one!"

Fuck, Steve sounded like he wanted to kill the guy too. Danny put the safety back on his gun and re-holstered it. He had to stop Steve from making a horrible, life-altering mistake.

Danny ran over to his partner. "Steve, stop it!"

Steve didn't seem to hear him as he continued to yell at Hellier. "You're gonna die for this!"

Danny pulled Steve's arms away from Hellier's neck, grunting with the effort, and tugged Steve backwards. Danny held on to Steve despite his partner's frenzied attempts to escape. As he pulled him back, he briefly noticed some papers on the ground, but he couldn't see what was on them.

"Listen to me, Steve, you don't want to do this. Believe me, I know." Danny was thinking of how he had killed Marco Reyes after Reyes had killed his little brother, Matty. He understood where Steve's impulse to kill this guy had come from if he had threatened Steve's sister and niece. But he also knew that killing Hellier would only hurt Steve at the end of the day.

Steve shook his head. "He's evil, pure evil. Can't let it happen. Can't."

There was a terror in Steve's voice that Danny could detect underneath the cold fury, but he would focus on reassuring Steve once he was under more control. When they were several feet away from Hellier, Danny turned around and gently pushed Steve down to the sand.

He looked into Steve's eyes sternly. "Sit there and don't move."

Steve blinked in surprise as if he hadn't known that it was Danny who had pulled him away from Hellier. Wow, that must have been one intense rage blackout. Danny waited until Steve nodded before he turned his attention to Hellier, who was pathetically attempting to crawl away.

Danny drew out his gun, clicking off the safety and pointing at Hellier. "You're not moving either. You’re under arrest for trespassing on private property. And I'm calling in backup to process this scene." Danny used his other hand to take out his cell phone and used his speed dial to call Chin.

Several moments later, the rest of Five-0 had shown up, along with Duke, Pua, and Eric, who was processing the crime scene. Everyone else was dealing with the scene outside while Danny was in the kitchen watching his partner with a wary gaze. Steve hadn't said anything since Danny stopped him, but he seemed to be slightly calmer now. He was holding a bag of ice to his injured eye and glaring at the kitchen table. Occasionally, his fists would clench as if he was still thinking about beating the crap out of Hellier.

Once Danny had called for backup, he had time to wonder about a couple of things. Hellier had rarely been outside the state of Hawaii and had never taken his criminal operations to the mainland, so Danny wasn't even sure how he would have known of Mary and Joan's existence. It seemed unlikely that he would have planned to go after them in Los Angeles. But they certainly made more sense as a target than Steve's mother, his only other living relative. Most people outside of the CIA would assume that she was dead.

"Oh my God," Eric exclaimed from outside. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Now Danny was even more confused. Eric had processed crime scenes where grisly murders had taken place without making a peep, and this was a home invasion. What the hell had he found that would give him that disgusted and shocked tone of voice?

A couple moments later, Duke entered the kitchen, trailed by Pua. He had a serious and worried expression on his face.

"I need to talk to you outside for a moment, Detective Williams. Pua will watch Commander McGarrett."

"Yeah, okay, sure." Danny stood up from the table and walked outside with Duke. He swore that he could feel Steve staring after him the entire time until they closed the door to Steve's house.

Duke sighed and shuffled through some papers that he was handling with gloves. They were probably the same papers Danny had briefly noticed in his struggle to keep Steve from attacking Hellier. "You ought to take a look at these."

Danny sucked in a gasp at the images he saw. It appeared that Hellier had been stalking Danny and his children. He was creeped out at the photos he saw that had not been taken in public places.

His nephew walked over to them. "That sicko was stalking you, Uncle D."

Danny shook his head. "I know. I just... why?"

Nobody answered him, but Duke did give him a worried glance as he continued to move through the photos.

"This doesn't make any sense," Danny whispered to himself.

Chin walked over to Duke, trailed by Kono and Lou. "So, we've booked Hellier on the trespassing and stalking charges. We should be able to ask him some questions once he's well enough to talk." Chin made a displeased face at that. Hellier would probably not be any more forthcoming than he had been in previous interrogations, and Steve's attack might make their case against him more difficult in the future. But Danny was still kind of stuck on the fact that Hellier had been stalking him and on the frightening feeling that came from knowing he and his kids had been targeted by a very dangerous criminal.

Chin focused his attention on Danny, along with the rest of the team. Everyone was looking at him with sympathetic concern.

"How are you taking this, Danny?" Kono finally inquired.

Danny sighed. He still felt like he was trapped in a fog and unable to find clarity. "I don't know. Really freaked out, I guess. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, nobody expected Hellier to pull a stunt like this," Lou said.

"That too, but that's not what I meant. I just... there was something Steve said when I found him. Something about Hellier going after his family, but if he was talking about me, then that would mean..."

Danny's words stopped in his throat when they saw the reactions everyone else had to this news, or rather the lack of reactions to this non-newsworthy revelation. Kono and Chin exchanged knowing glances, Lou looked at him like he pitied him for being so dumb, Duke cleared his throat awkwardly, and Eric sighed like he was very, very tired.

"You really didn't know, Uncle D?" Eric asked, sounding full of disbelief.

"What he said," Lou chimed in.

"Ditto," Kono echoed. Chin nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly, Danny felt as stupid as Lou's expression had suggested he was. How could everyone else know that Steve apparently considered Danny and his children to be his family in that protective, instinctual way and Danny was only just now figuring it out?

"I, uh, I guess I should go talk to Steve then, huh?"

Kono raised an eyebrow. "I would say so."

"I'll, uh, I'll go then." He awkwardly waved towards the house behind him with his thumb before he turned around to re-enter the house.

Pua's posture straightened when he noticed Danny entering the kitchen. "Hey! I tried to get him to talk, but he wasn't really responding. He still seems to be really bothered by whatever happened this morning." His expression turned apologetic. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

"Maybe." Danny could only hope so.

Pua left the kitchen with a thoughtful frown on his face, and Danny took a seat next to Steve, who was staring blankly ahead at nothing.

Danny put a hand on Steve's shoulder and opened his mouth to say something, but the words just wouldn't come. And putting a hand on Steve's shoulder didn't feel like enough of a gesture, not this time. Danny turned his chair and wrapped his arms around Steve.

Steve lowered the bag of ice he had been holding to his eye and clung to Danny as if he was afraid he would die that very moment. "Danny."

Danny released a weak, trembling laugh, glad that Steve was at least speaking now, though he still seemed shaken up. "You really freaked me out today, babe."

Steve pulled out of the embrace and directed a glare at the table. "I know I shouldn't have let him bait me like that, but when he said all that stuff, I just..." He scowled as if Hellier was right in front of him.

Danny licked his lips. "What did he say, exactly?"

"He pulled out those photos and then he said that you and Grace and Charlie would be safe if Five-0 quit investigating him. If not, he..." Steve paused to draw in a deep breath. "He said he 'couldn't make any promises' regarding your safety." Steve dropped his arms to the table with an ominous thud and buried his head in his hands.

Danny had suspected that Hellier had threatened his and his kids' lives, but the confirmation from Steve's own lips was frankly terrifying. He could see Steve's shoulders trembling and hated the thought that he was crying because of this. Very few things could bring Steve to tears, and Danny hadn't realized that this would be one of them.

"I just, even the thought of losing any of you," he said, words muffled by his hands. "I can't stand it."

Danny sighed. "Same here."

Steve dropped his hands, which bared his red, surprised eyes to Danny's gaze. "Really?"

Danny narrowed his eyes, willing his dumbass partner to understand how much he cared about him. "Why do you think I gave you half my liver, you idiot?"

Steve chuckled and pulled Danny into an enthusiastic hug. "I really, really love you, Danno."

Danny grinned as butterflies started to flutter around in his stomach. Hearing those words from Steve felt even better than usual, because this time there was no "buddy," "pal," or "bro" attached that dashed the hopes Danny had always assumed were foolish before this morning. After the nerve-wracking day they had, Danny let himself respond freely.

"I love you, too." He huffed out a laugh, and his next words were light, but unmistakably hopeful. "If it weren't for your busted lip, I'd probably kiss you right now."

Steve pulled away slightly to look into Danny's eyes and gave him a goofy grin. "I wouldn't mind the busted lip thing."

Danny leaned in to kiss Steve, keeping it brief and gentle due to the aforementioned busted lip issue. He pulled away a few seconds later and Steve's eyes were still closed. He seemed pretty blissed out, and Danny felt similarly though they still had a lot to worry about.

"I know today started off bad, but we're gonna get through this, I swear." He didn't know how, but Danny had to have faith that they would.

Steve opened his eyes and looked down at the table before he reached out for Danny's hand. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Danny had known Steve would protect him before today, but now he knew just how insane his protective instincts could get. About as insane as Danny's, considering the fact that he came very close to killing the guy who had shot Steve on the plane. If several other people hadn't been around at the time and if he hadn't had the flash of what had happened because of Marco Reyes, Danny could have very easily gone over the edge.

Danny interlaced their fingers. "I'm not letting anything bad happen to you either." Danny considered the dark days ahead for both of them and vowed to keep that promise no matter what.

#h50 #mcdanno #h50 fic #h50 fanfic #steve mcgarrett #danny williams #fanfic #my writing

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