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theladybarnes · 2 years

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SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? : CHAPTER SEVEN

“If anyone asks where I am, I've left the country!”

▸ summary: the plan seemed to have failed, is there still hope for one more fight? ▸ characters: nancy wheeler, jonathan byers, the party, and the parents ▸ word count: 4,370 ▸ warnings: angst, semi fluff ▸ series masterlist

Turns out that while you were busy dealing with the nonsense from Steve, the police went ahead and took Jonathan’s car. Making your really bad day turn worse when you had to race across town to the police station.

It took about fifteen minutes before you were slowly coming up, barely catching your breath when you noticed a man place down the box of weapons onto a desk. The look of worry and anger written clearly across Nancy and Jonathan. Beside the boy was a very tired looking Joyce Byers as she instantly looked into the box.

“What is this?” She asked, brows knitted in confusion.

“Why don’t you ask your son? We found it in his car.”

Jonathan glared up at the taller man. “Why are you going through my car?”

“Is that really the question you should be asking right now?”

Dashing towards the group you held out your hand. “Lawyer!” you gasped, using one of the nearby desk chairs to hold your tired body up. The group all looked at you stunned. “Don’t answer.. without a lawyer!” Joyce decided to put you out of your misery and push you to sit down and catch your breath.

“Who the hell is this?” grunted the man. Callahan and Powell start sputtering out a reply before you hold up your hand to introduce yourself. You give off your name causing the older man to look down at you curiously.

“Henderson.” he recalled, looking at you with narrowed eyes. “I remember your file. Seems a bit strange for someone like you to be caught up in a mess again.”

“Seems I attract the crazy. But either way, my friend here is innocent.”

Callahan leaned forward, arms crossed as he sneered at you. “None of you little punks are innocent. Don’t think you’re getting out of the clear from where we booked your friend at.” He glanced at the man in the middle. “Chief, this girl was there in the middle of a fight with a few other kids and now we find this in Byers’ car. Seems suspicious given her-”

The Chief frowned over at Callahan, only needing the look to be the thing that shut him up. “What do you have to say about all this, kid?”

Crossing your arms now, you glared over at the three officers. “I say since I’ve made the stupid decision of going to one party, the Hawkins police department has been a real pain in the ass.” The bite in your words caused both men to tense up as you leaned forward towards them.

“First Officer Clueless over there brought up some of the stuff that was expunged from my permanent record during what was supposed to be only a questioning over the missing persons case made for Barbara Holland. Making me extremely uncomfortable considering I had been in town for only about two days. Then, while in the midst of trying to break up a fight, I’m being harassed by the very same officer, causing me to not only fear for my own safety, but to consider filing a report against the whole department.”

Standing up, you size up to the Chief, thanking God that you had a talent for masking up your nerves as you poked a finger against the Chief’s chest. “Now, you’re harassing my friends and bringing out stuff that could have quite possibly been placed in his car as a ploy to further create a golden defamation case that my Father would truly love to handle. That’s what I have to say.”

A flicker of amusement went across the Chief’s face before he shook his head, either possibly seeing through your heavy bullshit or being amazed by it. You would obviously assume it’s the latter. “Your dad a lawyer, kid?”

“Yes.”

“You should look into following that.”

Getting back to his original mindset, he pointed his large finger over at the three of you. Glare returned on his face. “I wanna see you in my office.”

“You won’t believe me.” Jonathan pointed out.

He pressed on, leaning close as he spoke softly. “Why don’t you give me a try?”

Your expert lying is seemingly blown up in your face as the three of you slowly explained everything that went on. Mostly Jonathan and Nancy since their separate journeys had brought this whole thing together. When you were asked why you were suddenly involved, you had to lamely reply how catching them plan on capturing the faceless monster had got you thrown in.

Now it was minutes later and the two adults continued to share the photograph that Jonathan took. The three of you were sitting together in three chairs, you being uncomfortably in the middle as you fidgeted with the ring in your hand. Poor Joyce looked even more stressed out than you saw her when you first came in. Her hand rubbing gently at her temple as she sighed.

“You say blood draws this thing?” Chief Hopper asked.

“We don’t know.” Jonathan shared a glance with the two of you. Shaking your head, you look over to Nancy. Watching as she thought of what to say next.

“It’s just a theory.”

Having heard enough, Joyce slowly got up from her chair, nodding towards the door. “Let’s talk outside for a second.” she murmured softly. The two of you turned to watch a very queasy looking Jonathan follow after her.

The three of you awkwardly tried not to listen in on their conversation. Chief Hopper moved to look back at the black and white photo while Nancy leaned in close to you. “What happened back there?” she whispered softly, blue eyes wide with curiosity.

“What with Steve?” Shaking your head, you think about what good it would be to tell Nancy all that went down. While it would be nice to tell her how you finally gave the group of people a piece of your mind, the embarrassment of your own story and even crush being used against you weighed over all that. Making you wince a bit in the hurt that wanted to creep back in.

“He’s a piece of shit, told him so and came back to the car to try and find you guys.” you settled. It was half true, and half vague. Something you hoped the girl wouldn’t catch onto right away. “I’m done being friends with them. I’d rather sit alone at lunch than put up with them.”

Nodding her head, she nudged you a bit with her boot. “Well, it looks like my lunch table has cleared up too..if you want to stop by.”

“I’ll consider it.” you chuckled a bit, relieved that you didn’t need to go into further explanation. Joyce’s voice grew louder in the hall as she poured her worries out to Jonathan. The sound of pain lingered in her tone and you felt surprisingly guilty when she mentioned your name.

There’s a slightly muffled sound of crying until a higher pitched outburst captured everyone’s attention. Hopper shot off his desk and opened up the door to peer down the hall. “Stay here.” he sighed as he closed the door up behind him.

The other two joined you guys back in the office when Hopper returned. A look of worry spread over his face as he pointed over at you and Nancy. “We gotta head out and look for your families.”

You bolt up from your seat, suddenly worried by the fact that he’s suddenly bringing your family into this. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“Call it a hunch, but I think they might know something that we don’t.”

The first stop at Hopper’s attempt at a roundup was to stop by the Wheeler residence, considering most of the time the kids hung out in her basement, you guys were hoping that would be a good place to check. Unfortunately, you guys weren’t the only ones to think to head there first.

The small group had been stuck in Hopper’s car as they watched a dozen group of men go in and out of the Wheeler residence. Boxes in hands filled with various items. You could only sit back and hope that this wasn’t happening over at your house. The thought of your poor Aunt being confused by sudden invasion of people made your chest ache.

Poor Nancy made an attempt to go reach her family, try and fix the mess that was unfolding before Hopper ushered her back in the car, reminding her that as far as they knew none of you guys were involved in whatever it is they were looking for. Or who for that matter.

“Look, we need to find them before they do. Do you guys have any idea where they might have gone?”

“No, I don’t!”

“I need you to think.”

Nancy, growing frustrated, started to fall against her seat. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked a lot. I mean, lately..”

Hopper pointed over at you next. “Your cousin was very talkative when I first met him. Any chance he slipped up in front of you recently?”

You shook your head, recalling any detail that Dustin had said to you the last you spoke. “Sorry, Chief. I’ve taken a master class when it comes to ignoring what he says to me. The only thing I can remember is that he and his friends were going to continue to search for Will. My best guess would be the woods. But really, they could be anywhere.” you sighed, hating to bring no helpful contribution.

“Is there any place that your parents don’t know about that they might go to?”

Unfortunately, you could only shake your head no to Joyce’s question. Nancy was in the same boat as you, stammering out another no when Jonathan finally spoke up since leaving the station. “I might.”

“What?”

“I don’t know where he is, but I think I know how to ask him.”

The group's next destination had been the Byers home. The outside of the house seemed dull and lifeless. It didn’t help that when you stepped inside, the place looked like it had gone through the craziest type of storm. Lights were hung all around, making the room look like it was covered in vines. Painted letters were on one the walls, spelling out the alphabet. It was insane. Even the furniture had been through hell. Having various cuts through the cushions.

“Shit.” you whispered, noticing Nancy’s similar reaction.

The group moved inside one of the bedrooms, catching as Jonathan flipped through the channels of the walkie before looking up at the rest of you. “Well, who wants to try first?” he asked, holding the walkie out.

Nancy reached out for it, sitting down beside Joyce as she pressed down on the button. “Mike, are you there? Mike?” Her eyes flickered between everyone before she tried again. “Mike, it’s me, Nancy…Mike are you there? Answer.”

The longer the silence went the more angsty the girl became, frowning a bit as she tried to call out for her brother again. “This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy?..Mike! Do you copy?”

Hopper reached out for the device, having had enough of no reply as he took a turn. “Listen, kid, this is the chief. If you’re there, pick up..We know you’re in trouble and we know about the girl. We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up! Are you there, do you copy? OVER.”

Placing the device down, Hopper faced the group again, dejected by no reply. “Anybody got any other ideas?” The walkie crackled from the dresser, causing everyone to hold their breath.

“Yeah, we copy. It’s Mike. I’m here…we’re here.”

It only took fifteen minutes for Hopper to return back to the Byers’ house with the kids in tow. The four remaining had to wait the nerve wrecking couple of minutes having hoped nothing went wrong. As you and Nancy dashed out of the house, you couldn’t help but crack a smile at your cousin.

“You little shits are good at hiding.” you huffed, placing a gentle hand on top of Dustin’s head. You turn a bit to give a small pat onto Lucas’ shoulder, glad that he’s okay too. The young boy gives you an appreciative nod as Dustin swats your hand off his head.

“Trust me, our asses would have been dead if it wasn’t for her.”

Your gaze followed to where he pointed to find a familiar face. “You’re still with these guys?” you chuckled, moving over towards the girl. Her face was slightly covered in dirt and she looked more tired than the last time, but the small smile she pulled made your heart ease up a bit.

“Is that my dress?”

Before any answers are given, Hopper insists that the group moves back inside. It was time for everyone to be on the same page.

There wasn’t ever a time you felt completely incomprehensible to things. In fact, you were pretty well between the line of average and star student. But the more the kids went on explaining the upside down, the more you found yourself frowning in slight confusion.

Of course there was a science to it, and even with Mike’s simplistic drawing, it was still a bit of a hard follow. But you did your best to follow along.

“Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle.”

“Change it enough to make you think it’s broken?” you asked, getting a confirming nod from the boys. If that were the case, the gate would need to be pretty deep in the ground in order to mess up the direction.

“Is this gate underground?” Hopper asked, seeming to think the same as you.

The young girl whom they told you to call Eleven or El for short, quietly answered back. “Yes.”

“Near a large water tank?”

“Yes.”

The answer seemed to throw off the boys, making your cousin stutter a bit as he spoke out again. “H-how do you know all that?” Hopper’s silence is a big giveaway and you’re wondering just how many crazy investigations had gone on just between this small group of people.

“He’s seen it.” Mike concluded.

“Is there any way that you could..that you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this–”

“The Upside Down.” El finished.

Joyce nodded slowly, doing the utmost to keep her poor hopes in check. Your heart ached when El’s nod gave another glimmer of hope on the older woman’s face. The poor women had been through enough and you weren’t sure how much more disappointment she could handle at this point.

“And my friend Barbara?” Nancy added. Her eyes flickered towards the girl quickly, wide and optimistic. “Can you find her, too?”

With that question in the air, the kids all worked together to gather up the tools they needed, setting up a station at the Byers’ kitchen table while the rest of you watched in silence. You stood behind Dustin, next to the girl as she placed the walkie and picture of Barb down in front of her. The only noise in the room being the slight static noise from the walkie talkie. El, sat at the head of the table, across from Joyce as she closed her eyes.

In what could only be described as a power surge from within the table, the lights flickered off and on for a moment before her eyes opened up again. Disappointment visible on her face. “I’m sorry.” she whispered, making you want to reach out for her.

“W-what’s wrong? What happened?”

El’s voice broke, the build of tears in her eyes noticeable. “I can’t find them.” Having had enough of the sadness in her voice, you stepped forward, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Let’s take a minute.” you said softly. Moving to get her out of the chair. “Maybe take a breather and wash off some of the pressure we’re throwing at you, heh?” The attempt to lighten up her mood is futile and she simply gave you a nod before brushing past the group towards the bathroom down the hall.

Everyone waited till the click of the door knob before questions began to spew out. Making you slightly frustrated at the commentary that followed.

“Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak.”

“The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets.”

Leaning forward on the table, you can’t help but shake your head. “Just how much energy did she use today?”

“She flipped the van earlier today.”

“It was awesome.”

“But she’s drained.”

“Like a bad battery.”

Joyce sighed a bit. “Well,..How do we make her better?”

“We don’t.” Mike replied. “We just have to wait and try again.”

“Well, how long?” Nancy scoffed, frustrated by her own questions that needed answered. The whole thing left a bad taste in your mouth. The tensions were only getting higher and you worried the pressure might get to the kid.

“The bath.”

Everyone’s head turned around as El came back to the table. “I can find them. In the bath.” The group stayed quiet for a second before Dustin dashed over towards the phone, picking up the handle before dialing into the rotary.

You couldn’t help but be impressed by the way Dustin managed to guilt trip his Science teacher into providing information on how to build their own deprivation tank. The idea had come so quickly to Dustin you were proud of his eagerness to help the group.

“Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?” Dustin asked Joyce.

“I think so. Yeah.”

“Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it.”

“How much is ‘lots’?”

“1500 pounds.”

“Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?”

If it weren’t for the fact that this whole thing was now being led by the chief of Police, you would have been panicking to be breaking in the school right now. But now here you were in the middle of the gymnasium, spreading out the kiddie pool with Dustin and Lucas. Or more fighting with the kiddie pool to stay upright. It’s not until Lucas goes to tell Joyce the pool is ready that you get a moment alone with your cousin.

“If your mom knew what we were up to she’d kill us.” you chuckled, scratching the back of your neck.

“She’d go absolutely ballistic.” he snorted, looking up at you. “I’m glad we’re doing stuff again. It’s been a while.”

“I wouldn’t exactly count hunting down a monster at the same time as trying to find our friends as a good family bonding time.”

Again he snorted heavily. “That’s true. But still, it’s nice.” You couldn’t help but smile at his comment, leaning a bit to wrap an arm around his shoulder. For some reason a guilt started to build up inside. Dustin was too young to be involved in a mess like this. The kid was barely able to reach certain cabinets in the house.

“I say next time we bond over something normal..like a movie or even a nice puzzle.”

“Deal.” he said chuckled, wrapping an arm around you to give a hug back. “So you’ve been hanging out with Nancy. That’s pretty cool. You think you and her might end up being friends after this?”

“Something like that.”

“And what about Jonathan? You like him too.”

Your nose scrunched up a bit, there was a hint of amusement in his tone and you know he’s waiting for a punchline to use with whatever answer you get. But you simply shake your head. “We’re all looking out for each other. But I’m not opposed to making new friends.”

The sound of voices coming closer caused the conversation to stop. Nancy and Mike had found enough hoses to hopefully fill this pool up with water. And with Lucas returning with a thermometer you guys would be able to hopefully bring the water to a good buoyancy with the right amount of salt.

It was sort of interesting to watch as the kids tested out the water, using just a single egg to find the right balance. All that was left after that was the radio and El. Joyce had helped give her a pep talk it would seem because as she slowly stepped into the pool, you watched in awe as she did so with a small amount of confidence.

The group circled around her, looking up as the light began to fall out of the room. Once she was relaxed, all you guys could do was wait.

“Barbara?”

The group stiffened up, eyes looking over to Nancy briefly. The water wavered a bit, moving as El began to pant heavily. With the harder she breathed, the quicker the rest of the lights in the gym went out. Instinctively you reached out to grip onto Dustin’s arm. Frowning as you fought to reach out and make sure El was okay.

“What’s going on?” Nancy asked anxiously.

Mike replied just as clueless as the rest of you. “I don’t know.”

“Is Barb okay? Is she okay?!”

El remained unmoving, only letting out a small whimper of replies. “Gone..Gone..Gone!”

Joyce had to reach out and keep El calm, Hopper gripping onto the girl’s other hand to steady her. “Don’t be afraid. It’s okay, you’re safe.” she assured the girl over and over. By now you’re practically digging your fingers into Dustin’s arm as you control your emotions. With Nancy becoming crestfallen and El’s panicked whimpering, you felt completely hopeless.

“Castle Byers.”

Jonathan straightened up from beside Nancy, meeting his mother’s gaze at the familiar name.

“Will?”

At the name of the boy, Joyce couldn’t help but gasp a bit. Leaning even more into the pool now. “You tell him..tell him I’m coming. Mom is coming.”

“..your mom..she’s coming for you.” whispered El. The silence was heavy in the room and you felt your heartbeat in your ears from how fast it was going. Suddenly the walkie came back to life as a voice crackled on the end. “Hurry.”

From the look on everyone’s faces, you could only assume that the voice belonged to Will. “Okay. Listen, you tell him t-to stay where he is. We’re coming. We’re coming, okay? We’re coming, honey.”

El called out to Will again, sounding scared as she started to come out of the trance-like state she was in while going to the Upside Down. Bursting up from the pool, she gasped out loud, clinging into Joyce’s arms as the older women consoled her.

The sight of the young girl crying in fear has you nearly tearing up. The room is almost silent and you’re the first one to break the silence as you get up from beside the pool to grab the towel that Lucas had brought back with him. “Let’s warm her up.”

The adults pulled Jonathan into a huddle, whispering back and forth about Castle Byers. You were currently standing by the kids, sort of keeping an eye on them since Nancy had needed a moment alone and Jonathan was trying to join the brigade.

It isn’t till the gym doors burst back open that you see Jonathan return alone. His head cocked over towards where Nancy was, silently telling you to follow along. Sighing, you get the feeling that whatever your part was in this, wasn’t over. “I’m gonna need you guys to do me a favor.” you sighed, hands placed on your hips.

“What’s wrong?” Dustin asked quietly.

“I’m gonna go check on Nancy. I need you guys to stick together. Keep your heads low until Joyce and the Chief come back.”

“Where are you guys going?” Mike frowned, having been quietly glued to El’s side this whole time.

“I’m just going out to the hall is all.” The pale kid get you a skeptical look which you choose to ignore right now. “..But you never know. Just stay in here, okay?”

To your surprise, they all give out a chorused answer, making you smile. Turning on your heel, you go in the direction that Jonathan did. The two of them are on the floor against the wall. Heads down as they sat quietly.

It’s not until you’re joined at Nancy’s other side she nodded her head. Having come to a conclusion. “We have to go back to the police station.”

Jonathan casts you a worried look, mirroring your own expression. “What?” you both said at the same time.

“Your mom and Hopper are just walking in there like bait. That thing is still in there. And we can’t just sit here and let it get them, too. We can’t.”

“You still wanna try it out?” Jonathan sighed.

“I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it.”

You get up from the floor, pacing back and forth in front of them. “This.” you started. “This is completely insane.” The two stayed on the ground, looking up at you worried. “We can’t..we saw what that thing could do. We now have confirmation on what that thing could do and you guys still want to go after it?”

“Come on, Henderson. I know you’re not as connected to the people in this but we can’t just-”

“Jonathan! I am still in the first week of moving into this goddamn town! I’ve known you two for two days less than that and now I’m suddenly going to join in on this final monster hunt? This isn’t me! This isn’t something that I would do!”

You couldn’t help but continue pacing until you suddenly stopped. Being hit with the realization that for the first time in a while, you’re being put in a position that is completely out of your comfort zone. And if you ventured on to do this hunt with Nancy and Jonathan then you wouldn’t be able to ever live a normal life again.

But just as you were about to answer the two, the sounds of the kids' light chattering is enough to make you hang your head and sigh defeatedly.

“Let’s go get this bastard.”

A/N: I can’t believe we’re coming up to the ending of season one! I’m so happy with the feedback I’ve had from this series and honestly can’t wait to start season two!

TAGGING REQUESTS: @m-rae23, @ally-holmes, @namesaretomainstream , @lilygreennn, @phantomxoxo, @liberhoe, @thexplosivegirl

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fic #stranger things fic #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfic #sisosig

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isimpfortoomanypeople · 2 years

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Two idiots in love - Jonathan Byers x fem reader

Will hated you looking so upset over your toxic ex who never treated you well, so when you were invited on his family vacation he came up with the perfect plan, to play matchmaker

Warnings: mentions of the reader not having the best home life, toxic cheater ex boyfriend, heartbreak and the reader and Jonathan just being two pinning idiots in love

Request: Can you do a Jonathan x yn fic where yn is going through a break up with her secret bf but she's going on a road trip with Jonathan and Will so she pretends nothings wrong but Will finds out and tells Jonathan. You can decide what happens next :) also if you want could you make this a slow-ish burn? (If you don't want to that's totally fine) pls tag me in the post.

A/N: of course I love Jonathan, he’s an underrated character and he is 100% boyfriend material. I think that this fic is super cute so I hope that you enjoy it. Apologises for all spelling and grammatical mistakes as I’m super dyslexic. Also sorry if some parts sound overly British as I’m from the U.K.

Resting your head upon the cool glass of the car window, watching the world pass by, watching as each tree disappeared into the horizon.

Your silence was noted by all members in the vehicle, you were quiet almost too quiet. You only engaged in conversation if you were asked a question, preferring to keep your head down. For if you did speak your heart would break into a million of tiny pieces and you feared that you wouldn’t stop crying till your throat throbbed and your eyes became sore.

Everyone drew their own conclusions upon why you were so quiet, most believed you to be tired. But Will, he was harder to convince that you were okay. He shot you a concern glance when he caught your lips slightly quiver as a sob almost escaped your lips.

You and Will became close despite the age gap, you use to babysit him before he started high school. You had his back as he navigated the world especially after being taken into a different dimension, which for a 11 year old must of have been extremely traumatic. He was drawn to your calm, nurturing attentive personality, how you wouldn’t judge him for being sensitive and would listen for hours as he talked about dnd or ranted about the struggles his young life entailed. You became so close to the point that he could read you like an open book, so the fact that you’re not telling him what was wrong was slightly irritating to him.

Because you were so close to Will you subsequently became close to Joyce who almost became your second mother. You went to her for advice and comfort, plus she always insisted on cooking for you as your home life was chaotic. She knew that the way to someone’s heart was through their stomach, she knew that she couldn’t take away the pain of your family life but she hoped that you found comfort in her hugs, or her homemade cookies, which she’d always insisted on baking for you whenever you came round her house.

Which is why you found yourself on the Byers/Hopper’s family vacation. El sat in the middle of you and Will completely distracted by the world going by, which gave you some relief as you really couldn’t deal with her inquisitive nature right now. She would ask you questions about why you looked so upset, which would start the flood works over again.

A week before you were going to join the vacation, you invited your now ex boyfriend over. You both sat curled up on your couch watching the breakfast club, the film that he had been so unwilling to watch for weeks prior. He used to show his clear distaste for these so called ‘awful’ teen movies (his words not yours).

But something had changed in his attitude this week which made you suspicious, he became more attentive more caring. You shouldn’t be concerned that your own boyfriend was showing you more love, but this felt false like the overbearing sweetness you would display if you felt guilty about something.

The light from the television illuminated the living room allowing you to just about make out your surroundings. You glanced over lovingly towards your boyfriend only to be met with a dark purple hickey peeping out from the collar of his shirt.

The so called romantic date night quickly turned into a screaming match, where your ex had the audacity to make it your fault why he cheated. He claimed that if you weren’t such a frigid bitch he wouldn’t have to look elsewhere for sex.

This broke you into many pieces, you slammed the door in his face, pushing him out of your house with mascara staining your cheeks as you couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. You knew deep down that it wasn’t your fault for him only thinking with his dick, but his words stung. It shouldn’t be your fault that you wanted to wait till you’re ready to have sex, but in this toxic male dominated society that you live in you couldn’t help but feel partly to blame.

Now you were on a road trip that seemed to be lasting an eternity. You felt like it was a mistake showing your face today with a travel bag in hand. But the people pleaser in you didn’t want to disappoint Joyce especially after she had booked for you to join her family on this trip.

You wished now more than ever that you staid in bed balling your eyes out till your energy levels deplete enough to finally sleep. You couldn’t tell a single member in the car what you’ve been through with your ex, as he demanded that you both kept this relationship a secret. That should of been a red flag that you should of picked up upon in the beginning of your relationship, but the rose tinted glasses of love made all those red flags look like flags.

It’s true what they say, the majority of men in Hawkins are dicks.

Also joining on this trip was hopper who insisted that he didn’t need the map that Joyce waved in his face, claiming that he was the chief of Hawkins and in turn had a natural sense of direction. Around 20 minutes into the trip you had to stop at a gas station as he had ‘unsurprisingly’ gotten you all lost.

And also Jonathan the oldest of the Byers siblings. He was awkward and quiet, looking out of the window his cropped blonde hair covering his eyes. Which was most probably rolling as he had to deal with the old music that Hopper insisted upon playing. He was 18 for Christ sakes, he felt like he was far too old to go on these family vacations, especially when he had just gotten a new camera that he desperately wanted to test out, and he wouldn’t be able to develop pictures in the middle of god knows where.

You and Jonathan wouldn’t call yourself friends but you weren’t enemies either. You both danced the weird line of being acquaintances. Both as awkward and shy as each other to say a word, but you both flashed each other a smile as your paths crossed ways.

There was an intriguing energy that you felt towards him, you couldn’t describe it. Maybe it was because that he had a gentle soft soul?, how he somehow found the beauty in everything around him?, as a photographer he definitely had an eye for capturing life’s most breath taking moments.

Jonathan had recently broken up with Nancy Wheeler when Steve came back into her life. She tried to break up with Jonathan amicably, but when there’s history between Steve and her, there was no other way he could of taken it apart from a soul crushing sadness, for he believed him and Nancy were going to be forever.

You felt a shared connection with him, for you admired how well he was coping from the pain. He carried his pain seemingly well, as well as he could of been, for he was able to get out of bed and was trying to move on with his life. They both broke up 4 months before you did with your ex, but you admired him for holding a brave face, when all you wanted to do was cry till your eyes became sore and heavy.

You were able to excuse yourself after dinner which was a few boxes of pizza ordered in as no one had the energy to cook. Everyone wished you a good night. Giving Will, El and Joyce a hug muttering about how tired and sluggish the journey made you. Mostly everyone believed your façade, which felt heavy to hold as it was cracking underneath your tidal wave of pain.

Will gave you the side eye as you walked towards your room, he could see right through you and he was definitely not convinced. Swearing that he’ll find the bottom of your strange demeanour even if everyone else was blinded by your acting.

As soon as your head hit the plush pillow the tears that you’ve been holding in came flooding out. Your vision became blurry from how fast your salty tears fell down your cheeks, absorbing into the soft fabric surrounding your head. You cupped your hand tightly over your mouth suffocating your heart wrenching sobs from becoming too loud. Every part of you was in utter agony and the worst thing is that you couldn’t tell a single soul about this.

God you really fucking hated this!

——————————————————————————-

Walking over to the kitchen for breakfast was exhausting, it took every last bit of energy you had left to sit down at the table painting on a big fake smile.

“Here you are honey” Joyce smiled passing a plate of chocolate chip pancakes towards your direction.

You heard your stomach growl, but the fucked up thing about heart break is that it makes you feel ill to the point that you can’t eat, no matter how much your body begs you to eat you just can’t, as you know that you’ll just bring it back up again later.

“I’m not feeling too hungry, I’m just going to have some coffee” you weakly smiled, filling your cup full of caffeine. Gently pushing your plate to the side for even looking at the pancakes made your stomach turn.

Joyce frowned at you, she looked confused at your weird behaviour. You never once refused her cooking and she knew how much you loved pancakes, nearly as much as El loved eggos. She shook the frown off her face and replaced it with her usual warming smile.

“It’s okay honey, I’ll leave it on the table in case you change your mind”

The table was filled with laughter and free flowing conversation. you watched how everyone was able to function and expected you to laugh along with them, as if your heart wasn’t crumbling into your chest causing you be in agony with each breath.

Joyce noticed how quiet you were, usually you would be laughing with Will or listening with contentment as El filled you in on her day. Yet you look like a ghost with dark purple rings surrounding your eyes, it saddened her to see you so upset. She missed your bubbly nature, now it was like someone else sat in your place.

“Y/N, what’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

You lifted your head seeing everyone’s eyes upon you, it felt suffocating. Squirming in your chair feeling like a caged animal, yes they all loved you and wanted to know the reason for your bizarre behaviour, but that didn’t take away from how claustrophobic this felt.

“I just don’t feel well. If you’ll excuse me” you stuttered excusing yourself from the table, quickly walking towards your room, ignoring Joyce’s concerned calls trying to get you to return to the table.

——————————————————————————-

You heard a knock upon the door leading to your room, you didn’t respond, not even having the energy to lift your head off the pillow. Wishing that this person would get the hint and leave you alone to wallow in your own self pity.

Much to your dismay the person on the other side of the door started to turn the handle, you groaned as you heard the door creak open.

Why couldn’t they just leave you alone?

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just don’t feel well”

“Bullshit! Y/N I know you, you were the first person I came out to, so it’s infuriating that you’re not installing that same trust in me!” Will sighed flopping his body weight on the mattress, you felt the mattress dip beside you as he shuffled to face you.

You felt your bottom lips start to quiver when you saw his kind hazel eyes looking back at yours. You couldn’t hold back your tears any longer, especially when Will became the younger brother you never had. he was sweet and kind, the sort of person who never judge you no matter what problems you faced.

“Shh, hey it’s okay” he cooed wiping the hot tears spilling down your cheeks with his thumb. “What’s wrong?”

“I used to date Zack from the basketball team in secret, well it was his idea not mine. He believed it was for the best as I’m far from his usual type, he’s a jock and I’m a straight A student, far from the cheerleaders he used to date. He became distant then he became overbearingly loving towards me, then one date night I saw a hickey on his neck. We never even had sex, he cheated on me and claimed that it was my fault calling me a frigid bitch-“ your sentence was cut short as you erupted into sobs, you felt your body shake with each sob that wrecked through your body.

Will wrapped his arms around you, holding you close allowing you to cry on his shoulder, not caring that you were dampening the fabric of his shirt. He started to gently stroke your hair in comfort, he saw the mess that Johnathan became during his break up with Nancy so he knew how to be somewhat comforting in this situation. But never being in a relationship himself he didn’t really know how to be truly comforting in your time of need, he just held you close as you continued to sob.

“He’s a jerk, I hope that you don’t believe a word that he said. Y/N you’re a beautiful, talented girl, who doesn’t deserve that asshole. Boys are stupid”

“Boys are stupid” El confirmed

You lifted your head from Will’s shoulder to see the sympathetic smile of El standing in the door way.

You gently chuckled, your voice still horse from crying your eyes out. She quickly ran to the bed, laying on the other side of the mattress, enclosing her arms around you both.

You let out a true genuine smile, the first one in days. Your heart beaming with the love that you felt for both of the kids hugging you.

You made them both promise not to tell anyone what you’ve been through, preferring to enjoy the rest of your vacation not mopping over a stupid guy who wouldn’t amount to anything in his life.

You have two amazing people who had your back whenever you needed them too, maybe things might be okay after all?

——————————————————————————

The rest of the day was spent exploring the woods that surrounded the cabin you were staying at. The three of you ran through the woods exploring all that the woodland had to offer.

You found a lake hidden within the greenery, you all perched on the banks, watching as each gust of air rippled through the crystal clear waters. Smiling as you taught El how to make a daisy chain, she squealed in delight as she got the hang of it. Threading the delicate flower through the stem of another flower, she pieced together a beautiful daisy crown.

“For you”

“El are you sure?”

She nodded, tucking your hair behind your ears before placing the delicate crown of daisies upon your head. Smiling at her handy work.

“You were sad and I wanted to do something to make you feel better”

“Thank you El, it’s beautiful”

She gave you a smile before running off to find where ever will had ran off to.

Leaving you alone looking peacefully at the smooth steady ripples that danced across the tranquil waters. You felt your shoulders finally relax as you breathed in the calming atmosphere, for the first time in days you felt free from the chains your relationship had upon you-

You saw a flash at the corner of your eye, you turned to your left to see Jonathan crouching down at your side with his camera covering his face. The eye of the camera was pointed directly at you.

“Sorry” he muttered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s just that you looked so peaceful, the sun was reflecting on your face and on the lake. It looked like the perfect shot. I’m sorry” he explained shooting you a sheepish smile, he swallowed thickly as he turned on his heels retreating back to the cabin.

Way to go Jonathan, way to make things awkward like you always do. His face screwed up in embarrassment, he pressed his lips into a thin line to suppress the strangled groan that was threatening to escape.

“Wait” you called after him, he turned and looked at you with a guilty expression planted across his face. He was waiting for you to yell at him for being a creep or whatever insults he had heard from various members of the cheer squad.

“It’s okay, I thought it was sweet. I hope that the photo turns out okay” you flashed him a sweet smile, you swear that you could see his cheeks blush pink. He cleared his throat to cover up how shocked he was that you didn’t yell at him, and the fact that you found it sweet! To be honest it did catch him off guard.

“I’m sure it will, I mean natural lighting on a day like today is a photographer’s best friend” he chuckled, looking like he was going to turn from you again.

“Come sit, please?” You blurted out, cringing as your words came out too quickly that it could be interpreted as desperation.

You wanted to get to know him better, you weren’t exactly popular back in Hawkins so a new friend would be welcomed.

Jonathan tilted his head to the side, looking at you in complete bewilderment. He didn’t know if he heard you right, you wanted to actually talk to him? A pretty girl like you wanted to talk to him, he genuinely believed there to be some form of catch as why else would you want to talk to him?

You patted the empty patch of grass beside you, where he crouching moments before. you widen your eyes at him, looking at him innocently, willing him to sit beside you.

Your small pout won him over as he started to walk back towards the lakeside.

You both spent the rest of the afternoon laughing, telling each other stories about your lives. You learnt about his love of photography and he learnt about your love for writing.

The atmosphere felt comfortable and relaxing, it felt like you had both known each other your entire lives. It didn’t feel like this was the first time you had ever spoken to each other. this felt as if destiny had commanded you both to end up here, smiling on this warm sunny day.

“Hey not fair” you teased, pouting as you watched his pebble skim the water one more jump than your pebble had managed.

“My pebble skimmed the water one more jump than yours how isn’t that fair?” He teased back at you.

You both erupted into fits of laughter, your cheeks ached from laughing so hard. Your laughter unbeknownst to you both accidentally brought your faces closer to each other. When the laughter died down you both had wide eyes of embarrassment before quickly whipping your heads in the other direction, trying to ignore that you could feel the other person’s breath on your lips.

——————————————————————————

You spent the next day in a better mood than you were the previous morning. Smiling at Joyce as she placed a plate of waffles in front of you (per El’s request to have waffles for breakfast), Joyce smiled back as you tucked into the homemade breakfast in front of you. Moaning as you swallowed down the fluffy sweet treat, claiming that these were the best waffles you had ever tasted.

The atmosphere at the table felt less awkward, you could finally breathe again and could finally start to enjoy the vacation that you’ve been looking forward to attend for weeks.

Unfortunately the weather had other plans as the once sunny skies was replaced with a grey cloud cover, releasing a down pour of heavy water droplets.

You spent the remainder of the morning playing board games with the family, as no surprise Joyce packed them in her bag claiming that she came prepared for everything.

In the afternoon you curled up on the armchair, flicking through the pages of your book. So enchanted by the fictional world the author captured upon the pages, you got lost within the story swept up into the world of fiction. That you didn’t notice Jonathan capturing your peaceful state till the bright flash transported you back into reality.

He warmly smiled at you as he walked off to see what else he could capture upon the camera’s film. You return the same smile toward the direction he wondered off towards.

You usually would of been furious if anyone dared to interfere when you were reading, preferring to stay in the world of fiction as it was more preferable than the world of reality. But there was something about Jonathan that didn’t make you angry, in fact you were happy that he took the photo of you.

In the one and a half days of truly getting to know the person that is Jonathan Byers he made you feel beautiful. He chose to capture you out of all things, claiming that your smile was too pretty not to capture. As far as you were aware this was platonic, a small part of you felt sad to admit that, but he made you feel more beautiful and more worthy than your ex boyfriend ever did. You were thankful that Jonathan had wounded up into your life.

——————————————————————————-

“Thank you”

“Huh?” Jonathan asked in confusion looking at his brother who was standing in the doorway to his room.

“Y/N?” Will questioned, looking at his brother’s face searching for the small sign that he knew what Will was on about. But the look of bafflement on Jonathan’s face showed Will that he didn’t have a clue what his younger brother was on about.

“She had a rough couple of days, Zack cheated on her and she was heartbroken. She looked so hurt it was paining me to see her that way, I don’t know what you’ve said to her but she looks happier. She looks genuinely happy so thank you” Will beamed at Jonathan, he walked out of his room with a smirk on his face. Will Byers was crafty and right now he’s going to play matchmaker for his brother and one of his best friends.

You both had your hearts crushed by people who you both thought cared about you. You both deserved the world and who else would give it to you than someone who is your perfect match, you were both kindhearted, warming caring souls even though you both were at times painfully awkward.

You two might not see it now, but Will was determined to get you to admit your feelings towards each other. Because from what Will had observed from your laughter and the glances you gave each other across the table was anything but platonic.

——————————————————————————

On the journey back to Hawkins, you sat next to Jonathan which confused El but Will was quietly chuckling to himself watching as his master plan unfolded.

“I’m sorry about what happened with Zack, if it’s any consolation he is a massive dick” Jonathan whispered towards you as you clicked your seatbelt in place.

“Thanks, I’m also sorry about you and Nancy”

“It’s okay, I guess that it wasn’t meant to be” he shrugged

After two hours in the journey, you felt your eyes grow heavy as tiredness suddenly washed over you. You yawned, falling into a peaceful slumber, closing your eyes as you rested your head upon Jonathan’s shoulder. His rhythmic breaths Lulled you into a deep peaceful sleep.

Jonathan couldn’t help but grin as he looked over at you, observing how peaceful you looked, he felt his heart flutter seeing you sleeping peacefully with a small smile placed upon your lips. He gently moved his arm trying his hardest not to wake you, moving to wrap his arm around your waist, allowing you to become more comfortable as you continued to doze. The smell of your perfume engulfed his senses causing him to pull you closer to himself, he gently placed his head upon yours following you into the calming slumber.

Will who watched the whole encounter wore a shit eating grin upon his face, platonic his ass. You two were clearly in love it was laughable how you both failed to hide it. It was all going to plan.

——————————————————————————

Jonathan carefully placed the photo he took of you on the vacation on the wire so they could develop. He couldn’t wait to see them, smiling to himself as he recalled how beautiful you looked sitting on the waters edge with a flower crown adorned upon your soft hair. You looked like a woodland fairy queen, he believes that it was probably the best photo he had ever taken.

“When are you going to tell her?”

“Jesus Will! You almost gave me a heart attack” he placed his hand on his chest, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart.

“And what did I tell you about leaving the door open?”

“It will wreck the development process, I know” Will groaned rolling his eyes, recalling the many times his brother had scolded him for never closing the door to the dark room. “When are you going to tell her?”

“Tell who?”

“Y/N”

“And what should I be telling her?”

“That you like her”

Jonathan froze on the spot upon hearing those words. He was telling himself that you were just friends as then you couldn’t hurt him the way that Nancy did, that way he could still keep you in his life despite how much it pains him to call you friend. You were too good for a loser like him, but that didn’t stop the blush that came to his face every time he pictures your perfect face.

“I don’t like her, Y/N and I are just friends”

Will couldn’t help but snort at how laughable the whole situation has become.

“You both like each other, it’s laughable how much you both try to hide it. Anyway I invited her over tonight, so I’ll leave you to think about how your going to ask her out”

“Will-“

Jonathan groaned as Will closed the door behind him

——————————————————————————-

“So when are you going to tell him?”

“When am I going to tell who?”

“Jonathan that you like him” Will stated as if it was the most obvious thing, almost like you should of expected him to say that.

“Jonathan and I are just friends” you nervously stuttered, cringing as you saw Will rolling his eyes at you, he laughed as he spotted the blush that flushed across your cheeks.

God you idiots were so in love with each other, it was painful to watch you both admit there was no feelings there, but you both couldn’t hide how you felt from Will not when he could read you both like an open book.

“Jonathan, can you come up here?” Will called downstairs , smirking as he saw your face turn white, you pleaded with Will not to call Jonathan to his room. You knew exactly what Will was doing, what if Jonathan doesn’t like you back and you look like a complete idiot! What then!

“What do you want?” Jonathan questioned, leaning against the doorway.

“ I called you both here because you both clearly like each other” he smirked pushing Jonathan into his room before slamming the door behind him

Your cheeks turned bright red, you diverted your gaze towards the floor not wanting to look at his face in fear of rejection.

“Hey” he awkwardly spoke

“Hey”

Fuck it! Jonathan swallowed down his own nerves and pushed away all thoughts that told him that you couldn’t possibly love someone like him.

“Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you” he breathed trying his hardest not to hyperventilate right now “I like you”

You looked him in the eyes with a look of confusion, not sure that you had heard him correctly?

“What?”

He chewed his lip and avoided your gaze. He should of listened to his thoughts, as right now he had made a complete fool of himself, he was right you could never like a guy like him.

“Look forget I ever said anything, I -“

You cut his rambling short by placing your lips upon his. He momentarily froze in shock over the sudden connection, but he melted back into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around the back of your neck pulling you closer to him.

“Looks like we were both idiots” you joked breaking away from the kiss

“We definitely were” he laughed back, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Leaning back in towards you, pulling you into another soft tender kiss

“Finally”

You both looked over to see the door wide open showing Will with the biggest shit eating grin on his face.

You both were scared about finding love again after the pain you both felt, but now you were willing to take that risk again, for you both had found someone worth falling for.

A/N: I just love him so much, the fact that there isn’t a lot of fics about him compared to the other characters makes me sad, I just want to hug him. Requests are still open and I’m currently working through all of my requests

@hibyewhy

#stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #stranger things jonathan #jonathan byers x you #jonathan byers x y/n #jonathan byers x reader #jonathan byers imagine #jonathan byers x fem!reader #jonathan byers fanfiction #Jonathan fanfic

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do-you-have-a-flag · 2 years

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Dracula Daily, 12 May (reread)

Our Friend Jonathan is doing an admirable job of pretending like he doesn’t know he’s a prisoner, answering all of drac’s extremely suspicious questions

Then write now, my young friend," he said, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder: "write to our friend and to any other; and say, if it will please you, that you shall stay with me until a month from now."

Mandatory Sleepover I love how Jonathan assures us he did NOT feel bad about peeking at the mail like yes bestie we know it;s understood you gotta do what you can to survive, at this point no one will begrudge you a little snooping

"Let me advise you, my dear young friend—nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you will not by any chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle.

HMMMMM I am SURE this does not foreshadow ANY troubles

my very feelings changed to repulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings. [...] I saw the fingers and toes grasp the corners of the stones, worn clear of the mortar by the stress of years, and by thus using every projection and inequality move downwards with considerable speed, just as a lizard moves along a wall.

YESSSS YES!!!! LIZARD PARKOUR if this were 2014 i would make a Dracula craves that mineral joke

What manner of man is this, or what manner of creature is it in the semblance of man? I feel the dread of this horrible place overpowering me; I am in fear—in awful fear—and there is no escape for me; I am encompassed about with terrors that I dare not think of...

(but seriously such a good little speech)

#Dracula Daily

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acapelladitty · 3 years

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I have revamped this small gift for the lovely @partyinthemysterymachine featuring their male Poison Ivy (Palmer) and Jonathan Crane conducting a little bit of questionable business.

Puffing away unprompted, the wafts of deep yellow smoke emitting from the gourd almost appeared to mimic human breath as they exhaled and floated gently towards the ceiling.

Well, as close to human breath as potent fear toxin could hope to be.

Unperturbed by the toxin due to a mixture of natural and forced immunity respectively, Palmer and Jonathan gazed at the gourd with very different expressions.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Palmer, ever the proud parent, possessed eyes which were suspiciously misty as he cooed at his latest creation while it continued to produce small plumes of smoke.

Pursing his lips as he attempted to work out at what point his specifications had been disregarded and put through the nearest shredder, Jonathan’s contempt for the display was clear as his lips twisted into a grimace.

“It’s a she?”

“Yes,” Palmer narrowed his eyes as he picked up on the disrespectful tone, “she is.” He paused to wave his hand at the gourd with an embellished flourish, “Obviously.”

“Palmer?”

“Yes, Jonathan?” Palmer matched his tone with a challenging edge.

“I will not be paying for this work.”

Jonathan's thin arms had secured themselves around his chest and his lips remained pursed as he allowed his body language to speak for just how unhappy he was with the presentation.

“You will,” Palmer answered with a voice which was low and breezy as he approached his creation, running his hand over the round, hardened flesh as he stoked it like a pet, “because this beauty fulfils every point of your brief.”

“It’s a fucking gourd.”

“You wanted a durable, natural item which could blend i-”

“A gourd?!”

“A gourd is easily missed. Gotham has far more exotic and interesting plants within her.”

“Only because of you and your filthy abominations.”

“Ooft, that one almost hurt my feelings.” Palmer snapped back, hands jumping to the top of his head as he ran his fingers through the short hair there which was determined to fall into his eyes and disrupt his work before continuing, “I fail to see what your point is here.”

The thin green shirt which Palmer wore was completely open save for the final two buttons, exposing his wide, yet-perfectly toned, torso to the extreme warmth of the greenhouse. The clear tinge of green which coloured his flesh was unnatural but undeniable in its brazenness with the only marring of the perfect expanse of skin being the faded scarring which was loosely scattered around; each line showing up as a light mint colour as they tore ragged lines across the flesh.

Glancing down quickly at his own shirt and tweed covered torso, a combination which had him sweating like a condemned man in the desert heat, a flash of envy powered through Jonathan before his stoic nature extinguished it with extreme prejudice.

He would die before demeaning himself by exposing his body to the world in such a way.

Subtly loosening his tie to provide whatever meagre comfort he could allow himself, Jonathan drummed his fingers on a nearby workbench as he refuted Palmer's point.

“In what possible situation do you see me able to plant a gourd in any immediate area and not have it be questioned as a strange addition?”

Palmer shrugged.

“Sounds like a ‘you’ problem. I expect to find the payment in the usual account and my darling creation to be kept alive and well under your, presumably, shoddy attentions.”

“Your immunity to my toxin,” Jonathan growled, knowing that his practical need for the gourd was going to lose him this particular stand-off, “continues to be a thorn in my side at every opportunity, Ivy.”

“My immunity to your toxin continues to be the only reason I allow you to share oxygen in the same space as me, Crane.” Palmer bit back with a vicious smirk, “You might be pure poison, but I am the proud owner of the Poison Ivy title and nature will always conquer man.”

Despite his frustrations with his complicated friend and foe, Jonathan did enjoy their back and forth as he gave a small and vaguely threatening smile.

“For now.”

#just a slight revamp beloved but one which i hope you like #partyinthemysterymachine #Jonathan crane #poison ivy #scarecrow #gotham rogues #batman villains #dc #drabble

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mayabruhbruh · 4 years

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Stranger Things 4 Analysis and Theory

I don’t know if anyone else has done posts on this stuff yet (it’s really likely, but i’d not want to take the credit if i’m not the only one who’s thought of this)

I know @kaypeace21 has made tons of posts on the s4 movies from Video Store Friday, and many others have theories and analyses, but back in July I took it upon myself to research more into the very last few scenes of s3. Specifically the three months later time stamp, where Steve and Robin are in search for a new job.

My main focus was the four movies that they mentioned for Keith at the counter. “Animal House”, “The Hidden Fortress”, “Children Of Paradise”, and “The Apartment”.

(reminder that if you read this, it could be spoilers for the final cut of the actual show if i end up being correct about some of this, so read at your own risk)

My first theory, which I’ve already discussed in a separate reblog, is about The Hellfire Club. But i’ll say it here too.

Basically,

(sorry for the sucky quality)

Animal House is about two awkward freshmen going into college and joining a fraternity of rejects. It matches Mike, Dustin and the Hellfire Club perfectly! Personally, my lowkey theory is that they’re going to have to go though an entirety of initiation activities (possibly drugs too, if what we’ve heard is correct) and Lucas and Max will be in their own storylines up until the supernatural threat brings them back together again. This could be wayy off, but still its my idea.

As for Max and Lucas...

I’m not sure about the entirety of the plot of this movie, but the last line sounds a lot like something that would happen between Lumax. Lucas is a basketball jock now, I think that’s crystal clear now seeing from the Pep Rally poster, and how he’s always been the one in the group to be able to mask his nerdy side. For Dustin and Mike, I know it’s much harder for them. Anyways, Max, I’m pretty positive by now, is going to be extremely distant and defensive from everyone just like she was in the beginning of s2, since she just had a big change happening in her life. It’s the same now, except with the grief and loss of Billy. My guess, from the hints of this movie and other stuff, is that Lucas is going to come face to face with his reputation as a popular kid, and his love for Max. Like the summary says, he must decide between the advancement of his career or the girl that he loves. Real hard hitting stuff.

Onto the next one. MIKE WHEELER. (or will byers)

I watched an analysis video on this movie, because I haven’t seen it yet, but again the very last line is what I’d like to focus on.

My. Jaw. Dropped.

I’ve read many analyses of Mike Wheeler being gay (courtesy of @kaypeace21 @hawkinsschoolcounselor and MANY others), but I dunno, I was always just so skeptical no matter how much it made sense. But when I saw this WHAT THE HELL?!?’);/&? It’s stupid of me to not have believed it sooner, but I hope this is the movie that foreshadows Mike’s storyline this season. I’m assuming Mike will have to “prove his expertise in battle”, or perhaps prove he can go through with all of the initiation shit for The Hellfire Club, while hiding his growing revelation that he might be gay/bisexual.

BUT a possibly more likely scenario would be that this movie connects with Will Byers’ storyline this season instead. Perhaps the hardships of a new school and a new town has Will shaken up, and he also has his sexuality awakening that he has to hide from new people. I say that it’s more likely for him, because Will has always been more heavily queer-coded (not exactly heavier, but just extremely much more apparent and obvious opposed to Mikes queercoded subtext that we really had to dig for).

I also didn’t mention this in my reblog from earlier, but I want to address my opinions on the apparent cheerleader that meets Mike and befriends one another. One of my friends on twitter said Chrissy (her name, or so we think lmao) might be a key component to Mike being able to discover and come to terms with his sexuality. But then again, a different friend of mine thinks that the amount of content were getting is oddly suspicious, and that the Duffers are feeding us all the wrong information to lead us to all the wrong conclusions. But, at this point, why not both. At the moment, everyone thinks that Chrissy is Mikes new love interest, but what if she really isn’t, and they’re pulling a Robin on us (i call it a robin because it was technically straight-baiting in s3 LMFAO). I’m not saying that she might be a lesbian (although 👀 it says on her character info that she’s 18 (robins got some game to work with now ahaha)) but it could be a straight-bait up until she helps Mike realize his sexuality (i would have said realizes his love for Will😍😍 but recently ive been trying not to input byler into everything i fucking say, so theres how that’s going). Anyways. Last movie!

Now, I’m currently not super concrete on this one to be completely honest. I have a few in mind...

Okay, so don’t attack me, but this could possibly be a mileven storyline. It sort of fits. They have an undeniable connection, but “their fortunes shift considerably and they’re pushed apart” aka the misfortune of the mindflayer and hawkins not being safe for them leads them to moving away and literally being pushed apart. I don’t know about the pursuing other relationships, but we still have no idea what’s going on with El Hopper tbh, i havent a single clue what’s going to be happening with her storyline atm. But either way, that could be it.

ORRRR the MUCH more likely scenario, Jancy :)

Bloggers on here have already predicted that they wouldn’t be endgame, and I was only slightly skeptical because although their relationship was built on shared trauma, a very unstable foundation to have for a ship tbh, i still hung onto the fact that they cared for eachother a lot :,( But the entirety of their season 3 bickering and this summary kind of sealed the deal.

Just like Mike and El, Nancy and Jonathan have been pushed apart aswell. It was already seen in season three that they’d be better of leading separate lives, aka Jonathan was doing fine at the internship, whereas Nancy could have been somewhere better for herself. I doubt they broke up at the end of season 3, but there’s bound to be new relationships for them seperately. It sucks bc I love Jancy, but s3 showed how badly they snap at one another when there isn’t a life threatening event at hand. Jopper on the other hand, I thought their bickering was adorable, but i’m getting off track, sorry lmfaoo.

Once again, I probably am not the first to talk about these, but jsyk if you steal this from me specifically i will track you down and end you. I’ve been speculating about these things since April and July, which is pretty weak tbh, but that was when i had nothing better to do LMFAO. i hope i got at least something right, but i haven’t seen many of the video store friday’s movies, which sucks bc those could really help. But whatever.

(i wrote this really late at night, and it’s poorly edited bc my eyesight sucks lmfao, but i hope you get what i mean)

And that’s it! I hope you like it, or had some sort of impact from it idk, just sharing my thoughts tbh. Anygays, if you have any questions/added ideas/thoughts of any kind, my inbox is always here, you can private message me, and comment if you want!! i love y’all sm lmfao, so excited for the upcoming content were about to get soon, byee!

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dercolaris · 3 years

Text

Among Us

The rogues are playing some Among Us and having fun.

Please have mercy. It’s my first time writing in English, so... Enjoy!

And if you have some new ideas for me (and like my style of course) just say a word. I will try to work a bit more in English.

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Clearly no one of the famous villains thought about playing Among Us and if someone would've asked them about it they would strongly deny it ever touching this stupid, little game. Still it actually happened on a very calm weekend in Gotham City. Elise smiled widely, started the little program on her own PC. The young woman tried to convince the crew for about seven weeks before she finally succeeded in getting everyone on board. Especially her mentor wasn't delighted by the whole idea, but said yes anyway, after a small tantrum. Jonathan himself was sitting behind her in front of his old laptop and the furiously clicking sound of the mouse was a clear sign that he wasn't really knowing what he was doing at the moment. If not for the noises, his constant sighing and mumbling was explanation enough for his serious troubles in handling a 'modern' computer. The amber haired snickered calmly. She would need to help him sooner or later. Ignoring the desperation parade of Crane, the mistress of fear opened Team Speak and joined the server Edward created particularly for this evening. She hummed a bit while waiting impatiently, played a short game of minesweeper to pass some time. Suddenly the cocky voice of the Riddler rumbled through her earphones: “It's about time. Damn, I waited for about an hour or so. What took you so long, princess? Seriously. I'm wasting my precious time for a silly game like this and you've nothing better to do than let me rot while watching the pointer of the clock moving in slow motion.” Elise couldn't contain an amused laughter. It was always fun to listen to his ranting – even more when he was pissed. Before she could answered the tinkerer a low female voice snarled in the chat: “Eddy, please. Give her a moment and calm down. You're acting like a diva right now.” The addressed man snorted in disbelief, but remained silent after the unexpected backtalk from Selina. The mistress of fear glanced through the party on the server and raised an eyebrow, tapped on her bottom lip repeatedly. Jonathan wasn't on it now, of course not, but she missed a certain polish guy. Mikołaj was fire and flames after she told him her idea, but who knew if he would really join them in the end. He was busy most of the times. Rape, murder, burglary, selling human meat and spreading chaos. The typical Mikołaj stuff. Beside the missing psychopath Victor was ready to give it a try, also a very insecure Jervis and, to her surprise, even Harley. Only Ivy couldn't have make it to the meeting. The bioterrorist was probably occupied with breeding a new plant or cursing at polluters in the subway near by her apartment. “Can we start now?”, asked the lively voice of the former clown lover, “I want to be an imposter! I heard so much about it and from what I understand it sounds like a hell lot of fun.” An unexpected loud grunting noise behind her let Elise giggled in glee. Her mentor was constantly trying to start the game, but failed every single time. The young woman stand up slowly and moved to him, peeked over his shoulder and looked puzzled on his desktop. She blinked two times before she asked gently: “Uhm, professor... Do you want to explain, why you're typing Google in Google.com all over again? I guess you don't know how to use your laptop, right?”

The brown haired grumbled in frustration, but nodded restrainedly. The mistress of fear smiled and reached over the tall man, setted all the required programs for him. After a while she handed him the clunky headset. The amber haired returned quickly to her computer and sat back on the very comfortable stool, looked again into the chat room. From a far distance Jervis was whispering something, but no one could really understand him because of a terrible internet connection. Finally Jonathan joined the party. He was about to say something as a loud clapping sound left him speechless for a moment. Scarecrow swallowed his anger down his throat and simply muttered into his microphone: “Thank you all. I appreciate the honest enthusiasm.” Everyone in the chat room laughed for nearly a minute before Edward rudely replied: “It's a miracle that your potato is capable of running this game, John. What are you using anyway? A C64? It must be falling apart just by looking at it and you can't prove me wrong on this one. Doctor Jonathan Ichabod Crane isn't using new technology even if his life would depend on it!” Jonathan inhaled sharply, but stayed calm. It was clear that he didn't wanted to start a fight this early on the evening. Suddenly a cheeky, manly voice out of nowhere greeted impolitely: “Hey bitches. Daddy's here with his enormous cock to fuck all of your nice sweet little pussies.” A general groan chimed trough the headphones. Mikołaj. The Pole was causing serious headaches as soon as he entered the game lobby and he was probably enjoying it already. The devilish snicker was an unmistakable indication for this assumption. All of the sudden the cryologist spoke calmly to the crew: “It would be nice if we could behave for at least one round. Is that possible?” Without a warning the Riddler started the game. He himself changed his light green avatar in advance, but everyone else hadn't had a chance to customise the player model. Nevertheless for some strange reason Jonathan's orange crewmate was wearing an egg on his head. No one in the chat room was brave enough to ask for justification. After some seconds Jervis delayed voice blared almost painfully in everyone's ears: “Excuse me, but am I allowed to ask politely how to play this beautiful looking game? I was told on my screen that I'm an imposter. What does this mean?” As soon as the Mad Hatter finished his sentence Edward pressed the button for an emergency meeting in the main room. Nobody said a single word. After the quick and silent vote Jervis yellow player was floating helplessly in space and the information rolled over the screen that an imposter was exposed.

The small man whimpered sadly, but kept his thoughts to himself. Instead of him Harley screamed extremely motivated into her microphone: “Common guys! Let's do it! We can finish our tasks and go back to earth or whatever planet we are originally coming from.” Soon the crew was splitting in different directions. It didn't took long before an alarming red light floated the space ship in an unnerving rhythm. Elise frowned and watched the security cameras closely in order to find a suspicious being that could cause the sabotage. A quiet scream from the harlequin was a trusted clue that she might been murdered by the imposter. The game was suddenly paused by another meeting and Edward announced confident of victory: “I found a dead pink body in the corridor and I can assume you all that I saw Elise close by the corpse just seconds ago.” The young woman groaned in total disbelief. She talked back immediately: “No way, Mr. Nygma! And don't try to distract the other players from your own very suspicious behaviours. Do you want to tell them, why you were jumping out of a vent? I think I spotted a green figure popping up on the cameras when I blinked.” A heated discussion was following. The amber haired chomped on her bottom lip, waiting anxiously for the voting. Her eyes were getting bigger and bigger by the results. Her purple crewmate was flying aimlessly through the black background and slowly the sentence appeared that she wasn't an imposter. The mistress of fear had the strong urge to mutter that she was telling the truth, but this wasn't possible anymore after dying. It was a common rule to stay silent after being killed to not ruin the experience for the other gamers. Besides everyone in the party could probably read what was written on the screen and it wasn't necessary to point it out again. Totally out of context Jonathan was mumbling behind her: “Can you please vote me out or at least murder me next? I don't understand this game.” The remaining players ignored his plead. The young woman was following Victor with her ghost and grabbed her mug to drink from her coffee. It was cold. Such a shame. The irony of this statement would eventually hit her when she was laying in bed and tried to sleep. The game was interrupted again and the tinkerer suspected sceptically: “Okay, listen. I think – no, wait – I KNOW that Mikołaj was acting very strangely in the engine room. He's plotting something. We should vote him out as soon as possible.” The amused voice of the pole blasted through the speakers: “Sure, dickhead. I'm always sus, because I fix all the shit that's going on on this fucking garbage bin alone and not fooling around like you, mistake of evolution. Maybe, just maybe, you're the one who's sabotaging us all the time. Just a quick reminder: the riddle boy was suspecting my little hoe first for no reason. Pretty sus if you ask me.” The black haired hold his breath for a moment, then tried to justify himself: “Don't listen to this imbecile! He's playing dirty tricks on you! You can trust me, seriously! I'm not an imposter!”

Selina purred peacefully. She wasn't believing Edward anymore and Elise got the weird feeling that his short time on the space ship was over. The voting ended. As expected the green guy was levitating in zero gravity, followed by the information that he wasn't an imposter either. Victor sighed a bit and spoke worried: “We need to focus. Some of us is a traitor and if we can't find him within the next minutes we're losing here.” Out of nowhere the message appeared that Jonathan left the game. The mistress of fear looked over her shoulder just to see her mentor carrying the laptop to the window. Scarecrow slowly opened the glass and threw the device with a bit of an approach run out of it. Elise jaw dropped by this sight. The tall man shrugged angrily and walked out of the room without a word, slammed the door behind him. The young woman shook her head. Sometimes the former psychiatrist was very humourless or even allergic to fun. A look on her screen revealed that the imposter won. No one was surprised by the black crewmate cheering on the black background. Also cheering was Mikołaj, who was claiming loudly: “Sluts, you never knew what hit you! I'm the master of disguise! Kneel before the superior race of trickery that lays in my roots. You don't mess with a Pole!” The peaceful mood slowly faded and after a minute of silent resignation of everyone the crew started to blame each other for the lost game. Soon Edward demanded a second round. The orange haired smirked a bit and run around in the main lobby. It was going to be a very long night.

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kchuarts · 3 years

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Flowers in Blood

A/N: PLOT TRAIN ROLLS ON CHOO CHOOOOO. This one took a bruiser on my wrist so Idk if i’ll write tomorrow. Also, the greek is “little mouse”

Summary: The Gala takes place but alas, things go awry.

Warnings: Slight non-con

Taglist: @lucywrites02 *(Let me know if you want to be tagged!!)*

Chapter 4: Red Rose

The sun's morning light seeped through the tiny slit between the curtains. In the light's path lay two peacefully sleeping spies. Jonathan had his back facing the window and one arm wrapped around Katie’s resting form while the other was under his pillow. It was inevitable that this sort of thing would happen and although Pine did promise he wouldn’t end up in this position, the odds were against him. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open as his body had told him it was time to wake up and he inhaled sharply. He panicked a little as he realized what position he was in and carefully removed his arm from over her. Much to his sheer luck, Katie woke up with a gasp as he did so and felt an odd poking at her backside. “I-I’m so sorry.” He blushed, looking away from her and getting up from the once comfortable state he was in. “Biology. I can’t help it.” He tried to explain further, stumbling over his own words and exhaling loudly. This was humiliating. She probably thought he was a damn pervert after all that work they’d done to get her comfortable with his touch…

“It’s ok. I uh… Actually woke up a bit before you and I forgot what it felt like to be held.” Katie’s cheeks matched Pines as she looked down at her own hands. “It was nice.” She added quietly and coyly flicked her gaze up at the dark blonde man.

Jonathan’s blue eyes widened slightly at her confession and felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest. “Really? I mean, that’s great.” He laughed dryly, pressing his lips together and nodded his head. He continued to chastise himself internally at his sudden dumb school boy antics. This woman had him feeling all giddy and tingly inside for some reason. She was much too young of course, wasn’t she? No, she was definitely in the appropriate category of a possible hook-up. Pine mentally smacked himself for letting his hormones think for him and sighed through his nose. “How long do we have until the gala? I was kind of wanting to maybe look around for a cafe and grab a coffee.” Katie’s question brought Pine out of his internal struggle and he looked up at her. “It starts at 5 PM sharp and it’s 9 AM right now. I suppose we’ve got a bit of time for leisure, I’m going to stay up here and give Angela a call for the plan of action. If anything bothers you or you sense something suspicious, come back right away and keep your phone on you.” He watched the girl rummage through her suitcase before pulling out a nicer set of clothing. “Ok! I won’t be gone for very long as I do want to doll up… I haven’t worn makeup in a long time.” She smiled bashfully, pushing her bangs from her eyes. “Oh! Do you uh, want anything maybe?” She shook her head and raised her brows at Jonathan. “Earl Grey tea if they have it, otherwise no thanks.”

Nodding, the young woman shut the bathroom door and changed into something more appealing. Katie figured a cute pink cardigan over a tank top and a pair of black skinny jeans was acceptable. Her sneakers were out of the question and she opted for a pair of flats. As she brushed her teeth, she couldn’t help but wonder what sort of dress Angela had picked out and prayed it would fit or at least be somewhat nice. Giving her messy hair a brush through and putting deodorant on, Katie came out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone, wallet and room card. “I shouldn’t be longer than like ten minutes. If I am, I’ll let you know.” She gave a wave to Pine as he stared at her before waving at him again. He blinked and shook his head, “Sorry, er yeah. See you then and be careful.” He cleared his throat as the door to their suite shut. Despite their short time together, Pine never took Katie for the pink type. He found that he rather liked her in that color and how her ass looked in her skinny jeans- Jonathan groaned, smacking his forehead as his morning wood thought for him just as he hoped it went away to save him some embarrassment.

The lobby was massive to say the least, and Katie was just now taking in how grand the place truly was as she hadn’t last night. “Stunning, is it not?” A woman’s thick accented voice caught the brunette off guard. Her green eyes locked with sharp amber orbs with bright red lips to match her pale complexion. “Y-Yeah.” Katie stuttered out, blushing a little as this woman was gorgeous. “Sorry, this is my first time out of the United States.” She rubbed the back of her neck, smiling sheepishly. The woman raised her eyebrows, yet gave her a charming smile “I can see that. No offense, dear but you do look a little lost. Were you by chance looking for somewhere or someone in particular?” She inquired. Katie nodded, “I was hoping there was a cafe around here so I could grab a coffee and a tea for my f-fiance.” She blushed hard thinking about Pine and fiddled with the fake engagement ring on her finger. “Ohh how sweet!!” The woman swooped over, placing her arm gently around Katie’s shoulders. “Come, come dear. I’ve been here thousands of times and I will show you the best spot for coffee. Oh how rude of me, my name is Abbey.” She gave the brunette’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. Katie was about to reply but her brain suddenly clicked at the name and her appearance. Dark curled hair, piercing eyes and slender form. She had to assume that Abbey was short for Abbadon.

“Oh jeeze, I’m sorry. I really need that coffee, I’m Natasha Romans.” she smiled, holding her hand out and shaking Abbeys. “You’re a funny one aren’t you.” The auburn haired woman chuckled, leading her new friend over to the cafe. She ushered Katie to sit with her and gave a genuine smile. While she did deal in the underground business and committed unsavory crimes, it was nice to have a casual and harmless conversation with the public from time to time. It reminded her of the life she had wanted over the life she lived. “So since you said you are from America, I am from Greece. I come from a large wealthy family but the status of my wealth does not compensate for who I am as a person. In fact, I prefer the little pleasures in life over the vast amount of wealth.” Abbadon picked up her menu and skimmed over the options. Katie couldn’t tell or not if this woman truly meant what she said as her appearance was saying otherwise. However, just because one is in a world of crime does not mean that they would like to continue to be in that lifestyle. “That’s really admirable of you. I like that a lot actually. Uh…” she gulped a little as she had mistakenly picked up a menu that was strictly in Russian. Her sudden panic brought Abbadon’s attention back, “Oh I apologize. Here, allow me to read the options for you as I’m fluent in speech and writing… And thank you, it humbles me so that you think alike.” She flashed the young woman a smile before translating for her. “You see, the finest gems are often the little places that no one goes to often. Unfortunately, 90% of the time these places do not have any English as it is universal, but that is exactly what I like about these corner delights.” She nodded, placing the menu down.

For a crime lord, Abbadon was extremely smooth and charismatic with her way of words. Her accent did not pose any hindrance to her English, which made Katie feel a bit better knowing she could understand her properly. “You’ve got a point! There is a little cafe where I’m from except further up north. I come from Michigan, I can point the place out really easily seeing as I can use my hand as the map.” She chuckled, seeing no harm in a little mindless conversation. Abbadon laughed softly at her gesture and nodded, “That is extremely useful!! Mm, yes I was right. You are a funny one indeed.” She smiled and listened to Katie give details on the cafe she had mentioned. Abbadon had a rather wistful look in her eyes as she listened further. She would be lying to herself if she said she had zero envy for such a mundane life. The drinks finally arrived with Abbadon ordering something fancy while Katie stuck to a regular Caramel Macchiato. “Ah, hold on one moment, I need to text my fiance and tell him I’ll be occupied for a little longer with a new friend.” The brunette woman beamed, shooting a quick text to Pine.

O’Connor - Soooo I think I just may or may not have made buddies with our main lady.

Pine’s eyes widened upon seeing this and he furiously tapped away.

Me - What do you mean by that? You’re not in trouble are you?

O’Connor - No! I accidentally made friends with her. Don’t worry, I’m not spilling anything. She seems really genuine though. Makes me feel bad she’s on the wrong side of the law. Anyways, I’ll let you in on more later.

“Fuck.” Jonathan bit his lip and ran a hand over his face. At first, he was going to call her on one of the worst rookie offenses she made, but this gave him an idea. He had to get on Roper's good side, and that was a rookie move he did so why not let her get on their target's good side. Perhaps, Abbadon would even slip up about her true work.

“Sorry about that, Fiance’s worried and all. He thinks we aren’t going to make it to the gala on time tonight if I keep chatting.” She saw Abbadon smile widely and clasp her hands together. “Why my dear! I hadn’t the faintest idea you were attending, oh how exciting!! Today just got better.” she spoke truthfully, taking a sip of her coffee. “I am ever so curious as to what you will be wearing. I can see the vixen in you.” She winked and took another sip. This caused Katie to blush hard and chuckle, “Thank you! You’re stunning as well, Abbey. Honestly, you’d make anything look good.” Both women chortled at the image and carried on about the Gala. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Abbadon lowered her voice, “Some of the artwork that is being shown tonight is fraudulent. Now, being in the business I am something like that shouldn’t bother me. Oh but it does.” She rolled her eyes, giving a huff. “You see, I have an eye for the arts and I do not care how much the fake may resemble the actual piece! I could never steal art. Not for money or for false identity. Art is meant to be admired and inspire great minds. I am a painter myself in my downtime.” She pulled her phone out and showed Katie a few pieces of hers. Either she was the best bullshitter Katie had ever met, or she was truly talented. All her doubts were proven wrong as there was a picture of Abbadon posing by a work of hers with a little boy. She smiled fondly at the picture, sighing. “My little Nikolai. He is my greatest work of art and my business trips have me missing him so. His birthday is coming up soon and it breaks my heart that I cannot be there for him.” her voice saddened. This was something Katie was sure of that Abbadon wasn’t lying about. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She placed a comforting hand on the other woman’s and smiled. “How old will he be turning?” At this question, Abbadon perked up again and smiled softly, “He will be ten! He is turning the double digits. Ohhh I remember when he was but a tiny peanut.” She wistfully reminisced fondly over her baby boy. “He was the fattest little chunk, so many rolls! But he was so precious. He will always be precious to me. I call him each night to tell him he means the world to me and we recite a tale my grandmother told me growing up. It is of love and that no matter what, the stars will shine for us.” She gave Katie’s hand a squeeze back.

“That’s beautiful, Abbey. Truly. It makes me think if I want kids one day or not.” She bit her lip, looking to the side. What would her life be if she ever had children? Katie hadn’t ever really thought about it as Travis had ruined any sort of blossoming question leading to that reality. However, now it was a different story with Pine helping her overcome her fears and finally break the shell she had hidden behind for so long. “I keep all of his drawings too and make sure each time he draws, he sends me a picture if I am away.” She showed Katie a file of the drawings. “Well he certainly takes after his mother in regards to talent! This is incredible. I could never draw anything like this.” She saw Abbadon give a sad expression. “Why Natasha, of course you could. We all start from some place, do we not? All you have to do is just pick up a brush and let your imagination go wild. My grandfather always told me that when I was down. I tell my son the same thing and the more he draws or paints, the more his talent blooms. Do not be so hard on yourself, you are young and have plenty of time!” She gave Katie’s hand a firm pat and then released it. “Oh! I’ve had so much fun I’ve forgotten to check the time. It’s nearly noon. You simply must let me have a look at you when you arrive! Thank you so much for this, Natasha. Your heart is true.” She smiled sadly at Katie before getting up and bidding her farewell. The sad expression remained on Abbadon’s face as she made her way back to her room. How she wished she had a life like Katie’s, so mundane and relaxed. She would spend every waking moment with Nikolai painting all that they would ever dream of in the remote hills of France. There, she wouldn’t be a part of this wretched family and would start life new. No more controlling brother, abusive husband who never loved her, and cursed family lineage.

A feeling in Katie’s gut told her that Abbadon wasn’t as evil as the papers led her out to be. She was true to her word in loving life and the artistic side of it. “I hope you get to see your son soon, Abbey.” She said under her breath before getting up and making her way back to the suite.

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There wasn’t much to tell Jonathan about Abbadon, except for the fact that she didn’t seem like she even wanted to be a part of whatever organization she was in. While slightly disappointed, Jonathan went with her information and hoped they would snag a lead at the gala.

Checking his watch, Pine tapped his foot as it was almost 4:15. He knew the building holding the event was only a ten minute drive, but it didn’t help his nerves. For his attire, Jonathan donned a simple black suit without a tie and his button down popped open, exposing a bit of his chest hair. His hair was slicked back and face freshly shaved, leaving no stubble. “Sorry! I know I’m not the best, but I had to remember how to put on makeup!!” Katie called from behind the bathroom door, feeling her cheeks heat up once she got a good look at herself in the mirror. The red mermaid shaped dress was close fit and complimented her curves in all the right ways. Her face was made up perfectly as she carefully contoured and shaped her face. She gave herself a vixen-like look as Abbadon had mentioned earlier, and didn’t turn out hooker like at all. Her brows were plucked and shaped accordingly and lashes full and long. A highlighter made her cheekbones shine and she even placed some on her collarbone. To top it off, she adorned a seductive red shade to her pouty, kissable lips. Her short hair had been straightened to a pin with some of her bangs dusting over her brow. Thankfully, she had brought a pair of gold dangling earrings that were delicate enough just to add to her look. The only thing she hated was the ampleness of her bust and how the dress seemed to make her breasts show off.

She cracked the door open, seeing that Jonathan had his back facing her. Quietly, she slipped out of the bathroom and turned the light off. “‘Kay.” She muttered and saw Jonathan’s body turn around and come to a complete stop. Any breath that Pine had left in his lungs subsequently left upon seeing her. His lips parted and he struggled to find the words to say as he was floored by how elegant the brunette appeared. Her hair sort of reminded him a little of his past lover Jed Marshall’s, which warmed his heart. “What? Do I look bad?” Her face dropped and she grimaced, panic settling in. “No! N-No. You-” Jonathan covered his mouth, still taking her in and basking in her beautiful form. “You look amazing. Sorry- It’s just… Wow.” He nodded, shyly glancing away and chuckling to himself. “You’re not too bad yourself.” She retorted, her cheeks sporting a similar shade. After a few more awkward moments, Pine cleared his throat and could not stop himself stealing glances. She was truly more beautiful than she had initially led on when they first met. What a steal she was, such a vixen hiding underneath the cutesy shy young woman. “I don’t suggest taking phones, so we will have to find a common meeting ground should either of us get lost.” Jonathan spoke, setting his phone in his suitcase, only taking with him his wallet and fake ID. “G-Good idea.” Katie replied quietly, taking her phone out of the small clutch that came along with the dress.

“Katie.” Jonathan’s voice was quiet speaking her real name.

Her green eyes, now standing out more than ever from her makeup, flitted up to his blue gaze.

“I mean it. You’re stunning.”

His continued compliment made the brunette feel special, wanted… Something she never thought she would ever feel again.

She gave him a smile and took his hand as he held it out to her. “I’m glad I have such a beautiful woman on my arm… And hey, those heels made you a bit taller!” He jeered, earning an elbow to the ribs and a snort. “Jerk.” She laughed, making her way out of the suite with Pine hand in hand.

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Just as Angela had promised, the ride was relatively short and the two were at the gala in no time. Jonathan felt Katie tense up at the sight of all the people inside and cautiously wrapped an arm around her waist. Her response to his gesture was to actually grab onto him and get closer. “It’ll be ok, I won’t let anyone touch you in ways you don’t want them to.” He whispered into her ear, giving her side a squeeze. Katie didn’t want to let go of Pine as she felt safe with him and he smelled incredibly good, even with the hint of smoke. “S-Steven?” She stuttered a bit as she was thinking of saying his actual name. Pine turned to her, raising a brow as he handed the guard their ticket and guided Katie over to their designated table. “I would like to dance with you at some point. If you’re ok with that.” Her lips were graced with a soft smile. “I’d love nothing more.” He admitted truthfully, placing a kiss to her hand. The young woman’s heart raced from his action and she wondered what his lips would feel like against her own…

“Natasha!!” A familiar voice called.

The two looked up to see Abbadon scuttle over while in a gorgeous black and gold gown, a man with similar features to the woman following in short.

“Abbey!” Katie got up, going over to Abbadon and giving her a hug.

“I was right!! I was absolutely right!! You are a catch! Just look at you! Red is your color, my dear!! Oh you look like the most beautiful rose.” Abbadon clasped her gloved hands together in delight. Her smile faded as she snapped her fingers, “How rude of me! Danny, this is my new friend Natasha. I met her in the lobby today and we had the most wonderful time over coffee. Natasha, this is my older brother Daniel.” She nodded at her with a smile, noticing Jonathan lingering close behind. Her eyes narrowed slightly as this man was handsome yet oddly familiar. Katie held out her hand to Daniel only to have him snatch it and swiftly place a kiss to the back, “The pleasure is mine. My sister has such a wonderful taste in finding the most beautiful of friends.” His amber eyes gleamed with hidden intentions. Katie swallowed hard and her nerves began to act up from the sudden gesture. “It’s an h-honor, Daniel.” She froze up as the strange man continued to hold her hand. “Please, call me Dan-”

Jonathan cleared his throat, placing a comforting hand around Katie’s waist and smiled at Daniel. “This must be your fiance you told me about!! My, my…” Abbadon winked at Katie and batted her eyelashes at Pine. “Y-Yes! Yes this is my fiance. He proposed last m-month in my hometown.” She lied through her teeth and placed her own hand over Pine’s lacing her fingers with his out of a need of comfort. Daniel did not look the least bit amused at this and huffed, adjusting his tie when he stopped, noticing what his sister saw earlier and scratched his beard. “Sorry to cut things short, but I need to discuss something with my sister. I do hope we cross paths again, Ms. Natasha.” He gave the brunette one last wicked smirk before grabbing Abbadon’s arm and muttering angrily in their native tongue to her. Katie watched as Abbadon was yanked away rather brashly from them. “Are you alright?” Pine gently turned Katie and looked at her in worry. She nodded and gave Pine’s hand a pat, taking a deep breath and calming down. “I-I doubt we’re gonna get anything right now, so we can just enjoy ourselves yeah?” She looked hopeful and much to his dismay, Pine agreed. “Yeah. I’m a bit famished anyways so we might as well get something to eat while we’re ahead.” He relaxed a bit more and sat down at their table. Once they had placed their order, Jonathan looked at the brochure of items that were being auctioned. “She did tell me one thing.” Katie took a drink of water before continuing. “She said half of the paintings are fakes and was very adamant about how even she wouldn’t be so low as to steal a painting. She likes art a lot.” She took another drink. Pine nodded and continued to skim the items, looking for anything that could possibly stand out as suspicious.

One thing that did stand out however, was the name of the family hosting the gala printed on the back. Pine had seen them before during his time under Roper and just passed them to be another crime involved family. Whatever the case was, they had seen Jonathan as well and now the game would be a bit more tricky. If he was spotted, he would be accused as the man that framed Roper and ruined any chance at bringing Abbadon down. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the faces of the family when he soon spotted them in the very back where Daniel and Abbadon were. The latter of the two actually did not seem to be having a good time and looked rather miserable. Perhaps Katie’s intuition was plausible, but he couldn’t afford to be relying on her heartfelt feelings when the supposed leader of the crimes was right within eyeshot. Making a mental note, Jonathan turned back to face a curious Katie who looked around at the surroundings, awed by some of the structure. Their food was shortly brought to their table and was obviously exquisite but also too small in proportion. This wasn’t some sort of fancy dinner party anyhow. Jonathan took a swig of his whiskey and smacked his lips before turning his attention to Katie, “Do you still want to dance?” He gave her a soft smile. The brunette gleefully nodded and took his hand as he led them both to the dancefloor.

Naturally, the song choices were classical and slow paced for those like Katie with more restricted dresses. One of Pine’s large hands rested upon the small of the young woman’s back but looking at her to make certain she was ok with it. She gave him the go ahead and blushed as she placed her hand in his free one. Within minutes, the two became lost in each other's eyes as they danced. They moved gracefully on the floor and seemed to have a fire ignite within them both. Others looked at the pair with a certain degree of envy or admiration at how unified they seemed. Jonathan spun Katie around, pulling her close to his chest just as the song ended and gave a boyish smile. “Not bad. Of course, I assume Cameron forced you to go to military balls.” He winked and caused Katie to giggle and blush. “Yeah, he might have done that a time or two.” She bit her bottom lip, noticing that her hands were still resting upon his chest and his arm wrapped around her frame. Something inside of Pine told him to lean in and kiss the girl as he was ever so curious to how her lips felt. His blue eyes glanced down at her lips then back to her face with her eyes half lidded. Katie’s heart began to beat fast, her breaths shaky with anticipation as she wanted him to do what he was thinking. She wanted him to do it more than anything and only him. What the hell was wrong with her? One minute she hates his guts and now… Now she’s smitten.

Before Pine can go through with his plan, the music starts up again and his face falls. This song is well known for partner exchanges and apparently Katie knows of it too. “Stay calm and breathe-” He quickly tells her before they are separated and onto the new dance. Much to his luck, Pine’s partner happens to be Abbadon who is not looking very amused. “Hm. I wonder what one of Roper’s men is doing here? It would not possibly be to rat my family out would it?” She spoke lowly, her gaze full of venom. Jonathan grit his teeth and tightened his grip on her waist, “That easy? Tsk, some agent you are.” Her words caused his grip to loosen and suddenly be pulled down so she could whisper in his ear. “It is not me you want, Birch… Or should I say, Pine? Do not play stupid with me, I know exactly who you are and what you’re here for.” She suddenly shoved something into Pine’s blazer. “It is my brother that you want. I never wanted any part of this family business! The only reason I am telling you is because he is keeping my son hostage.” Jonathan’s heartbroken to hear her words and his mind immediately thought of Jed. “He knows that I am faking my fidelity and it is only a matter of time before he kills me. Remember these names, quickly! Belladonna, Poppy, Bloodroot, Daphne and Wisteria. You already know my branch, Wolfsbane. Keep your friend close, Pine. Her heart is true.” Her grip released and tears shimmered in her eyes. “Please. Save my boy.” She whispered before moving onto the next person.

Abbadon’s words shook him to the core and he had no idea that there were four other branches within the organization. As it turned out, he didn’t need to look for a head start at all as Abbadon was a double agent and just wanted to live a life free of crime and be with her son. Katie was right and it made him feel bad for initially judging her.

“Mmm, we meet again, little rose.” Daniel’s accented voice sent a chill down Katie’s spine as she felt his fingers dig into her hip. She yelped softly at his touch as she was pulled to his body tightly. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she was forced to dance with Abbadon’s creep of a brother. Alarms were blaring in her mind but her past trauma would not allow her to do anything further but comply with Daniel’s touch. “What happened to the vixen my sister told me about earlier?” He whispered into her ear, his scratchy beard tickling her skin. “It seems that we have a shy little mouse instead. Mm, no matter. You are still very beautiful μικρό ποντίκι.”

Daniel selfishly shoved the next person in line to dance with Katie. “Please.” She felt her voice fail her as tears burned her eyes, fear taking it’s hold. Daniel mock cooed to the young woman, wiping a tear from her face. “Tears do not suit you, μικρό ποντίκι. At least, not right now they do not. Perhaps they are better suited when I have you screaming, begging for your lover's life as I hold it in the palm of my hand.” He flipped her around, his hand travelling up her body and coping an unconsented feel of her breast. Katie felt lightheaded, her breathing choppy and anxiety clouding her mind. “Mmm yes. Such a beautiful rose you are, my dear Natasha~ If that is your real name of course. I wonder if you are aware of Steven’s true identity? We know why you are here.” His fingers came around her throat and his lips placed a kiss upon her bare shoulder. The young woman let out a silent sob, her body trembling hard and breathing hard. “Shh, shh, shh… Fear not. You are too pretty to waste, μικρό ποντίκι. Oh no, I will not have you be a prostitute. I’ll make you one of my wives.” He nipped at her ear, his hand grabbing a handful of her breast again.

All Katie could think about was Jonathan and how badly she wanted him to come to her rescue. She was rendered useless by her crippling despair from this man running his hands along her body. She knew how to fight back, but not in a situation like this where old memories surfaced. Katie shut her eyes tightly and whimpered as she felt Daniel press his groin and obvious erection into her backside. “I thought you would have squealed by now. What an obedient mouse. Maybe I don’t have to kill Pine tonight but I will leave you with something to remind you of what happens if you continue your pursuit. He suddenly whipped out a pocket knife and sliced down Katie’s inner forearm, causing her to yelp. Jonathan’s head whipped around at the sound of her yelp over the loud music and he stopped dancing with his now rather upset partner. “Bastard.” He growled as he saw Daniel firmly holding Katie against his body and began to shove through the dancing crowd.

“Aww looks like our fun here is over for the night.” He put the stem of Belladonna berries he had into his pocket before he could squeeze the juice into the wound he gave Katie. “Rest assured, I am most positive we will meet again my rose.” He chuckled darkly and slithered away into the darkness, leaving Katie stunned and having the absolute worst panic attack she has had in a long time. Everything was spinning and she couldn’t tell what the hell was happening as hands grabbed her. Just as she was about to scream, Jonathan’s familiar scent entered her nostrils and she leaned forward, hugging him tightly and sobbing on his chest. Pine stared down at the hysterical girl that clung to him tightly. He had enough evidence to present to Angela tonight, right now he needed to get Katie the hell out of here. “Hang onto me, sweetheart.” He whispered, hoisting her bridal style into his arms and rushed through the massive ballroom to get out.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Daniel pulled out a remote, pressing the button on it and setting off fire alarms. The family that had confirmed Daniel’s suspicion earlier were suddenly ambushed with the women and children’s vision being cut off with bags. Denizens of the party began to scream in terror as gunfire went off and finally, an explosion that left the men of the family dead. Abbadon glared hatefully at her brother, makeup running down her face from tears and water from the emergency sprinklers.

Outside, Jonathan turned on his heel as he heard the awful sound of the explosion followed by horrified and gut wrenching screams. There was nothing more he could do at that point but get back to the hotel, check them out and find somewhere else to stay. It was too dangerous to be in the same vicinity as Daniel. “Fuck this-” Pine muttered and set Katie down gently, flagging a car down before pulling his gun out and threatening the driver to get out. He did not have time to continue risking his and Katie’s lives and hijacked the car. With the young woman resting in the back as she had passed out, Jonathan sped back to the Metropol as fast as the car would let him. In sheer dumb luck, he had not caught any officers attention and parked the car sloppily in the parking lot. “Shh, it’s alright. I’ve got you.” He whispered to a stirring Katie who made panicked noises. Once she realized who it was, her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face into his blazer. “We’re leaving here tonight.” He muttered as he entered the lobby, rushing to get to the elevator. A few people looked up from their activities and began to murmur at what could be going on. A sense of unease laced into Pine’s gut as he finally got into the elevator and anxiously waited for their floor. It felt like forever until he finally reached the room. “Jonathan-” Katie whimpered as he set her down, tears coming back and broken sobs wracking her body. The dark blonde haired man furiously packed their belongings as best as he could and turned back to the sobbing woman. His heart sank at how scared she was and how defenseless she appeared. “Kate..” He spoke her other nickname softly and walked over to her, hugging her tightly, tears of his own burning beneath his eyelids. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, I promise. We’re getting out of here right now but I need you to stand up and walk, can you do that?” He released her but kept his hands on her cold arms, gently rubbing them up and down. Pine removed his blazer and noticed the cut on her arm that Daniel had given her. He would have to deal with that later as he helped Katie put his blazer on her to give her some warmth. He took her heels off, shoving them into her bag and helped her stand. “I promise you, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Without thinking, Jonathan pulled her forward and kissed the top of her head before giving a once over to make sure he grabbed everything.

The pair tried to look inconspicuous while rushing out of their suite and making a detour out of the back. Too many people would be witness to seeing them rush out like that and it would only add to their woes. Finally, they reached the car Jonathan had stolen and hastily packed their belongings. With a quick hot wiring, Jonathan stepped on the gas and peeled out of the parking lot with the tires squealing. A sense of relative safeness came over them as they sped off into the night in search of a place to rest. Unfortunately, it seemed their luck ran short and would have to spend the night in the car. Jonathan’s eyes peeled out for a hidden area he could park and eventually spotted a patch of thick woods as their temporary haven for the night. “We’ll give Angela a call tomorrow and ask what to do next as I frankly don’t have a fucking clue. What matters to me right now is your safety.” Jonathan pushed Katie’s bangs out of her eyes and gave her a sympathetic expression. She nodded and proceeded to climb into the back with some difficulty due to her dress but managed. “J-Jonathan?” She spoke quietly. Pine turned his gaze to her, nodding up as a signal he heard. “Can you hold me? Like you did this morning?” her voice was shaky again as she sought comfort. Jonathan nodded and turned the car off before climbing into the back. They both knew it was a tight squeeze, but didn’t care at the moment. Katie found herself laying on Jonathan’s chest instead and she closed her eyes, nuzzling against him. “I swear to you, I will never let anything like that happen to you again. We’re in this together now and I’m not about to break my promise.” Jonathan said before wrapping his arms around the young woman and letting sleep take him.

#the night manager #the night manager canon divergence #jonathan pine x ofc #tw: non con #spies in love #tom hiddleston #my writing #writing #fanfic

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cristinablackthornkingson · 5 years

Text

Jonathan Fray. Part 1.

Quick Disclaimer: Alot of this story is taken directly from the Last Stand Of The New York Institute by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. The next part will have much more original content and much more of my own writing.

It is a warm June evening in 1991 when Magnus Bane first spots Jocelyn Morgenstern hurrying through the streets of New York. Though at the time he did not know it was Jocelyn, from his living room window he could only make out the shape of a woman with bright red hair.

''So whats the plan for this evening, do you want to go out?'' Magnus is pulled from his thoughts by Tessa coming up behind him.

''Out on a Friday night during the summer holidays? Are you mad? I think you're rubbng off on me Tessa Gray, a night in sounds good to me.'' Magnus says in an amused tone, turning to face Tessa and grinning at her.

''So what do you want to do then?'' Tessa asks. Just as Magnus opens his mouth to reply, there is a sharp knock on the door.

''That's probably Catarina, she said she'd call around after work.'' Magnus says, striding over to the door. When the door swings open, the smile immediately drops off Magnus' face. Standng before him is not Catarina Loss, but a slender, willowy woman with long tangled red hair and sparkling green eyes. Peeping out of the top of the sling wrapped around the woman's chest is a small pale hand, clutching the woman's ty-dyed t-shirt.

''Who are you?'' Magnus demands.

In a shaky tone the woman says

''I am- I was Jocelyn Morgenstern.'' The name conjures up memoires of years old. Magnus remebers Valentine Morgenstern's blade going into his back and the taste of blood. It makes him want to spit.

''I don't remember ordering the bride of an evil maniac.'' he says in a cold, harsh voice. ''What about you Tessa? Did you order the bride of an evil maniac?''

''I have come here, Magnus Bane, to beg your aid.'' Jocelyn quietly says.

Magnus grips the edge of the door until his knuckles turn white.

''Let me think.'' he says. ''No.''

He is stopped from closing the door in Jocelyn Morgentsern's face, by Tessa's voice.

''Let her in Magnus.'' Tessa softly says.

Magnus wheels around to look at Tessa.

''Seriously?'' He asks in a tone of disbelief.

''I want to speak with her.'' Tessa says in a strange tone.

Magnus relecuntly allows Jocelyn in and closes the door behind her.

Jocelyn stands awkardly by the door, the tiny person in the sling kicks its feet and stretches its legs.

''You have a baby.'' Magnus observes.

Tessa pads toward them silently and stands by Jocelyn. Even though she is wearing black leggings and an oversize gray T-shirt that reads WILLIAM WANTS A DOLL, she still aways carries an air of formality about her. The t-shirt is a feminist statement that boys like to play with dolls and girls with trucks, but Magnus suspects she had chosen it partly because of the name. Tessa's husband has been dead for long enough that his name brings back happy, faded memories instead of the raw agnoy she had felt for years after his passing. Other warlocks had loved and lost, but few are as hoplessley faithful as Tessa. Decades later she has never let anyone else come even close to winning her heart.

''Jocelyn Farichild.'' Tessa says. ''Descended from Henry Branwell and Charlotte Fairchild.''

Jocelyn blinks in shock, clealry not expecting a lecture about her own genealogy.

''That's right.'' Jocelyn cautiously says.

''I knew them you see, you have a great look of Henry.'' Tessa softly says.

''Knew them? Then you must be.... are you a warlock too?'' Jocelyn asks suspiciously.

''Yes I am.'' Tessa calmly says.

''I understand if you find my crimes against Downworlders unforgivable.'' Jocelyn says. ''But I- I have nowhere else to go. I need help. My son needs your help. He is a Shadowhunter and Valentine's son. He cannot live among his own kind. We can never go back. I need a spell to shield his eyes from all but the mundane world. He can grow up safe and happy in the mundane world. He never needs to know who his father was.'' Jocelyn almost chokes but she lifts her chin and adds ''Or what his mother did.''

''So you come begging to us.'' Magnus says. ''The monsters.''

''I have no quarrel with Downworlders." Jocelyn says. "I... my best friend is a Downworlder and I do not believe he is so changed from the person I always loved. I was wrong. I'll have to live forever with what I did. But please, my son did nothing.

Tessa edges closer to Jocelyn and softly asks

"May I hold him?" Jocelyn hesitates for a moment, holding the tightly wrapped bundle of the child close. Then slowly, reluctantly, her movements, almost jerky, she leans forward and places the baby with enormous care into the arms of a woman she has just met.

When the baby is no longer clutched against Jocelyn's front, the swell of her stomach is immediately obvious. She must be about 6 months pregnant. Tessa's heart goes out to her. Jocelyn is clearly very young and is going to be a single mother to two very young children, it will not be easy for her.

"It seems you forgot to tell us something." Magnus calmly says.

Jocelyn places a protective hand over her stomach and quietly says

"I came here about my son, I know for a fact that he has the sight and more, but this baby might not."

"Have you had any medical care throughout your pregnancy?" Tessa asks in a concerned tone. Jocelyn shakes her head, her red hair falling into her eyes.

"No, I knew I was pregnant right after the uprising when I began to have all the same symptoms I had with my son. I know no mundane doctors I could go to and I will not go to The Silent Brothers." Jocelyn firmly says.

"Would you allow me to have a friend set you up with a mundane midwife? My friend Catarina Loss works at the local hospital, she can organise for you to have care there and you could deliver the baby there." Tessa asks in a hopeful tone. Going for 6 months without any pre-natal care is extremely dangerous, especially with all the stress Jocelyn has been is bound to have been under lately.

Jocelyn is quiet for a moment, before she reluctantly nods and says

"Yes alright."

"Who's going to look after the kid when you give birth? You mentioned your best friend, is he around to help?" Magnus asks. He isn't about to offer to watch Valentine's son, but prehaps Catarina could arrange child care for Jocelyn.

"No, its just me and my son, and the baby." Jocelyn says. She hasnt thougth about who will watch her son while she is in labor, it has been the last thing on her mind lately.

"I could watch him, I promise not to do any magic or anything around him, I live not far from here, I could watch him at my home or yours, whatever you're comofortable with." Tessa offers, wanting to help out as much as she can.

"I..." Jocelyn hesitaes, looking from her son to Tessa.

"Its not as though you have anyone else to help out." Magnus points out.

"I understand why you are hesitant, we are strangers, but over the next few months you could get to know me and I you, little Jonathan here could get to know me too, I can help you at anytime, I had two children and plenty of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on, I am extremely expierenced in caring for children of all ages." Tessa explains.

"Okay... thank you." Jocelyn queitly says.

Tessa smiles and turns back to the baby in her arms.

"He's beautiful." Tesas murmers. She moves the baby to her hip, held fast in the circle of her arm, with the instinctive loving and casual air of a parent. Magnus had seen her once, holding one of her grandchildren the same way. "What's his name?" Tessa asks.

"Jonathan." Jocelyn says, looking at Tessa intetntly, then, as if she were telling them a secret, she says "I call him John."

Magnus looks over Tessa's shoulder and into the baby's face. He is older than Magnus had initally thought, his face has lost the roundness of babyhood: he must be alomst two, and already looks a great deal like his father, though he does have some of the Fairchild features. He has light blonde curls, the exact same color as Valentine's and many of the other Morgenstern's, clustering on his small head, and green eyes, glass-clear and jewel-bright and blinking arond curiously at his surrondings. He seems to have no objection to being handed to a stranger. Tessa tucks the baby's blanket more securely around him, and Jonathan's small fat fist closes determinedly around Tessa's finger. The child waves Tessa's finger back and forth, as if to display his new posession.

Tessa smiles down at the baby, a slow bright smile, and whispers. "Hello John."

It is clear that Tessa has made up her mind. Magnus leans in, his shoulder resting lightly against Tessa's and peers into the child's face. He waves to catch the baby's attention, movning his fingers so all his rings sparkle in the light. Jonathan laughs, all pearly teeth and the purest joy. Magnus feels the knot of resentment in his chest ease.

Jonathan wriggles in a clear singal that he wants to be let down, but Tessa hands him to Jocelyn so that Jonathan's mother can decide wheather he should be put down or not. Jocelyn may not want her child roaming a Warlock's home.

Jocelyn does look around apprehensively, but either decides it is safe, or small intently squirming Jonathan is stubborn and his mother knows she will have to let him go free. She puts Jonathon down, and Jonathan goes toddling off determinedly on his quest. They stand and watch his bright little head bob as he grabs up, in turn, Tessa's book, one of Magnus' candles and a sliver tray Magnus had left under the sofa.

"Curious little thing, isnt he?" Magnus asks. Jocelyn glances toward Magnus. Her eyes had been anxiously fastened on her son. Magnus finds himself smiling at her. "Not a bad quality." he assures her. "He could grow up to be an adventurer."

"I want him to grow up safe and happy." says Jocelyn. "I dont want him or this baby to have adventures. Adventures happen when life is crule. I want them to have a mundane life, quiet and sweet. I hoped Jonathan had been born unable to see the Shadow World, but I have never had much luck with hope. I saw him trying to play with a faerie in a hedge this afternoon. I need you to help me. I need you to help him. Can you blind hm to all that?"

"Can I tear away an essential part of your child's nature and twist him into a shape that would suit you better?" Magnus asks her. "If you want him mad by the end of it."

He immediately regrets the words when he sees Jocelyn stare at him, white-faced, as if she has just been hit. But Jocelyn Morgenstern is not the kind of woman who weeps, not the kind of woman who breaks, or Valentine would have broken her a long time ago. Jocelyn holds herself tall and asks in a level voice. "Is there anything else you can do?"

"There is... something else I could try." Magnus says. "If you want your child safe though, he doesn't need only a spell to hide his own Sight. He needs to be protected from the supernatural as well, from any demons who might come crawling to him. The same applies for the child you are carrying."

"And what Iron Sister and Silent Brother wil do that ceremony for me without turning me and John over to The Clave?" Jocelyn demands. "No I cannot risk it, if he knows nothing of the Shadow World he will be safe, as will the baby."

"My mother was a Shadowhunter who knew nothing of the Shadow World. " Tessa quietly says.

Jocelyn stares at Tessa in open horror, obvioulsy able to infer the story of what happened: that a demon had gained access to an uprotected Shadowhunter woman, and Tessa had been the result.

There is a silence. John has turned curiously to Tessa and lifts his chubby little arms out to her. Tessa scoops the little boy up and this time John does not try to wriggle away from her.

Jocelyn blinks and begins to smile slowly, before saying.

"Jonathon never goes to strangers, maybe- maybe he can tell you are not a stranger to The Fairchild's."

"Maybe. I will help you with The Ceremony. There is a Silent Brother I know who will keep any secret, if I ask him." Tessa promises.

Jocelyn bows her head in appreciation. "Thank you Theresa Gray."

It occurs to Magus how outraged Valetnine would have been, to see his wife beeseeching Downworlders and to see his child in the arms of a warlock. Magnus' thought of responding to Jocelyn's appeal with cruelty receeds further. This seems the kind of revenge worth getting- to prove how wrong Valentine had been, even after his death.

He walks over to the two women, and he glances at Tessa, and he sees her nod.

"Well then, it seems I am going to help you Jocelyn Morgenstern." Jocelyn flinches.

"Don't call me that. I'm- I'm Jocelyn Fairchild." She quietly says.

"I thought you werent a Shadowhunter anymore. If you dont want them to find you, changing your last name seems a fairly elementary first step. Trust me, I'm an expert. I was not born Magnus Bane." Magnus explains.

"I was born Tessa Gray bu you should choose whatever name seems right to you. I've always said there is a great deal of power in words, and that means names too. A name you choose for yourself could tell the story of what your destiny will be, and who you intend to become." Tessa softly says.

"Call me Fray. Let me join togetehr the names of the Fairchilds, my lost family, and the Grays. Because you are... a family friend." says Jocelyn, speaking with sudden firmness.

Tessa smiles at Jocelyn, looking surpirsed but pleased, and Jocelyn smiles down at her son. Jocelyn strokes her little boy's face and they all watch as the baby smiles, lit up with the sheer joy of living. He is a story in himself, sweet and full of hope, just beginning.

"Jocelyn and Jonathan Fray." Magnus says. "Its nice to meet you."

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satoshi-mochida · 5 years

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Atlus has released new information and screenshots of Catherine: Full Body introducing Vicent’s nightmare curse, more game systems, and sub-characters Jonathan, Orlando, and Tobias.

Get the details below.

■ He who cheats receives the nightmare curse!

Vincent, who is unable to take the leap of marriage despite his girlfriend of many years being pregnant, cheats at the worst possible time. Each woman wants a “serious relationship” with him, and soon he starts having life-threatening nightmares.

—The girl you’ve been with for five years is pregnant.

—And yet, thoughtlessly, you cheated.

—A girl with an unsteady healing presence about her… Whether she is a dream or reality, the love triangle will reach an extreme.

■ Will you choose “Wild” or “Steady?” Or perhaps “A New Possibility?”

As you play, Vincent (the player) will be inquired about his values in various aspects. The ending will change depending on your responses, just like the previous game, but this time the answers have been completely redone, and the results of your responses will not only lead you to “wild” or “steady,” but also to a “third route.”

—Vincent is asked about a “new possibility” that will significantly change his future. Depending on his answer, the mysterious gauge will…

—Which future (which Catherine?) will you choose?

■ Useless men lapse into a nightmare tower full of traps.

After he cheats, Vincent starts having nightmares every night. A high tower is erected in these nightmares. And in addition to Vincent, other men in the form of sheep appear in the tower. This place seems to be a curse that has somehow taken hold on unfaithful men.

—The tower is divided into several stages, and the higher you go, the more difficult it gets.

—Various threats to Vincent appear inside the tower, including a monster that resembles his girlfriend’s face. It it said that those who reach the top of the tower “will gain everything.” How far you go will change depending on your choices.

■ Is the one who appears in your nightmares a helpful angel or a demonic pawn?

After a certain point, Rin will appear in your nightmares. While the other men have all been transformed into sheep, Rin alone remains unchanged. However, Rin seems to be able to use her skills with the piano to help Vincent and the others. But there are also those suspicious of how Rin was able to mysteriously appear…

—When in a pinch, Rin will automatically use her piano-playing to support you.

—Vincent will hear the sound of Rin’s mysterious piano, which seems to put a hold on the stage from collapsing. But what is the story behind this power…?

■ Think hard, utilize techniques, and make your way to the top.

Although called puzzles, you are really only just moving blocks around to make your way to the top of the stage. Make full use of your wits and reflexes—avoiding skillfully placed traps, using items at the right timing, and so on—to make your way to the goal.

Skill Memo

You can check your Skill Memo at save points, which contains tower-clearing strategies from the other sheep.

Use Items

Using the items that you obtain along the way is essential. Some item effects have changed from the previous game as well. Support items that can be used in the tower have also been introduced. Skillfully utilize these items to reach the goal.

■ Connect online and discover friends to share in on the suffering.

By connecting online, you can enjoy the game even more. Signs of your friends may even appear in the tower each night.

Find out the death counts and circumstances of players across the nation.

After moving from one stage to the next, your “Death Count” will be displayed on the screen. This is further broken down into “Falling Deaths” (falling off the stage), “Crushed Deaths” (being crushed by stones), and “Accidental Deaths.”

See the souls of the dead in places where death comes easy.

If you are connected online, you can see the souls of dead players in places where many players died. These souls are the mark of a tough spot.

Check the responses of the sheep who lost their way.

When moving between puzzle stages, you can check the ratio of “Confessional” answers in the form of a pie graph. If you are connected online, you can see the answer trends of Catherine: Full Body players across the nation.

■ Rin’s existence will not only influence Vincent’s future, but also the futures of others.

While it has already been announced that the existence of new character Rin in Catherine: Full Body means that the game’s variety of endings have increased, now it can be said that Rin’s existence will also affect the futures of sub-characters. Today, we will introduce Vincent’s group of friends. How will their futures change compared to the previous game? We will leave that to your imagination.

Jonathan Ariga (Johnny) (voiced by Takehito Koyasu)

“You might encounter it, you might not. That’s just how love goes.”

Vincent’s classmate from high school. He appears cool and pragmatic, but he is an idealist who believes you marry the one you are destined to be with. For that reason, he says he is “not interested in marrying” his current girlfriend. He is more concerned about Vincent’s relationship with his girlfriend Katherine.

A reliable person, Johnny had a rule in high school that he “wouldn’t go out with a girl unless I really like her.” However, is that rule still in place as an adult…?

—The truth is that there is somene other than his girlfriend that he likes… That dishonest behavior also lands Johnny in the nightmare curse.

—Johnny, who is also a friend to Katherine, is fed up with Vincent’s behavior. Is his protectivenes sof Katherine just friendship, or…?

Orlando Haddick (voiced by Hiroaki Hirata)

“Whoever you end up choosing, at least we’ll still be drinking together in the end.”

Vincent’s classmate from high school and his current co-worker. He has failed in business since he was young, which was the reason for his divorce. He has an optimistic personality, and although he says that marriage is the cemetery of life, he still seems to think about his ex-wife. However, how will his meeting Rin change that feeling…?

—Whether or not it is due to his divorce, Orlando seems to have a clear-cut philosophy of love.

—Perhaps because he and Vincent spend so much time together at work, Orlando’s advice regarding Vincent’s problems is pretty half-hearted.

Tobias Nebbins (Toby) (voiced by Kishou Taniyama)

“Ohh, so everyone has finally recognized me as a grown man!”

Johnny’s junior at work. A 23 year-old with an vague desire for marriage. He has a thing for the bar’s waitress, Erica, but is considerably lacking in skill due to his little experience with women. He is a simpled-minded and kind-hearted guy who naively admires his friends.

—Toby is a kind-hearted guy who naively admires his friends—“examples of useless adults.” Since he does not seem to have any nightmares, what is it that makes him different from Vincent and the others?

—Toby, who has a thing for older women, seems to have a crush on the bar’s waitress, Erica. While his youth means his behavior is often unreliable, will he make a bold move this time around…?

Catherine: Full Body is due out for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita on February 14, 2019 in Japan. A western release is also planned, but has yet to be dated.

View the screenshots at the gallery.

#Catherine: Full Body #Catherine(Game)#Catherine #Atlus #PS4 #PS Vita #Gematsu #long post

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julianne3901-blog · 5 years

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Real Property Articles From AMAZINES.COM

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fmservers · 5 years

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Bots Distorted the 2016 Election. Will the Midterms Be a Sequel?

Tiffany Olson Kleemann Contributor

Tiffany Olson Kleemann is the chief executive officer of Distil Networks. She formerly served in executive roles at Symantec and FireEye and was deputy chief of staff for cybersecurity operations under President George W. Bush.

The fact that Russian-linked bots penetrated social media to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been well documented and the details of the deception are still trickling out.

In fact, on Oct. 17 Twitter disclosed that foreign interference dating back to 2016 involved 4,611 accounts — most affiliated with the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm. There were more than 10 million suspicious tweets and more than 2 million GIFs, videos and Periscope broadcasts.

In this season of another landmark election — a recent poll showed that about 62 percent of Americans believe the 2018 midterm elections are the most important midterms in their lifetime – it is natural to wonder if the public and private sectors have learned any lessons from the 2016 fiasco. And about what is being done to better protect against this malfeasance by nation-state actors.

There is good news and bad news here. Let’s start with the bad.

Two years after the 2016 election, social media still sometimes looks like a reality show called “Propagandists Gone Wild.” Hardly a major geopolitical event takes place in the world without automated bots generating or amplifying content that exaggerates the prevalence of a particular point of view.

In mid-October, Twitter suspended hundreds of accounts that simultaneously tweeted and retweeted pro-Saudi Arabia talking points about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On Oct. 22, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russian bots helped inflame the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Researchers from Clemson University told the newspaper that 491 accounts affiliated with the Internet Research Agency posted more 12,000 tweets on the issue, with activity peaking soon after a Sept. 22, 2017 speech by President Trump in which he said team owners should fire players for taking a knee during the anthem.

The problem hasn’t persisted only in the United States. Two years after bots were blamed for helping sway the 2016 Brexit vote in Britain, Twitter bots supporting the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats increased significantly this spring and summer in the leadup to that country’s elections.

These and other examples of continuing misinformation-by-bot are troubling, but it’s not all doom and gloom. I see positive developments too.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Nemanja Cosovic

First, awareness must be the first step in solving any problem, and cognizance of bot meddling has soared in the last two years amid all the disturbing headlines.

About two-thirds of Americans have heard of social media bots, and the vast majority of those people are worried bots are being used maliciously, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 4,500 U.S. adults conducted this summer. (It’s concerning, however, that much fewer of the respondents said they’re confident that can actually recognize when accounts are fake.)

Second, lawmakers are starting to take action. When California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 28 signed legislation making it illegal as of July 1, 2019 to use bots – to try to influence voter opinion or for any other purpose — without divulging the source’s artificial nature, it followed anti-ticketing-bot laws nationally and in New York State as the first bot-fighting statutes in the United States.

While I support the increase in awareness and focused interest by legislators, I do feel the California law has some holes. The measure is difficult to enforce because it’s often very hard to identify who is behind a bot network, the law’s penalties aren’t clear, and an individual state is inherently limited it what it can do to attack a national and global issue. However, the law is a good start and shows that governments are starting to take the problem seriously.

Third, the social media platforms — which have faced congressional scrutiny over their failure to address bot activity in 2016 – have become more aggressive in pinpointing and eliminating bad bots.

It’s important to remember that while they have some responsibility, Twitter and Facebook are victims here too, taken for a ride by bad actors who have hijacked these commercial platforms for their own political and ideological agendas.

While it can be argued that Twitter and Facebook should have done more sooner to differentiate the human from the non-human fakes in its user rolls, it bears remembering that bots are a newly acknowledged cybersecurity challenge. The traditional paradigm of a security breach has been a hacker exploiting a software vulnerability. Bots don’t do that – they attack online business processes and thus are difficult to detect though customary vulnerability scanning methods.

I thought there was admirable transparency in Twitter’s Oct. 17 blog accompanying its release of information about the extent of misinformation operations since 2016. “It is clear that information operations and coordinated inauthentic behavior will not cease,” the company said. “These types of tactics have been around for far longer than Twitter has existed — they will adapt and change as the geopolitical terrain evolves worldwide and as new technologies emerge.”

Which leads to the fourth reason I’m optimistic: technological advances.

In the earlier days of the internet, in the late ‘90s and early 00’s, networks were extremely susceptible to worms, viruses and other attacks because protective technology was in its early stages of development. Intrusions still happen, obviously, but security technology has grown much more sophisticated and many attacks occur due to human error rather than failure of the defense systems themselves.

Bot detection and mitigation technology keeps improving, and I think we’ll get to a state where it becomes as automatic and effective as email spam filters are today. Security capabilities that too often are siloed within networks will integrate more and more into holistic platforms better able to detect and ward off bot threats.

So while we should still worry about bots in 2018, and the world continues to wrap its arms around the problem, we’re seeing significant action that should bode well for the future.

The health of democracy and companies’ ability to conduct business online may depend on it.

Via Jonathan Shieber https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

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kristinsimmons · 6 years

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Dr. Jonathan Cusack versus the General Medical Council

By SAURABH JHA

I spoke with Dr. Jonathan Cusack, consultant neonatologist at Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI), and former supervisor and mentor of Dr. Bawa-Garba, the trainee pediatrician convicted of manslaughter for delayed diagnosis of fatal sepsis in Jack Adcock, a six-year-old boy with Down’s syndrome. We had drinks at The George, pub opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

In the first part of the interview we discussed the events on Friday February 18th, 2011, the day of Jack presented to LRI. In the second part of the interview we talk about the events after fatal Friday – how the crown prosecution service got involved, the trial, the manslaughter charge, the tribunal and the General Medical Council.

The Role of Dr. O’Riordan

Saurabh Jha (SJ): After Jack’s death what was Dr. Bawa-Garba’s immediate reaction?

Jonathan Cusack (JC): I think it’s one of those moments one neither forgets nor recalls. I imagine the most overwhelming feeling was one of incredulity. How and why did Jack decompensate? It’d have struck her as physiologically implausible. Though she was experiencing that grief familiar to all pediatricians when a child dies, she was trying to understand why. She didn’t know that he died from Group A Streptococcal septicemia, then.

SJ: She had no idea of the storm brewing.

JC: No one had any idea of the storm brewing, for quite some time. No one could have predicted the predicament we find ourselves in today.

SJ: But did Dr. O’Riordan, her consultant, intuit?

JC: What do you mean?

SJ: Did he correctly intuit the significance of events?

JC: To be fair, I don’t think even he knew the magnitude of the storm that was heading her way.

SJ: So, let’s get back to Dr. O’Riordan – I’m assuming you’re comfortable talking about him.

JC: I’m happy to discuss O’Riordan’s role. Let’s make sure we distinguish between fact and conjecture.

SJ: Let’s get back to the handover, 4 pm – Dr. Bawa-Garba met Dr. O’Riordan. Did he offer to see Jack?

JC: No he didn’t. And neither did Hadiza ask him to see Jack.

SJ: But Dr. Bawa-Garba told him about Jack’s original blood gas? He knew that the lactate was 11 in the 1st set of gases.

JC: Not at the time the bloods were drawn – he was in Warwick then. He was told during handover at 4 pm. So, he’s right in saying he had no idea about Jack’s original presentation. Also, when Hadiza informed him, Jack was improving.

SJ: That’s sort of my point. What I’m trying to get at isn’t that Dr. O’Riordan should be held responsible for Jack’s death instead of Dr. Bawa-Garba. Rather, Jack’s improving metabolic status would reassure any reasonable pediatrician that Dr. Bawa-Garba’s management of Jack wasn’t unreasonable. In fact, I don’t think it’s too outlandish for consultants to rely on registrars or competent senior house officers to tell them which patients need their review – that’s certainly the NHS I remember. However, what’s unacceptable is when a trainee is unsupported by the consultant if things go wrong.

Can you explain how Dr. O’Riordan counselled Dr. Bawa-Garba after Jack’s death?

JC: A few days after Jack’s death, O’Riordan met a distraught Hadiza. He spoke to her about Jack and what might have gone wrong and what she could have been done better.

SJ: Which is what a consultant should do. Nothing wrong with that.

JC: He completed a “Training encounter form” and catalogued the errors Hadiza made in managing Jack. He asked her to sign the form – which made her uneasy. Then he asked her to take some time off from clinical services.

SJ: He suspended her? Was that within his jurisdiction?

JC: In extreme circumstances a trainee can be taken off duty, and it’s technically not a “suspension.”

SJ: And, you can see how Dr. O’Riordan’s actions have two interpretations. One is that he’s a transparent truth seeker who sought justice for Jack. The other is that he was signaling his displeasure with Dr. Bawa-Garba and distancing himself from her, so that he could legitimately say “sorry, I had no idea Jack was near death’s door. It was all her fault, guv.” I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt but it’s hard.

Did he move to Ireland to escape the aftermath of the trial?

JC: That’s conjecture. He’s Irish – he may always have planned to return to Ireland. He might not have “fled.”

The Crown Prosecution Service

SJ: I should clarify something – I always thought it was the Adcocks who pursued the case against Dr. Bawa-Garba. I was wrong.

JC: No, it wasn’t the Adcocks who pressed charges against Hadiza, it was the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). I think you’re likening this to the American tort system where the patient sues the doctor. To be clear, this wasn’t a case of civil tort, it was a criminal charge.

SJ – Why did the CPS bring charges against her. After Jack’s death Dr. Bawa-Garba was interrogated by the police. Is this standard practice? Am I confusing the police with the CPS?

JC – There are many routine things after a child dies in a hospital, unexpectedly. The police do get involved – that’s nothing personal against Hadiza. They’re just making sure there is nothing suspicious about the child’s death. Also, the police decided that there was no case to pursue. The case was referred to the coroner – again this is nothing personal or unusual. LRI also did their due diligence. They identified several system issues which needed correcting.

SJ – Sure. But a distraught trainee, unsupported by her consultant, made to confess errors for the death of a child for which she’s suffering regret, now gets grilled by the police. I don’t think we’re making acute medicine sound enticing for future doctors. What was Dr. Bawa-Garba feeling then?

JC – She was lonely and frightened, unable to sleep at night. It was then she reached out to me – I had worked with her before. But as distraught as Hadiza was, neither she nor I in our wildest nightmares expected a charge of manslaughter.

SJ – What was the turning point? I mean, what single event led to the charge?

JC – The turning point was the coroner’s inquest. The expert witness at the coroner’s inquest, a pediatric intensivist, after vigorous questioning from the coroner claimed that Jack’s death was preventable, that Hadiza’s clinical judgment was subpar, and her poor management of Jack contributed to his death. The coroner’s report set rolling the ball which later became an avalanche.

SJ – “Preventable” is a broad term. But, let me recap what you’re saying – that “preventable” and “below par clinical performance” are all it took for the CPS to press manslaughter charges against Dr. Bawa-Garba?

JC –In England, you don’t need to prove “intention to harm” or that one’s actions are “willful” or “deliberate” to be charged with manslaughter. You just need to prove that a physician’s gross negligence contributed to death.

SJ – Then, why were you so shocked that the CPS charged her with manslaughter?

JC – I should have been clearer. I was surprised that neither the coroner nor the expert witness made any allowance for the fact that Jack died from Group A Streptococcus – it should have been known to physicians in general, and pediatricians in particular, that this organism is very dangerous, and has a high mortality even with the best of care.

SJ – And this is one of the many tautologies in this case which the law can’t deal with. If Jack faced an organism which demanded such immediate action for a fighting chance of survival that a delay of three hours in starting the antibiotics could be the difference between life and death, then it’s conceivable that Jack’s fate was already sealed by the time he arrived in LRI. That is, the more preventable one deems Jack’s death the less likely the delayed administration of antibiotics contributed to it. An analogy I’d use is crossing a road in a residential area with a car hurtling towards you – your reflexes are more likely to help you avoid a car traveling at 30 mph than 80 mph.

The Trial

SJ – I’d love to discuss the intricacies of the trial, but I know you have to catch your train to Leicester, so I will focus on the salient parts.

JC – I wasn’t there for most of the trial as I was one of the witnesses for the defense, and I wasn’t allowed to hear the proceedings before I took stand, in case I’d be biased. There are many details I can’t recount first hand.

SJ – The most important question I have – did Dr. Bawa-Garba’s reflections indict her?

JC – This is controversial.

SJ – I know. I was taken to task by some enthusiastic safety advocates in the NHS that I was spreading fake news by suggesting that her confessions were used against her, like in a medieval court.

JC – It’s not fake news, it’s a technicality. And it’s important to understand the technicality. The jury weren’t shown her reflections, but they were seen by the prosecution and therefore ‘fed into’ the trial. Her defense team were technically right in saying that her reflections weren’t adduced by the jury.

SJ – But it seems like a distinction without a difference, legal pettifoggery. I’m not sure junior doctors will be comforted knowing only the prosecution, not the jury, will have access to their reflections, in the event they’re ever charged with manslaughter.

JC – I understand why the safety movement is concerned. It’s a blow to patient safety and sets its mission back by several years. The point of the trainee reflection is to improve the care for the next patient, not destroy the career of a doctor.

SJ – At the conclusion of the legal arguments in the trial, what did the judge instruct the jury to do?

JC – Justice Nichol asked the jury to find Hadiza guilty if they thought that the care she delivered to Jack was “truly exceptionally bad.”

SJ – Now we get to the crux of the charge. What exactly did the prosecution, with the help of the expert witness, insinuate about Dr. Bawa-Garba’s care that made it “truly exceptionally bad.” Surely, they did not suggest that her failure to give Jack antibiotics instantly is a criminal offense.

JC – No, that was not the gross failure, according to the prosecution, though they alleged that a series of failures did indeed delay the antibiotics. They listed several failures, including delay in seeing the chest radiograph she ordered.

SJ – And you so eloquently explained why she got to the chest x-ray late in the first part of our interview – she wasn’t updating her status on Facebook; she was performing a lumbar puncture.

JC – The major flaws, the ones which made her “truly exceptionally bad” – were her failure to appreciate Jack’s initial clinical presentation and the significance of the elevated lactate and creatinine.

SJ – You’re pulling my leg. She was charged for manslaughter for having a differential diagnosis for shock, and for putting hypovolemic shock at the top of the differential? For not responding to laboratory parameters when they may be at odds with a patient’s improving clinical condition? Are we going to permanently euthanize the adage “treat the patient not the lab results”?

JC – It was argued that the lactate and creatinine were red flags for sepsis which any competent doctor should know.

SJ – But that’s patently incorrect. I’m a radiologist but even I know, from recollection of my final exams, that dehydration can lower the ph and elevate the creatinine. There is something known as pre-renal renal failure, FFS!

I need another drink.

JC – Me too.

(JC gets a pint of bitter and I get a triple gin with tonic)

SJ – One could, with hindsight, also make the case that an elevated creatinine was a sign that Jack was entering multi-organ failure, and his prognosis by the afternoon was dismal. Anyway, did no one explain that an elevated creatinine does not necessarily mean sepsis?

JC – It’s not as simple as that – I assume you have, touch wood, never been inside a court. Legal reasoning is very different from medical reasoning. Once you know the outcome, once you know that a child died, it’s hard mitigating the significance of events along the path to a patient’s death – it sounds like you’re making excuses, and a skilled barrister will take you apart, and make you appear clueless and incompetent to a jury. Hadiza fell apart in the cross examination. She’s not very good at sticking up for herself.

SJ – I realize courts are not like multiple choice questions in medical examinations. In the court you know the answer – there’s no uncertainty about what actually happened. Still, many people are surprised by her defense – could they not have mounted a more clinically insightful defense of her?

JC – Some do wonder whether her defense could have been better. But the nuances that you have cited are better suited to the blameless environments of root cause analysis, than the inherently adversarial environment of law courts.

SJ – Did the jury consider system issues – like the IT system being down, Dr. Bawa-Garba being new to the children’s assessment unit, her covering more than what’s typically on the menu, the inexperience of doctors on her service?

JC – This, too, is controversial – I mean the extent to which the jury considered system issues in mitigating, or inculpating, her will never be known – we can’t cross examine jurors – this is the bedrock of our legal system. You could say that the fact that Hadiza was convicted of manslaughter meant the jury did not consider system factors. Or that Hadiza was convicted despite the jury knowing about the systemic issues. Or that the jury took system factors into consideration whilst convicting her. There’s no way of knowing which of the three is true. I’m sorry – it’ll be a permanent unknown for us.

SJ – It’s time to bring Dr. O’Riordan back. I assume he didn’t take stand for the defense.

JC – He said during the trial that Hadiza hadn’t impressed upon him the significance of Jack’s clinical condition and had she done he would have assessed Jack. There was an implication that Jack could have lived if he had assessed him, so Hadiza’s failure to involve him was yet another example of how her care was “truly exceptionally bad.”

SJ – He truly threw her under the bus. But we encounter another tautology. She didn’t ask Dr. O’Riordan to assess Jack because she thought Jack was on the mend. It wasn’t a separate error but followed from her judgment, wrong in retrospect, that Jack was improving. Otherwise, it is like repeatedly saying “you were wrong because you were wrong.”

JC – Be that as it may. However, the legal reasoning was that just because O’Riordan might have been wrong didn’t make Hadiza right.

SJ – I get that. Two wrongs don’t make a right but two wrongs do make each wrong less wrong. Had Dr. O’Riordan acknowledged, right in the beginning, that Jack’s metabolic profile was consistent with hypovolemic shock, it might have given credence to the fact that Dr. Bawa-Garba had not egregiously erred in her management of Jack.

I want to ask something about Dr. Bawa-Garba – it has been said that she never apologized to Jack’s parents. Is that true?

JC – She did apologize to Jack’s mother after his death – i.e. she said she was sorry for his death. She also apologized in writing through her lawyer at the time – but the family never received this.

But the question, I think you’re asking is – did she specifically apologize for making errors in Jack’s care? That wouldn’t be so much an apology as an admission of guilt, and it’s something defense lawyers, rightly or wrongly, advise against. The adversarial nature of the legal system in cases like Jack’s pits family and physicians against each other.

People also remarked that Hadiza did not look at Jack’s mother during the trial, that she seemed indifferent. They don’t know what was going on inside Hadiza’s mind. I do. After the jury found her guilty, she came to court the next day to hear the sentencing. She said goodbye to her children, arranged for childcare, and was carrying a large suitcase with all her clothes because she thought she would be taken straight from the court to jail. As she was waiting for Justice Nicol to announce the sentence, she wasn’t being indifferent – she was staring nervously at the Koran she had in her hand, praying to Allah for leniency. This was the eventuality for a person who wanted to be a doctor since the age of thirteen, whose mission was to take care of sick children.

SJ – Heart breaking. The British public need to treat their doctors with less vituperation, otherwise they’ll get the shortage of doctors they deserve.

Tribunal

SJ – Some 18 months after being convicted of manslaughter, and receiving a suspended sentence, Dr. Bawa-Garba faced the Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPT). This independent body met to determine her fitness to practice. Your role was significant here. Can you explain?

JC – After being convicted of manslaughter, Hadiza’s confidence plummeted even further. As I mentioned, she was mercilessly cross examined and fell apart during the cross examination. Hadiza asked me to give evidence about her performance, training and remediation as she wasn’t planning to give evidence on the stand.

SJ – That was quite a burden on your shoulders. In a sense, you were batting for her. How did you prepare for that?

JC – After Jack’s death Hadiza worked at LRI with varying levels of supervision – on the wards and in the clinics. We put her through many simulations about sick kids presenting with undifferentiated symptoms. She did several practice tests. Very few pediatric registrars read or knew more than her. Needless to say she devoured tomes on sepsis. I collected a mountain of evidence, objective evidence, that she was a safe and competent pediatrician. Defending her was easy.

SJ – I think you’re being modest. I heard they had you on the stand for over 6 hours, and you were relentlessly grilled about Dr. Bawa-Garba. Can you tell us about a few questions you were asked?

JC – What they were trying to do was to see if I would undermine the jury decision – which I wasn’t going to. To put this more clearly, the tribunal is not a retrial, and the tribunal absolutely can’t go against, or be seen to undermine, a jury decision. They are very conscious about that. If I had ranted against the jury decision – that the conviction of manslaughter was a travesty – it would have hurt Hadiza.

SJ – Essentially you had to vouch for Dr. Bawa-Garba’s clinical competence whilst respecting the jury’s decision convicting her of manslaughter for gross incompetence. How did you walk this tight rope?

JC – It wasn’t easy – as you can appreciate, logical consistency can get you into rabbit holes. What I said was that Hadiza had remediated and because of her remediation she was low risk – or no higher risk than other pediatric registrars. To be honest, I believe Hadiza is one of the safest pediatricians around, precisely because Jack’s death motivated her to an extraordinary degree of learning.

SJ – And the tribunal’s deliberations have the fingerprints of your defense. They, too, acknowledged and respected the jury decision, said that she had indeed erred, but her erring was not irremediable.

JC – The only way the tribunal could absolve her without facing a legal cognitive dissonance with the jury trial was to suspend her license for a year. We felt a sense of victory at the tribunal – victory because Hadiza hadn’t been struck off.

The General Medical Council

SJ – But the victory was short lived. The GMC were indefatigable in their desire to snatch Dr. Bawa-Garba’s medical license, ostensibly to maintain public confidence in the medical profession.

JC – The GMC appealed against the tribunal’s decision because they felt that the tribunal had over stepped its role. Specifically, they felt that by only suspending Hadiza for a year, and not removing her from the medical register, the tribunal had undermined the jury decision. The provisional court sided with the GMC. Today’s appeal is against the decision of the provisional courts.

SJ – To be clear to the readers, this is not an appeal against the manslaughter conviction, as unjust as that was, but against the successful appeal of the GMC, who appealed the recommendations of their own tribunal. This is really a case of GMC versus MPT, rather than GMC versus Dr. Bawa-Garba.

There is one thing else I want to point out which may or may not be relevant to this case. Doctors from ethnic minorities are excessively deferential to hierarchy and institutions. We are repeatedly told by our elders, when growing up, that we should not rock the boat, that we should be grateful that we’re living in Britain, grateful and honored that we’re physicians. Many people from my culture tend to be deferential to authority, though I am a mutant in this regard. This is why doctors from such cultures can so easily find themselves unstuck when errors happen.

The Aftermath

SJ – This case is pivotal for the NHS. If the court sides with the GMC who gains?

JC – This case is one of those pyrrhic victories in which no one wins. Everyone has lost here – the Adcocks, Hadiza, pediatrics, junior doctors, the NHS, British legal system, the MPT, patient safety, transparency, public confidence. But the biggest losers are the GMC. The profession’s confidence in their regulatory body will take years to mend.

SJ – How do you feel about the Adcocks?

JC – I have immense sympathy for them – they have been through the worst thing that any parent can imagine. Losing a child is devastating. I have no words to describe their grief.

SJ – The GMC haven’t helped their grief. In a sense they have behaved like Iago – fueling angst.

JC – You might have heard the story of Elaine Bromiley, the lady who died because she could not be intubated during elective surgery. Her husband, Martin Bromiley, an airline pilot, insisted on an inquiry, not to enter an interminable legal blame game, but so that others could learn from what went wrong. He realized that his wife died not because any individual was at fault, but because the system was at fault. He spread the wisdom of the inquiry to other hospitals. He formed the Clinical Human Factors Group. His wife’s death made the system safer.

Patients like Jack are rare. Some general pediatricians might not see even a single patient like Jack in their careers. We missed a golden opportunity to learn from Jack’s death. Instead of investing time and resources into improving systems and understanding human factors in errors, we’re spending money playing a legal blame game. What a waste.

SJ – I have to say that this case has raised my respect for the American safety movement. Sure, they exaggerate the number of deaths from medical errors. But to their credit they have always blamed systems, rather than individual doctors.

JC – There is much we can learn from the Americans.

SJ – Hindsight is 20/20 but if there was one thing Dr. Bawa-Garba could have done differently what should that have been?

JC – Ask her consultant for help. I’ll say this to all junior doctors in acute medicine – don’t hesitate to ask for help. If in doubt, ask. If in doubt, err on the side of asking frivolously.

SJ – But I think it’s important to emphasize that her not asking her consultant for help wasn’t a sign of hubris, but humility and strong work ethic. I remember from my days as a surgical senior house officer that I was reluctant to ask the registrar or consultant for help, not because of pride, but so that I didn’t shirk my responsibilities.

JC – I must dash to St. Pancras.

SJ – One last question before you leave. Why? Why did you help Dr. Bawa-Garba? Why did you spend countless, at least two hundred, hours of your spare time helping her? When most doctors, even the reasonable ones, would have justifiably distanced themselves from a doctor convicted of manslaughter, why did you still support her?

JC – Hadiza is a competent pediatrician. She’s an above average doctor. She thinks of little else other than medicine. I would not be here today in the Royal Courts of Justice if I didn’t think that the British public would lose out if Hadiza lost her medical license. I’m just doing my job.

About the Author:

Saurabh Jha is a radiologist and contributing editor to THCB. He was once a junior doctor in the NHS. He can be reached on Twitter @RogueRad

Dr. Jonathan Cusack versus the General Medical Council published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

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acapelladitty · 7 years

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Fic - Trick or Treat? Pairing - Scriddler (Edward Nygma & Jonathan Crane) AO3 Link - http://archiveofourown.org/works/12130047 Summary: A surprise knock on the door forces Jonathan to confront something truly terrifying: trick or treating children!

Dropping another tissue onto the nearby coffee table, the irritation of Jonathans' nose was showing no signs of giving him a moments respite and he continued to rub at the end of it with the back of his hand.

“You're only making it worse by touching it.” Edwards' unwanted opinion wafted over to him from the opened door of the kitchen. “I have been telling you to leave it alone.”

Ignoring him, Jonathan settled back into the inviting comfort of the couch as he willed his mild cold away through sheer force of his mental prowess. However, his head had barely came into contact with the pillows when a soft knock alerted both occupants of the apartment to a presence at the door.

He glanced at Edward expectantly and received a shake of the head in response.

“Do not look at me. If I take my eyes off this soup for a moment it will boil over and destroy my stove top.” Edward argued. “It is most likely a delivery for yourself anyway.”

Releasing a growl of annoyance, Jonathan pushed himself up from the couch and approached the door. They were not expecting company tonight and he subtly palmed the metal bar which acted as their preferred deterrence for unwanted visitors with one hand as he allowed the other to click the handle down and swing the door open with a little force.

No soon had the door opened more than a few inches when an unexpected musical chorus met him.

“TRICK OR TREAT!”

What?

His stony glance lowered slowly until it settled on a trio of children, around five or six by his estimations, who were standing before him with face-splitting grins. Their small hands were wrapped around plastic bags, their contents already beginning to bulge with various candies and other gifts already received, with an almost vice-like grip.

Unable to believe what was standing before him, Jonathan could only blink as he towered over them.

“Excuse me?”

“TRICK OR TREAT!”

The phrase was repeated with an equal volume of enthusiasm but now with the added enthusiasm of the shaking of the candy bags, a hint as to his what his next move should be.

“Excus-”

“Well what do we have here!?”

Edwards' showman tones resonated over Jonathans' shoulder and his head shot to the side as he registered the sudden appearance of his partner.

So much for the soup.

Within Edwards' grasp was a large hollow plastic pumpkin filled to the brim with large bags of mixed candies and sweets which any child would practically salivate over given half a chance.

Apparently Edward had known that today was Halloween.

That made one of them.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Jonathan stared at the hollow pumpkin.

“Where did that even come from?”

“I always hand out candy on Halloween.” Keeping a huge smile on his face to ensure the attention of the children, Edward spoke from the corners of his mouth. “I am not a miser and you have always worked Halloween in the past and I suspected that your previous conceding of this years 'celebration' to Julian Day would mean that you would forget about the day itself.”

Well, he was not wrong.

His recent illness and lack of holiday themed plans had resulted in his complete ignorance of the holiday itself and as Edward swung the door open, Jonathan found that both himself and Edward were left standing openly in the doorway before the three children.

“So, do you have a song or a dance for us?” Edward shook the pumpkin invitingly. “You all understand that you must perform in exchange for a bag. You have to earn your treat.”

Stepping forward, the only boy of the group took position in front of the girls.

“I'm Aiden and i'm a mummy!” He squeaked out and he held his toilet paper wrapped arms out in mock-mummy fashion as he walked forward a few steps. “The girls said I was scary. Do I look scary?”

Rolling his eyes, Jonathan was just about to turn back into the apartment and leave Edward to deal with this himself when he felt Edwards' fingers jamming themselves between his thin ribs and he jumped in both pain and surprise.

“Look!” Edward exclaimed as he switched his grip and Jonathan could feel that he was being held gently in place. “You made Jonathan here jump! You must be extremely frightening!”

Glaring at Edward with open irritation, Jonathan fought against his desire to immaturely ram his hand against Edwards' sides in revenge and instead chose to fold his arms across his chest as he held his position.

“Do you have a song?” He bit out between clenched teeth since clearly his presence here was necessary.

At his question, the boy burst out into a very loud and disturbingly off-key version of some childish rhyme involving frogs and logs which was interspersed with both physical dancing and mediocre frog impressions.

Forcing a smile onto his face, Jonathan drummed his fingers against his arms in faux-applause as Edward provided an actual small applause before removing a bag from the pumpkin and dropping it in the boys' bag.

Pleased with his winnings, the boy bounded away back down the corridor.

The first of the two girls quickly stepped forward, taking her friends place, and her dark skin was mostly covered by a black cat mask which possessed both ears and whiskers.

“And you're a cat.” Jonathan stated.

“Nope,” the girl threw her hands onto his hips with some force as she shook her head, “i'm Catwoman! I'm going to get the most candy tonight and then i'm going to go steal all the money in all the banks in Gotham!”

For the first time since this encounter began, a genuine smirk tugged at Jonathans' lips. This one was a lively little thing and he was sorely tempted to give her vague directions to send her past Selinas' safehouse.

It would be worth it for the reaction from the feline thief herself.

“My momma says she's a good role model.” The girl continued.

“That she is,” Edward nodded his agreement, “so do you have a song for us?”

“I've got a riddle.”

“Really?!” Edwards' grin lit up again as he placed the pumpkin on the floor and dropped to one knee to give this girl his full attention. “And what is it?”

Shifting her eyes for a moment as she struggled to remember, eventually the girl crossed her arms in a fashion similar to Jonathans' own.

“What gets wetter as it dries?”

Seeing Edward open his mouth to answer, unable to stop himself, Jonathan shot his hand out and squeezed on his shoulder hard enough to stop his words in his tracks as a small hiss of pain instead escaped the kneeling genius.

A small act of revenge.

“Sorry child,” he tilted his head sweetly at the expectant girl, “my friend here is not smart enough to understand the answer to your riddle. Tell him the answer?”

“A towel!” She exclaimed with pride, her smile at Edward laced with sympathy, and then held her bag out for her reward.

“You heard the child, Edward,” Jonathan prompted, voice gentle as though explaining something simple, “it was 'a towel'. Now give the cat her prize.”

As Edward handed the girl her bag, Jonathan momentarily ducked back into the apartment to grab another tissue. One quick blown nose later and he was back to see what the final child had left to offer.

The experience so far had not been as dreadful as he had initially anticipated. Children these days were more humorous than he recalled from his own youth. They were still unsanitary and far too meddlesome for their own good but at least they could apparently amuse him for a moment.

As he focused his attention on the last child, he noted that she was dressed as some form of undead creature, a zombie most likely, and her made-up pale skin and dark eyes with faux-blood made him wonder at exactly what point adults had an input into their childs' designs.

“I have a joke!” She announced, forgoing any other attempt at small talk with the two adults.

“Then I would love to hear it.”

As Edward stood again, Jonathan felt a surge of mild fondness at the level of enthusiasm which Edward was injecting into this absolutely pointless activity. He made a mental note to ask Edward about his own experiences with Halloween since there was obviously some emotionally fertile land there to till. Edwards' happy memories were few and far between so it would be interesting to discover another layer of the genius in relation to the current holidays.

Clearing her throat dramatically, the girl set up her punchline.

“Why did the scarecrow get an award?”

Unable to withhold their joint smirks at the mention of Jonathans' alter-ego, Jonathan felt Edward twist his body to face his.

“I have no clue, why did the scarecrow get an award?” Edwards' eyes sparkled with his mirth. “Do you know the answer?”

“They do not allow me to receive awards anymore,” Jonathan muttered from the corner of his mouth in response, “apparently my frequent residencies in Arkham make me ineligible.”

Not privy to their conversation, the child continued.

“Because he was the best in his field!”

Even as a smile again tugged at his own lips, Jonathan could hear a small appreciative chuckle emitting from Edward as he humoured the girl.

“Very funny! You are quite the joker, little lady.”

“My mom and dad say we don't like the Joker,” the girl offered in a loud hushed tone, a childs' idea of confidential speech, “she says he is a horrible man!”

“Your parents are not wrong.”

Jonathan agreed politely and, feeling charitable, handed the girl two bags of candy which she thanked him for before greedily stuffing them into her bag.

“Now run off to your friends and be sure to shut the main door behind you,” he instructed her before lowering his tone significantly until only Edward would be able to hear him, “lest any other children find their way in here.”

Grinning, the girl let loose a childish wave before sprinting away down the corridor. However, before she had gotten more than a few meters away she paused and turned back the duo watching her depart.

“Hey mister!” She called out, high voice echoing through the empty hallway.

“Yes?” Jonathan answered.

“I really, really, really like your skeleton costume! It's so creepy!”

Having given her opinion, the girl disappeared around the corner of the hall as the patter of her small feet and youthful giggles slowly faded away.

Looking down as his outfit, Jonathan was confronted by the simple white vest and grey slacks which he had thrown on to ensure comfort as he recovered from his cold and a furrow of confusion made its way onto his face as he glanced at Edward.

“What costume?”

Not even trying to hold it in, Edwards' laughter was like a thunderclap in the hallway as he registered the offence which the girl had inadvertently created in his unwell partner.

#scriddler #edward nygma #riddler #scarecrow #jonathan crane

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isaacscrawford · 6 years