#ch: veronica stone

[gaysftw]

Jordan: I only told Jeri that Aiden and I are going to be adopting a child because he's like my brother!

Jeri: I only told Veronica bc she’s basically Aiden’s mother

Veronica: I told Emily because she’s my wife.

Emily: And I told everyone :)

[l-flyhight]

" cold rain - fever pitch"

Chasing veruca in the dense mud was futile. Slowing the bears considerably.

"Blade you cant keep going like this!"

Their previous skirmish with the weasle left the bear with a sprained ankle. She was determined but reckless. Po offered a reasurring hand. She shrugged it away dejected.

The bear was annoyed. First the pirates and now veruca had the weapons. She trembled. Ire rose and her blood boiled.

The wind howled in anguish. Leaves in tandom fled from their forests. Grey clouds argued and rumbled in protest.

Po shivered. Not used to the bitterness of englands unpredictable weather.

"Well, it couldnt possibly -"

Blade abruptly spat at him.

"DONT YOU DARE SAY IT!"

An icy deluge cascaded the two. Rain fell from the heavens with reckless abandon.

"Worse...heheh"

Blade rolled her eyes.

"Achoo!"

"Humph, Welcome to England po"

"Dont be like that besides i doubt veronica urm veruca will get far. Without this anyway"

He held the storm wheel before thd bear. Blade blinked. Unsure of how he even had it. Reading her expression he continued.

"You travel around with a master theif and your bound to pick up a few things, right?"

The knight in name only sighed. Her deamonor softened slightly.

"Come on. Lets get out the rain before you catch your death out here"

The panda shivered as if agreeing with her.

Not far was a small house. Medieval in its structure paved with wood and stone. Quaint. It bore some charm however.

-----

A fire burnt in the open fire place. Embers splintered and cracked. Warmth enveloped the room offering reprieve from the cold.

Po and blade had dried off. Ate some stew and place the storm wheel out of harms way. Sitting in front of the fire they were comfortable amongst cushions. both had blankets wrapped around them.

Po was still shivering. Fearing he had a fever the large bear sits next to him. Attempting to rid him of the ice still in his veins.

"Its never simple. With all but one of the weapons gone. The whole affair with those pirates. Veruca on the loose...im not so certain anymore...."

A soft smile graces pos features. The crackling of the fire breaking the silence.

"Heyyy hey its gonna be ok. Weve come this far, right? Blade dont fret. Promise well get back the weapons, stop veruca and well do it. Together yeah?"

Blade turned away from him. She wanted to believe in his words, desperately but doubt made her recoil. The panda shifted his weight towards her, wanting to offer reassurance.

"Blade...i....look, i dont know whats in store for us. But regardless were in this together..."

Warmth suddenly pooling in his chest. Her gaze met his. The panda's heart rang in his ears. Their it was again. That bizarre feeling. Invading his senses. Thoughts blurred with a strange notion. His stomach started to cramp.

The tension over the months was impalable. Po was confused with these feelings. Forced them down. Blade simply ignored it. Often storming off abruptly. Avoiding it as best she could.

He couldn't recall when the gap between them shifted. Drawing close. Blade grew hesitant. His nose, despite his anxiety affectionately skimmed her cheek. A nuzzle. Chaste. Blade found herself returning it. Slow. Affectionate.

It was simply primeval. Deep rooted. Nuzzling wasnt something practiced in this time of age. But instinctual blood from ages past beckoned. The nuzzle grew.... intimate. Soft and loving. Lost in the action.

Before long pos blanket had bunched up on his lap. His paw rested on her knee. The nuzzle while soft grew. Blade couldn't help it. His warmth was soothing. Almost addicting.

For a fleeting moment their lips brushed past. Often their noses touched as did the shadow of their lips. Not a kiss but if it continued Blade wouldn't be able to stop. She hated it. Knowing deep down hed have to leave her. To abandon these shores and her. She would not tolerate him cutting her that deep and yet he had done so anyway. She cursed him.

Abrupty she took controll. Ignoring the pain in her chest. Strong and sudden she held his shoulders and pushed him away.

"Dont...please dont"

The panda was confused by her sudden out burst. Before he could offer his apolagies she walked off.not even looking back at him.

"Good night po"

It was cold. His deamour now one of guilt. He had crossed a line and blade rebuked him. He let his instincts take hold and he felt terrible... his training taught him to be one with both the ying and yang, to be above earthly presuits....his heart ached and yet so did Lutheras'.....

[corie-the-writer]

Ignite - Ch.4

Tag List: @talicat713 @letsstarsfalling @samantha-chicagos @shikshinkwon

Chapter 4

By the grace of God, Chloe and Adam were let into the night club by the bouncer who couldn't take his eyes off of Chloe's cleavage as she leaned against Adam, acting completely stoned out of her mind. 

Being in the dimly lit building for about a half hour, Chloe and Adam quickly realized that they had walked into a sex trafficking and drug ring. It was for the rich men of Chicago, most of the women dressed as sexy as they could for their slender bodies, barely able to hold their head up as men flocked to them. 

"This place creeps me the fuck out." Chloe whispered into Adam's ear since she had to acted stoned out of her mind. 

"Bogie approaching." Adam spoke quietly to Chloe's forehead, making it seem like he had placed a kiss on her forehead, so the team could keep watch from the camera hidden in his blue dress suit. 

"I haven't seen you two here before..." The man approached, sitting down on the other side of Chloe, his eyes scanning her toned legs, seeing the dress had rode up a little bit.

"Oh I'm here on business from Indianapolis, heard about this place through the grapevine, so I figured we would check it out." Adam explained, sticking his hand out, "Howie Douglas." Adam introduced himself. 

"Vincent Matthews." The man shook his hand, "And who might this beautiful woman be?" Vincent questioned, using his free hand to run a finger down her leg. 

"This is Brittney." Adam introduced her, "She's had a little too much fun." Adam chuckled, watching as Vincent grew interested in Chloe. 

"Would she be up for a little more fun?" Vincent questioned gripping Chloe's thigh to get her to stir awake, "Hey sweetheart, you want to have a little fun?" Vincent questioned to Chloe and she mumbled incoherently but nodded her head, "Here Howie, why don't you get introduced to Ashley here, while I get to know Brittany?" Vincent suggested snapping his fingers, causing Adam to look to the red-head approaching, to see that it was in fact the woman Walters had been seeing. 

"Okay." Adam nodded then leaned to Chloe, "Be have yourself Brittany." Adam watched as Vincent helped a heavy Chloe up from the couch she had been on, his arm going around her lower back, practically holding her to him as he disappeared behind a black door. 

Ruzek, get Ashley out of the building. She needs to be questioned. 

Adam heard Hank Voight's voice through the ear piece hidden, but he refused to leave Chloe alone in the building with the man, and turned his attention to Ashley, "Is there somewhere more private we can go?" Adam questioned to the red head and watched as she nodded her head. 

Ashley took his hand, pulling him up from the couch and he had laid his glass cup on the small table and allowed her to follow him towards the same black door that Chloe had disappeared behind with Vincent. 

Apples.

Breach Breach Breach.

Adam grew tense at Chloe using the safe word and before he could register what was happening, Intelligence and Chicago PD were running into the building with their guns draw. Adam immediately rushed through the black door. 

"CHLOE!?" Adam shouted, pulling his gun out that was tucked in his suit. Adam was dodging women that were running out of rooms, men following pulling up there pants, and heard a loud crash coming from the end of the hall. Adam rushed to the door, not bothering to check the door handle, but kicked in the wooden door. Adam saw Vincent on top of Chloe choking her as she tried like hell to punch at the man's face. He rushed to the man and held the gun to the back of his head. "Chicago PD asshole." Ruzek growled watching the man let go of Chloe's neck, noticing that her lip was busted and her forehead was bleeding, "You good?" Adam questioned his gun still aimed at the back of Vincent's head and watched as Chloe gave a nod, "Vincent Matthews you are under arrest, put your hands behind your back." Adam instructed as Chloe crawled away from the man, and then helped herself up using the bed. 

Adam handcuffed the man, turning him around to face him and noticed the broken nose he was sporting, along with the start of a black eye, extremely proud of his partner. 

Adam led the man out of the room and Chloe followed, as they walked down the hallway Hank Voight met them at the black door and gave Chloe her gun, "You good?" Hank questioned noticing the bruising around Chloe's throat starting to form, her forehead bleeding and her lip busted. 

"Yeah. Might need stitches." Chloe pointed to her forehead, from where Vincent had threw her into the corner table, causing her skin to rip open. Chloe had taken the cloth from her father to hold it against her forehead as she walked into the main club area to several men getting arrested, a large table filled with narcotics and several women crying, and Chloe immediately scanned the faces to find Cleo, Samantha and Veronica, and a sigh left her lips. 

"Go to med and get checked out. We'll meet back at the district." Hank instructed, "Ruzek go with her, we got it from here." Hank added. . . Six stitches later, Chloe was walking up the stairs to see Kelly Severide still sitting at her desk, and the sight of her had him jumping out of his chair. "What the hell happened?" Kelly questioned, his cheeks going red at the sight of the dark bruises forming around her neck, her lip dried with blood, and a large butterfly band-aid on her forehead. 

"I'm okay..." Chloe assured, "Just got launched into a table." Chloe tried to joke. 

"You should see the other guy though." Adam piped up clapping a hand on Chloe's shoulder, "Proud of you for breaking his nose." Adam commented causing Chloe to let out a small laugh, "You need to fill him in, I'll go help the others, remember the deal." Adam added. 

"Yes dad." Chloe rolled her eyes while Kelly looked at the partners confused.

"Deal?" Kelly questioned. 

"Come on..." Chloe sighed, walking past Kelly towards her desk, and sat down, taking her high heels off, and shrugging off the leather jacket, and pulling the mic out from her dress as Kelly pulled up a chair. 

"So what is going on?" Kelly questioned, resting his elbows against his knees, looking intently to Chloe. 

Chloe had dug out her cell phone from her jacket and unlocked the screen to show Kelly the texts she had received, "This came in this morning." Chloe commented handing the phone over to Kelly for him to see. Chloe watched as Kelly's eyes instantly narrowed, the sound of the Marylin Manson's song playing for a moment, and then watched as his hand turned white around the device, "I also got flowers this morning and this card." Chloe reached for the card on the desk and let him read the note. 

"This has got to be the same person who started calling me earlier." Kelly growled, reaching for his phone to show the number of calls from an unknown number, "I ended up blocking the number after the fifth call." Kelly stated. 

"Adam and I tried tracing the texts but it kept bouncing between towers within a twenty block radius." Chloe explained, "I told Adam that I would tell Hank about it once this case got closed." Chloe added. 

"So it's obviously someone I pissed off and is targeting you because of us." Kelly stated after a few moments of silence. 

"Any idea who it could be?" Chloe questioned as she leaned back in her chair. 

"I think it would be easier to make a list of who I haven't pissed off in my lifetime." Kelly tried to joke causing them both to let out small laughs. 

"Adam said that you needed to talk to me?" Hank Voight entered the room, noticing that Kelly Severide was still sitting there with Chloe, "Isn't it a little late for work visits?" Hank questioned approaching the desk causing Chloe to roll her eyes. 

"Actually, this involves him too." Chloe stated, grabbing her phone, "So this morning I got flowers with this card." Chloe handed the card to her father, "Then uh I got some texts from an unknown number. There was a photo of me and Kelly..." Chloe shifted uncomfortably, "being intimate, and then this creepy ass song..." Chloe opened her phone to play the song for a moment, "Then the same photo of me and Kelly, with a fire emoji over his face and then a big red X over it." Chloe sighed, "Then this was sent." Chloe handed the phone over, making sure that her father couldn't see the intimate photos, letting him read the final text that said Kelly was using her, that she needed to be saved. 

"Any idea who this could be?" Hank questioned handing the phone back to Chloe as he looked to Severide. 

"No idea." Kelly shook his head, "I started getting unknown calls and after the fifth one, I blocked the number." Kelly explained. 

"Adam and I tried tracing the texts but it bounced between several different towers in a twenty block radius." 

Hank handed the phone back to his daughter, crossed his arms over his chest after running a hand down his face, "Tomorrow we will start checking security cameras around your apartment, maybe we can catch something from the night of the fire." Hank spoke to Chloe and then turned his attention to Severide, "Can you get into the apartment to see what started the fire?" Hank questioned. Kelly gave a nod, knowing that the paperwork had been sent of OFI but had yet to get through because of being backed up, "I want you both to watch your backs until we figure out what we're dealing with." Hank added, "And Chloe, I don't want you alone at all." 

"Okay..." Chloe grumbled but knew that she needed to play it safe for right now, "We're gonna head out." Chloe added, "I'm getting a killer headache." 

Hank gave his daughter a nod and watched as she grabbed her things and headed out with Kelly Severide.

[gothpanda]

A Little Bit of Attitude Ch.32: Los Angeles

WORD COUNT: 5.6k

A/N: lol I’m not dead. Just had finals

TAGS: @madamsixx​ @emariehorror​

Read on Ao3

Previous/Next

May 31st, 1987

Oakland, California

"... At the dollhouse in Fort Lauderdale! Girls, Girls, Girls! Rocking in Atlanta at Tattletails,"

Sammi groaned loud from the music through the speakers, lightly banging her head against the metal shelves aligned with cassette tapes. It was a brand new song that seemed to play 24/7 since being released, Sammi wanting to rip her ears out of her head. It didn't help that she was in a record store where most of the employees were goth or punks. As Sammi rested her head on the cold metal, Athena couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's dismay while browsing the selection of pop tapes.

"Why are you so dramatic? I thought you'd be happy the band is being successful," said Athena, side-eyeing Sammi's pouted lips.

"I would be happy if I didn't have to hear or see them all over the place. It gets annoying after a while," said Sammi, walking down the aisle of music, finding something new to entertain herself in. Athena followed in her little sister's footsteps, keeping a safe distance from her. It was Athena's idea to check a music store as Sammi showed her around the Bay Area, never having been able to visit until today.

"Well, it's not like you've been avoiding them or anything like that. Of course, it would get annoying,"

"I am not avoiding them," mumbled Sammi.

"Are you sure? You have done a pretty good job if you ask me," said Athena, grabbing a new Aerosmith cassette for her walkman.

Sammi stopped dead in her tracks, turning to glare right at Athena, who had a playful smirk. "I have not, Athena. I've been busy. " There's a difference," said Sammi, turning into the magazine aisle near the shop's cash register.

"Really? You could've fooled by the way you haven't been home in a year. When was the last time you talked to mama or dad?"

Sammi sighed out. "I'm sorry for missing out on stuff, but school has been a bigger pain in my ass than I thought. And I have spoken to mama and dad,"

"You've missed: Tommy's birthday, Mama's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday-"

"Okay, I get it, Athena! You don't have to remind me. I'm going home for a month aren't I?" asked Sammi with a sting of sarcasm, glancing at all of the headlines from the gossip tabloids.

"And thank god for that,"

"Why L.A isn't living up to its potential anymore?" joked Sammi.

"Exactly. Everything has been moderately boring since you left. It's not fun hanging out with Tommy after he got married. Our lovely sister-in-law isn't up to crazy fun. And all of my friends are acting like full adults now with 9 to 5's," said Athena.

Right as Sammi responded, her eyes fell on an issue of 'Rock Secrets,' another gossip magazine amongst the hundreds. The cover for the tabloid made Sammi's heartstrings get pulled in different directions. Nikki in the arms of another woman, both smirking. Sammi knew the woman from the party scene of Los Angeles, a dancer for every music video but nothing more. She was the complete opposite of Sammi in every single way. The woman was someone taller who was almost the same height as Nikki in heels. She was slimmer than Sammi and tanner in comparison to Sammi's pale cheeks. Sammi didn't want to believe Nikki running out to get new girlfriends after she left but knew it was bound to happen at some point. It had been a year. Sammi was never one to feel self-conscious about her appearance but seeing someone so different from her have Nikki wrapped around their finger stung. As Sammi stared longer at the cover, she was able to see the haze in Nikki's eyes that she hated, the girl almost matching him. Sammi reached for the magazine, facing Athena with a ghastly face, a cocktail of anger and sadness show. Athena pressed her lips tightly together, taking the tabloid for herself to examine.

"She isn't close to being as pretty as you," said Athena in hopes of cheering Sammi up. Sammi scoffed. "And Tommy hates her with his whole being. Apparently, she's some crazy attention whore. That's probably why she's on this stupid cover,"

"She is pretty, don't lie. And I don't care if Tommy doesn't like her or she's an attention whore," said Sammi, yanking the magazine from Athena's hand. She curled her lip as she stared at the cover, turning pages to see more photos of the couple around Los Angeles. With the luck of being around drugs and partying, Sammi could see when Nikki was high in the images. "Her name is Veronica?" asked Sammi.

"Yeah. Don't let her get to you, she's just some background dancer who's gotten with other musicians," answered Athena, skimming through a Rolling Stones magazine.

"Still. She has a pretty name," mumbled Sammi under her breath, unable to look away. When it finally felt too much for Sammi, she threw the thin tabloid down the aisle with all her force in one quick motion. Athena whipped her head fast, snapping her eyes wide open in shock.

"Sam, what the hell?" asked Athena in a sharp whisper. Sammi only continued to walk into a different section of the music shop. "Was that really necessary?" asked Athena, raising an eyebrow at Sammi.

Sammi shrugged her shoulders, pouting slightly. "It felt good for a second, now I'm just annoyed again,"

"It's great to see you've moved on," teased Athena, throwing her arm around Sammi's shoulders.

"What? I can't be bitter if an ex got a new girlfriend?" asked Sammi, folding her arms across her chest.

"No, because you're supposed to be the mature one, remember? It shouldn't get to you,"

"I beg to differ on being mature,"

"Hey! You can't throw around the magazines!" yelled a young goth girl, picking up the crinkled magazine from the floor, frowning at Sammi and Athena.

"Sorry, she had a temper tantrum. Won't happen again!" answered Athena, trying her best to hide a chuckle. "But seriously please don't do that again. I like to come back to this place next time I visit you,"

"Oh finally you're thinking about visiting?" asked Sammi with a smile, crossing her arms against her chest.

The sisters continued exploring the record store a moment longer, buying cassette tapes to listen to on the drive back home. When Sammi would scan down the rock section, she couldn't help think about what Nikki would like. It was a habit she couldn't break yet. The Oakland streets were beginning to grow busy with summer vacation coming around, Sammi seeing more tourists than usual. "So, I know you don't want to talk about Motley but I should probably tell you this," said Athena.

Sammi kept her dead stare ahead of her, scowling into the distance. "What is it? No one's dying or in the hospital right?"

Athena scoffed in amusement. "No, nothing like that. They're going to be back on the road soon," said Athena, lighting a cigarette as the sisters walked down east.

"Oh. Good for them," said Sammi, wrinkles deepening between her brows. "When are they packing up?"

"Third week in June? Tommy hasn't given me all the details yet except for one,"

"Which is?"

"He wants to throw this huge kick-off party at his and Heather's,"

"Okay," Sammi shrugged.

"I wanted to let you know before Tommy gets so incredibly excited to tell you, he forgets to ask if you're okay," said Athena, blowing out smoke into the air.

"Athena, I'm fine. I just needed to let out my frustrations for a second,"

"Sammi no you're not and please listen," Sammi stopped her steps, sucking her teeth as she faced Athena. "You can admit to not wanting to see Nikki when you get back home. It's understandable to not want to see an ex. You shouldn't tough it out for the sake of Tommy or anyone else. If you're not okay just tell me,"

Sammi sighed out heavily, gazing up anywhere but Athena. "It's okay. I'm okay. Yeah, it hurts Nikki moved on, but what am I supposed to do? We haven't talked in a year, and we both messed up," said Sammi, continuing to walk with heavy steps.

"How did you mess up?" asked Athena.

"I got up and left without telling him. I didn't tell my boyfriend anything about me leaving, and I just left him. You don't think that's a little messed up?" asked Sammi, scrunching her brows together with a frown.

"You two broke up before you left," reassured Athena.

Sammi stopped again in her tracks, looking right into Athena's eyes. "Did you know Nona died last year? Nikki's grandma" asked Sammi.

Athena bit her lip. "No, I didn't. Tom never mentioned it," muttered Athena, looking down at her feet.

Sammi bit the inside of her cheek, shaking her head slightly and continuing to walk. Instead of spitting out venomous words, Sammi pulled out a cigarette from her crinkled pack of Camels, lighting it in silence. "You've been busy, Sam. Don't be hard on yourself," said Athena.

"This conversation is going way longer than I want," muttered Sammi, staring dead ahead of her.

"Fine. Are you ready to go home then?" asked Athena, looping her arm around Sammi's. Sammi sighed out with a nod. The sisters continued their walk through the city streets until finding the car park, silence forming between them. Sammi only wanted to go home to her family.

*

June 2nd

Los Angeles, California

"Sammi!" screamed Emma excitedly from the apartment balcony, smiling down at her best friend. Sammi slammed the backseat door, swinging a duffle bag on her shoulders as she smiled back at Emma. Sabrina soon rushed out behind the sliding door with a smile on her face. "Do you need any help?" yelled out Sabrina.

"No, I'm good! I'll be right up!" answered Sammi, racing up to the second floor of the apartment complex. As Sammi reached Emma and Sabrina's door, Emma swung it right open, engulfing Sammi in a lovingly tight hug. Sabrina wrapped her arms around both the girls, everyone smiling gleefully. Once finally pulling apart, Emma grabbed Sammi's duffle off her shoulders, playing a great hostess.

"We've missed you so much," said Sabrina, kissing Sammi on her temple.

"Come on and welcome to our very adult apartment," joked Emma, swinging her arm around Sammi's shoulders, walking into the apartment. It was perfect for Emma and Sabrina, enough space for both with extra for Sammi. Anyone who visited could see the elements of a future lawyer and a star athlete, a mix of color and neatness. Sammi admired the decor from every corner, noting the purple sofa and accent chair in the living room.

"I like everything. You girls really got the place up and pretty," said Sammi, dropping herself on the sofa.

"Thanks, we did have a year to get it clean for you," teased Sabrina with a smirk, sitting down on an accent chair. Sammi glared at her, matching Sabrina's smirk as Emma took the duffle bag to her room.

"Ha. Ha. I just wanted to give you two all the time in the world,"

"In that case, you better love every single corner of this place," said Emma, prospering herself next to Sammi. "But enough about this place! How's San Francisco? Is it great and gay as I imagine?" asked Emma with a goofy smile.

"Is school going great for you? I know my mom wanted me to move there for college," asked Sabrina, almost on the edge of her seat.

"Are the nightclubs totally amazing like I hear? We should go to one when we visit next month!" exclaimed Emma.

Sammi only looked down at her hands, checking her nail polish with a forced thin smile on. She shrugged her shoulders, trying her best to think of something great. "San Fran's pretty, don't get me wrong, but it's so… cramped and stiff. It's nothing but an overpriced tiny island," scuffed Sammi, pouting at Emma and Sabrina.

"Really? You made it sound so nice on the phone when we'd call," said Sabrina, scrunching her brows together.

"I also make those phone calls short if you two recall," said Sammi, Sabrina and Emma exchange worried looks. "The only nice thing I can think of was the food. Great Japanese restaurants. But school is school. One year down, one more to go. The people I've met have been incredibly rude. One was some Christian freak who said the boys were satanic, and I wasn't any better hanging out with them,"

"Wow. Wait until you tell her you like to hang out with a lesbian," joked Emma, earning a smile from Sammi. "Sam, you should've said something about not being happy. We could've gone up and hung out for a weekend," Emma suggested.

"And brought some company with us," said Sabrina, pressing her lips firmly together.

"You'd really make Emma sit in a car with her ex? Even if they were my sister?" teased Sammi.

"No, I think she was talking about another ex," said Emma, biting the edge of her thumbnail. "And not a blonde ex,"

Sammi looked back down at her hands, grabbing a pillow to hug. "I think Nikki is already pretty busy with his new girlfriend. He wouldn't want to come to San Francisco," shrugged Sammi.

"You sure? I think he would drop everything if we asked him to tag along. The guys haven't been on tour yet," said Sabrina.

"Yep. I'm sure. Nikki was never a fan of San Francisco,"

"Sabrina is right about Nikki dropping everything to see you, Sammi. It wouldn't matter if he has a girlfriend or not. He hasn't seen you in a year or talked to you-"

"He's tried, mumbled Sammi.

"What?" asked Emma, scrunching her eyebrows deeper.

"He tried and I tried, but I just fucked it up," sighed Sammi with a shaky breath.

"Sammi, please talk to us," said Sabrina, leaning forward on her legs, hands closed.

Sammi sighed out, resting her head from the side in the palm of her hand. "Nona passed away. Nikki left a voicemail, sounding messed up and I didn't do anything about it. I didn't call him to check in on him. I didn't call his grandfather to check in on him. I didn't do anything. I would call him in the middle of the night and then hang up right away after I first moved. He would be high," said Sammi, wiping away the forming tear that could fall.

"Sam," said Emma softly, reaching out to hold Sammi's hand.

"Please don't tell me I didn't fuck up because I did," pleased Sammi, looking at Emma and Sabrina.

"Okay, the both of you have had bad communication skills, but it still isn't considered  fucked up ," said Sabrina. "You're home for a month. Maybe now it's a better time to speak to him,"

Sammi shook her head. "There's more than just that. I slept with Vince after we got drunk," admitted Sammi. "I fucked up,"

Sabrina and Emma stared at Sammi for a moment, glancing at each other to find something to say. "How bad do you feel about having sex with Vince?" asked Sabrina.

"S,"

"No Em, I'm just asking a question. Sammi, why did you sleep with Vince? And why did you feel bad afterward?" asked Sabrina again, this time in a stern voice.

"Because it didn't feel right after I sobered up. There were no rekindled feelings within me for the person I dated. I was drunk and Vince kept saying how great Nikki was doing. He didn't sleep with me because he missed me. It felt like he just wanted to get back at Nikki," said Sammi running a hand down her face.

"Did Vince tell Nikki?" asked Emma.

"I don't know. When we spoke, I told him it was a one-time thing and to keep it between us," said Sammi.

"I still think you should talk to Nikki," suggested Sabrina.

"You're going to have to someday," said Emma, swinging her arm around Sammi's shoulders, bringing her in for a hug.

"I know. I have to do it next Saturday," groaned Sammi. "Tommy's going to throw a party before the guys leave on tour and I have to go,"

"You mean we have to go," added Emma, Sammi scrunching her brows together. "You seriously think we're just going to let you be alone where Nikki is? What kind of friends do you think we are," teased Emma, smiling at Sammi.

Sabrina walked over to the sofa, perching herself on the sofa's armrest, placing her chin on the crown of Sammi's hair. "You'll be fine. Things may seem like shit right now but I promise you, there's always a glimmer of light after a storm," said Sabrina. Sammi only smiled at the two girls, nerves slowly thawing out and relaxing.

June 13th

"What time does Tommy want us to show up?" shouted Sabrina from her bedroom into the hallway, scowling down at the multiple outfits on her bed. Sammi shuffled into Sabrina's room, undoing the last hair roller from her dark locks.

"He said 8:30," answered Sammi, seeing a digital clock read 8:40. When it came to times for parties, they were only a suggestion for the girls. Tommy never meant the time he really said. Sammi scanned the bed before picking up a blue strapless dress. "You should wear this one. It's a nice summer color,"

"So happy to have you help with my little dilemmas," smiled Sabrina, grabbing the dress to change in the private bathroom. "Is Emma ready?" Sabrina shouted through the restroom.

"Yeah, I just needed to finish straightening my hair," entered Emma, ready to go in her purple jumpsuit. "Are you ready, Sammi?" asked Emma.

Sammi scrunched her brows together. "Oh yeah, I'm already dressed. I only need my heels,"

"I don't mean physically ready even though I love that black dress. I meant ready to see the guys again. Specifically a certain bassist,"

Sammi pursed her lips out. "No, but it's going happen sooner or later,"

"That's the spirit! I'll call us a cab while Sabrina's changing. Remember it's still going to be a fun night!" cheerfully said, Emma.

"If you say so," said Sammi with hesitation.

*

From the grand driveway, guests from the party scenes had already flooded the mansion, either inside or outside. The girls walked up the front steps, smiling politely and maneuvering past people they didn't know until inside. Sammi scanned the foyer and living room, hesitant to find familiar faces just yet. It wasn't until Sammi heard her name yelled out in a high pitched voice.

"Sammi! Finally, you're here!" yelled out Heather in excitement, walking as fast as she could in her heels. She swiftly hugged Sammi tightly, ignoring the presence of Emma and Sabrina. Sammi embraced back with less enthusiasm but still happy to see her sister-in-law. "It's been so long! I have missed you so much!" said Heather, releasing Sammi from her grip. "Did you all just get here? Let's go to the kitchen for a drink!" suggested Heather, grabbing Sammi's hand, pulling her further into the house. Sammi flashed anxious wide eyes at Emma and Sabrina, the two only shrugging their shoulders and following. A few people began to recognize Sammi as the four passed through, almost remembering Tommy's other sister. The kitchen wasn't better in the number of people, some others herding in the quarters. Heather let go of Sammi, playing hostess, as she filled up three glasses of expensive champagne. Soon another person in the herd approached the absent girl, clearing his throat to gain her attention. Sammi's eyes lit up, as did her smile when realizing who it was.

"Mick!" exclaimed Sammi.

"How have you been, Little One?" said Mick, smiling his best as the two exchanged a small hug. "I'm not one to be needy, but how come I haven't heard much from you?"

Sammi shrugged her shoulders. "School has been kicking my ass. It's harder than I forgot," joked Sammi.

"I'm happy that's your reason. It's been quiet without you,"

"How can it be so quiet? I'm the least crazy out all of you," teased Sammi.

Mick shrugged his shoulders. "Quiet for me at least,"

"Here you go, Sammi. Heather had to find Tommy," said Sabrina, passing her the champagne glass.

"Hey, Mick! Enjoying the party?" asked Emma, forming a small circle between the four.

"As much as I can for a little while. I'm just waiting for my girl to stop by then I'm taking off," said Mick, earning wide eyes from all the girls.

"You have a girlfriend?" asked Sabrina with an amused smile.

"That's so nice!" said Emma.

"Who is she?" asked Sammi, cocking a raised eyebrow.

Mick began to smirk, taking a sip of his alcohol of choice. "Her name's Emerson. She's a backup singer, but please don't tell the guys. The three of you can't tell them,"

The girls all scrunched their brows at Mick. "Why? Is she someone they know?" asked Emma.

"We hired her to tour with us. That's how we met. But I know they'll just bust my balls for liking her,"

"Mick, you shouldn't let the guys dictate who you want to like. If you really like this girl then they're just going to have to deal with it," advised Sabrina.

"Unless she's mean to you then we're going to have a problem," said Sammi, winking at Mick.

Mick scuffed at the girls. "Whatever just please keep it yourselves, for me. That is all I ask,"

"Promise," the girls said in unison.

"Thank you. Come on let's find your brother and sister, they've been wondering about you," said Mick, taking the lead to leave the stuffy kitchen. Right as Sammi stepped out, her eyes couldn't help but fall directly onto a man far away, almost making her freeze. Nikki staring right at her, back against the wall. Sammi swallowed hard, continuing to follow Mick and the girls, eyes looking down. This didn't stop Nikki; he followed every step Sammi took until disappearing behind a wall. Sammi couldn't help but finish the champagne in one gulp, placing the glass on a random table.

"Sammi! Finally! I was starting to think you were going to show up!" yelled out Tommy in excitement, hugging the youngest sister. "And ladies, always lovely to see the two of you!" Emma and Sabrina giggling alongside Tommy. Athena appeared right past Emma, only smirking at her without a word. She kissed Sammi on the cheek, passing her a refreshed drink of vodka. "I see Mick got to you before anyone else. Let me get Vince!"

"Tommy, it's cool. I have all night to talk to people," said Sammi, biting her lip.

"Besides Vince is wrapped around a new blondie's finger," added Mick, sitting down on a nearby sofa.

"Vince got a new girlfriend?" asked Sammi.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "She's basically a look-like of Sharise. I give it two months while we're on the road,"

"When did you know about this?" Sammi asked Athena.

"About an hour ago when he walked through the door. She seems like a nice girl if I'm being honest," said Athena.

As if his ears were burning, Vince sturt his way to the group with a young woman wrapped around him. "Sam! What a surprise!" said Vince with excitement. Tommy shot a look between Athena and the girls, sitting down beside Mick. "Babe, this is Sammi. Tommy's other sister I was telling you about,"

"Hi, I'm Hayley. I've heard a lot about you," said Hayley extending out a hand, trying her best to not seem uncomfortable.

Sammi smiled politely, accepting the handshake to not be rude. "All good things I hope,"

"Of course all good. I'd never talk bad about you," said Vince, smirking lustfully at Sammi.

"Yeah, like how smart and nice you are," said Hayley. The tension between the two girls was incredibly thick. Anyone could cut it with a knife. Suddenly, the music changed from its rock sound to a techno beat, blaring even louder than before. Tommy jumped up to question, only to let out an annoyed groan when seeing a wild hair woman jump on the coffee table in the middle of the room. To the music's beat, the woman danced faster and faster, almost too fast for the music. Emma couldn't help but curl her lip at the woman, wrinkling her brows at Tommy. Sammi hitched her breath, caught in her throat when realizing it was Veronica.

"Who the hell is that?" asked Emma.

"Nikki's new girlfriend," groaned Tommy, pouring some whiskey into his solo cup. "She's a bitch," he whispered to the girls, noting the somber expression from Sammi.

"I don't know how Sixx deals with that. Come on, babe, let's go out to the pool," said Vince, wrapping his arm around Hayley's waist. "Later, Sam," winked Vince.

Sammi remained silent amongst everyone, sinking into the sofa to watch the unfortunate show display in front of her. People around the grand living room gathered to watch Veronica, snickers from other women as they watched. Muttered comments going around on the visible state of Veronica being high on some type of drug. This went on longer than anyone wanted, Sammi beginning to wonder if anyone had the heart to stop her. Most found it entertaining, while others didn't. Sammi glanced around the room, wondering where Nikki was during all of this. It wasn't until Heather stomped up to Tommy, bringing him down to her level to whisper in his ear. Sammi was able to read the anger on Heather's face, seeing her fold in her arms right at her husband. Tommy shook his head, marching straight to Veronica, and one swoop brought her off the table, clinging onto Veronica. Tommy tried his best to shuffle out of the living room even when it was becoming difficult.

"Let go of me you asshole! You demon!" shouted Veronica, her weak legs making her almost sink to the floor. As Tommy lifted Veronica back on her feet, Nikki appeared from thin air confused. Tommy couldn't help but throw the intoxicated girl at his best friend. Nikki didn't bother to help her stand on her two feet, letting Veronica stumble by his feet. Sammi could see the three frowning at Nikki's careless attitude toward Veronica.

"Was she dancing again?" asked Nikki, scowling down at Veronica.

"Yeah. Now can you please watch your chick? Some of us are trying to enjoy our night," said Tommy, going to the stereos to finally switch the music to something more bearable. He walked over to Heather with his classic Tommy smile, kissing her on the lips to melt any anger away. Grabbing Veronica by her arm, Nikki dragged her up on her feet, quickly turning away from all staring eyes. Nikki grinds hard his teeth when his eyes fell on Sammi for the second time of the night, being able to see the worry from her. The dysfunctional couple disappeared from within the house, everyone soon forgetting about the little show—everyone except for Sammi. Sammi stared down at her drink, Sabrina sitting right next to her.

"Ready to talk to him?" asked Sabrina?

Sammi bit the inside of her cheek, glancing up in the direction of where Nikki was. "Will I ever be?" scuffed Sammi, taking a swing from whatever was in her cup.

"Probably not, but it wouldn't hurt to try another time. Nikki already saw you. He knows you're here. And he's leaving in a couple of days. I'm only suggesting because I care about you,"

"I know. I'll be right back," said Sammi, passing Sabrina her cup as she stood up while fixing her short dress.

Sabrina wrinkled her brows at Sammi. "You're going to talk to him now?"

"No, but if I just happen to go missing please come find me," answered Sammi, carefully passing through the sea of people.

*

"Why do you keep making a scene everywhere we go?" whispered Nikki from behind the closed door. Sammi paused from touching up her makeup in the mirror, remaining completely still and silent to listen. "You're high again aren't you?" asked Nikki. Sammi pressed her ear to the door to listen better. She knew there was no point in hiding in the bathroom, thinking of Emma and Sabrina looking for her.

"So what if I am? It's a party!" shouted Veronica.

"That I didn't invite you to!" said Nikki. The silence between the two soon followed for a moment, Sammi slowly opening the door. She tried her best to not make her heels clank loud on the tile, walking into the hallway with small steps. The hallway's right end was utterly empty, causing Sammi to drop the cautious act as she shut the bathroom door behind her. "Sammi?" said Nikki, Sammi jumping in her skin when hearing her name. She peered over her shoulder, Nikki looking dead at her for the third time, somewhat softer finally. Veronica leaned slouched against the wall with a deadly stare, unhappy to see Sammi even if she was a stranger. It was clear to Sammi Nikki looked better than most days, Veronica appearing to be the only one under something. Sammi didn't peep a word, unable to say anything to Nikki, especially with his new girlfriend by his side.

"I know who you are," slurred Veronica, stumbling on her feet to regain balance, dodging Nikki's attempt to hold her down. She fought the urge to fall onto the floor, wanting to be right in Sammi's face. Sammi couldn't say or do anything, freezing at the taller woman looking down on her. Sammi could see the pin needle pupils in Veronica's eyes. "I know exactly who you are. You're the one corrupting Nikki. The one corrupting everyone," Sammi scrunched her brows deep together, looking past Veronica to Nikki. "No! Look at me! You're nothing but a devil. A devil!" shouted Veronica, inching closer to Sammi's face. Before having the chance to grip onto Sammi's bare arms, Nikki yanked Veronica down to the floor with no care if she got hurt.

"Don't fucking talk to her! You don't get to talk to her!" yelled Nikki at Veronica, scowling at her. Veronica laid flat down on her back, pouting up at Nikki. Nikki didn't care about Veronica's state of being in this moment, only wretched when Sammi appeared scared. "Leave her alone and leave me alone," Nikki said, grasping Sammi's arm lightly as he led them away from Veronica. Sammi couldn't help look back at Veronica, wondering if she had any idea of what was really happening. Nikki took Sammi to another empty hallway, the music almost a bit louder from where they stood. Sammi rested against the wall, unable to look Nikki in the eye even when she could feel Nikki's on her. "Got nothing to say?" asked Nikki.

"Thank you," mumbled Sammi, looking down at her feet.

Nikki scoffed, shaking his head. "Is that really all?" Sammi stayed silent. Nikki stepped closer to Sammi, lightly taking his hands to cup Sammi's cheeks, cradling her face. He brought her eyes to meet his, a loving brown meeting a foggy hazel. Just from the simple tough of something so innocent, a flush of pink stained Sammi's cheeks. Nikki couldn't help but crack a small smile, missing the sweet face. Alas, the unfortunate always comes. "I know you and Vince had sex," said Nikki, dropping his hands and stepping back.

"What?" uttered Sammi, lips parting in shock, deep wrinkles setting in between her brows.

Nikki only shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you aren't that great anymore to keep him around," said Nikki.

Before Sammi could say anything, Nikki headed straight for the front of the house, hands in his pocket as he ignored everyone. Everything came like a tsunami wave; all Sammi could see was red. Instead of beginning to cry, Sammi marched her way through the party, ignoring the calls of her name from Athena or Sabrina. When reaching the outside, Sammi was able to find Vince in a short second, making a fast b-line to him. Vince didn't pay any attention to his surroundings, talking to a friend by the pool without Hayley. Vince was soon heavily pushed into the body of water in a blink, drink flying out of his hand. When he came up to the surface, Vince was ready to fight until realizing Sammi was scowling down at him.

"Sammi, what the fuck!?" yelled Vince. Tommy and Athena were quick to run out to get Sammi, Sammi pushing away their grasps.

Hayley rushed to Vince's side. "What's wrong with you?!" asked Hayley.

"Why did you tell Nikki?!" screamed Sammi. "You promised!" Vince bit his lip, looking at everyone but Sammi. "Huh?!"

"Sam," whispered Athena, softly pushing her away from the edge of the pool. Tommy pulled Vince up out of the water, glaring right at him for answers.

"Why are you so mad you slept with me?!" asked Vince, Athena, and Tommy, eyes opening wide at Sammi.

"Because it was a drunk mistake!" shouted Sammi. She shook her head at Vince. "You didn't give a shit about me," spit Sammi.

"You had sex with Vince?" asked Athena, concerned. Sammi didn't give an answer.

Emma and Sabrina delicately put a hand on Sammi's shoulders, being the only people who didn't get shoved off. "Sam, we're going home," ordered Emma, grabbing her hand as she shot daggers at Vince. Sammi didn't protest, letting the girls engulf her in protection from stares. They didn't need anyone to judge Sammi as she was only a stranger to everyone. Mick had already left from the madness, knowing he would hear from the grapevine. Once the girls were in a cab, Emma turned to Sammi. "Are you finally going to talk to Nikki? And this time like adults?" Sammi only dropped her head against the fuzzy middle seat, nodding with another word.

[vmheadquarters]

We’re still playing our game of written hot potato! Dozens of your favorite authors are taking turns to tell a Veronica Mars mystery story. Each writer crafts their chapter and then “tosses” the story to the next person to continue the tale. No one knows what will happen, so expect the unexpected!

Follow the “vmhq presents” and “murder we wrote” tags for all the installments, or read the story as it develops on AO3. --Chapter Nineteen of MURDER, WE WROTE is written by @elliebear75​. And stayed tuned next week for Ch.20 from @beezlebobble​ -tag, you’re it!

—————————————————————————————————— CHAPTER NINETEEN by @elliebear75​ 

Della adjusted her blond wig in the mirror, giving a cursory glance up at the screens across the wall. She was more than a little miffed that no one recognized her as the ghost of Lilly Kane yet, all the times she let them get a quick glance at her before she disappeared again into the secret passageways of the house. 

“You’d think that the blond hair and fabulous attitude would be a dead give-away,” she smirked as she followed the action on the screens. 

A tinier than usual Veronica hobbled across the television as fast as she could with Logan as her support.  They crossed from the second screen to the third and stopped near the corner screen when they found Wallace at the bottom of the kitchen stairs, unconscious.  She held her breath and hoped that the trap only winded him as it was supposed to, and not done any real harm.  All it took was a press of a button, and Della sent him flying down the wooden staircase, but instead of just landing on his butt and sliding, like so many others before him had done, Wallace seemed to take the tumble hard, rolling all the way down to the bottom.  A tinge of regret dropped like a stone in her stomach, but she pushed it aside when she saw him come to.  She watched as he wavered when Logan helped him to his feet, but seemed none the worse for wear.   

“Sorry, Wallace.  I had to do it,” she sighed.  “Blame Veronica for getting you into this mess.” 

Wallace had once stood up for her when Madison and Gia cut in front of her in line in the cafeteria, and she didn't want to hurt him; it was just an inevitable consequence of her plan. Like Leo. She didn’t mean for her partner to kill him; it just happened.  Della felt terrible about that as well since he had been instrumental in getting the information she needed to make this plan work. But it wasn’t like she killed him; it was her partner. He just went a little too far. 

Leaning closer to the mirror, she ran her tongue over her teeth and puckered her lips as she checked her lipstick. That retainer was annoying, but her parents were right—she did look better in the long run. In fact, Della looked so good that with some professional make-up tips, contact lenses, and her dyed black hair, hardly anyone recognized her in Neptune anymore.  Which was fine.  When she graduated last Spring, she left Della Pugh behind at Neptune High with the Pirates. 

Now, she was Ruby.  Ruby Jetson. Actually, that wasn't true. During the week, she was Ruby Jetson, a fixture on the Neptune Karaoke circuit. On the weekends, she was Madame X, taking over for her mother, the original Madame X, and father, Mister X, who started this murder mystery business after her grandparents left them this property with no sustainable income to support it.  When she was a child, Della helped her parents set unwitting traps for guests who gleefully screamed at every turn.  With her crooked teeth, frizzy blond hair, and thick glasses, she was born to play the “creepy girl” in the castle. She was pretty proud that she once made a guest pee herself when she appeared in the guest’s bedroom in the middle of the night, dressed in an old-fashioned white dress and powdered make-up as if she was a ghostly apparition and asked the woman if she had "seen her mommy."   

But that was why people had come to the island in the first place—for the thrill. Over the decades, her parents hosted Hollywood celebrities, members of Congress, and even a Prince or two (of the musical variety and actual royalty.) No one at school ever suspected that poor little Della was actually a star, on most weekends.  Unfortunately for her parents, the business didn't clear a lot of money, so her family was never able to move to a house in the 09er area, and that fact had kept Della the perpetual underdog and general bully-bait all through school. 

Veronica Mars wasn’t an 09er either, but somehow, she conquered it all.  And Della hated her for it.  Not an 09er, but she managed to have a best friend and a boyfriend who were—Lilly and Duncan Kane. Oh, and she acted so much like an 09er back then too, gyrating her way onto the Pep Squad thanks to Lilly.  One would have thought that not being one of "them" would have given Veronica some empathy for the little guys, like Della. But when Della caught up to her one day and asked her the reason why Della was rejected from the Pep Squad, Veronica just shrugged and told her to "dance better." 

"Dance better," Ruby snarked at the screens. She leaned over the console and pressed her thumb over Veronica's face, focusing on Logan standing next to her. 

“Logan. Logan freakin’ Echolls. What in the world do you see in her?  Is it the blond hair, because sweetheart, I’m a natural blond too.  Is it the drama, because I can give you drama, baby.  You just never gave me the chance to show you.” 

What really chewed at Ruby was even after Lilly's death and Veronica’s fall from grace, she still managed to eventually date Logan.  Logan.  The boy who stirred things in young Della (and older Ruby) like no other boy ever had or ever would.  Once in tenth grade, she sat behind Logan in the bleachers at a basketball game and just the sight of the back of his neck kept her dreaming about him for years after. That was one of the advantages of being ignored by most of the student population and her "performances" at the mansion—she became good at flying under the radar.  Logan and that dumbass friend of his, Dick, never noticed her sitting on a blanket on the sand every Sunday morning, watching them surf at Dog Beach.  Never saw her sitting a few rows behind him at the movie theatre. Never noticed her sitting in the lobby of the Neptune Grande the summer after he graduated, as he walked right past her, holding hands with Veronica, looking at her like he would make love to her right there, in front of everyone, if given the opportunity. 

Veronica. 

Again Veronica. 

“I was a freaking teenage outcast too. Why the hell did he have to pick you?” She removed her thumb from over Veronica’s face and hissed at the screen.   

When Veronica disappeared to Stanford, Della took it as a good sign.  But the night she happened to find herself in the same dive bar as Logan and Dick, he was still whining to Dick about how to get on with his life without Veronica. It was pathetic.  Logan was a strong, virile man with so much love to give, and Veronica had crushed his soul...just like she had once crushed young Della’s Pep-Squad dreams.  To see Logan stagger drunkenly out of that bar alone tore her heart to shreds, but also made Ruby hate Veronica even more. She had to be stopped.  Veronica Mars was not the amazing and brilliant girl everyone thought she was. It was all an act.  There was no “magic” to Veronica solving crimes.  Just dumb luck.  The Veronica Mars that Ruby knew was a snob and a fake and an asshole.  She was just very good at making people seem like she was helpful and caring.  And this weekend, Ruby would make sure that everyone realized what a phony Veronica truly was. 

Walking away from the screens, Ruby adjusted her sparkly purple sweater and smoothed down her tight black jeans as she paced, keeping herself moving in the chilly space.  Even though Logan couldn’t see her, she wanted to make sure she dressed her best for him.  Or at least her best so she wouldn’t freeze. 

“The way these So-Cal beach girls are running around in the snow, I’m surprised they all haven’t died of exposure,” she laughed, pausing to run her hand over the soft nap of her fake-fur coat, hanging on the wall near the door. 

It all started when Jen decided to bring on Cindy “Mac” Mackenzie to help her on the weekends.  Ruby immediately recognized her through the surveillance screens as the poor girl who had the unfortunate luck to be dating Cassidy Casablancas and be friends with Veronica Mars.  As she listened in on Jen and Mac gossiping during their time on the island, she realized that she could orchestrate an even bigger production from even further behind the scenes, one that could right one big wrong in her life.  Ruby could lure Veronica and all the people she hated most in school right here, onto her turf, the island with no 09 in the zip code. Then, one by one, she could torment them as she had been tormented by them in school.  She would deprive them of food, of sleep, of any sort of psychological rest, and see as they all began to turn on Veronica for not saving their sorry asses. For one weekend, Veronica would be Enid Curtis and know what it truly meant to be the loser, just like Della was for years in school. 

Glancing back, Ruby smiled as the players all scurried across the screens.  “Who’s dancing for who now, Veronica?  Just keep practicing.  You’ll get better at this murder-mystery thing.” 

It was all going according to plan.  Well, almost. The only thing that wasn’t to plan was Leo.  And Madison.  She didn’t really mean for them to die.  It seemed that her “muscle” in this venture ended up being a bit of a loose cannon, something Ruby didn’t really account for. But then again, Jen had proved herself to be mildly unreliable as well.  As Madam X, Ruby left exact instructions about who to invite tonight. The fact that Duncan Kane appeared was as a surprise to her as the rest of the guests. 

The door to the control room opened, and Della spun on her heels, watching as the figure shook the snow off his black parka hood and stomped his heavy boots off on the ground. 

"Okay. I got rid of that Deputy's body and hid it where you told me."  Lenny Sopher removed his hood and ran his fingers through his hair.  "Now what?" 

"Now? Now we wait.  And you stop killing people.”  Ruby folded her arms over her chest, protecting herself from the chill Lenny brought in with him. 

His throaty chuckle resonated in the small room.  Slowly, methodically, he peeled off his parka and hung it on the old wooden hook, next to Ruby’s. 

“Look, you have your fun with them, and I’ll have mine.” 

“I just want to expose Veronica as a dumb-bitch, so Logan finally realizes he’s better off without her and moves on.  Make her a laughing-stock.  Possibly make Gia Goodman wet herself with fear.  But that last one is a pie-in-the-sky sort of fun.  You’re out there actually killing people, and it’s not cool.” 

“Not cool?” Lenny turned, a smirk crossing his face as his fingers made air-quotes in front of his face.  “Not cool?  What the hell was I supposed to do?  When Leo recognized me from that forgery thing last summer, he threatened to take me in. I had to do it so I could stay on the island and help you!” 

Ruby tossed her fake blond hair over her shoulder and huffed.  “Well, you didn’t have to kill Madison.  I mean, I didn’t like her, but still, it was overkill.” 

A sharp laugh rose from Lenny’s throat that rolled and rolled in a way that terrified Ruby. It wasn’t a laugh of a person who thought this was humourous—it was the laugh of a man who was enjoying himself immensely.

“Overkill! That’s a good one, Della!” 

“Ruby!” She stamped her foot and gasped. “You know what my name is now, you jackass.  Now, stop killing people for real or I’ll…” 

“Or you’ll what?”  The laughter stopped, and the grin fell from Lenny’s face in an instant. “Or…you’ll…what, Ruby?  Call the police? On your favorite cousin? Plus, you're what you call my accomplice now.  Hell, with all the Madame X stuff linked directly to your side of the family, I can even say you’re the one who did all this.” 

Ruby stiffened as Lenny approached, trying not to show any fear.  He sniffed the air like a dog, and she cringed, knowing he was mongrel enough that he could probably smell it on her. 

“So, you continue to play your game, Ruby-Della-X.  And let me play mine.”

[artificialqueens]

Queue

The Sound of the Suburbs, Ch 9 — secretspyindisguise 

Heart of Glass, Mind of Stone, 2/? (Jiji, Methydoll) - Ella 

Strangers - Shalaska - pureCAMP 

Revelation Sunshine, Chapter 3 (Courtney/Vixen) - Veronica 

[colorfulhearts]

Colorful Hearts Ch. 13

The Chinese restaurant they frequented wasn’t crowded considering it was a Saturday Night. Only a few tables and booths were occupied. Taking a seat at their usual booth they all routinely looked over the menus as their usual waitress went to retrieve their drink orders.

“One of these days she isn’t even going to ask what we want. She’s just going to bring it out.” Jackie somewhat jokes.

They ate at the restaurant so often that the hostess never asked if they wanted a table or booth; she knew. As for the waitress, she already knew what they wanted to drink but always asked just in case.

“That will be the day she gets a twenty dollar tip from me for sure,” Ethyn laughed as he crunched on a fried wonton.

The other two boys nodded in agreement as they munched on the wontons.

Jackie shook her head at them but in the back of her mind she knew that having a spot like this was nice. It was the restaurant that they didn’t even have to say the name of but knew it was the one they would meet up in if they had agreed to meet for dinner. Every family had a restaurant that was the family gathering place. The Bamboo Garden restaurant had become theirs.

As their drinks and soup came Ethyn started a new conversation.

“So Jackie, when did you want to shoot?”

Wiping her mouth with a napkin she replied, “Soon. The anniversary sale is supposed to launch in two weeks.”

Ethyn looked over towards Phelix. Without Jackie noticing he got a very interesting idea.

“That’s extremely soon. Do you have models lined up?”

Jackie looked up from her soup bowl and shook her head.

“What are the designs?” He asked.

Pushing her bowl away she replied, “It's a few different collections. I wanna get a few shots of the Heathers outfits. Which reminds me,” she snapped her fingers at a thought that crossed her mind. “Please ask Miko if he’s willing to not just be behind the camera but in front. I want pictures of both the Veronica and JD outfits. Plus the punk outfits and the new wings I’m designing for this launch. And maybe a few others I’ve been working on. ”

Ethyn nodded. The mental notes he was taking were visible on his face. He took photography very seriously. But a devilish grin crossed Ethyn’s face that no one really saw.

“For sure I’ll ask Miko. It’ll be a great help since you want this done soon. I don’t know how I’ll manage to get models for this gig. Getting friends to help will be great.” Slapping Phelix’s back unexpectedly, causing him to somewhat choke on the food he was trying to swallow, he casually commented, “Hey, wanna help out? We know that the clothes fit you.”

Phelix was in a bit of a shock. Trying to recover from the choking fit he was having. Jackie looked over at him with her crystal baby blue eyes and he knew that he couldn’t say no.

He didn’t verbally answer. Phelix just nodded his head yes as he sipped on his iced sweet tea slowly. A sweet smile crossed Jackie’s face, while a visible devilish grin was on Ethyn’s.

“Then it’s settled!” Ethyn clapped his hands together, “This is exciting!”

With a puzzled look on her face Jackie asked, “Why is this exciting?” Her head tilted to one side.

Ethyn quickly came up with an excuse for his outburst of excitement.

“Anytime I get to spend with Miko is exciting. Didn’t get to see him much this week.” Letting out a tiny sigh of relief that no one would notice he took a sip of his soda.

Miko was Ethyn’s boyfriend and camera assistant. Jackie nodded and smiled. She really liked Miko. They all did. He made Ethyn happy and helped lighten the load his side job as a photographer consisted of at times. The two had met on a shoot that consisted of a few local photographers that the college that Ethyn worked at put together. Since Ethyn was a professor of photography, he had been asked to join. His assistant that day had been Miko, a PA that had been asked to assist. Everything after that was basically what you’d expect. Two photography nerds falling in love with each other.

No one would say it out loud but the other three in the group really envied what Ethyn and Miko have together. Marco was always talking to someone one but never committed. Jackie seemed to always be moving and no one seemed willing to keep up so she never bothered. While Phelix was the the closeted hopeless romantic. He longed for a relationship but never made it known… until now. He was trying at least.

“Any specific location in mind,” Ethyn asked.

Jackie nodded enthusiastically, “The wooded area of the park. I want the colors and designs of the outfits to stand out. Plus it looks really nice out there this time of year and there’s a few stone walls close by. Options.”

Phelix just watched as she spoke to Ethyn about what her vision for this photo shoot looked like in her head. He could listen to her talk for hours. She was so passionate about her work, it was mesmerizing. The trance he was under broke when Ethyn’s phone vibrated on the table.

Picking it up Ethyn announced it was Miko, “Yay,” he exclaimed catching everyone’s attention. “Miko says that next Friday is clear and that the weather is going to be nice. A bit overcast but with the right lighting equipment and editing it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Great, I’ll let Robynn know so she has a heads up,” Jackie smiled as she took a spoonful of soup.

Ethyn’s phone buzzed again. A slight confused look crossed his face.

“Miko says he has an idea and wants me to ask if you are up for a surprise…” He raised his eyebrow on the word surprise.

Puzzled and cautious Jackie questioned, “What kind of surprise?”

Shrugging his shoulder he replied, “Don’t know, just says he has an idea and wants to know if it’s okay to execute without giving details.”

The group at the table got quiet. Jackie was one for creative outlets but when it came to her actual products she hardly gave free reign. She reached for her phone and began to type. A few seconds later her phone chimed and the typing continued.

“Robynn?” Marco asked.

Without looking up from her phone she nodded.

As much as she loved and trusted the boys that sat with her she only ever really trusted Robynn with making decisions involving her creations. When the guys had found out that Jackie had not only started a business but added a creative and website director they all but fell back in shock. She had always been a lone wolf when it came to her projects and commissions but they were happy she was expanding. Getting help to run the site was the logical step and they were proud she realized it ahead of time.

A few text messages came and went by the time Jackie finally looked up toward Ethyn and nodded yes.

“But if I don’t like what’s happening day of I have the artistic liberty to scrap it.”

Her face was stern, he knew she meant what she said.

“I’ll let Miko know.”

He quickly tapped something out on his phone.

“Done and he knows that if anything is not up to your standards it will be a no go.”

“Thank you, Ethyn.” She gave him a sweet smile and continued to munch on the wanton she had on her plate.

The table was quiet for a moment. That is until Marco’s booming voice interrupted the silence.

“So next Friday?” He looked towards Ethyn for conformation.

Ethyn could only nod, his mouth full of soup at the moment.

“Cool, I got nothing going on that day. Mind if I come along?”

Jackie took the liberty to answer, “Oh my gosh yes! You can help with the laptop. Robynn wants to video chat in during the photo shoot. Plus the Red Heather outfit was made for you. This is perfect!

“At your service, Jackie,” Marco smiled as he sipped his soda and slightly side eyeing Phelix. Thankfully Jackie was too busy making notes on her phone to notice.

Ethyn and Marco were up to something. Phelix mentally made a note to himself to ask them what they thought they were doing.

Jackie’s voice brought him out of his mental note taking, “So it’s settled! It’s a roommate affair now!”

They all nodded in agreement as Phelix lifted his soda glass, “A roommate affair.”

[xxwritemeastoryxx]

Forgotten Alliance Ch. 30

Author: xxwritemeastoryxx

Pairings: Elijah Mikaelson x OC with other parings mentioned throughout.

Word Count: 3.2K

Warnings: Canon Typical things

Author’s Note: As a reminder, FA can be found on ffnet up to chapter 42. I am uploading chapters here on tumblr for convenience. I decided against tagging this until new chapters are posted. If you would like to be tagged please let me know! Chapters are queued and will be posted randomly.   Enjoy

Laughter had filled Elizabeth's ears as she had chased after Hope around the yard. As much as Elizabeth had the world on her shoulders, it never failed that this little girl had brought a smile to her face. It was good to get away from the world that had awaited her the moment she got back to New Orleans. There was no stopping anything from happening there while she was away and it would all be there when she got back. But for now, she was enjoying her time making one little girl happy to have someone other than her mom to bond with.

Elizabeth knew that Hayley was being cautious when it came to anyone getting close to Hope. Keeping others away from her would make it so much easier to hide Hope. It also made it so when Hope had her spouts of accidental magic, no one would notice it or be injured in the process. With Hope, there were several things that Elizabeth had noticed the past day she had been there. Hayley said it was rare for Hope to ever throw a tantrum, but when she did it was more shocking than annoying to see what actually happened. Hayley had explained and Elizabeth had actually got to witness a tantrum that messed with the electricity. Hope decided that she wanted to destroy the living room and when she did and Hayley sat her in time out, it left them in the dark for a good few hours.

It had amazed Elizabeth how much her powers were trying to come in and it made things harder on Hayley since she wasn't a witch and knew nothing of trying to get her daughter's magic to calm down. Elizabeth had promised Hayley that the next time they made it into the dream world, she would ask Freya about what Hayley could do. From time to time, Elizabeth had thought about calling Jess to see if maybe there was someway she could give Hayley some help, but Elizabeth didn't want to bring more people around Hope. It was better to keep her hidden from the supernatural world for as long as they can.

Even as Hope ran around the yard, every now and again, Elizabeth would notice a hint of the vampire side that would make its way to the surface. Hayley and Elizabeth had seemed to think that Hope still had no clue that she was actually running a bit faster than any normal toddler would. If anyone else had actually seen her running in that moment, one would think that Hayley had given her child a sugar feast or the child was on some kind of drugs.

"Got you." Elizabeth said as she picked up Hope and spun her around. Hope let out a fit of laughs and held tightly to Elizabeth as she spun around. Once Elizabeth stopped spinning, Hope immediately gave Elizabeth a pout.

"You cheated Liz." She said crossing her arms.

"How exactly did I cheat?" Elizabeth asked with her eyebrow raised. It still amazed Elizabeth at how much Hope had grown in this time.

"You are a Vampire." She said making her pout a little more prominent and pointing at Elizabeth. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and looked at Hayley, who just shrugged with a smile on her face. Elizabeth knew that Hayley wasn't going to keep secrets from her daughter. Hope was unique and even Elizabeth wouldn't want to keep it from the girl she was holding in her arms.

"Okay fine. No more cheating." Elizabeth said as she placed her down on the ground. "I'll be as human as I can be."

"Is that even possible?" Hayley asked from her spot in a chair, watching them. "You've been a vampire for how long now?"

"Hey, no talking about a woman's age." Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I'm sure I can remember the basics of being human."

Hayley shook her head slightly with a smile on her face. Elizabeth watched as Hope walked over to a sandbox and started playing with the toys that were in it before walking over to where Hayley was and taking a seat next to her.

"So besides getting Freya's cure, what is new in the Quarter?" Hayley asked as Elizabeth took her seat.

Elizabeth wasn't sure where to start. She sighed before looking at Hayley. "Aurora is dead."

Hayley straightened up in her seat and looked over at Elizabeth. "What happened? I though Vincent had locked her away."

Elizabeth laughed. "You know nothing stays hidden in that city." She shook her head slightly. "She got out and caused a bit of trouble before I ripped her to pieces."

"But she knew you had taken the serum." Hayley said confused. "Why would she want to start trouble with you there."

Elizabeth smirked a bit. "It is always a game with her. Old habits die hard. And I ended the game."

"Did anyone get hurt in the process?" Hayley asked.

"Yeah." Elizabeth said with a nod. "She was after a young witch that was family."

"Who?" Hayley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Her name is Veronica." Elizabeth said looking out to where Hope was. " She barely even knew she was a witch. Her parents had moved her out of New Orleans. She came back on a trip with friends when Aurora attacked her the first time."

"How many times did she try to kill her?"

"Three." Elizabeth said looking over at Hayley. "That was when I tore her to shreds."

"You could have asked me for help." Hayley said with a nod.

"And take you away from Hope, I think not." Elizabeth shook her head. "I was able to handle it and that was all that mattered."

"Don't I feel unwanted." Hayley said with a small smile.

Elizabeth laughed. "You have Hope, Hayley. She doesn't need to be brought into whatever problems we have in New Orleans."

"I know." Hayley said sighing. "Its just hard to sit here and play human for a while."

"This human?" Elizabeth said chuckling. "You have a daughter that left us in a black out the first two hours I was here. There is nothing human about this."

"You're right." Hayley smiled. "She's enough to make this feel so unhuman like. But at the same time, I don't know how to help her control it."

"That's why later, I'll talk to Freya." Elizabeth said reminding her.

"May I ask why you didn't want to visit them last night when you got here?" Hayley had been curious as to why Elizabeth had wanted to wait until today to have a visit with the Originals. It had been one of the reasons Hope had been upset about.

"It had been a long day." Elizabeth said sighing. "On top of that, there are just some things I am trying to mentally prepare myself for."

"Like what?" She asked as she looked over at Hope to see that she was still in the sandbox enjoying herself.

"The last time we had our visit, I promised Elijah that I would tell him why I am afraid of the vision Jess had." Elizabeth said before sighing.

"I never asked before, but what did her visions show?" Hayley looked back over at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked down at her hands for a moment. "That with time they would wake up."

"That is a good thing, Liz. What is there to be afraid of?" Hayley asked.

"It is what comes after they are awake that has me scared." Elizabeth admitted. "Things will be different and there are some things that only apply to my future."

"You'll be fine though." Hayley placed her hand on top of Elizabeth's. "We'll get through it, whatever it is."

Elizabeth could only nod. She may only know what would be behind those doors, but she knew nothing of what would actually would happen behind them. She had no clue how much different things would be from the last time she had been there.

"History will repeat itself." Elizabeth said with a nod. "At least for me that is."

"There are ways to change things. Not everything is set in stone." Hayley said as she got up from her seat to go spend some time with Hope.

If only you knew the truth. Elizabeth thought as she watched Hayley helped Hope build something. Elizabeth had once believed that nothing was set in stone. She had lived as carefree for the most of her vampire life. It was after she meet Jess that things had changed completely. Her way of thinking had changed so much. She never asked Jess how long it would take to find the cures. She only asked the selfish question as to how long she would be trapped in a place that she wished never existed. She could easily ask Jess for that specific information. But she knew what would happen after learning that. She would sit back and do nothing. That wasn't what she wanted to do.

"Liz!" Hope's voice broke through the thought's playing in Elizabeth's head.

Looking up, she found Hope right in front of her and smiled at her. "What do you want to do next?" She asked.

"Can we see Aunt Bekah?" Hope asked looking hopeful.

Elizabeth smile grew a bit. "How about we go get some ice cream first and then we'll give them a visit."

Hope's eyes lit up with excitement as she looked at Hayley. "Can we?!"

Hayley looked at Elizabeth shaking her head slightly. "I don't think that is a good thing."

"Oh come on." Elizabeth said. "There is an ice cream shop not to far from here. We can easily compel anyone that is there."

"Yeah, mom!" Hope said nodding. "We can do what Liz said."

Elizabeth laughed and watched as Hayley huffed. "There are still risks."

"Please, Hayley." Elizabeth said making a pouting face.

Hope watched Elizabeth as she did and copied her. "Please." She said looking at Hayley with puppy eyes.

"Fine." Hayley said crossing her arms. "We'll make it a quick trip."

"Yay!" Hope said running towards the house.

Elizabeth chuckled and stood up from her seat. "She needs some kind of interaction with people, Hayley."

"I know." Hayley said sighing.

"I promise we will make this a memory she'll keep forever." Elizabeth said nodding.

"I'll hold you to it." Hayley said walking towards the house.

An hour later, Elizabeth had everyone compelled and made it so that they were the only one's allowed in the shop for the next hour and a half. They were currently sitting at a table with a huge bowel of ice cream in front of all three of them. They each had a spoon digging into the several flavors that filled it.

"And what do you like to do when you aren't in your mom's hair?" Elizabeth asked before putting a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth.

"I like to paint." Hope said as she bounced in her seat with her spoon in her hand.

"Who else do I know that likes to paint?" Elizabeth asked as she tapped her spoon.

"My dad." Hope said with a mouth full of ice cream.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Hope." Hayley said watching Hope. Hope nodded before picking up a napkin and cleaning her face.

"Do you have any of my dad's paintings?" Hope asked.

Elizabeth thought for a moment, she had gotten rid of everything that had been destroyed the night everything had went to hell. But she had remembered there were several paintings that she had placed into one of the rooms she had for storage.

"I have a few." She said nodding. "Would you like me to bring them the next time I visit?"

"Yes please." Hope said with a smile on her face.

"Is there anything else you would like for me to bring?" Elizabeth asked before taking another bite of ice cream.

Elizabeth watched as Hope had the spoon in her mouth and ate what she had in her mouth. But before she even answered, Hope seemed to be thinking about what she wanted.

"Toys?" She asked with a small smile on her face.

Both Elizabeth and Hayley laughed. "I'll see what I can bring." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"What do you do for fun?" Hope asked Elizabeth curiosity written on her face.

Elizabeth smiled at her. "Well, lets see. When I was younger, I used to loved running through flower fields for fun. Now I read for fun when I can."

"Do you read stories?" Hope asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "Many stories. Some of them are stories that I lived through."

Hope's eyes widened and the ice cream that had been on her spoon fell on the table. All three of them had laughed at the mess that had been made. Hayley cleaned it up and kissed Hope's forehead.

"How old are you?" Hope asked. "Are you as old as my dad?"

Elizabeth smiled. "I am younger than your dad by about two hundred years."

"Do you still have family like I do?" Hope asked and Hayley looked at Elizabeth apologetic.

"I do." Elizabeth said with a small smile. "I have a best friend that is just as old as I am. And before I became a vampire, I had a family. They had their families for years and years after, and now I have a granddaughter that lives in New Orleans."

"Will I get to meet them?" Hope asked.

"Maybe one day." Elizabeth said smiling at her before looking over at Hayley who smiled back at her.

The rest of the time they were at the ice cream shop, the three of them were laughing and enjoying their time together. To Elizabeth it felt like a long time since she had been enjoying herself this much. It had been thanks to a little girl that was growing and bringing some brightness to the darkness that had surrounded the last year and a half. It also made Elizabeth feel better knowing she was spending some kind of time with a child. She never had gotten the chance to spend any kind of time with her daughter.

After over eight hundred years of always having some kind of regret of leaving her daughter in another village. She could have easily left the village altogether and lived a different life completely. But how much of it would have left her in the same situation or worse. But no matter how many times Elizabeth could think about how much things could have been different. She was glad that things had turned out as they had. If it had been any different, she probably wouldn't be here enjoying ice cream with Hayley and Hope, enjoying the time they had to feel human even if it was just for a few hours.

"You'd think she would be a wired mess right now." Hayley said as they walked into the house. Hope had fallen asleep on the car ride home. Elizabeth was carrying her into the house as Hope clung to her.

"She's not a normal human child, Hayley." She said with a small chuckle. She followed Hayley to Hope's room and placed Hope down on her bed. She moved over tot he side as Hayley covered her up and kissed her head.

"You knew she would be knocked out." Hayley said looking up at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Sugar and then crash." She said walking out of the room. Hayley followed her out and into their living room.

"You really wanted more time didn't you?" Hayley asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I was ready the moment we left the ice cream shop." She sighed softly. "But I knew she would crash and there wouldn't be a chance for us to. She'd probably fall asleep a few minutes after we got there."

"I actually believe that with how sound asleep she is." Hayley said nodding.

"She's grown so much from that little baby that I used to see from time to time." Elizabeth said as she walked over to look at the photos on the wall.

"I wish she would stop." Hayley said sitting down on the couch. "She keeps growing and I feel before I know it, she'll be all grown up and not need me."

"She'll always need you." Elizabeth said looking over at her. "There are still times I wish my mother was here, just so I could talk to her."

"It must have been hard watching her be murdered." Hayley said shaking her head. "I couldn't imagine it."

"To think that night had started everything." Elizabeth said sighing before going to sit in the chair across from Hayley. "It will get better, Hayley. One day you'll be glad how you raised her and you'll be proud of what she'll do."

"I already am." Hayley said with a grin on her face. "I'm just hoping Klaus will get that chance."

"He will." Elizabeth nodded. "And when he does, I'm sure he wont want to separate with her at all."

"I'm sure he will." Hayley said laughing.

"Everything will work out in the end Hayley." Elizabeth said standing from her seat.

"I know." Hayley said nodding. "Get some sleep. You know she will be waking you in the morning."

"I'm actually looking forward to that." Elizabeth said with a grin on her face. "Good Night, Hayley."

As Elizabeth walked into the guest room, she pulled out her phone. Sitting down on the bed, she began scrolling through her contacts. As many times as she had scrolled through her contacts before, she never paused on a certain contact until now. She didn't know if what she was thinking was a good thing or not. As her finger lingered over the name for a few moments, she knew there was a possibility that there wouldn't be an answer. Taking a deep breath, she hit call anyways. She didn't care how late it was or where in the world this person was, this needed to be done. For as much as the importance of having family around, Elizabeth realized that she needed one other person around her to make things better.

After five rings, a sleepy voice answered the phone causing Elizabeth to sigh in relief.

Hello?

"Come home." Elizabeth said into the phone. There was silence for a moment afterwards.

Liz?

"Hey, Kai."

[defendersofaurita]

Title: Retrace II: The Invasion

Author/Artist: AnchoredTether

Rating: M [graphic depictions of violence, major character death, dark themes]

Pairings: Plance [Pikelavar], Kallura [Thunderyun]

Series: Defenders of Aurita

Chapter: 10/?

Summary:   With the evil wizard Dakin defeated, Block can finally save his village from being turned to stone. Meklavar seeks to retrieve the Jewel of Jitan, Jiro needs to avenge his master (and twin brother) and slaughter the Leviathan, Valayun continues her search for the runestone, and Pike seems to have an agenda of his own. Revelations are brought to light and a mysterious ranger may be the key to solving their problems.

CH 10 :: RETRACE II : THE INVASION

][ CHAPTER WARNINGS ][ There are some pretty intense gore and disturbing imagery in this chapter. The worst of it happens after the first section break ][ --- ][ and is done at the next break (otherwise everything else is just descriptions of blood)

][ music ][

He could never forget the first time he took a life.

It happened in the middle of the night when he awoke to the castle shaking, people screaming, and a spine-chilling roar that could only come from a dragon.

The castle was under attack.

Another blast shook the ground, causing Pike to almost fall on his face when he scrambled out of his bed. He collided with his sister in the dark of the kitchen, causing both of them to yelp out in surprise.

"Nika what's going on?"

"I don't know." Although she was good at hiding it, he could hear the faint tones of fear in her voice. "I heard someone yell 'dragon.' Why would a dragon attack the castle?"

"It's not a dragon," he said with a realization when he remembered the princess' words. "Well, it is a dragon, but... someone must be controlling it - this is a planned attack!"

"Controlling it? What do you mean?"

Before Pike could answer, their mother ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the block. "Arm yourselves," she said hastily as she tossed one to each of them. They caught them effortlessly although Pike let out a strangled whine of protest.

"Mooommm are you trying to make me lose a hand?"

"Veronica, find your brothers and head for the eastern passageway. Pike, you and I will find Rae and meet up with them in the orchard."

"Rae? She's not in her room?" He turned his head towards the passage on his left. He already knew his mother's answer but it still made his stomach churn.

"She's probably in the astronomy tower," she said, her voice shaking. Rae had terrible insomnia and would often seek refuge in the astronomy tower on nights she couldn't sleep. Any other night would have been fine but tonight, when a dragon was attacking, a tower was the worst place to be. Pike could see it in Sapphira's eyes - she was worried her daughter was already dead.

He took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her." The ground shook more violently than before, causing all of them to nearly lose their footing. From the sound and vibration, Pike could tell that a part of the castle had completely fallen apart. His heart pounded unceasingly in his ears and he could feel a cold sweat of dread start to take over his senses as the adrenaline threatened to consume him.

"I'll see you at the orchard!" Veronica called over her shoulder before disappearing up the spiral staircase. Pike looked to his mother and nodded, both of them following after her into the chaos that rampaged on the upper levels.

Everything became louder with each level they ascended. The screaming increased, guards and castle workers ran everywhere, the stench of blood and smoke and fear overwhelmed his senses. He saw elves and galra running around wearing uniforms he didn't recognize fighting the royal guard. Elves and galra were longtime enemies - to see them working together in their siege against the castle was a strange sight. Pike didn't know what to think of it and he didn't have time as he and Sapphira navigated through the panicked maelstrom. They ran fast enough that anyone who tried to attack them simply got slashed with a kitchen knife as they passed. Pike couldn't afford to think about whether or not he killed people, but the worry still gnawed at the back of his mind as the instinct to survive kicked in.

Rescuing Rae became much more difficult when they reached the gaping divide of the castle.

The floor fell away, stone crumbled apart and beams from the wooden floor splintered up at odd angles. There was a thirty-foot gap between them and the rest of the castle as if the dragon had flown through the very castle walls and divided it like slicing a piece of bread. There wasn't much castle left past the divide, but one of the most important rooms remained in the small section.

"They're isolating the royal family," Pike gasped. "They're-"

Before he could finish, the dragon's roar broke through the air, followed by furious flames lighting up the night sky. Their attackers were turning the royal family's bedchambers into an oven, and Pike suddenly felt helpless to save his sister or anyone as he watched the flames consume the hall out of their reach.

"What about the basement?" He turned to his mother. "There's got to be a tunnel down there that still connects to that part of the castle."

"Y-you're right," she said, pulling herself out of a daze. Her eyes betrayed her distracted fear - he could tell she was still dreading Rae's inevitable death. Pike absently wondered if their attempt to save her was only risking their lives for naught, but at the same time they couldn't give up on her that easily. "We'll just head towards-"

The approaching of enemies caused both of them to whip their heads in alarm. They were about to be cornered and they were grossly outnumbered. Pike's muscles tensed and he gripped the kitchen knife in his hand as he prepared for the oncoming fight. "We could try jumping," he suggested, not exactly in the mood to fight soldiers armed with swords with nothing but a knife.

"We're on the fourth floor, Pike, even a khaliit would break their leg from that height," Sapphira's tone was oddly calm, and he didn't like where her train of thought was headed. "We can't make the leap across either," she turned to look at him, grabbing him by the shoulders. The look in her face caused his eyes to widen as he realized what she was doing.

"I love you and I'm sorry Pike… but a mother must always do what's best for her children."

Before he could respond or protest, Sapphira bent down and grabbed him by the leg, spun him around and released him into the cool night air. He landed hard against the wooden floor on the other side, rolling a few times with pained grunts. When he pulled himself up he saw his mother fighting their enemies all on her own and she fought as valiantly as one could against so many opponents. Her efforts were futile as they overpowered her, and Pike's heart sunk into his stomach when he saw one of the elves use mana to clasp a collar around her neck.

He sat there expecting to watch his mother die before his eyes, but somehow hearing the click of her sealed fate felt so much worse.

He was too numb to scream out like he wanted, but luckily his reflexes were fast enough to dodge the arrows that narrowly missed him. He scrambled to his feet and ran further into the roaring flames of destruction. He didn't know if Rae was alive. His mother was just taken captive. He had no idea if his brothers were alright - they were probably fighting for their lives. Veronica could have been dead or taken captive as well. He didn't have time to dwell on such things, yet it seemed that's all that occupied his mind: Worry and pure instinct.

When a blood-curdling scream echoed through all the noise, Pike felt his veins turn cold. He ran towards the sound, dodging a flaming beam as it fell from the ceiling, coughing as he made his way through burning rubble and a collapsed hole in the stone wall. The source of the distress came in clearer and his heart stopped when he saw the princess sobbing and screaming in a burning room.

He was about to call out her name but then he saw the reason she was crying.

King Samuel was pinned under flaming wreckage from his crumbling castle, drenched in blood, staring lifelessly at his daughter.

The man who saved his family was dead.

Pike tried to swallow the lump in his throat but his voice still shook when he called out to her. "Your Highness, we have to go!" He could hear the dragon's roar in the distance - it was about to make another round. He placed his hands on her shoulders and encouraged her to stand on her feet. He could hear the popping of the wood surrounding them and the creaking of the floorboards as the whole room threatened to collapse while they were still within it. He rushed her out of the room just before the room sunk away with a burst of flames.

He held her hand as he half led, half dragged her down the hallway. Katya continued to gasp and cry in pain as they stumbled through the wreckage of her home and he could feel his own eyes begin to water. He couldn't tell if it was from the broken and unknown state of his family, watching his mother sacrifice herself for him, seeing King Samuel and the princess' grief, the abundance of smoke, or a combination. His lungs were screaming for fresh air, his eyes burned, and he was starting to become acutely aware of all the bruises and cuts on his body. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer - he had to get out of the castle. But first, he had to ensure the princess was safe and try to find his sister. Both priorities seemed impossible when he heard the approaching footsteps of enemies around the corner.

"This way," he hissed as they turned down a different hallway, but before they could make much progress the ceiling collapsed, blocking their path with fire. "Not this way."

They were unarmed. Pike had lost his kitchen knife when his mother threw him and Katya didn't have anything on her unless she was hiding a dagger somewhere in her torn up silver and green nightgown. The soldiers approached closer and Pike's ears flattened in fear. He turned to look at the princess as a wild idea passed through his frenzied mind.

"You're fireproof, right?" He remembered her telling him she couldn't be burned because she was dragonborn, and now seemed like the best time to utilize that ability.

Katya blinked a few times, her face pure confusion. "Yeah, why??"

"Down this hallway you'll go all the way down until it splits, take a right, and down about fifty feet there is a secret passage in the wall that leads directly outside. Pull the candlestick down and twist it to the left."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm just doing the best I can to save you." He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, taking one last look at her broken amber eyes. "Thank you… for giving me and my family a chance to live… this is me simply returning the favor, your Highness."

Her eyes widened as it clicked within her mind what he was about to do. "Pike! No, don't-!"

With a quick run and jump, he chucked her over the rubble and through the flames. She hit a beam of wood and toppled down onto the other side with violent rolls, but otherwise made it safely through the wreckage. She wanted to climb back over the barrier to help Pike fight, but she knew she would be useless and he gave her this opportunity, possibly gave up his life so that she may survive. With a frustrated scream, she got up and ran according to the directions he gave her.

She stopped at the end of the hallway when she heard his frighteningly unnatural scream. Her heart ached when she turned her head over her shoulder and heard nothing but silence. A moment later, the hallway where he was collapsed, sinking whatever hope she had left of him surviving this invasion.

She let out a shaky breath. "I won't let your sacrifice be in vain," she rasped her promise. She pushed forward, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards the last chance she had of making it out of this nightmare.

][ --- ][

Pike was cornered up against a wall of fire and weaponless as four galra soldiers pressed in. Despite his odds, he was counting his lucky stars that none of them were elves who could manipulate mana-based slave collars. He somehow dodged that fate.

Now he just had to survive.

Galra were strong and one of the most resilient species, but he had his own advantages to play. He just had to play his turns wisely in the duel of life and death. When the giant one lunged forward to strike, he jumped out of the way and slammed a kick into her face, claws unsheathed, sending ribbons of blood through the air as his toes dug into flesh.

The second one was already making a move, but Pike was faster. He narrowly avoided the strike of throwing knives just to have the third galra lunge and pin Pike up against the wall, her purple eyes as fierce as the dagger burned into his neck. The giant one was clutching her right eye where his claws left their mark.

"Axca! I think we ought to teach this cat a lesson."

"It's too bad I didn't bring any collars," the one with coral skin said in far too cheerful of a tone. She must have been half-breed based on her appearance and the fact she could supposedly use mana. "We could have made him our little assistant. You know, sharpen our weapons, shine our boots."

"Shut up, Ezor," the one pinning him against the wall hissed. She had a knee pressed up against his thigh, her free arm pressed against his shoulders. "He was with the dragonborn, he might be able to tell us something. Remember the mission."

"I won't tell you anything," Pike snarled with fangs bared and eyes narrowed. She had him pinned so that no matter how much he squirmed to try and swipe a hand at her or kick her he was powerless. Any resistance from him only pressed her to dig the blade deeper into his neck. With a growling inhale he pulled out his last card as he spat directly into his offender's eyes.

Axca immediately released him as she wiped at her eyes but he didn't stop there. Something primal broke in his mind and a newfound fire surged in his veins as the fight or flight instinct kicked in hard. Pike lunged forward, slapping her dagger away and pinning her to the ground. His jaws found contact with the soft flesh of her neck and he dug his fangs in deep. She let out a gurgled cry and Ezor kicked him so hard he went flying. It was a poor decision on her part since Pike's fangs took part of Axca's throat with him. He spat out the flesh as well as sloshes of his own blood as he weakly got up onto his feet, coughing and growling.

Ezor rushed over to her comrade and started casting some kind of healing spell. "Get him, Narti."

The one he was pretty certain was half argonian tackled him with frightening speed. She was unarmed as well but her hands had formidable claws that dug into the flesh of his shoulders. Pike barely noticed the pain anymore as he wrestled against her for his life, both of them snarling, a mess of rolling limbs and thrashing tails. As the blood wildly surged through his veins the survival instinct intensified like a drug.

He was pinned on his back, struggling to hold back Narti's hands with his own, when he brought his knees up to his chest underneath her and began kicking. His claws dug into her abdomen, tearing and pulling as he feet began to catch more than just skin. The argonian started to pull away with a pained hiss but he dug his nails into her forearms, keeping her in place. The squelching and the stench and the wet warmth against his feet were enough to make Pike want to vomit, but he kept pushing, seeing it through to the end that his prey was finished.

When he was satisfied that he disemboweled her enough that she would no longer be a threat, he thrust her off and rolled up onto his feet, nearly slipping in the remains that lay strewn about. Seeing that the coral one was still healing the one missing half her throat, that only left the large galra.

He thought about fighting her but decided to make a run for it instead. Unfortunately she was faster, grabbing him by the tail and yanking, slamming him into the floor with a pained cry. He felt the wood ease under the impact of his landing and knew the floor wouldn't hold for much longer. She took a heavy step towards him and that was the last the floor could take. Where her blade would have normally found place slashing across his chest it had altered trajectory as they fell into the flames below. Between gravity pulling him down, the heat engulfing him, and the white-hot pain that split into his skull and the sound of his unnatural scream, panic raced through his heart threatening it to explode.

He fell through more than one floor, and the impact wasn't pretty.

][ --- ][

There were a lot of things Katya couldn't understand.

Who wanted to attack the castle? Who was so adamant that her family die? Why were elves and galra working together? Who was commanding Zarkon, the most feared of dragonkind?

Who, exactly, was she up against?

While sorrow gripped her heart in a cold vice, Katya was mostly angry. She was livid that while so many people had to die, here she was safe and sound with only a few cuts and bruises. Most of her nightgown was burned away but her skin was perfectly fine and she hated it. She deserved to suffer as everyone else had. Why couldn't she have died alongside her father? Why couldn't she have fought alongside Pike? Why did she have to survive?

She pushed forward down the dark tunnel, the light from the candlestick she held offering little vision. The secret passage was mostly descending stairs before it leveled out into a stony hallway and she reckoned she had to be at the level of the basement, possibly even deeper. She let out a soft gasp when she almost ran into a rock wall, but on further inspection she saw it was a collapse.

Her escape was blocked. She was trapped.

][ --- ][

][ music ][

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking.

He couldn't stop anything from shaking.

If it weren't for the fire that surrounded him, Pike still would have thought he was burning alive. The searing pain carved into his head like a knife cutting through butter and he wanted to scream but he knew doing so would hurt. Everything hurt, and doing anything more than the rapid breathing his lungs produced or the tight clawing of his hand pressed against his face seemed physically impossible. With every fevered breath, he only inhaled more smoke. Every minute he remained on his hand and knees meant more blood loss as the hot crimson dripped between the gaps of his fingers.

At this rate saving his eye was the least of his concerns.

At this rate he was going to die.

The world was screaming around him as wood snapped and fire crackled and the ever tumultuous roaring of the dragon continued as it raged upon the castle. All he could smell was smoke, flesh, and blood. He was covered in it, practically dripping in crimson. He probably would have barely noticed the blood streaming from his eye if it weren't for his hand pressed up against the carved mark.

He started to pull himself up to his feet but gasped out in pain as his foot nearly made contact with intense heat. Lifting his foot, he saw there was a red hot slab of metal beneath him, and he realized the smell of burning flesh was his own. He was covered in too much blood to see the extent of the damage but he knew enough about burns from his mother to understand that his shins were suffering third or fourth-degree burns. That's why they didn't hurt. The pain of his landing must have masked the initial contact with the metal or the melting of his skin was so instantaneous that he didn't notice it.

With a pained inhale he crawled over the hot metal and finally pulled himself up to his feet, instantly regretting it as his world span in tumultuous dips. He couldn't make sense of the castle's layout anymore - it was a mess of flames and rubble - and he had no idea if any of those galra soldiers had fallen through and survived, waiting to attack him.

As the shock and pain coursed through his body in violent waves, everything became a blur. Pike wasn't sure how he managed to pull through the heat and smoke and injuries, but he reckoned it was some drive from his primal instincts pushing him to survive, urging him to keep on fighting. Even if he made it out of the castle he wasn't certain he would live through the extent of his wounds or the smoke plaguing his lungs. He was ready to die protecting the princess and now he was coming to terms with that accepted fate. Deep in his weakly beating heart, he felt no regret at his decision.

All he felt was anguish for his mother and a faint hope for the safety of his siblings and Katya.

Perhaps that is what drove him to keep moving forward.

][ --- ][

Katya struggled in vain to try and move the giant stones out of her way only to scream in frustration. In the wake of her echo came the roar of the dragon, except this time it was so dangerously close that she could feel a spine-chilling shiver of death wash over her. The ground convulsed, causing her to fall onto her knees. She looked down the hallway and saw light descend in fiery rain

The Dragon had found her.

"Come, little Yekaterina. Do not sully the dovahkiin name by hiding in a corner."

She knew if she stayed the dragon would simply continue to breathe fire until it could properly claw its way down the tunnel to her. Besides, Zarkon was right. There was no dignity in hiding in her hole until death found her - she would rather meet it face to face just as her father and Pike had. They were brave enough to confront their fate and she intended to follow in their footsteps.

"Fine, I am coming," she said unknowingly in the dragon tongue. She began her ascent up the stairs, each step weighing her with the reality of all the death and destruction that surrounded her. How many lives were lost for her, and it would all be for naught as she approached the devilish maw of the ebony dragon towering above her. How she wished she could have learned more about the ways of the dragonborn and understand the power that surged deep within her. There was little her expansive training could do to save her now, even if she was armed with a sword. She was the one person who could stand up against the terrifying beast and yet she was utterly powerless.

Near the last few steps, she thought of her father's lifeless stare, his blood which stained the carpet, Pike's last words and the sad endearment in his crystalline eyes. The hurt and heartache boiled in her veins and consumed her mind as she walked towards death, staring it directly in its crimson eyes.

She refused to have it all end like this.

Something surged inside her, overtaking her senses and urging her to scream. She looked up at the dragon, the pain manifesting in her wet eyes, and took a deep inhale before letting out her suffering. It came not as a cry or scream but as something far more ancient and demanding. The blast of her dragonshout pulled all her pain and suffering and reflected it upon her enemy. Zarkon stumbled back with a bone-chilling shriek and although she was just as startled as he, Katya took no time to dash past his cruel claws and run for her life. The dragon continued to writhe in pain as if being shocked by an electrical current, destroying even more of the castle as he rolled and lashed about.

She had never run so fast in her life. Her heart felt as if it were about to explode, her breaths coming in quick and stinging from the smoke. Despite the castle's inferno, she only had to maneuver around rubble and holes in the floor. The flames licked at her frantic feet in vain. Too many people died to ensure she survived - she was determined to see their promises fulfilled.

The moment she thought she would make it was when she heard the approaching wings of darkness. Curved claws encased her body as she was lifted up into the air with frightening speed. She could see the castle's remains like a half-eaten corpse, sparks dancing through the pillars of smoke that blotted out the stars of the night sky. She struggled against the dragon's grasp but she was nothing but a little bug in the clutches of a bird.

"Dovahkiin, you surprise me," Zarkon rumbled in a voice as dark as his scales. "Alas, your trick will not be enough to defeat me, nor save yourself. Farewell, blood of my blood."

Her eyes widened in horror as Zarkon's claws released her into the void.

[thunderstaruniversalenterprises]

Ch 1 Once Upon a Time

Have you ever had one of those days when your past and present lives end up colliding and intertwining somewhere along the way?  I know it may sound crazy but hear me out.  I guess to fully understand how crazy things can get when your true love and soulmate are involved is to start at the beginning.  We all have three personalities, our royal form which in his case is Karyson Gabriel Wolfe of Thaddea, his human and present form Tristan Michael Llewellyn, and his hero form Knight Wolf.  But somehow his royal side got separated from the other two parts of his personality and landed back in Thaddea with no memories of our past together. This is the story of how through a crazy case of mistaken identity, lies, deceit, rivals, hidden agendas, conspiracy, invasion of privacy, blackmail, and manipulation my true love and I as Reimeiko Thunderis made it back to each other and full circle.  I am known as Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis Wolfe by royal standards, Queen of Thunderia and Thaddea thanks to my getting married to Karyson before the last battle with Darcien’s forces. My father, his Knights and fellow royals had to use their combined powers to send us here to be reborn and find each other again.  The problem was none of us had any memory of our pasts until our respective guardians found us and reunited us.  But that is another story for another time.  Anyway, when we were all reborn here, I was born Jamison Logan McKagan the eldest daughter of Robert and Veronica McKagan also known as Thor and Kyiandra Thunderis of Thunderia.  But you already know that, if you know my story.  Anyway, I am getting outrageously off track.  But when this all started, I had no doubt how it would end because of Karyson and our past together.  But boy was I wrong.  I had never felt so betrayed in my life.  How I came into this as Reimeiko Thunderis instead of who I am in the human form?  Well I will tell you.  It all starts here at the Coronation Ball.  On this night, not only will Garyson be taking his place as king, but he will also be choosing his future bride.  At the doors of the grand ballroom stood Jamison Logan McKagan Llewellyn also known as Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis Wolfe of Thunderia and Thaddea.  The Lady Knight of Thunder was getting ready to make a grand entrance.  Tonight was the night for her.  As she entered the ballroom, the herald announced her.

        "Lady Reimeiko Christyne Thunderis." the herald announced. She walked further into the ballroom spotting her friends and Knights from back home as well as some of the friends she had made along the way or so she thought.  Her brother and sister in their Knight forms showed up close to her speaking telepathically.

     (I know that the connection between Karyson and Reimeiko is solid.) Knight Shadow said. (But you might want to take the connection between Jamison McKagan and Tristan Llewellyn into consideration.)

      (Tristan is Karyson’s human form though, remember brother?) Knight Nova replied. (They were separated into their own individual personas somehow and we must figure out how to reunite them, but now is not the time.  The Knights are all stationed throughout the palace grounds, fully powered but dressed for this ball.)

      (Do you not think that you are overdoing it just a bit?) She asked. (How are all the background checks into the key players going?  One cannot know how to play the game without a scorecard and details on everyone involved especially who gains and loses the most.  There are a lot of secrets here and I want to know all of it.  Not just the key players but the background players too.  Leave no stone unturned, leave no passage unexplored.  We had orders to do that before we left.)

(Our wisdom knights are taking care of that and have been since before Dad debriefed us.) Shadow replied. (Anyway, we will keep in close contact with you as the night progresses)

Shadow and Nova made their way into the crowd to check in with the other Knights as Jamison glided over to talk to two other suitors in the competition.  For some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy, why, she did not know.  Granted, she had seen and dealt with her share of evil tyrants, love rivals, band rivals, and threatened hostile takeovers, but she and her Knights had always made it through almost unscathed.

    “Reimeiko, you look so beautiful.” Elenia Zhang gushed. “The prince will not be able to take his eyes off of you all night in that gown.” Jamison drifted back and forth between the first debriefing and present day.

    “First off we have Elenia Zhang.” Marco said. “There is not much known about her and her family except that they are Thaddean nobles who live outside the typical line.  In addition to being a Thaddean noble, Elenia is multi-talented which will be one of her strengths and make her a good ally as well.  Knowing you Jamie, you would have her and everyone else won over in no time.”

    “Hah, he might like the way she looks,” Lamani Evander sneered. “But when it comes to choosing his future queen, he knows who will be able to rule by his side and that woman will be me and me alone.” Back to the debriefing.

   Lamani Evander, she was so evil that she made Dariana Lanoson look and act like an angel, but even though she could scare or intimidate others, she did not scare or intimidate Jamison or Reimeiko.  Long before, Jamison had faced off with the Federation of Evil’s many different factors, love rivals, rival bands, threatened hostile take-overs and she knew how to fight dirty if she had to.  In her royal form of Reimeiko Thunderis, she fought like a man although she was a woman.  Along with her siblings and fellow Knights, she trained from the time she was young to be able to take down and fight the forces of evil who continued relentlessly to take them down and take over the universe.  Reimeiko and Jamison were rejoined or reunited when Jamison was fifteen and was discovered being Princess Reimeiko Thunderis while in her hero form of Knight Thunder and her boyfriend Tristan Llewellyn in his hero form of Knight Wolf was discovered as being Prince Karyson Wolfe of Thaddea which was who Jamison and the others were vying for.  She knew something about Karyson, his true siblings Corydon and Racine, and Samuel and Francine that the other people present did not know.  Samuel, Francine, and the Thaddean Trio were immortal like Reimeiko, her siblings, and Knights; and no matter what the other ladies of court thought, Karyson was Reimeiko’s eternal soulmate.

“Well I can say this without any conviction.” Jamison said. “It will be his choice who rules by his side not yours, and may the best woman win.” To herself she said. “I know it will be me because I have been to the future, I am the Queen in it and none of you are there.”

“I am sure that I will win because I have known him all his life.” Lamani replied.

Jamison rolled her eyes and shook her head as Lamani walked away.  The only other woman in the running so-to-speak was a woman by the name of Almeda Fitzgerald who was being sponsored by the present queen Alyssa Candelaria.  No one had really seen her through the competition because she had been staying close to the queen.  Just then a trumpet sounded, and a herald announced the arrival of Karyson Tristan Michael Llewellyn Wolfe Prince of Thaddea and he was heading right in the direction of Jamison and Elenia.  He took her hand and bowed. “Princess Reimeiko, may I have the pleasure of the next dance with you?” Prince Karyson asked.

“You want to dance with me?” Jamison asked. “I am ready to do much more than just dance with you, but I would love to.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Karyson replied. He took her hand and whisked her away to the dance floor of the grand ballroom.  As the orchestra plays, he leads her into a waltz around the room her gown swirling as they glide through the steps.

“To think a few months ago as Jamison McKagan,” Jamison acknowledged. “I did not even know the first steps to the waltz.”

“And now no one would ever know that your human form was not born into this life.” Karyson replied. “I hope you never have cause to regret coming here.”

“What do you mean?  Why would you say that?” Jamison asked. “You and Tristan will be reunited before this crazy adventure is over, then so will we be.”

“So much has happened.” he said pausing as the song winds, his hands lingering on her waist and his eyes searched hers which were filled with uncertainty, fear, and confusion. “I need to speak with you.”

“Is something wrong?” Jamison asked, fearful of what the answer would be.  Despite the soulmate connection between them, she knew that something was not right.

“There is nothing really wrong per se.” he replied. “It has been nearly impossible to even get a moment alone with you these last few days, but I need to know--”

“Prince Garyson, may I be so bold as to cut in?” Duchess Lamani Evander asked.

“Oh yes of course.” Karyson replied. “Do not worry, Reimeiko, we will talk later.”

[Yeah right] Jamison thought sourly.  As Lamani and Karyson glided away, Jamison found herself wandering off the dance floor and running into a familiar face in the crowd. “Derrick? I did not know that you would be here tonight.  You look so handsome in your formal uniform instead of your usual mix of clothes.”

“Karyson insisted.” Derrick replied. “I guess I should congratulate you.  You look exactly like one of them.  I guess you are one of them now in these days.”

“Please do not lump me in with those two-faced, hypocritical, narcissistic fleet of bozos and bimbos.” Jamison pleaded. “Real people like you are more fun to be around.  You and I are cut from the same cloth.  We do not fit into their world of snobby losers and I thank God that we do not.”

“This time tomorrow, you might be queen and then our lives are going to go in very different directions.” he said.

“If I am chosen to be his bride, but I have a sick feeling that I will not be,” Jamison said. “I will still be me.  Titles do not make me who I am or who I will be.  Nothing will take me over.”

“Looking at you right now, it is hard to believe that.” Derrick said with a sad look. “This place has a tendency of changing people, and some of us like the woman you used to be.  You know, that right?”

“I promise, I am the same person I was from the beginning, even under this fancy, hard to breathe in a ball gown.” Jamison replied. “Despite everything that has happened, I have not changed.  I am the same Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis, Jamison Logan McKagan Llewellyn.  If there is ever a time you feel that I get too cocky, just remind me of the first time we met, I was taking out the garbage to the big dumpster outside and waiting tables at Russo’s bar and grill.”

“It does feel like it was so long ago.” Derrick acknowledged. “I cannot believe that it has only been a few months since this all began, and it feels more like once upon a time now more than ever after everything.”

[gaysftw]

Veronica: Oh my god you’re bleeding!

Aiden, completely calm: Don't worry, it's not my blood.

[vanitasvampireofthebluemoon]

VNC Theorie

It may contain spoilers.

Okay so, we know some vampires can rewrite the world formula: we’ve seen Lord Ruthven, Veronica de Sade and Luca too and  also there is Noé’s teacher that seems to be really good at rewriting formulas.

That vampire who can create a distortion of formulas are seen as the more powerful and, come to think of it, they who are mentioned before are all related to the queen in some way. 

But there are another few person that we know who can rewrite world formula

First  of all the Vampire of the Blue Moon who create the book of Vanitas. The book is in fact full of the power of his creator and since the power of the grimoire is to rewrite world and names formulas his creator must know how to rewrite them, this make the Vampire Vanitas one of the strongest of all vampire

A second one is, as the other side of the same coin, Naenia who knows how to rewrite names formula so to create Malnomen or to rewrite her own fomula since she takes a smoke appearence or a more solid one basing on convenience. 

And then the third and last (feel free to be a bit shocked) is Dante. In the last VNC chapter we can see Dante rewriting air fomula in order to cover Vanitas and Jeanne  

 I thought Dante, Riche and Johann where less strong than vampire since they are sort of ibrid and not properly vampires. I started questioning about dhampir for example: can they cross the boarder? I always thinked they can but we see them only in human Paris. Also... can they became curse bearer? The usual reaction of vampires to the Book of Vanitas is fearing it and is owner even if they see Vanitas is not trying to steal their name but to "save" them while dhampir don’t care that much even Riche don’t seems worried the first time she met Vanitas (and Noé).

 In ch. 16 Vanitas says about astermite that "Is a mineral that changes its properties by rewriting the world formula. in other world, that stone has a pipe that connects to the world of formula, just as vampires do. I tweaked astermite through that pipe. It’s the same as when i tinker with vampires true names." so if we suppose dhampir can't cross the boarder and don’t have this pipe created after babel accident probably they wouldn't be affected by the Book of Vanitas and so maybe they can’t become curse bearer.

Also if Vanitas had known Dante strength would he have choosen Noé as is partner? Vanitas always says he wanted Noé for is strenght but after all he find Noé weak: Noé prefer to talk instead of attacking, follow emotions and is quite a problem for Vanitas who dont really like to be transported by emotions or having someone near him who is interested in his feeling or in his past. He want to hide and forgive them and always try to kill time for not thinking too much. So if Vanitas have a partner that can also rewrite formulas as Dante why did he chose Noé? In first chapter he recognize Noé as a vampire because of is red eyes but we know that vampire eyes are red and shine in darkness while Noé's eyes are always of that color. Vanitas also cant recognize Jeanne nor Luca as vampire when they first meet in human world that mean red eyes is a rare color among vampire So maybe... this is the coloration of archiviste eyes and Vanitas chose him only for that and not for his strength (and that can explain why Vanitas left Dante even if he is much more strong and why he knows Noé is an archiviste)

About eyes coloration I have some doubt about Mikhail. Dominique describe Misha eyes as having the same coloration of Vanitas eyes, this must be another rare color. Into Moreau's laboratory we come to know of the fact that this color is caused by Blue Moon Vampire somehow and that guy (Misha)  really look like no. 71 but in first chapter it seems like only the one inheriting the book will hinerit this eyes color.

 So maybe the one inheriting it should be no.71 (as we ca see in Vanitas memory the vampire takes no 71 and then ask Vanitas if he want to go with her too and  it looks like its no.71 that takes lessons with the vampire while Vanitas is only listening and sulking) and than maybe vanitas stole the book as he sweared and his eyes also become copper sulfate blue.

I’m sorry for error english is not my first language

[sheet-music-for-teachers-school]

9/12/18 Jail Log - ConchoValleyHomepage.com

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9/12/18 Jail Log - ConchoValleyHomepage.com

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FedEx defraud: Pakistan man sentenced for 21 months in US for causing losses of nearly USD 300,000 - Financial Express

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Queens of the Stone Age review – gonzoid riffage and hellacious swagger - The Guardian

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The Serpent and The Swan - Ch.1

After expecting a marriage to Prince Archibald, Princess Elizabeth is shocked to hear of her new match to Prince Forsythe - a Serpent. What begins as a less than ideal match soon turns into something quite different, but nothing is ever as it seems when it comes to royalty.

Back at it again with a new multi chapter! I don’t know how frequent updates will be for this one, so bear with me, and I hope you enjoy! Sorry mobile readers, I had to put it under a cut <3

Read on AO3

“Elizabeth, where are you?”

Those four words haunted her – day in, day out. If not those it was something similar. Elizabeth, you have to come here. Elizabeth, you can’t wear that for dinner. Elizabeth, please stop doing that. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. She was so tired of the sound the name made as it rang out through the castle. She had enjoyed, however, the tone her sister, Polly, used as she said it in mocking, causing her to hide her giggle behind her hand before their mother caught them.

Polly. Thoughts of her sister clouded her mind as she walked past the tightly locked door that led to her sister’s quarters. Or, more accurately, what used to be her sister’s quarters. Defiled and disgraced, Polly had been banished from the castle, disowned by the Cooper faction as an example of where ill morals would lead you if you let them.

Betty scoffed. She didn’t see Polly’s dismissal from court as a punishment. No, Polly had succeeded in getting what Betty knew that she herself would never manage to obtain – freedom. When she could Polly wrote to her sister, telling Betty tales of her life as the wife of a farmer on the outskirts of the Andrews’ faction, happily set on bedrest, making garments for her future babe while her doting husband worked tirelessly to provide for them all. Betty was aware that fairy tales usually involved princes and princesses, but to her Polly’s current affair sounded like the stuff of romance, like those that filled the pages of the books that littered her well-loved library. There had been a few close calls when she was certain that Alice, their mother, had intercepted their letters, but she still prayed that Polly never stopped sending them; they were her only link to the outside world, to a life of normalcy.

“Elizabeth!” The shout had taken on a firmer edge now, echoing off the stone walls that closed in on her. Betty quickened her pace, hurrying towards the Throne Room to avoid further scolding.

“Yes, Mother?” she asked, not until after curtseying before the throne her father, King Henry, sat upon, gazing down at her from the raised platform with careful, guarded eyes. The blue in his eyes always held more warmth than that of Queen Alice’s, she’d thought; where his were the still, shallow waters of a warm harbour, her mother’s eyes were the icy glaciers that shrouded the freezing islands of the South, relentless and unforgiving.

“I’ve been calling you,” Alice replied, ignoring Betty’s question. She did her best not to sigh.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I was in the library with Mistress Geraldine,” she offered by way of explanation, hoping the mention of her tutor would satisfy her mother’s complaints. The queen pursed her lips tightly, the lines of aging that surrounded them becoming more pronounced with the action.

“Elizabeth, we have news for you. Regarding your impending marriage,” Alice continued on in a sterile tone, clearly moving past her accusations of tardiness. Betty straightened at that, curious as to what she could mean.

“But I thought Archie– Prince Archibald,” she stammered, “was engaged to be married to Princess Veronica?” Betty questioned with a furrowed brow, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

She still couldn’t deny the pang of longing that sparked in her chest at the image his name conjured. With his classically handsome face and beautiful copper hair, every inch as charming as he was beautiful, Prince Archibald Andrews was the dream husband for any girl, princess or not. Betty had always believed herself to be lucky, watching with barely concealed glee as many of their acquaintances shot them jealous looks as they walked together, be it at a ball or around the castle gardens.

Their match had been decided at a young age, an alliance between the Coopers and the Andrews deemed to be nothing but beneficial for all involved. Archie and Betty had grown up in close neighbouring factions, the split in their kingdoms barely noticeable as their families ruled so close together. He was the perfect gentleman, she the adoring courtee. Far cry from the days in which the prince used to pull her pigtails and threaten to feed her to the (imaginary) sharks that occupied the castle’s moat, her early teenage years spent with Archie were filled with shy, unfamiliar exploration, and wide eyed glances at each other across the dinner table.

He’d been her first kiss, too. Beneath a shadowed alcove behind one of the marble pillars in the Great Hall, Archie had cupped her flushed cheek with his gentle hand and pressed his cool lips to hers in a simple, yet thrilling, kiss. She could still feel the pressure if she thought hard enough about it.

Betty thought their marriage was imminent, having no reason to assume otherwise. That was until Archie’s courting trips became few and far between as the weeks passed. He became distant and aloof, rarely meeting her eye as she tried desperately to keep his affections for her growing. It was the first time she’d been truly upset with Polly for following her heart instead of her duty, believing that it was the scandal that was potentially ruining her future happiness as Elizabeth Andrews.

She wanted to scream with frustration every time the heavy oak doors were closed on her prying eyes and attentive ears, watching as her parents sat with solemn faces opposite King Frederick and Queen Mary, their grave countenance extinguishing the last little candle of hope that tried to burn, despite the lack of oxygen as she bit her tongue, in Betty’s tight chest.

It was at the May Festival, this year held within the boundaries of the Andrews’ land, when any hope that Betty had left dwindled to nought. She had been frantically searching the crowds for a flash of brilliant red, amidst the vivid creams and pinks and greens of the decorations. Her speech ran through her head on repeat, perfectly rehearsed and ready to assure Archie that Polly’s indiscretion meant nothing in the face of the love they shared; they could make their parents and their people understand this. His buoyant laugh caused her to turn, breath catching in her throat as she hurried towards the sound, only to be stopped in her tracks upon seeing the source of her betrothed’s joy.

Princess Veronica was the epitome of desire. With narrowed, knowing eyes and sleek, ebony hair, Betty could understand why the Lodge’s crest featured a Raven. She was confident and enticing, clothed in rich purples where Betty had the colour of fresh peonies draped over her delicate frame. Betty had heard countless stories of dukes and lords who had fallen under the spell of Her Royal Highness, convinced that they could be the one to tame her – but they all left, dejected and humiliated once she’d had her fun.

And here she was, sinking her talons into her affianced, her Archie. Betty stumbled towards the pair, cheeks flaming, as she prepared to demand an explanation of the girl. Her joints locked as she watched Archie dip lower to whisper in Veronica’s ear, his hand slipping discreetly lower from her waist to her hip, a flush of desire gracing both of their faces. The pair locked eyes, tension palpable between their gazes, before lacing their hands and disappearing into the castle.

Betty had been sure she was heartbroken when her parents informed her of Polly’s betrayal, and that she was forbidden from entering the castle henceforth. But this feeling was something entirely new, never before experienced by her tender, young heart. Betty pressed a hand to her chest, as if she could stop the organ falling out from beneath her breast as a deep-rooted pain sprung from within. She would never find a love like this again, not as long as she lived.

The princess felt the hot sting of tears readying for descent at the corners of her eyes. Before the flood could release she caught sight of her mother across the courtyard. The subtle, yet pointed, shake of the queen’s head made the moisture freeze, fingernails biting into her palms as she willed the emotions down and replaced the trembling in her lips with a bright smile as a lord asked for her hand in the next dance.

The engagement of Prince Archibald and Princess Veronica was announced soon after.

“He is. In fact, the wedding has already taken place.” Betty wished she could cry, but even if she wasn’t before her mother there were no tears left, the last of them still drying on the white lace of her pillow. She clenched her fists instead. “We didn’t think you’d want to attend, we told them you’d taken ill with a fever,” Alice informed her with a casual wave of her hand. Betty nodded, pressing her lips together tightly.

“We are talking of your new impending marriage; to the prince of the Serpent faction,” Alice said quickly, having the appropriate amount of guilt not to be able to meet her daughter’s wide eyes.

“The Serpents?! But, Mother, you can’t–” Betty began to protest, taking a hesitant step towards the plinth. Her father’s stern voice cut through her complaints.

“This is not a discussion, Elizabeth. I have spoken with King Forsythe and mutually decided that a match between you and his son would be most beneficial,” he told her, watching as her shock turned to anger.

“How can you say that?” Betty wept, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. The King sighed, leaning back in his throne as he steepled his fingers against the bridge of his nose, shutting out the sight of his distressed daughter. “The Serpents have the worst reputation amongst all the factions, everyone knows they’re dangerous.”

“Silly rumours. They have ample wealth and have offered to take you as their future queen for less than half of the dowry the Andrews required of us. Consider yourself lucky, Elizabeth,” her father reasoned.

“The only reason they have such wealth is because they pilfer and cheat and lie, and no one really knows how they do it!” she cried, an uncomfortable prickle crawling along the back of her neck as she felt her defence slipping. She was backed into a corner, especially after Polly, and there was no way to argue herself out.

“Enough, Elizabeth!” Alice’s sharp voice cut the air. “The deal has been done, arrangements made. We are to host the ball for the Summer Solstice this June, where you shall be introduced to your future husband. You will be demure, and charming, and the picture of grace when you do. You shall be accommodating and alluring while the prince continues his stay with us, and then you shall be thankful and gracious when you take your turn to stay at Castle Fosse.” Betty’s eyes, that had been downcast during her admonishment, snapped up at this revelation, the shattering crystal pleading. “Do you understand?”

“Mother, please,” she whispered, voice thick and quivering. She knew that sympathy was not one of Queen Alice’s well known traits, but she hoped beyond anything that after the train of events that had hit her and her family these past months that her mother could find it within herself to soften at the cries of her youngest daughter.

“Do you understand?” Alice repeated, using the tone she employed only when commanding her people. Betty shrunk back, ducking her head once more as she pulled in a sharp breath. She nodded, not trusting her voice beyond a high-pitched “yes”, before waiting for dismissal.

“You may go, Betty,” the softer voice of her father came. She didn’t look at either of them as she turned on her heel and fled from the chamber, hand clasped tightly over her mouth to muffle her sobs.

The King sighed as he watched the retreating figure of the daughter he was most fond of crumple beneath their demands.

“Don’t you think you were a little harsh with her, Alice?” he asked, tilting his head towards his wife. Alice shifted her steely gaze to him.

“None of this would be happening if you hadn’t invested all our assets into that pit of sinking land that has given us nothing but barren soil as a return, Hal. It wouldn’t have happened if you’d been able to keep hold of the Andrews match – seventeen years in the making, and gone in a matter of weeks!” Hal dropped his eyes from Alice’s face as it began to flush in distaste. He let out a humourless laugh that made Alice bristle.

“You talk as if part of that wasn’t due to you giving almost all of our savings – most of our dowry for Betty – away to that scoundrel in exchange for him to ‘run away’ with Polly,” Hal spat back at her, making little attempt to conceal the venom in his voice. Alice stared straight ahead at his accusations.

She wouldn’t deny what she had done, it was too late for that. What she wouldn’t divulge, however, were the motives behind her payment to Polly’s beloved.

“It is too late to speak of such matters,” Alice said evenly, rising elegantly from her seat. She caught sight of Betty’s handmaiden, Ethel, hurrying past the entranceway.

“Ethel!” she yelled, spooking the delicate girl with the residual heat in her tone.

“Your Majesty?” the girl curtseyed, hurrying to oblige.

“Tell Princess Elizabeth she has a fitting with Master Kevin for her Solstice gown this afternoon. And I want you in attendance at all times, even if she tries to dismiss you,” she added as an afterthought, sweeping past the maid and out of the hall.

***

Betty flung herself onto her bed, arms wrapping around her pillow as she buried her face and wept.

It was all so unfair. She couldn’t believe her parents would agree to a match as utterly horrific as the one they were proposing. Everybody across all five factions knew of the Serpents’ reputation. They were thieves, criminals, who took anything they wanted, whenever they wanted, no matter the consequences. If their lands weren’t so far south, where the winds began to change for the worst, many of the more northerly armies unaccustomed to such harsh winters, Betty was sure that the more diligent factions would have already sent troops to try and reprehend King Forsythe II and his band of crooks. Luckily, they also tended to keep to their lands and the surrounding areas, never caught in attendance at any of the festivities hosted on the Northside of the lands.

Until now, she thought bitterly.

The ball for the Summer Solstice had always been one of Betty’s favourite occasions. She loved the sweet summer fruit wines, in which she would always dip her slice of dense barmbrack before her mother noticed and chastised her for her table manners, the thick loaf soaking up the juices as the flavour burst along with the sultanas across her tongue. The gardens would be decorated with the most extensive collection of torches and candles, weaved throughout the rose bushes and oak trees. She enjoyed decorating the paper lanterns with the children of the village, and picking out opulent red and gold fabrics for the table runners. The scent of fully bloomed flowers always hung heavily in the air as the night wore on, guests merry and drunk on a mixture of alcohol and heat, dancing until the early morning rays shone over the turrets.

This year her festival was ruined. Of all the things that had been taken away from her, this was just another thing that Betty could add to the list. She wasn’t sure what she had done in a past life to be so utterly miserable now, but it must have been truly wicked.

A soft mewl had her pulling back from the downy bedding beneath her, sniffling inconsolably as she wiped her fingers under her eyes. Her soft, ginger cat – Caramel – had leapt onto her balcony, coming in from the bright afternoon light and peering around the wide open shutters in search of his owner.

“Oh, Caramel,” Betty crooned, patting the covers as a signal for the tabby to come to her. He did, slinking around her outstretched hand as she ran her fingers through his fur and scratched behind his ears, eliciting a contented purr. “You always know when to comfort me,” she murmured, allowing herself a small smile as the animal nestled closer to her.

A timid knock pulled her out of her stupor, Betty quickly standing up from her place atop the bedspread and straightening her skirts, clearing her throat quietly before she called out. “Come in!” The door creaked open to reveal Ethel, the dowdy, unsure girl already looking apologetic for the intrusion. “It’s alright, Ethel, you can come in,” Betty smiled in an attempt to ease the girl; she always made it her mission to make the staff feels as comfortable as possible during their time inside the cold castle walls. She knew how unsettling it could be in there.

“Pardon the intrusion, Your Highness,” Ethel began, clasping her hands tightly in front of her and averting her eyes. “Queen Alice said you were to attend a fitting with Master Kevin for your Solstice gown this afternoon.” Betty brightened at the information, always fond of the time she was allowed to spend with Kevin.

The castle tailor was the closest she had to a best friend, especially since Polly left. He was blunt, and a little bit crass, unafraid to speak his mind and forever getting into trouble for it. He had the ability to make her laugh and, most importantly, he always treated her as just another human, just Betty.

She straightened her shoulders, adjusting her features into a pretty smile despite her puffy eyes and dampened cheeks.

“Thank you,” Betty replied, laying an affectionate hand on the girl’s shoulder as she made to pass her by.

“Also, your mother insisted I stay in the room with you, even if you ask me to leave,” she told the princess, cheeks flushing. Betty sighed. She knew that if Kevin wasn’t the most coveted tailor in all the factions Alice would have dismissed him long ago. She was less than fond of the potential corruption his unrestrained topics of conversation could have on the young princess, and would do anything aside from physically being in the room to make sure she knew what was being discussed. Betty leant closer to Ethel, casting an exaggerated glance at the doorway to make sure no one was walking by.

“Tell you what, why don’t you take a much deserved break here in my chambers,” Betty began, hurrying to continue as Ethel started to protest. “No one comes in here during this time of day, and if they do you can hide behind that partition until they leave.”

“I can’t afford to get into trouble, Your Highness,” the maid worried, glancing nervously around the room.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Betty whispered with a mischievous grin. She pointed over to Caramel. “If anyone does find you, tell them you are looking after Caramel by specific instruction from the princess herself,” Betty told her in her grandest voice. Ethel giggled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “Alright?”

“Alright,” she conceded, walking over to pat the cat’s head gingerly.

***

“Princess Elizabeth, looking as divine as ever,” Kevin said, looking up from whatever garment he was working on as she entered. Betty threw him a wry smile, knowing her face must be blotchy and swollen from her earlier upset.

“And you’re just as charming, Kevin,” she replied, running her hand over the rolls of fabric propped against the far wall, fingers brushing over an array of lace, velvet, chiffon and satin.

“Why so glum, fair maiden?” Kevin asked, settling his hands firmly on top of his desk, appraising her with a tilted head.

Betty sighed, shaking her head as she filled him in on the day’s events. Somewhere during her tale, Kevin had manoeuvred Betty onto the pedestal in the centre of the room, twisting and lifting her limbs this way and that after he pulled the tape measure from around his neck, jotting down the readings in a tiny leather-bound notebook.

“My, what a life you lead. It’s simply riveting!” Kevin lamented, having the grace to pause in his task and offer the young girl an apologetic smile. Betty wrapped her arms around her waist, only to stretch them out again when Kevin tapped her forearm with a cluck of his tongue.

“Only to someone not living it,” Betty murmured, gaze drifting to the large, open window taking up most of one wall in Kevin’s workroom. He’d been lucky enough to receive the Blue Room upon his induction into the castle, the abundance of space and natural lighting being ideal for his work. From her spot on the pedestal Betty could see the rolling hills of the Cooper faction stretching out before her, leading down to the endless ocean that seemed to call her name with each crashing wave. A bird squawked as it soared about the castle, gliding gracefully into the distance clouds. Betty followed it with her eyes until it could be seen no more; the Cooper crest may have been a Swan, but she would never have the freedom of such birds. Standing on this raised plinth, forced to stay still under Kevin’s nimble fingers, while looking longingly towards a horizon she would never reach, Betty thought that this was a laughably accurate depiction of her life.

“…have you met him before?” Kevin’s voice drifted back into her ears.

“Hmm?” she asked, still dazed.

“Your new betrothed? Have you ever met?” he asked again, ushering her behind a partition to change into the half-finished garment he had already begun to make for the festival. She slipped off her skirts and slid into the material, a lightweight lavender satin, careful to avoid the pins that held the cream lace trim in place.

“No,” she replied, emerging and taking her place on the platform once more with the help of Kevin’s hand, lifting her hem. “And I would have been happy never to meet him as long as I should live,” she added sullenly, her lower lip protruding in what she knew was a childish pout. Kevin’s hearty laugh rung out across the room, only serving to deepen her frown.

“My sweet, young princess,” he cooed, one hand on his chin, the other resting on his elbow, as he appraised her dress. “How can you be so sure it is all as bad as it seems?” he asked, tucking some of the fabric in around her slight waist. Betty huffed, moving her arms out of the way.

“Because he’s a Serpent, Kevin,” she said as if it were obvious.

“And you’re a Swan,” he replied, still busying himself with adjustments. The statement took her aback, not sure what to say to that. At her stunned silence he continued. “I’m sure a boy straight from the snake’s pit is just as unhappy about being sent to marry a girl this far north. You’ll find that the two of you already have a lot in common,” he reasoned, coming back round to stand in front of her. Betty opened and closed her mouth, remaining wordless for a moment.

“It… It’s not the same for him,” she whined, looking at her feet, scuffing her perfectly painted toenails against the wood beneath her. She hadn’t yet stopped to take a moment and consider what it must be like for Prince Forsythe. Still, she was not the one coming from an utterly corrupt faction, was she?

“Maybe. You’ll have to ask him when he arrives,” Kevin suggested with a knowing smile. Betty blushed beneath his gaze. She was being presumptuous and judgemental, but everything felt so unfair she still couldn’t quite bring herself to be apologetic yet.

Kevin sighed and shook his head, regarding the dress one more time.

“Something is just not quite right,” he lamented, coming forward to tug at the modest neckline, where it crossed tightly over Betty’s bust. She looked down at the garment, deciding it was very ‘her’. She shrugged lightly.

“I think it’s fine,” she told him, not nearly as excited by the prospect of dressing up for Summer Solstice, not now she was apparently engaged to a stranger and Archie was already married to his new love.

“Rip my heart out why don’t you, Betty,” Kevin said in mock offense, clutching at his chest. “Fine will not do, it will not do at all. Not when you’re meeting your future husband. It should be spectacular, attention grabbing. It should be… lower,” he finished coyly, tucking more of the fabric away. Betty looked up at him with wide eyes, certain that her mother would most definitely disapprove of his decision.

[vmheadquarters]

We’re going to play a game of written hot potato! Dozens of your favorite authors will take turns telling this story. Each writer will craft a chapter (with no prior planning) and then “toss” the story to the next person to continue the tale. No one knows what will happen, so expect the unexpected! Follow the “vmhq presents” and “murder we wrote” tags for all the installments, or read the story as it develops on AO3. — Chapter Eight of MURDER, WE WROTE is written by @cubbiegirl​  And stayed tuned next week for Ch.9 from @vmsteenbeans​  -tag, you’re it!

——————————————————————————————————— CHAPTER EIGHT by @cubbiegirl​ 

“Listen, I know we’re looking for clues or whatever,” Wallace cautioned as he and Casey let themselves into Veronica’s bedroom. “But she’s my best friend, like my sister. So some things are off-limits.”

Casey held his hands up, palms out. “I get it. There are things I don’t want to know, either, man.”

Satisfied that Casey understood the boundaries, Wallace glanced around the room. For all that living in a mansion sounded cool, he wouldn’t want this particular one. The room felt...weird. Not like a place he could actually live. Dimly lit, with dark wood trim and heavy furniture, everything looked too expensive to actually be comfortable.

Veronica’s duffle sat in the middle of the large queen bed, still zipped. Casey stared at it, then Wallace.

“Let’s look around first, then check that out if we have to.” He answered Casey’s unspoken question, shuddering at the thought of pawing through Veronica’s underwear.

Casey shrugged and moved to the fireplace mantle, running a finger through the dust there. “Weird that this giant house doesn’t have a staff.”

“It’s weird to me that any houses do.” Wallace shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to feel uncomfortable. He had forgotten how disconnected ‘09ers were from reality.

“So, Walter—”

“Wallace,” he corrected, shooting Casey a dirty look.

“Right, right. We ran track together?”

“Played basketball.”

So much for the bond between teammates.

“Sorry.” Casey shrugged, unapologetic. “High school seems like forever ago.”  

“‘Murder at the High School Reunion’ isn’t jogging your memories?”

“How’d you get invited to this, anyway?” Casey avoided the question, eyes narrowing. “No offense, but it’s not really your crowd.”

Wallace wasn’t sure himself, but there was no way he’d admit that. “Token black guy in the horror movie, remember?”

Determined to change the subject, he shifted his weight from side to side, formulating a plan.

What would Veronica do?

“Okay. Veronica was on the balcony, so let’s start out there.”

Casey raised his eyebrows but didn’t argue. “What kind of ‘clues’ are we looking for?”

Ignoring Casey’s sarcastic finger quotes, Wallace opened the door to the balcony. He inspected the handle and the latch. No scratches. “Anything weird or out of place.”

“This whole weekend is weird,” Casey muttered, shoulders hunched against the cold wind and swirling snow.

That’s an understatement.

The light from Veronica’s room spilled out into the small space, illuminating it. But the snow had continued to fall, obscuring any tracks left earlier. He scanned the railing, the outside of the door, and the outer wall. His balcony was visible from hers, but the distance was too great to jump.

He gazed up. “Could someone have jumped down from an upper balcony?”

Casey followed his gaze, looking up into the falling snow. He shook his head. “I don’t see how you could get the angle right. Whoever it was would have needed to land behind Veronica, so I don’t think so.”

“No marks from a Batman grappling hook. And Spider-Man wouldn’t leave tracks.”

Casey rolled his eyes. “Can we go back inside already? It’s freezing.”

Wallace gestured grandly at the open glass doors and Casey hurried through.

“Uh, check under the bed, I guess, and in the closet,” he instructed, stopping to look at the books on the bookshelf.

They were mostly the expected gothic novels, fitting the style of the mansion—Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights type of stuff. Bleak House, indeed. At least Veronica would appreciate the Complete Works of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets didn’t really fit the theme. Wallace grabbed the spine to inspect the book and, soundlessly, a narrow door slid open on the right side of the fireplace.

He placed the book back. The door closed, wooden panel blending seamlessly with its surroundings once again. Casey’s head was still in the closet.

“Casey,” he whispered. “Check it out.”

He opened the hidden door again, then met Casey’s eyes. The blasé look was finally wiped off his face.

“Dude, is that a secret door?” He scrambled to look, peeking his head into the dim space.

“Is it a closet? Or…?” Wallace trailed off, his mind racing.

“Do you have a flashlight? There’s no light switch or pull cord.”

“Veronica had two earlier. I know she stashed one in her purse, but maybe…”

Leaving The Chamber of Secrets pulled out on the shelf, he moved to the bed, patting her duffle bag. It felt promising.

Unzipping the bag—decidedly not looking at Veronica’s unmentionables—he found a small black Maglite resting on top of a pair of pajama pants.

“Score.”

“Only Veronica would think to pack extra flashlights,” Casey quipped as Wallace flicked it on.

“Good thing, too.”

He shone the light into the doorway, revealing not a closet, but a narrow hallway lined with stone and rough-hewn beams.

“A secret passage,” Casey whispered, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Now we know how someone got the drop on V.”

“Should we go tell someone else? Or…?

They shared a look, Casey’s unspoken question hanging in the air. The thrill of excitement tingled along Wallace’s skin.

“We’re totally checking that out. It’s too cool not to. But we’re gonna be smart about it.”

He surveyed the room, making a quick evaluation.

“Um, grab that chair and we’ll use it to prop the door open. Are there any candles or anything?”

While Casey grabbed the wooden chair from the desk set, Wallace rifled through the dresser drawers. They were empty.

“Jackpot.” Casey held up a flashlight from an open desk drawer.

“Great. Is there a pen?”

Casey tossed him a ballpoint from the desk and he ripped the cover page out of The Chamber of Secrets.

“Sorry, J.K. Rowling,” he muttered, scribbling a note to Veronica just in case. He left it on the bed next to her duffle, then led the way down the narrow hallway. Casey followed.

The small passage turned and connected with a main corridor. Shining his flashlight at chest level, Wallace could see handmade labels for each offshoot.

“Wallace. Logan. Dick. Carrie. Susan,” he read as he moved along the space. “Our room assignments. So whoever set this up can keep track of us.”

“Super creepy.”

Wallace met Casey’s wide eyes, glinting in the dim light. He wasn’t wrong.

“Wanna keep going?”

“Hell yeah.”

They followed the wooden tunnel, finding labels for all the Neptune guests, until they came to a twisting spiral staircase.

“Go down or continue on this level?” Wallace asked, pointing his flashlight in both directions.

“Down is probably the main floor. Up would just be more bedrooms, maybe an attic, eventually? Let’s finish the second floor, see what’s here.”

Casey’s plan sounded fine to him. A systematic exploration made sense. Maybe he should have been taking notes or drawing a diagram or—

As he took another step forward, the floorboards shifted beneath his feet, giving out a loud groan. He froze.

“Uh, Casey? I’m not sure this tunnel is stable.”

“Maybe it’s just the house settling. The wind and snow and all that stuff.” Casey’s voice was confident behind him, but he wasn’t in the lead.

Wallace shifted forward, shuffling his feet. The floor bowed under his weight and he halted again.

“I don’t know, man. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay. Stick closer to the wall.”

“Or you could just turn around,” Wallace hissed. He’d like to avoid being murdered this weekend but dying in a collapsed secret passage was also not on his to do list. He shined his flashlight on the floor, illuminating a stretch of dark, rotten wood in the middle of the path.

“Just step carefully. I wanna see where it goes.”

Wallace spun to face him, gesturing with his flashlight. “You’re more than welcome to go first, then, but I don’t think—”  

“Fine by me.”

Casey’s arrogant tone set his teeth on edge as they tried to switch places in the cramped space. The wooden planks protested again.  

“No, that’s not—”  

Wallace stopped speaking as the rotten floorboards gave way beneath them. He jumped to the side, flattening himself against the wall and narrowly avoiding falling through.

The sound of breaking glass was deafening as the chandelier crashed to the ground in the great room below them, visible through the gaping hole in the floor.

[viralhottopics]

‘Ghost in the Shell’ viral campaign goes horribly wrong

All the angst against Scarlett Johansson's casting is bubbling up in meme form.

Image: REX/Shutterstock

The Major may be a cutting-edge cyborg capable of taking down even the most dangerous criminals, but even she’s no match for the withering disdain of the internet.

Ever since Paramount shared the first image of Scarlett Johansson as the Major in Ghost in the Shell, the film’s been under fire for its decision to whitewash the lead role, who is Japanese in the source material. So when the studio launched a viral campaign encouraging people to upload their own images and captions into a meme generator, some fed-up fans seized the opportunity to make their displeasure known.

SEE ALSO: Steve Aoki’s ‘Ghost In The Shell’ remix is getting ripped apart by fans

Honestly, it’s surprising Paramount didn’t see this coming. These crowdsourcing campaigns rarely go well Exhibit A: Boaty McBoatface and that goes double when a pre-existing controversy is involved.

Twitter user Valerie Complex got the ball rolling with some pointed commentary about the casting of Johansson over other, more appropriate choices like Rinko Kikuchi (the internet’s fan-cast of choice for the role).

The Ghost in the Shell Website https://t.co/eqy8CpndC6 has a meme maker of sorts where anyone could “become Major” so I had some fun…. http://pic.twitter.com/EadKs04H9a

VzA (@ValerieComplex) March 11, 2017

Others quickly joined in under the hashtag #IAmMajor.

I Am White. I Am Appropriated. #IAmMajor https://t.co/SrLHTgQgsT http://pic.twitter.com/KVzk4XAHqk

Pink Veronica (@riotgrrlriot) March 13, 2017

@ValerieComplex @weimingkam @KellyKanayama @JennLi123 http://pic.twitter.com/F4ExXetFuo

David Lo Pun-ch Nazi (@helpmeskeletor) March 12, 2017

Speaking to Mashable, Complex explained why the Ghost in the Shell viral campaign rubbed her the wrong way and why she decided to do something about it.

I didn’t create the hashtag #iammajor, but I certainly hijacked it. I am not sure what type of response they were expecting with this meme generator, but I took it as an insult. So anyone can become The Major now? Is that some type of justification for the whitewashing they’ve done? I cannot speak for Asian women and I am not trying to speak for them, but it’s clear how they feel about this. So I did what I did to stand in solidarity with them, and to send a message to Hollywood that we aren’t going to sit idly by while they co-opt and transform stories seemingly meant for other demographics of viewers.

Of course, Ghost in the Shell isn’t the only recent picture to co-opt Asian culture while downplaying or erasing Asian characters. People also used the meme generator to blast other examples of whitewashing, cultural appropriation and white saviors in Hollywood.

Marvel’s Iron Fist, which has been slammed for (among other things) its queasy racial dynamics, was a target for the internet’s scorn. As was Marvel’s Doctor Strange, which famously cast Tilda Swinton as a character who is Asian in the comics.

@ValerieComplex @JennLi123 http://pic.twitter.com/fGLySmZv8z

David Lo Pun-ch Nazi (@helpmeskeletor) March 11, 2017

Tilda Edition #IAmMajor https://t.co/Cyu5IjlDbJ @helpmeskeletor @KellyKanayama

Wei Ming Kam (@weimingkam) March 12, 2017

And let’s not forget the time Emma Stone played a part-Asian character in Cameron Crowe’s Aloha.

@helpmeskeletor @weimingkam @KellyKanayama @JennLi123 http://pic.twitter.com/d4yCHK6YOr

VzA (@ValerieComplex) March 12, 2017

There’s a lot more sass where that came from. The fact that Hollywood somehow still can’t wrap their heads around this issue is tragic.

Ghost in the Shell is in theaters March 31.

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from ‘Ghost in the Shell’ viral campaign goes horribly wrong