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next-autopsy · 5 months

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A/N: Well, hi there! Another chapter, read away and lmk what y’all think!

Based on the actors portrayal/hbo show and written with no disrespect to the real life veterans. Also all images found on Pinterest.

TW: none I think

Tags: @malarkgirlypop, @panzershrike-pretz

Made of Glass

Chapter twenty six: Half an explanation

“Here.” Connie held her hand out, beads dangling from her palm. Birdie took them gratefully, thanking her friend for the rosary as she sat down on the pew the young blonde was perched on.

Birdie wanted to explain why she was late but the silence in the makeshift chapel was broken by the preacher beginning his sermon, So, Birdie stayed quiet. She listened to his words, letting each one soak into her mind while she fiddled with the borrowed prayer tool.

Bernadette enjoyed being in the chapel, even after the service, it was quiet; a nice place to reflect. The comforting feeling engulfed her, that place was sacred and Birdie always felt welcomed, even on her first visit. It was familiar and soothing.

Connie sat with her, mutely as the two women prayed. Both quietly counted their mumbled worship on the string of beads in their hands.

Guarnere and Muck made their way over to the ladies while everyone else filed out of the building. The two men shuffled into the pew occupied by the women and sat, the presence of her friend next to her broke Birdie from her thoughts.

“You got a lot of explaining to do, missy.” Bill leaned over to whisper to her, even though no one bar the four friends were left in the chapel. She inhaled to begin her explanation but Bill held up a hand to stop her, “You owe it to Toye too.” She shut her mouth.

Bernadette was not looking forward to sitting down with Guarnere and Toye and who knows who else and describing last night's events. She would definitely have to leave some stuff out.

—------------------------

“Jesus. You’re alive.” A sarcastic comment from Toye broke the weird silence as Birdie, Muck and Guarnere walked into the barracks.

“You thought I wasn't?” She was confused, why did he sound so angry at her?

Next to Toye she took note of several other men who all looked upset with her. Great, this was going to be one of those talks. Luz was fidgeting with the edges of his lighter, Muck sat down by Malarkey and Penkala on a random bed they claimed. Bull and Lipton were standing in the corner by Johnny who glared and huffed in her direction.

“You disappeared last night.” Don observed, he had an unspoken rule with the woman to find him before she left any bar or party they attended together and let him know where she was off to, which she typically stuck to but for some reason, didn't last night. He had taken it personally when she avoided him and worried an awful lot once he realized she had taken off without telling him.

“And you didn’t exactly give any of us a heads up.” Alex added. He had not worried as much as the others, knowing she could handle herself well enough and she wouldn’t make dangerous choices, but he still liked to be involved.

“When we got back to the barracks… Looking for you…. You weren’t even here.” It circled back to Toye, he was fuming, jaw clenched. He was definitely the most bitter about her disappearance.

“Well, I- '' Birdie attempted to get a word in but was very quickly cut off by her best friend.

“Do you know how freaked out I was?” Toye stood from his spot in the room and stepped towards her. Bernadette’s full focus was on him, she hadn’t realized he would get this upset about her going off to dance with Liebgott or she would have said something or just not gone at all.

“But-” The woman tried to speak again but was cut off once more.

“Where were you by the way?” Martin spoke up from his corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest and signature glare aimed at her. She wanted to shrink back or leave the room but she knew she owed them something. These men were her closest friends and she had caused them an awful lot of worry with her reckless departing.

“It’s-” For a third time Birdie started to answer and was interrupted, it was starting to get on her nerves.

“Oh and did you think we wouldn’t notice a certain someone was missing too?” The venom in Martin’s voice was unmistakable, he paced near her, stopping only two feet away from the lady. His next words not only shocked her but most of the room occupants, “Please tell me you didn't spend the night with him. Come on, you're smarter than that, Birdie.” That was the last straw, she wasn't willing to stand there and let him speak to her like that, not allowing her to say more than a word and assuming the worst.

“Would you shut up for a second?” It wasn’t a true shout but her voice did rise, “Firsty, I told Frankie that I was leaving and with who and secondly I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions, even ones you don’t agree with and I do not need to explain myself.”

“Okay why don’t we just cool it a little.” Lipton stepped between them, a gentle hand on both Birdie's forearm and Martin’s, “All we are trying to say is that we care about you. We were worried, that’s all.”

“So, you wanna tell us where you went?” Bull asked, the men stayed quiet awaiting her answer. Birdie huffed, rolling her eyes. She knew the real answer wouldnt land well so she padded the answer a little, leaving out key details.

“To Richard’s place.” It was the safest thing to start with. Dick was respectable and was a perfect chaperone so she wouldn't have to convince her friends she hadn't snuck off to sleep with someone.

“‘Richard? You mean Lieutenant Winters?” Don’s eyebrows rose, in the running bet of Birdie and Lieb; will they wouldn't they, Malarkey had his money on Winters. He didn't think Lieb would be nice enough to the woman and she’d ended up falling for a complete gentleman like their lieutenant. It wasn't the popular choice but that just meant more money for him when he won.

“Yeah.” She confirmed.

“Do tell.” Skip prompted, eyebrows wiggling.

“We left a pub and found Nixon stumbling around, too drunk to tell us where he lived. Then I remembered the family Dick is bilited with are off seeing relatives for the week so we took him there, and Dick made us stay the night cause…” Birdie trailed off, remembered the reason, not super keen to share as that would only lead to more questions, though it was a bit late now.

“Cause…?” Alex cued, he was invested as was Malarkey, Skip, Guarnere and Luz, all leaning forward to hear Bernadette speaking. The others, Toye, Martin, Bull and Lipton stood further back, mostly because Toye and Martin were all but growling and Bull and Lipton were trying to calm the wound up men. Birdie knew she would have to talk with Toye privately, smooth things over and explain herself properly without an audience, they both just needed time to breathe.

“Cause it was late.” She wanted to leave it there, not have to explain further but she knew her friends.

“How late?” George smirked, he knew what he was doing and Birdie gave him a look to say she knew what he was doing too.

“Like … I don't know… four something.” The southern woman mumbled, keeping her voice low in hopes that they didn’t hear even though she knew it wouldn’t work that way. Birdie didn’t miss the looks sent around the room, if the floor opened up and swallowed her right now, she would be grateful.

“My my, and what were you doing out so late, young lady.” Luz’s shit eating grin spanned ear to ear.

“Shut up, George.” Birdie got up to leave, trying her hardest to avoid the inevitable. She just knew George would weasel the information out of her and twist it into something it wasn’t.

“Oh! So it’s private, huh?” George followed her out the door, leaving their friends behind. Birdie headed toward the mess hall, determined to get her hands on a cup of coffee and maybe some peace from the chatty man, “So, what did you two get up to?”

“Oh Jesus! Dancin’, you happy? We danced.” The woman realised her friend would not drop the topic unless she gave him a few more details, so she went with the bare minimum. She wouldn’t tell him how they sat and talked for hours or about their nicknames for each other, how her heart fluttered when he called her doll, how she shared things with Joey that she hadn’t shared with most people.

And she definitely wouldn't tell Luz about the moment they shared, standing in the road under the stars, leaning towards one another. The moment that was interrupted but if they were given a few extra seconds alone, that moment would have been the beginning of something more. No, she would keep that for herself.

“Ohhhh… So it was a date?” His smug tone was giving her a headache.

“No!” Bernadette called out, louder than she was planning to. Her footsteps halted and she looked over at George before continuing both her words and walking, “No. It wasn't a date. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So the two of you went off by yourselves to dance the night away and you don't think that was a date? Let me ask you something?.... Did you have anything to drink?”

“Yeah.” Of course they had, they were in a pub.

“Did he order it?” Luz’s smirk was becoming irritating and he had the ‘I told you so’ tone., Birdie was not enjoying this.

“Yeah…” She had a yucky feeling she was about to be proven wrong. But the previous night couldn’t have been a date. Joe hadn’t asked her out… well not specifically, not on a date. And if he had she wasn’t sure she would’ve gone with him. Fraternising was against the rules after all.

“Did you offer to pay for it?” George questioned, he already knew the answer. Bernadette always offered to pay, even though none of the guys took her up on the offer.

“Yeah.” She knew where this was going now. Opening doors for women and paying for their drinks was typical date behavior. The chivalrous acts showed romantic intention and was expected when courting someone you were trying to impress. But it wasn’t a fair argument from Birdie’s perspective, all the easy company guys bought her drinks and took offence when she offered or snuck off to pay before they could stop her.

“Did he let you?” He didn't have to say that but he really wanted to spell it out for Birdie, rub it in, prove his point.

Silence. Absolute silence while Birdie frowned and George grinned, holding back his laughs. He knew she wasn't telling him everything, he just knew Birdie had feelings for the man and now he could bring it up every chance he got and embarrass her. The perfect form of entertainment.

“It was not a date.” She growled out, stomping into the mess hall they had now reached, leaving George to chuckle at her reaction.

A/N: ooooo Birdie is in the doghouse! Lmk what y’all think of this chapter, love ya x

~ Nex ~

Chapter twenty seven

#band of brothers #easy company #hbo war #made of glass #made of glass chapter twenty six #next autopsy

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redux-iterum · 1 year

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Burning Hearts: Chapter Twenty-Six

(AO3 counterpart here.)

A couple nights after the poisoned rat, Fireheart was on his way back to camp from the dirt-place when a quiet clearing of the throat made him pause. To his right, Bluestar watched him with her cool yellow eyes.

“Good evening,” Fireheart said, and set down the foot he had lifted to take another step.

“Hold on.”

For a moment, Fireheart expected her to give him a scolding, and he tried to remember if he did anything to warrant one. Instead, she glanced at the tunnel leading into camp before cocking her head away from it.

“Come walk with me,” she said. Without giving Fireheart time to respond, she turned and set off at a regal pace into the woods.

Fireheart hesitated for just a heartbeat before following her, now definitely sure he was going to be scolded.

But Bluestar didn’t say anything; in fact, she slowed down enough to let him catch up with her, and the pair walked side-by-side in silence for a long time. The tension built up in Fireheart’s spine, but he waited for Bluestar to speak first.

Once they were within hearing range of the river, she did.

“Why is it,” she said, slow and calm, “that I keep smelling Greystripe on the border of RiverClan territory?”

Fireheart opened his mouth, but not a sound escaped him.

“And they haven’t been around recently…” she continued. “But I scented the same RiverClan cat there, too. Over and over.”

Bluestar watched him, unreadably neutral, as he tried to force any explanation out that wouldn’t implicate Greystripe.

He had nothing. He closed his mouth again.

His eyes must have said it, because Bluestar nodded, still slow, with a distant dimness in her own eyes.

“Who is it?” she asked quietly.

Fireheart lowered his gaze to the ground, almost as guilty as Greystripe would’ve been feeling. “Silverstream.”

“Crookedstar’s daughter.”

“Yes.”

Bluestar let out a muted hum, and Fireheart peeked up at her. To his surprise, she almost looked amused, in a very pained sort of way.

“Figures,” she muttered. “Did she break things off?”

“They both did,” Fireheart said. “…Too late.”

“She’s pregnant, then?”

“Yes.”

Fireheart expected some rebuking, or anger, or even just sternness. What he got instead was that pain swallowing up the amusement and sagging her greying face down. She gazed out in the direction of Sunningrocks, looking like she was the only cat in the forest, alone with her thoughts.

“Always that family,” she said at last, still nearly under her breath. “We don’t learn.”

Fidgeting nervously, Fireheart meekly asked, “Are you angry with Greystripe?”

Bluestar sighed. “I should be, but I’m not. I’ve seen him when he thinks he’s alone. I know what he’s going through right now.” She paused, a visible knot in her throat. “Better than anyone else.”

Fireheart stopped fidgeting, his nervousness easing up in the name of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes were still unfocused, her face still turned to the river, whose rumble was the only sound in the woods for a stretched-out moment.

Finally, she said, “Did Silverstream tell Greystripe about her uncle?”

“I…” Fireheart blinked. “I have no idea. He said she told him about something similar to their… thing… happening in RiverClan, but…”

“Then she did,” Bluestar said. “In a way.”

Fireheart squinted just a bit. “What does…?”

“His name is Oakclaw.” She turned her head to him now. “And he was my mate.”

Silence as Fireheart wrapped his mind around that. He stared at his old mentor, unable to find the words for a proper response.

“We saw each other in the exact same place I smelled Greystripe most strongly,” Bluestar said. “And we ended it when I got pregnant.” She sighed through her nose. “Our Clans found out about it. We were punished. RiverClan won’t let him forget, and ThunderClan hides it in shame.”

Fireheart’s ears went back a bit. “Then… no wonder I never heard about it.” A question hit him and he asked it before he could stop himself. “Where are your kits, then? With him in RiverClan?”

Bluestar flicked her tail in the direction of the river. “Buried in Sunningrocks.”

“…Oh.”

“They—” Bluestar’s voice caught. She forced out her words. “They didn’t live for very long. I thought it’d be a way for Oakclaw to have some connection to them. He never got to see them.”

The misery dragging its claws over Bluestar’s entire body was agony to see on his elegant leader. Fireheart tried desperately to think of something to say to comfort her, to offer any shred of relief. He couldn’t think of anything. Instead, he stepped closer to her and leaned against her side, watching her face in distress. The faintest tremor went through her body.

It was her who spoke next, after taking a long, long moment to collect herself and steady her voice again. “They’ve agreed to not see each other again?”

“Greystripe has, at least,” Fireheart said. “I’m pretty sure Silverstream will say so too, when she has the kittens.” He hesitated before adding, “Are you going to tell the Clan?”

To his relief, she shook her head. “Only if I have to.” She raised her head again and gave Fireheart a stern look, more like herself. “And he better make sure I don’t have to.”

Fireheart gave her a reassuring blink. “He will.”

“Good.” Bluestar curtly nodded and gestured vaguely with her tail. “You can go home, Fireheart. That’s all I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh,” Fireheart said. “Okay. Um– are you going to be alright?”

The cool, pale eyes turned warm. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Well, I’m gunna.” Fireheart stood straight. “That’s what I do, care and worry.”

“That is what you do,” Bluestar purred with creased eyes. “I’m just going to take a walk—and talk to Greystripe, if he’s out here. Go ahead and get back to camp. There should be a mole on the prey-pile for you.”

Fireheart knew a politely-worded order when he heard one. He dipped his head to her and turned around, trotting all the way back to camp, his mind buzzing with questions and concerns.

---

When the next Gathering came a few nights later, Greystripe jumped at the opportunity to go. Bluestar didn’t ask questions, just accepted his request and took him with her and the rest of the party. Whether or not they had talked, Fireheart didn’t know. He didn’t think it was his place to ask.

Ravenwing had gone out hunting with Whitecloud, leaving Fireheart to sit in camp alone with his thoughts. When Frostfur came out of the nursery, he quickly trotted over to her.

“How is everything in there?” he asked, trying to sound casual while keeping his voice down in case Brindleface could hear him. “Are your kits being troublemakers?”

Frostfur gave him an amused look. “Goldenflower and Cloudkit are fine, Fireheart. You don’t have to keep making conversation with me to ask about them.”

Fireheart deflated a little, looking up at her sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Frostfur waved a paw dismissively. “Relax. Trust me, if something comes up, you’ll be the first to know. They’ve both just been sleeping, when Goldenflower isn’t keeping Brindleface company.”

“She’s still nervous?”

“She’s been steadying out, but I don’t think she was made for sitting in one place for so long with nothing but her thoughts.” Frostfur huffed a sigh. “The moment she can leave those kits for some time, I’m bringing her out for a walk to clear her head a little.”

Fireheart tilted his head. “Wouldn’t that make her more nervous to be away from them?”

Frostfur rolled a shoulder. “I’d say being trapped in a den is worse for her right now. It doesn’t help that it’s crowded in there—”

As if on cue, high-pitched meows and chirps, muffled, drifted out of the entrance behind Frostfur. She sighed again and moved out of the way just in time for her litter to come clambering out into the open, all tottering like they’d just woken up.

“Maybe they’re tired enough to behave,” Fireheart joked, and Frostfur snorted.

Snowkit was the first to have his big blue eyes brighten up some. He picked up his pace into a steady trot, wandering around the edges of camp and sniffing. Fireheart marveled at how he still wasn’t making a single sound, not even stepping on stray leaves or kicking any sand up. Then again, he didn’t appear to notice Mousefur greet him and nearly bumped into Cinderpaw when his nose was to the ground.

Fireheart turned his head to Frostfur again, just about to speak when his stomach growled. He didn’t get a chance to apologize before she nodded to the prey-pile and said, “You’re good. Go get breakfast.”

“Will do,” he said. “Do you want anything?”

“Oh, I can get it myself in a bit.” Frostfur’s eyes creased. “But thanks.”

Fireheart dipped his head to her before turning and making his way to the prey-pile. As Bluestar had said, there was a mole tucked under a dove’s wing, blessedly round and fresh. Fireheart nabbed it and sat down close by, his food between his front paws, as he watched the kits slowly rouse and look around camp, calculating where they could cause the most trouble. As Brightkit and Brackenkit waddled off to the elders’ den, Thornkit went after Snowkit, trying to order him to come with him and being completely ignored.

Much as he wanted to be cheered by the kits’ escalating nonsense, Fireheart’s chest was heavy and stiff. All he could think of was Bluestar’s kits—what they had looked like, if they had gotten to leave the nursery at all before they died…

Would Silverstream’s kits get to see the moonlight? Would Rosy’s play in the sun before they were taken away? Was it worse to never know what happened to one’s kits, or to have them die young where one could see them?

Fireheart’s stomach knotted up and his claws inched out, lightly carving the sand beneath them into little lines. His eyes unconsciously squinted as his mind continued cruelly plucking away at itself.

If anything happened to Cloudkit, even if he made it to apprenticeship… what if he never got his warrior name? What if Fireheart had to go to Rosy and tell her he had failed to keep her son safe, that he had lost his life because the wild was just that unfair? What if—

“Crow-eyes are upon you.”

The rough rasp, so close in Fireheart’s ear, made him nearly jump out of his skin. He turned his head with a choke of shock, only to immediately settle into mild irritation at the satisfied look on Yellowfang’s face.

“You up to trouble, boy?” She thumped her ratty haunches down beside him, one torn ear flicking. “Don’t lie, now.”

Fireheart blinked. “N-no. Just… I was just thinking about stuff. Why would I be up to trouble?”

Yellowfang lifted her muzzle, pointing upward as well as she could with her smushed nose. Fireheart followed her line of sight; a large black crow had landed in the branches of the tree whose roots guarded the nursery. It was peering back down at Fireheart with what seemed to be great interest in its pitch-black eyes, cocking its head like it was studying him.

“Thlainra watches you,” Yellowfang said. “And quite carefully.”

“Who’s Thlai’ra?” Thornkit paused in following Snowkit to frown at the seer.

“Don’t spook him,” Fireheart immediately warned Yellowfang.

She snorted and grinned her frog-like grin at Thornkit. “Take a peek at that crow up there, child. You see its eyes, black as its feathers? Those eyes belong to the Crowmother.”

Unsteady shifting of sand told Fireheart that the other kits had come up to listen, and sure enough, Brackenkit and Brightkit appeared out of the corner of his eye, staring at Yellowfang but keeping their distance.

“Haven’t been told yet, I wager, that crows are not to be eaten,” Yellowfang said, and the kits shook their heads. “Well, that is because they are the eyes and ears of she who serves the Tiger—black as they are, eyes darker, fur stiff like their feathers.” Her voice went gravelly again, as it always did when she told stories, but Fireheart was surprised to see awe on her face as she spoke. “The wisest of all, that speaks through the tongues of her children—she sees all the crows see, hears all they hear, and judges those the crows watch. She sees when trouble is to rise, and she sees who will cause it.” She looked up at the crow again, the kits turning their heads with her. “That bird there, it and its mother understand that which we never could, and through that understanding, it and all of its kind cast judgment that cannot be rejected.”

Brightkit and Thornkit looked a little lost as they scrutinized the crow, but Brackenkit’s eyes were wide with amazement when he looked back at Yellowfang. He said eagerly, “Can that crow talk too? Not just ‘cause of Thlainra?”

“If it has reason to.” Yellowfang nodded sagely. “But they are quite like cats, you know: inclined to do as they please with no care for what other animals desire.”

“Wooow.” Brackenkit’s eyes sparkled. “So– so what does Thlainra do if you’re doing bad stuff?”

“Ah, that.” Yellowfang grinned again and stretched her neck to bring her head closer to the little tom. “Her crows pluck your eyes out, child.”

Brightkit squealed in disgust and Thornkit whipped his head around to glare at Yellowfang, fur puffing up in alarm.

Brackenkit wilted a little, but he bravely kept up his volume. “Well, I’m not doing anything bad, so I’m okay, right?”

“For now,” Yellowfang croaked. “Just catch not her attention.”

Across camp, Frostfur rolled her eyes. “Kits, she’s joking. Thlainra only hurts evil cats.”

“Sinners of any kind will do to feed her flock.” Yellowfang squinted an eye at the much bigger molly. “For eyes are tasty, and a crow is always hungry.”

“Yellowfang, please,” Fireheart said, with more exasperation than he actually felt. “Did you tell kits in ShadowClan this stuff, too?”

“I did.” Yellowfang smirked at him. “And they loved it.”

“You marsh cats would.” Frostfur reached out a paw to gather in Thornkit and Brightkit as they ran to her. “I’ve heard about how much you worship her and her crows.”

Yellowfang gave one firm, curt nod. “One would have to have a death wish to ignore her wisdom and justice.”

“Well, look at that,” Fireheart remarked dryly. “You actually respect someone’s authority.”

Yellowfang cuffed his ear with a snort. It didn’t hurt. Fireheart stuck his tongue out at her before looking down at his mole. His stomach was loose and hungry now, thank the stars. He ate silently, listening with amusement as Brackenkit scooted forward and started pelting Yellowfang with questions about crows and Thlainra, all that she surprisingly was happy to answer.

#warrior cats #redux iterum #iterum #chapter #chapter twenty six #book two #arc one #burning hearts

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monako-jinn-stories · 1 year

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Crosshair X Fem!Reader FanFic

It Started with a Vacation

Main Master List

Story Master List

Chapter Thirty One (PG)

Chapter Thirty One (18+)

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Two

The halls are quiet as you walk through them in the early morning. Bright, warm beams of light from the sun filter in through uncovered windows. You suppress a yawn as your feet try to drag, but you snap yourself out of it as soon as it happens. You just have to make it to your bedroom before you can collapse. It’s not much further…

As soon as your head meets your pillow, you’re out like a rock. Hours later, when Codo and Cyar’ika are at your side, trying to wake you, you still don’t move. They exchange confused looks before shrugging and heading outside to play in the courtyard.

You finally wake up when Tayah wanders in, and she looks down shyly when she notices you’ve woken up. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she says quietly, “but I was hoping for some help.”

You glance over to the chronometer on your nightstand before your eyes go wide and you push yourself up. “Don’t apologize, Tayah,” you say, “it’s about time I got up anyway.”

“Your clothes are dirty,” she comments, furrowing her brows as she looks at the stains on your pants. “You got it on your bed.”

You look down at your sheets before smiling and giving her a pat on her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve had to sleep on an actual battlefield before,” you assure her. “I’ll wash them later. What do you need help with?”

“My garden,” she sighs, swinging her arms at her sides. “It’s starting to die again.”

You examine her for a moment before standing and resting a hand on her shoulder to guide her along with you. You don’t care to change clothes just yet, instead deciding to take her right outside. Plus, if you’re going to be in the garden, you’ll likely get dirty again.

As you walk, you feel some conflict coming from Tayah’s mind, and you try to figure it out before deciding to just ask her about it. “There’s something on your mind,” you comment, and she pauses for a second before nodding. “Tell me.”

“Well…” she starts, playing with the ends of her lekku, “it’s Ringo.”

“Ringo?” you question, stopping to look at her again. “What about him?”

“I don’t know, something just feels bad,” she admits. “I know I’m young, but I still know when to sense danger. Plus, I’m a Jedi!”

“No, not a Jedi,” you correct, “just a force user.” She kicks at the ground when you say that, and you clear your throat to regain her attention. “It’s not a bad thing,” you clarify, “not all force users are meant to be Jedi. You don’t seem to fit the mold. It’s okay to be different, it’s admirable, even. The only thing that kept me as a Jedi was the hope of making my father proud.”

“Codo?” she asks, and you shake your head. “King Monako?”

You snort at that, letting the words slip right from your mouth as you respond. “Hells no. I couldn’t give a kark what that dirty maggot thought about me. No, I cared about making Qui-Gon proud. I didn’t want to be viewed as a mistake, and though he never said I was, it’s hard not to think of myself as one. Especially with having learned about my birth, and who my mother had been.”

“Did you ever meet him?” she asks, looking up hopefully at you. You give her a small smile and nod, looking ahead again.

“Once, about twelve years ago. Before the Sith attack on Naboo where he died, he had come here to meet me. I was seventeen at the time, and only a few days later is when he was killed. Fortunately, I was able to attend his funeral and got to give my final promise to him.”

“What was your promise?” she asks curiously, looking up at you expectantly. You turn your head, facing straight ahead as you take a step forward.

“I promised to do good by his name, and to keep his life in the stories for future generations. To make sure he is never forgotten as the brilliant grey Jedi he was. Like you, he was different, and it made him stronger and unique.”

Tayah follows silently behind you for a few moments before stopping again, and you turn to look questioningly at her. “There’s something else…” You nod for her to continue, and she keeps her eyes down as she speaks. “I feel a pull. And I hear a call whenever it’s quiet. I also have dreams of…darkness.” She steps ahead of you before kneeling at her flowers. “And when I try to use the force, it works, but then I can’t stop using it and it just…” She trails off, and you move to watch her as she reaches her hand out and uses the force to grow a beautiful flower, but then you see her lose control, and the flower grows too big and shrivels up and wilts before it dies. As you watch, you can’t help but step away from her slightly, feeling the darkness coming from her. She turns to see the fear and concern in your eyes, and her own expression goes fearful. “Aunt y/n,” she whispers, looking up at you pleadingly while holding out her arm. You instinctively flinch away, but also feel your legs turn weak as she croaks out her next words. “Help me. Save me.”

“I can’t,” you reply almost wordlessly, “I…I don’t know how. I could take you to the Jedi temple, but even then…” You shake your head and close your eyes, letting out a deep breath before looking at her again. Her eyes seem to be unusually golden around the edges of her irises, and you feel the blood drain from you. “When did this start? What are your dreams like? What do you feel and hear?”

She shakes her head, backing away slightly. “I don’t know,” she replies, “they’re dark. I see a dark figure, and a hand reaching towards me. I wake up and feel like I can’t breathe. And then I hear a dark chuckle and someone saying my name. It’s scary,” she says, tears starting to flow. She leaps forward and clutches to your shirt, her eyes pleading as she cries out to you, “I want it to stop!”

You regret your next moves, but it’s like you can’t control yourself. Instead of holding her close and comforting her, you’re overwhelmed by the darkness that exudes from her, and you push her back with the force. Your own expression matches her look of shock, and tears spill down your cheeks as well. “Tayah…” you say, falling to your knees and holding your head in your hands, “I’m so sorry…I’m…I’m just so sorry…I want to save you, but I…” You shake your head, swallowing before looking back up at her. She’s sitting on the ground across from you, her tears silently flowing down her cheeks. “I-I can’t help you…I’m not that kind of Jedi. But I fear you…you’re…” You can’t finish your sentence, and instead hit your wrist comm to contact Codo.

“Y/n, is everything alright?” he asks instantly.

“Have you known?” you reply, and silence follows for a second.

“Yes…but I had hope that you could-”

“You know that’s not how it works,” you whisper, remembering the story of Dooku’s turn. “You know I can’t do it, either.”

“What about Ringo?”

You look back at Tayah, watching her closely. “Do you want to see your brother?” She immediately lights up and nods her head furiously. “Alright,” you say before speaking into your comm again, “I’ll bring Ringo when I come back next week,” you say to both of them, “we can celebrate together, as a family.” Tayah nods, and you wipe the tears from your eyes before reaching forward and gently wiping away hers. “I’m so sorry,” you whisper again, cradling her cheek in your palm. The darkness has calmed, but you can still feel it lingering. “I hope this will help you,” you say before standing and reaching out for her. “Unfortunately, until then, we’ll have to leave your garden as it is.”

“Okay,” she says quietly, looking down shamefully. “I’m sorry I’m not good anymore.”

“No, Tayah,” you quickly correct, “you’re still good. You’re just…being influenced in a bad way. Ringo will help, I promise.” She just nods again and sniffles before silently leaving your side. You watch as she goes, and feel your heart growing tighter. You can tell she’s already too far gone, but maybe, just maybe, Ringo will bring a bit of her back.

After Tayah heads inside, you decide to go find Codo and Cyar’ika, wanting to discuss something more positive. You also haven’t gotten to see your daughter yet, and can feel the anticipation building as you wander around the palace grounds. Ever since Tech had told you it’s possible that she’s growing at an accelerated rate, you’ve been more worried about missing important parts of her life. But you are kriffing sure you won’t miss her first birthday, and you’re going to do everything in your power to ensure Crosshair doesn’t miss it either.

When you find them, Codo seems to be slightly occupied with his thoughts, and you can tell he’s regretting not telling you about Tayah. It doesn’t matter to you, though, because however you could have found out, hearing it from her and realizing it for yourself was probably the best option. “Hello, my little princess,” you say as you bend to pick up Cyar’ika. She grins at you, and you are amazed by how many teeth have already filled in. “Hello, Codo. It’s good to see you, and not just hear you,” you joke, and he snaps from his thoughts to smile at you.

“She’s quite the little weed,” he says, “growing so fast.”

“Well, she gets that from her father,” you reply, “or at least that’s what Tech theorizes. I was going to have some doctors and scientists look at her. We have a Kaminoan here who fled Kamino as well, and I’m sure he’d be willing to help.”

“Ahh,” Codo sighs, “that would be a good idea. And it would explain some things, like how she’s cognitively developed faster than normal as well as physically.”

You smile down at her, and she wiggles from your arms to go back to playing with her toys in the grass. “Her birthday is next week as well,” you comment, “I’m wanting to have a little party for her to celebrate.”

Codo nods, watching his granddaughter as she bashes her dolls together. “So that’s what you meant by celebrating. I think it would be a wonderful idea.”

“I want Crosshair here as well,” you add, and you can feel the shock instantly come from Codo. “He deserves to know, and it’s already been almost a year. It’s just so unfair, and it would also be an amazing gift for her to finally meet her father.”

“What about the others?” he asks, and you shake your head no.

“The less people that know, the better. Besides, Tech wasn’t even supposed to figure it out. But there’s not much you can hide from a genius.”

“That is true,” he agrees. “Well, I support the idea either way. But you have to find out how to do it gently.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, “that’s the hard part. I have no idea how to even begin to explain things, or how he’ll react. It’s all so…difficult.”

“Most things that are this important are going to be difficult, unfortunately,” Codo replies, “but I have faith in you.”

“Thank you,” you say, leaning over to rest your head against his shoulder as the sun warms you. “And thank you for being here so often, giving her a love that no one else could, and helping her grow. I just hope I won’t have to surrender her to the Temple when she’s old enough.”

“I have a feeling things will be different when she’s of age,” he comments, and you lift your head to look at him curiously. “I can’t explain it, but…don’t worry,” he says, smiling at you, “it will all end up being okay in the end.”

“I hope so,” you sigh, resting against him again. “I just want us all to be together, as one family.” Codo remains silent, and you both gaze lovingly at your daughter. You don’t know the thoughts he has, but something is telling you that he’s holding back. Hopefully it’s for the better, and nothing to worry about. The galaxy does have a feeling of change, and it’s only getting stronger each day.

~~~

The second they walk into the bar, all eyes are on them. The patrons turn their heads to look at them with disgust, and one even spits on Wreckers armor. Before he can lunge at them, Hunter grabs his arm and shakes his head. “Remind me why we had to come down here,” Wrecker grumbles, and Tech adjusts his goggles while glaring down at everyone in the room.

“Because, we need to gather important intel, and apparently no one else is cut out for the job,” Tech answers, and Crosshair scoffs behind him.

“No one is as threatening as we are, either,” he says coolly, snapping his eyes to a Nautolan woman who is giving them a sneer. He sneers right back at her while adjusting his blaster on his back.

“We don’t welcome your kind down here,” the bartender speaks as they approach him, “what do you want?”

“We’ve been sent by the Republic to gather information,” Hunter replies, “we were told to come down here and ask to talk to a man named Calrissian.”

“Ahh, so you are the real deal,” the bartender replies, “I’m wondering why they didn’t send a Jedi down here.”

“It was ordered directly by Chancellor Palpatine,” Tech butts in, “he works separately from the Jedi.”

“So I’ve heard,” the bartender replies before straightening up and waving them to follow. Crosshair reaches back to grab his blaster, taking place outside the door that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech walk into. Normally, Wrecker would stand guard outside, but Hunter changed plans last minute, and Crosshair is now the one stuck with the hostile crowd.

“Ya know, I’ve never seen one of y’all’s type up close before,” a patron says, stumbling over and sloshing his drink. “You look a bit different than I expected.”

“I’m not your standard clone,” Crosshair responds flatly, “I’m special, like the others I came with.”

“Well,” the man chuckles, “that explains why you don’t look similar. So tell me, Mr. Special, do you know what your purpose is?” Crosshair feels his body go rigid at the question, and he nearly snaps his toothpick with how hard he bites down on it. “Well, do ya?”

“Ah, leave the guy alone,” the Nautolan woman says, “he’s not worth it.”

“Come on, babe, someone should tell him,” he replies before narrowing his eyes at Crosshair. “You have no purpose, other than to be an expendable weapon,” the man whispers, before yelling the rest. “You’re useless! You have no point to existence other than to die for the Republic! You have no value, no worth!” Crosshair resists the urge to bite back, instead just glaring down at the man. “What, you got no retort?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Crosshair asks quietly. “Am I supposed to talk back? Argue that you’re wrong?”

“Ha!” the man barks out, “you don’t even see worth in yourself. It’s ‘cause you know I’m right. See, you’re not like us, normal sentients. We have purpose, we have value and a reason for life. Hells, we were born, and not formed in a little test tube.”

“What is your purpose, then?” Crosshair questions, and the man grins at finally getting some snark.

“My purpose is to be a man, to raise a family, to protect them. Something that you’ll never know. I get to find someone who loves me, while you get to die for a Republic that hates you.” The words sink deep, and Crosshair’s fingers twitch on his blaster. “Surely you already knew that you’ll never have a family, that you don’t deserve to have a family,” the man taunts.

“Mik, cut it out,” the Nautolan woman says, grabbing his arm now, “I don’t want you pushing him to blast you.”

“He wouldn’t do that, he’d get court martialed for it,” the man, Mik, replies. “They’d kill him for killing a civilian.”

“And that’s the only thing that is protecting you,” Crosshair snarls. “And you’re wrong. I have found someone who loves me, who will gladly have a family with me when the war is over. When we both come out alive on the other side, I’ll make sure to come back here with her and our future kids, just to show you that you were wrong.” Mik laughs in Crosshair’s face, and the Nautolan uses his distraction to pull him away.

“You talk boldly for a simple minded being such as yourself,” Mik calls as he’s dragged away, “but I happily await your return. And if you don’t, then I’ll just assume I was right about it all.”

Before Crosshair can give another retort, the door opens and the others walk out. Hunter takes a look around the room before motioning for the others to follow him as he weaves his way out. Mik spits on the ground in front of Crosshair as he passes by, but the trooper just ignores him and keeps his face forward, not wanting to give the man any more of his attention.

“You seem tense,” Hunter says to Crosshair when they return to the Coruscant barracks, “something happen at the bar?”

“You could say that,” Crosshair replies, rolling a toothpick between his teeth.

“Care to elaborate?”

Crosshair stays silent for a few moments, debating whether or not he should share his thoughts. “I think it’s best I just try and forget about it. It was just a civvie being a piece of bantha fodder anyway.”

“Well, if it keeps eating at you, we’re all here to listen,” Hunter says, “we’re brothers, and we stick together.” Crosshair looks at Hunter and nods before shifting to lay down on his bunk. “You still seeing y/n tomorrow night?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“Well, try not to be in a sour mood, then. You guys have been arguing a lot, I don’t want things to get worse.”

“They’ve all just been misunderstandings, we’re fine,” Crosshair counters.

“Either way, I like you guys better together and not mad at each other.”

“I do too,” Crosshair mumbles, and he sighs before closing his eyes, waiting for the familiar nightmare to begin.

The second the chrono hits 1900, you jump from your bed and run to the elevators. You anxiously wait as it descends to the hangar, practically bubbling with nerves and anticipation. As soon as it stops, you step forward, cursing when the old thing takes forever to open. Once it finally does, you take only a few steps before crashing into a familiar chest. You look up and all your worries seem to wash away as Crosshair stares down at you with a cocky smirk.

“Someone seems like they were eager to see me,” he chuckles quietly, and you wrap your arms tightly around him as he returns the gesture.

“You could say that,” you mumble, earning another light chuckle from him. “I missed you.”

“I missed you as well, my cyar’ika.” You pull back and grin up at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him into the elevator as it’s about to close. “Are we not getting food?”

“I already picked it up,” you reply, “I don’t want to spend too much time out, I just want to be with you.”

He smiles softly down at you and presses a kiss to your forehead. “I like that plan.”

“Good,” you reply, stepping away and grabbing his hand as the elevator reaches the right floor. “I hope you don’t mind that I just ordered a meal for us to share. It was the big combo meal at Dexter’s.”

“That sounds alright to me.”

“I also have dessert, and a surprise for you afterward,” you add, and you feel Crosshair’s interest pique.

“A surprise?”

“Yeah. Well, kinda. It’s hard to explain, but I think you’ll be happy with it. I at least hope so.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it, whatever it may be,” he assures you. You nod, feeling the nerves coming back, but you push them from your mind, just wanting to make sure you get to enjoy your night.

“How has everyone been?” you ask when you walk into your room.

“They’re fine, Tech recently had to get his goggles replaced. He wasn’t too happy about that.”

“Did they break in battle?”

“Yes,” Crosshair confirms, grabbing a shawda club sandwich, “he’s had that pair since we were first sent out. It’s like Hunter’s headbands, he was attached to it.”

“And you with your blaster,” you joke, and he rolls his eyes but doesn’t deny the comparison. “Do you ever wonder if there could be someone out there that you’d hold onto for as long as you could?”

Crosshair stops eating for a second to look up at you in confusion. “What do you mean, princess? I already feel that way with you.”

“No, I know. I meant outside of me,” you clarify, “like maybe a kid?”

Crosshair stares at you for a moment as his mind goes back to the previous day at the bar. The words from Mik rattle through his head again, and he has to clear his throat and shake his head to snap out of it.

“You don’t?” you ask slowly, and he snaps his eyes up to you again.

“No, I wasn’t shaking my head no, I was pulling myself back,” he says, “but…I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll even survive the war. Kids aren’t really on my mind right now.”

“Well, hypothetically,” you say, wanting a solid answer. “Like let’s say we do both survive, and can be together. Would you want kids?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this just yet,” Crosshair counters, taking another bite.

You swallow before looking down, setting your sandwich on your plate as you think of how to edge the conversation further. “Well, I for one would like to have them. At least one, maybe two. I don’t think I could handle more than that.”

“It would be your body doing the work,” he agrees, “so however many you would be comfortable with.”

“What gender would you want them to be?” you ask, resting your chin in your hand. “Of course, we won’t push it on them if that’s not how they feel.”

“I don’t know,” Crosshair replies, his walls going back up. “I don’t really think we have a choice in the matter, either way. Besides, we need to keep our minds on the war, not on a possible future family.”

“We can take one night to think about it though, can’t we?”

Crosshair shakes his head, wiping his hands off after finishing his sandwich. “If we start talking about it, then it will linger on our minds.”

“Alright,” you sigh, “ you win.” You grab the plates and set them in the sink before beginning to wash them. “There’s something else on my mind, and I don’t know what to think about it.”

“If it’s about kids-”

“It’s not,” you cut in, “Well, at least not ours,” you add. “It’s Tayah.”

“Tayah?” he questions, moving to lean against the counter next to you, “what about her?”

You swallow hard and take a few moments to decide if you should tell him or not. Sure, she’s just a kid, but he’s a trooper of the Republic. Dark side force users are a threat, and you don’t want him to have to do something about her. “She’s…going down a bad path.”

“How so?”

“It’s…I don’t know how, but she’s…” You shake your head, unable to believe it, let alone say it. Crosshair patiently waits, not wanting you to get overwhelmed. “I can feel darkness within her, and she knows it’s consuming her.” Crosshair stiffens beside you, his eyes not leaving your face as the words set in. “She told me she has these dreams…someone calling out to her and trying to grab her. And she wakes up unable to breathe…She says there’s something pulling her, something dark.”

“Is she a Sith?” he asks, and you immediately shake your head.

“No, but she’s…she’s got a dark influence. If she’s not saved, we might lose her.”

“How do you save someone who’s getting pulled to the dark side?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper, gripping the sponge tightly, “I don’t know how to save her. I don’t even know how to help, or comfort her. Crosshair,” you say, turning to face him, “she reached out to me, she clutched onto me, and I shoved her away! I can’t even be close enough to hold her. It’s…it’s consuming her completely. I don’t even know if anything can help her at this point.”

Crosshair’s gaze remains steady, but you can feel the concern and conflict in his mind. “How likely is it that she tries to hurt you? Or anyone else at the palace?”

“Not likely,” you say, shaking your head, “but still…the rims of her irises were golden. I’m…I’m worried it’s too late.”

“You’re still going to try to help her, right?” he asks, and you nod.

“I’m going back to Dohbar next week, and I’m taking Ringo to visit. I’m hoping he can help her,” you explain. “And I was hoping you could come as well. It’s…well it’s the surprise.”

Crosshair tilts his head curiously, raising a brow in question. “Is it the project?” You nod in confirmation, and he unfolds his arms to grab a toothpick. “Is it safe?”

“Honestly, probably not,” you admit, “but I don’t think it would be fair to keep it from you for any longer. It’s going to be a year since it was…partially completed. We’re having a celebration, and I want you there.”

“And the others as well?”

“No, just you,” you reply. He nods and watches as you set the plates to dry before walking over to sit down on your couch. He follows silently, taking his spot at the end and letting you slide into his arms. “Do you want to watch a holo video?” you ask, looking up at him.

“If that’s what you want, cyar’ika, then I’ll be happy to.”

You roll your eyes and let out a small snort. “This isn’t ‘my night’, you know,” you tease, poking his nose.

“I want to let you make the decisions, though,” he replies, “my mind is too conflicted right now.”

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“No,” he replies, shaking his head, “it’s best not to.”

“Alright, but if you decide later that you want to, just let me know.”

“Of course, princess. I’ll tell you if I need to.” You decide that his response is good enough and turn to start watching something. But your mind isn’t on the holo playing in front of you, it’s busy trying to figure out more ways to get Crosshair to talk about children. You need to know how he feels about having them before you drop the daughter bombshell on him.

A shift from Crosshair pulls you from your thoughts, and you look back at the screen to see that the holo video is over. “That was kind of boring,” he comments, and you nod.

“I wasn’t even really watching.”

“What were you doing? Thinking about a handsome man?” he teases, and you give a small smile before shaking your head. He stands up as he speaks, making his way over to the table to grab a snack.

“No, I was thinking more about the future,” you admit while following him. “I think you’d be amazing with a daughter-”

Crosshair slams his hands down on the table, the action cutting you off as you’re startled by his sudden anger. Your eyes widen more when you see his expression as he turns. “Stop!” he yells, “stop with this nonsense dreaming!” He shoves a finger towards you as he speaks, and you step back instinctively from him.

“What are you talking about, Cross-”

“I’m tired of hearing about this stupid fantasy that you have in your head, that there’s going to be something for us after the war! That we’re going to get to have a life together!”

“I was just trying to talk about a future possibility,” you counter, trying to remain calm.

“Why can’t you see the truth,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What truth is that?”

“That after all of this, we’re going to be nothing!” he yells, motioning between the two of you. “Why can’t you just accept it and stop talking about what you want!”

“I was trying to figure out if it’s what you want as well,” you explain, barely fighting back the anger.

“This, us, it’s all pointless!,” he yells, throwing his arms out. “There’s no point to it other than comforting each other through the agony of this war. Once it’s all over, then we will be too!”

You stumble back, the words hitting you harshly. You’re not able to believe what you’re hearing, this isn’t like the Crosshair you love. He shakes his head, running his hands through his hair as he continues to yell. “When this war is over, you’re just going to go back to being an all high and mighty Jedi and queen, and us clones are going to be forgotten or turned into some stupid guard force. We won’t be needed anymore, while you will still have a purpose!”

“You will still have purpose-”

“What purpose? We’re just weapons created for this war. We’re grown in tubes until we’re old enough to start being indoctrinated by the Kaminoans! While we’re put to more grueling work, you’re going to be back to sitting on your little throne, enjoying luxury, while we’re sent off to do Maker knows what!”

“That’s not how it’s going to go,” you retort, letting a bit of your anger come through, “you know I, and many others, won’t let that happen!”

“You won’t have any influence over it!” he spits, “And your stupid fantasy of us being a happy family will never come true! So just get over it and move on!”

“You know what, then fuck you!” you yell, “If you think that this is all going to end up being nothing, then I’ll make sure that’s how it ends. Fuck you,” you say, stepping forward and shoving your hands into his chest, pushing him backwards. “Fuck every moment we ever shared, fuck every hope I thought we both had, fuck every dream I had of our future! And finally, fuck this relationship! It’s over!” you scream, tears starting to build in your eyes from anger. “Have your fucking lonely life that you so obviously want to have! And leave me the fuck out of it!”

When you finish screaming, Crosshair stares down at you blankly for a few moments before turning and grabbing the things he had discarded on his way in. Silently, he opens your door and leaves, and you slam your hand onto the button to close it. Once you sense he’s gone far enough, you finally let the sobs hit you. You fall to the floor and bring your hands up to your face, crying helplessly into them as reality consumes you. When you pull them down to look at them, you’re shaking uncontrollably.

Without thinking, you jump up and run to your bedroom, grabbing the essentials before wiping your tears and leaving your room. You rush to the elevator and run to your starfighter, taking off in record speed, nearly hitting the ceiling as you fly out. It doesn’t take long for you to weave in and out of the flying lanes, speeding closer to the edge of the atmosphere.

“Woah, what’s that?” Wrecker says as he looks out of the viewport as you pass by.

Tech looks up and adjusts his goggles before responding. “It appears that y/n is heading off in a hurry. I would make a guess that she is headed back to Dohbar.”

Hunter looks out of the viewport as well, watching as your ship starts to disappear. “Why don’t you try and contact her?” he suggests, to which Tech nods and reaches forwards to turn on the comms.

“Y/n,” he states, “it’s Tech. We’re wondering where you are off to in such a hurry.”

When you hear Tech’s voice over the comms, you reach forward and almost answer, but then you remember Crosshair is likely in the ship with them now. Instead of responding, you block the transmission from the Marauder and fly towards a transport ring.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t she answering?” Wrecker asks, and Tech furrows his brows.

“It appears as though she has blocked our transmission,” he explains before sitting up straighter and looking back at Crosshair, who had just entered the cockpit. “Do you know where y/n is off to in such a hurry?”

Crosshair stiffens and looks away, sitting in his seat as he grumbles out a response. “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Tech snaps his head to look at Hunter, who wears a similarly confused expression to his brother’s. “Is everything alright, Cross?” Hunter asks, leaning forward a bit in his seat.

“It’s fine,” Crosshair replies coldly.

Hunter exchanges another glance with Tech before pushing a bit more. “Do you want to talk about it?” he pries, and Crosshair snaps the toothpick in his mouth.

“I said it’s fine, so leave it alone,” he snaps before getting up and storming out of the cockpit.

“I think something happened with him and y/n,” Wrecker states, and the others nod in agreement.

“Maybe they are just in another argument. I’m sure it is nothing serious,” Tech says while shrugging. He doesn’t quite believe his own words, but he hopes that they’re true.

Hunter looks out of the viewport again, watching as you take off into hyperspace. He doesn’t think it’s just a fight, he feels as though this is something more, something bigger. It’s unlike you to ignore them, and for Crosshair to suddenly act this way. Sure, he may not be the most open person, but he always shares when something is wrong, unless it deeply affects him.

You barely finish landing in the hangar before you jump out of your starfighter and run to the palace doors. Fresh tears stream down your face as you run inside, sprinting towards the person you need the most. You find him in the halls, looking out of a window as the stars shine above.

When he senses your presence, he turns to you with a look of concern on his face. You don’t say anything to him, instead just running into his arms, wrapping your own tightly around him. He holds your head against his chest as you cry and shake with each sob you let out.

“My child, it’s okay,” he says gently while rubbing your back, “I’m here.”

“W-we,” you choke out, “we got into a fight…and we b-broke up…”

You feel his grip tighten around you as your words fall out. “I’m sorry, my child,” he says, “I wish he wouldn’t have reacted that way.”

You pull back and look at him in the eyes, shaking your head after a few seconds. “It wasn’t his reaction to finding out about Cyar’ika,” you explain, “this was a fight over something else. I-I didn’t even get to tell him about her. I was trying to set it up, to ease into it, but…” More tears fall from your eyes and another sob interrupts you. You lean back into his chest, trying to reach all the comfort that you can.

Codo is silent as he continues to hold you, not sure on what to do. All he knows for certain is that you need him, and he’ll stay by your side for as long as you need him to. “Come,” he says softly after a few more minutes. “Let’s go see your daughter.” You almost counter him, knowing that she would just remind you of Crosshair, but then decide that seeing her would be for the best.

When she’s in your arms again, you nearly breakdown while holding her. All you had wanted to do was tell him about her, but it all went wrong. She deserves to know her father, and he deserves to know her as well, but something had been different about him. He never thought so negatively with you, he always wanted to hear your dreams of the future. He’d even once discussed moving to Dohbar and being a personal knight for you when you went on royal trips, as well as being with you for as long as the two of you lived and loved one another.

But now, that’s all over. He left you broken and alone, and you threw away everything with a few simple sentences. It’s all broken, destroyed, ruined. And you don’t know if there’s anyway to possibly fix it, or if you even want to.

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dyspraxicgamergirl · 4 months

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#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #osmon #osmon no #this is how it starts osmon #it's not too much in the beginning #a drabble here #a first kiss fic there #then before you know it you're spending hours looking up 14th century armor and in-depth studies of wolves #to make your twenty-six chapter Medieval French ABO story as accurate as possible #walk away osmon #walk away before it's too late

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pinkfey · 1 year

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SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN -> CAPTAIN CHARITY BLOOM

template by @solasan (hi mollie 😚💕💕)

#*pulls up to the function four years late* hi.........#i'm on chapter uhhhhhh six and i still haven't picked a love interest i'm literally just vibing #i love charity sm she's a special one 2 me idk #i've also been awake for twenty six hours so i cannae tell if this is ugly or not #edit*#ch: charity bloom

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seven-stars-in-his-palm · 10 months

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*inhales* I FINISHED ACT ONE, FUCKING FINALLY

#SIX CHAPTERS OUT OF TWENTY DONE AU B HFHFHFHFHHDBDUWHSBXBSJSJSJNSJSJSJSN #be heard

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s4sharkteeth · 1 year

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QUICK WHOS WINNING PIERCE OR ORANGE

#I changed this outcome like five different times #I had to wake up and bffr #it should be obvious #I mean it’s like #high school freshman #or #coked out celebrity #take ur pick #thecassidystory #simstory #part two: high school #part two chapter twenty six #Leon the Puppet Man #Journey Cassidy #Orange Bailey-Moon #Caiphus Penn #Pierce Cassidy #Ellie Ramirez

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the-fabulous-51 · 1 year

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"I don't want to," he says, still feeling a little bit manic from earlier. "Call it a night." He'd been playing it in his head all day and can't figure out what he did wrong. He wants to try it again. "Let me go to the track." The sheriff starts, blinking at Lightning. "The track?" Lightning groans low and tries not to throw a complete hissy-fit. "Yes, the track. The dirt track. The one from earlier. That track." or; during lightning's first week in radiator springs, he and the sheriff have a late night conversation

i wrote this instead of studying for a test and im posting it knowing studying instead would not have made a lick of difference in the outcome of that test. enjoy 💛💙

#mine #cars fandom #pixar cars #i love writing missing scene fics can you tell #dude this test was rough #i literally didnt answer a whole page. 24 points. we talked about the subject once for less than 15 minutes in class so i breezed over it #thinking it wouldnt even be on the test because i had SIX CHAPTERS worth of stuff to study for #and then suddenly its twenty four whole points #capital-b 🅱ruh #i just needed to complain #i complained earlier but this was rough yall #anyways i said it in the author's note but ill say it again: writing pre-character arc lightning is actually so fun #hes so mean

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aurora-by-jacqui-natla · 1 year

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24. PROVEN

"PLEASE," RENESMEE IMPLORED HIM, HER eyes pleading for mercy.

In response, his lips curved into a soft smile, his demeanour transforming into one of kindness. "Of course I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious Renesmee. Their safety is of utmost importance to me."

Aro's words were like a soothing balm, lulling me into a sense of security. But as I turned to face Maggie, her sharp intake of breath shattered the illusion. He was lying. His honeyed words were nothing but a facade, a mask to hide his true intentions. Before I could even approach, Ingram still held onto me, keeping me in place.

Aro pondered aloud, his voice laced with a hint of curiosity, "I wonder..." His words hung in the air, as if waiting for someone to catch them.

Jacob, the giant wolf, stood before him, his eyes blazing with fury. But Aro's gaze was fixed on him, not with disgust like the other Volturi, but with a sense of wonder. He was intrigued by the creature before him, and his eyes roamed over Jacob's form, taking in every detail.

Edward's voice cut through the silence like a knife, his tone harsh and unforgiving. "It doesn't work that way," he said, his words dripping with disdain.

But Aro was undeterred. He continued to appraise Jacob openly, his eyes moving slowly across the two lines of wolves behind them. Renesmee had shown him something, something that had piqued his interest.

"They don't belong to us, Aro," Edward reminded him. "They don't follow our commands that way. They're here because they want to be."

Jacob growled menacingly, warning Aro to back off. But the vampire was unfazed. "They seem quite attached to you, though," he said, his voice soft and caressing. "And your young mate and your... family. Loyal."

Edward's words were sharp and to the point. "They're committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us but hardly with you. Unless you're rethinking your lifestyle."

Aro laughed merrily, as if the conversation was nothing more than a game. "Just an errant thought," he repeated. "You well know how that is. None of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."

"I do know how that is. And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro."

Jacob's vast head turned in Edward's direction, and a faint whine slipped from between his teeth.

"He's intrigued with the idea of... guard dogs," Edward murmured back.

Then, the whole wolf pack began to growl as if disgusted by the proposal. And then, with a sudden ferocity that shook the very ground beneath their feet, the pack erupted into a chorus of snarls and growls that echoed through the vast clearing. But amidst the chaos, a voice cut through the din like a knife. It was Sam, their leader, the large black wolf, barking out a command that silenced the pack in an instant. The quiet that followed was heavy with the weight of unspoken threats, as the beasts glared at their target with a fierce intensity that made the very air crackle with electricity.

Aro chuckled, his laughter echoing through the clearing. "I suppose that answers that question," he said, his eyes glinting mischievously. "This lot has picked its side."

Edward's eyes narrowed, his body tense with anger and Bella clung to his arm. What could Aro be thinking that would provoke such a reaction from her beloved?

Felix and Demetri crouched low, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. But Aro waved them off with a flick of his wrist, his attention focused solely on the Cullens.

"There is much to discuss," he said, his voice suddenly business-like. "So much to decide. If you and your furry protector will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers."

With that, Aro turned and beckoned his guard forward. The Cullens watched in silence as the dark cloaks closed in around him, forming a protective circle.

Edward began to back away, pulling Bella and Emmett with him. Jacob followed, his fur bristling with anger as he bared his teeth at Aro. Renesmee clung to his tail, refusing to let go.

As they retreated, the distance between them and the Volturi shrank to a mere fifty yards. Caius began to argue with Aro, his voice rising in anger.

The tension in the clearing was tangible, the air thick with anticipation. What would happen next? The fate of the Cullens hung in the balance, our future uncertain. Only time would tell what the outcome of this fateful meeting would be.

"How can you abide this infamy?" He boomed at Aro. "Why do we stand here impotently in the face of such an outrageous crime, covered by such a ridiculous deception?" He held his arms rigidly at his sides, his hands curled into claws.

"Because it's all true," Aro told him calmly. "Every word of it. See how many witnesses stand ready to give evidence that they have seen this miraculous child grow and mature in just the short time they've known her. That they have felt the warmth of the blood that pulses in her veins."

Aro's hand swept gracefully from Amun to Siobhan, encompassing us all in his gesture. Then, his hand stopped to my smile with a widened smile. "Even Gabriel and his coven," he added, his voice smooth and soothing.

Caius reacted strangely to Aro's words, his features shifting from anger to cold calculation. He glanced nervously at the Volturi witnesses, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind. As I looked out at the crowd, I saw that the frenzy had dissipated, replaced by confusion and whispered conversations. I hoped that Bella's shield was holding strong, protecting us all from harm.

"It's there," Don't worry, Violet. Bella's going great." Joseph's words were like a balm to my anxious soul.

"We got this, remember?" Ingram assured me.

I had been holding my breath, waiting for any sign that Bella's training had been for naught. But as Carlisle approached Tanya, Bella's shield followed him like a loyal guard dog. I smiled at her with pride for her progress.

"The werewolves," he murmured.

My relief was short-lived as Caius's attention turned to the wolves. Panic set in as I prayed that Bella's shield extended to them as well. The last thing we needed was a pack of angry werewolves on our hands.

My mind raced with thoughts of Ayla, Ethan and the rest of the pack. I was grateful that she wasn't there to witness the chaos, but my heart ached for Seth and Leah. Despite their personal struggles, they were still fiercely loyal to their pack and were willing to put themselves in harm's way to protect them.

"Ah, brother...."

As Aro responded to Caius's observation with a pained expression, I couldn't help but wonder what other challenges lay ahead for us. But for now, I took comfort in Joseph's words and the knowledge that Bella was holding her own against the Volturi.

"Will you defend that alliance, too, Aro?" Caius demanded. "The Children of the Moon have been our bitter enemies from the dawn of time. We have hunted them to near extinction in Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle encourages a familiar relationship with this enormous infestation—no doubt in an attempt to overthrow us. The better to protect his warped lifestyle."

I wanted to laugh that that moment — with the Volturi thinking the shapeshifters were proper werewolves — but it was Edward's throaty cough that prevented me, drawing the attention of Caius, who shot him a withering glare. Meanwhile, Aro, the oldest and wisest of the ancients, placed a slender hand over his face, as if to shield himself from the embarrassment of his fellow elder's behaviour.

"Caius, it's the middle of the day," Edward pointed out. He gestured to Jacob. "These are not Children of the Moon. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world."

"You breed mutants here," Caius spat back at him.

A dread imagery of Cauis over Ayla's dead body invaded my mind. I knew he was afraid of the werewolves yet I couldn't help myself thinking about my sister's death by their hands.

"They're don't know about your sister," Joseph reminded. "And I think it would be wise to get that out of your head now."

Ingram began to rub my arm and just avoided the bite mark on my wrist. "It's okay," he whispered to me. "And they don't know about the Lunaris Mark too."

Ingram was right. If I kept my bite mark hidden and my thoughts of Ayla out of my head, then we'll be fine. Edward's jaw clenched and unclenched, and then he answered evenly, "They aren't even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it if you don't believe me."

"Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me your thoughts," Aro murmured. "Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves, they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shapeshifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made.

"These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. It's genetic—they do not continue their species by infecting others the way true werewolves do."

Caius glared at Aro with irritation and something more—an accusation of betrayal, maybe.

"They know our secret," he said flatly.

Edward looked about to answer this accusation, but Aro spoke faster.

"They are creatures of our supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon secrecy than we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere."

Caius took a deep breath and nodded. They exchanged a long, significant glance.

Caius's voice cut through the tense silence like a knife. "I want to talk to the informant," he announced abruptly and turned his glare on Irina.

But Irina was lost in her own world of pain and regret. Her eyes were fixed on her sisters, who were now facing certain death. She knew that her false accusation had led them to this fate.

Caius's impatience grew as he waited for Irina to respond. Finally, he barked her name, forcing her to look up at him. She was startled and afraid, like a deer caught in the headlights.

With a snap of his fingers, Caius summoned her to stand before him. "You were mistaken in your allegations," he said coldly, his eyes piercing hers.

Tanya and Kate leaned forward, their faces etched with anxiety. They knew that their fate hung in the balance.

"I'm sorry," Irina whispered, her voice barely audible. "I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea. . . ." Her voice trailed off as she gestured helplessly towards us.

Aro, ever the diplomat, interjected. "Dear Caius, could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible? Any of us would have made the same assumption."

Caius snapped his fingers, silencing Aro's rambling. With a flick of his wrist, he commanded the attention of the meeting. "We all know you made a mistake," he barked, his voice sharp as a blade. "But I meant to speak of your motivations."

Irina waited for him to continue. "My motivations?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Caius nodded, his eyes piercing. "Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place."

The word "spy" hung in the air like a dark cloud, and Irina flinched. What was Caius getting at?

"You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?" he continued, his voice like ice.

Irina's eyes darted to Carlisle's face, searching for some kind of support. "I was," she admitted, her voice barely audible.

"Because...?" Caius prompted, his eyes boring into hers.

"Because the werewolves killed my friend," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "And the Cullens wouldn't stand aside to let me avenge him."

Aro corrected her quietly, but Caius was already on a roll. "So the Cullens sided with the shape-shifters against our kind, against the friend of a friend, even," he summarised, his voice dripping with disdain.

As I watched Irina, I couldn't help but wonder if her apology was genuine or just an act. Was this all about revenge? Did she even care about Renesmee or this trial? It seemed like she just wanted to hurt the Cullens, and for what? The wolf killed her mate when he was planning to kill Bella.

Edward made a disgusted sound under his breath, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. Caius was ticking down his list, looking for an accusation that would stick. Irina's shoulders stiffened, and I could see the fear in her eyes. She knew she was in trouble.

"That's how I saw it," Caius concluded, his voice dripping with malice. He paused for a moment, relishing in the tension that hung in the air like a thick fog. Then, with a sly grin, he continued, "But perhaps you have a different perspective, Irina. Perhaps you'd like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shifters and the Cullens for supporting their actions. Now would be the time."

Irina's eyes narrowed, her body tense with anger. Caius was playing a dangerous game, and she knew it. But she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break.

"No," she said firmly. "I have no complaint against the wolves or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. I'm so sorry," she added, turning to us with a look of genuine remorse. "There was no crime. There's no valid reason for you to continue here."

Caius's hand shot up, and in it was a strange metal object, intricately carved and ornate. It glinted in the dim light of the field, casting eerie shadows on the snow.

For a moment, no one spoke. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the soft hiss of the torches that lined the snow.

"You dare to defy us?" he roared, his eyes blazing with fury. "You dare to question our authority?"

But Irina stood her ground, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination. "I do," she said, her voice ringing out clear and strong. "I question your authority. I question your methods. And I will not stand by while you destroy innocent lives."

Three Volturi soldiers suddenly sprang forward, their grey cloaks billowing around them like a shroud. Irina was swallowed up by their ominous presence, her screams muffled by the thick fabric. A deafening metallic screech rent the air, sending shivers down our spines. And then, just as suddenly, the cacophony ceased.

Caius slithered into the centre of the grey mass, his eyes gleaming with a cold, merciless light. The soldiers retreated, leaving him alone with the smouldering remains of Irina. Sparks and tongues of flame licked at the air, casting an eerie glow over the clearing.

For a moment, we were all frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the horror unfolding before us. Caius stood there, his hand still clutching the metal object that had caused the inferno. With a small click, the flames vanished, leaving behind a charred, lifeless heap.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd of witnesses, but no one dared to speak. We were all too afraid, too stunned by the suddenness of it all. Death had come with a fierce, unstoppable speed, and we were powerless to stop it.

Caius smiled coldly, his eyes glittering with triumph. "Now she has taken full responsibility for her actions," he declared, his voice ringing out like a death knell.

But Tanya and Kate were not so easily silenced. They roared with fury, their voices echoing through the clearing. "IRINA!" they cried, their grief and rage mingling together in a fierce, primal howl.

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