#gil and dani are from the working class

[asmilinghopefullromantic]

#ah...i'm in pain now...ok cool#like...i am just Having Thoughts about how from that moment with the night terror was The Moment™️ for him#bc whenever we see other characters react to his night terrors in-person its either with fear (eve) or concern with a side of snark (jess)#and yet dani's first instincts upon him literally colliding with her is (1) to shield him from other officers who think he's attacking her#(2) to hold onto him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else and (3) to wake him up and reassure him that it wasn't real#at which point he clings to her like a lil koala rather than pushing her away despite the fact that pushing ppl away is his usual response#then in the next scene he compares her to jackie which tbh i think would've been v relevant in s3 had we fucking gotten it#bc this show is so much about parents and how their children either become like them or don't#and at (just about) every turn we see that malcolm has grown up to become far more like gil than he ever was like martin#so it would track that he would end up with someone like jackie#i have so many more thoughts on this but it's literally 4am and there's no way any of it would be coherent so that's all for now ig

via @violetsandmagpies' tags say it all

Let him go, Malcolm. I’m begging you. You could have a life. (insp)

[incorrectprodigalsonquotes]

What Could've Been for Prodigal Son Season 4... Part 1

Okay so this is what could've been for Season 4, of course you're free to disagree with me but this is just how my brain thinks might’ve happened to just settle the fact that we never got closure lol:

Season 4 starts where Season 3 left off more or less

Malcolm is still at the hospital with whom he now knows to be his sister (seriously, Lorelai or Katherine? Which name? I'll just call her Sissy for now... because she's a little sister lol)

Her husband makes his first appearance, and he's a little cautious about Malcolm. Sissy wants to know her older brother, especially now that she's learned that her birth father is one of New York's infamous serial killers. She needs to know how to live with that.

Dani goes to the hospital to see Malcolm, hugs him, then slaps his chest because she thought he got seriously hurt... again. We'd get the first Brightwell moment of the season, possibly a kiss.

They have another moment in the waiting room as Malcolm talks about the fact that he now has another sister and that it turns out his mother thinking Martin had been cheating on her wasn't her getting the wrong vibe, they both had the right instincts back then, Malcolm had just been able to prove his suspicions. Dani hugs him and tells him that she's here for him, whatever he decides to do to proceed.

Martin is awake, and he tells Mr David that he wishes to call his family, he has a few words for "his boy".

A case with another family annihilator comes their way but the main difference this time is that it's attempted murder because the killer got it all wrong. He killed his boss because he got rightfully fired and he didn't want to face his family so he'd been lying about going to work for weeks and then he tried to kill them... thankfully he failed.

It brings up a lot of feelings for Malcolm because he can't imagine doing something like that to his own family... but then again, Martin was technically his family because DNA (dumb DNA) and he wonders if stabbing Martin (again) wasn't just a fluke and it was just tapping into who he really is.

At the end of the case, Malcolm and Gil have a conversation, and Gil tells Malcolm, "I don't know if I ever told you this, kid, but... even though I do worry about you and I always will, the one thing I never worried about was you becoming like the Surgeon. You two might be related by blood, but you are your own person, and you have proven more times than you'll ever know that you are a good man. One I happen to be very proud of."

Halloween episode where they all dress up... Malcolm is clearly dressed up as Waldo of "Where's Waldo" fame. It was Dani’s idea jokingly, but he took it seriously. Dani is dressed in the sequin jumpsuit similar to the one Sandra Bullock wore in "The Lost City", a movie both she and Malcolm really enjoyed.

At the end of the episode, Malcolm is informed that Martin has woken up and wishes to speak to him. Malcolm declines.

After that, a Dani backstory episode about her and her family. We learn about how her dad died (it was definitely something unexpected like a car crash) and also why Dani chose to join the force in the first place. Dani's dad was actually an officer who was in the same police academy class as Gil, the two might have been friends in their academy days and then years later, it wasn't until after Dani was brought onto his team that Gil realized who her dad was. One of the reasons Dani likes Gil as a boss is because he reminds her a lot of her dad.

Christmas episode and partial JT backstory (we don't learn his name until Season 5). We see how JT and Tally spend Christmas, especially now that they have a son who is almost two years old. They're very happy and Tally tells him that she's pregnant again.

They invite everyone from both their jobs for a Christmas party too.

The Christmas case involves a gingerbread house competition and one of the judges was killed because he rigged the contest so the woman he was having an affair with would win. That same woman tries flirting with Malcolm but not only is he oblivious to it, he also makes it very clear just how in love he is with Dani.

Malcolm also sends his half-sister a Christmas card. He considers sending one to Ainsley but finds the ripped birthday card she sent back in his drawer and decides against it.

Gil actually takes Jessica out to dinner for Christmas Eve, hoping to start a tradition for the two of them. It goes so well, they both wonder if this is some kind of dream.

Malcolm and Dani spend Christmas Eve together and Dani teaches him how to make a lavender mint hot chocolate (an idea I got from @morningssofgold seriously go check out her Brightwell fics, they are incredible!) Malcolm says how he's never felt so... calm on Christmas Eve, like there's no expectations, they can just enjoy the night.

Dani agrees and offhandedly says, "There's something soothing about the people you love making you feel at ease..."

Malcolm stares at her for a moment.

Dani tilts her head, "What?"

He finally smiles before he pulls her in for a kiss, stopping for one moment to whisper, "I love you too..."

The mid-season finale ends on a seemingly positive note...

Until the actual final scene.

Ainsley can be seen picking up the phone and calling someplace. The camera goes around her apartment as her muffled voice seems to be asking for someone. When the camera goes back to her face, she's smiling, "Hi Daddy... Merry Christmas."

Martin’s voice happily saying, "My girl"

Mid-season finale ends on Ainsley’s smile (maybe) turning sinister.

[astrals-and-pirates]

given that the cast just revealed their classes in campaign 2 (HYPE!!!!), heres me trying to predict what subclass each of them are gonna take based on player vibes and the setting hints (and also general thoughts and hopes?)

im basing this off of the assumption that were gonna be seeing a lot of gritty city characters with the freelance detective prcoedural-ish premise of s2

Red - either Oath of Redemption or Oathbreaker Paladin. i think this one's fairly obvious because Red has a clear type for Big Guys with Tragic Backstories (see: Binh from the atla two-shot and Red's love of Eliot from Leverage). i also think a backstory heavy character would be really interesting to contrast with Kyana who is very backstory-lite. Also interesting to have Red play a character with connections to a god or entity that supplies their powers and i'd love to see her play a character who is more of a schemer (given the high charisma stat) than Kyana.

Sophia - College of Whispers Bard and ??? Rogue. i'm not super familiar with rogue subclasses but i think any of them would be super cool and work well depending on the character's role. Arcane Trickster or Phantom if Sophia wants to lean towards a magical character, Inquisitive or Mastermind if she prefers a more detective/investigator character and maybe even Scout or Thief if we're getting another street rat. For the bard subclass, i remember a Q&A where Sophia mentioned enjoying that subclass and given the Rogue multiclass, Whispers seems like a good in-character pairing. Also given the Recently Divorced archetype Sophia mentioned enjoying, i think it would be very fun if she played a depressed, wet-cat-vibes older character in contrast with Dani's hyperactive youth.

Wally - Gloom Stalker Ranger. Given that the table is already established and comfortable with each other, i'm excited to see if were gonna see more of Evil Wally in this campaign, and i think the Gloom Stalker subclass works with a sort of tricksy character with questionable vibes he might enjoy playing. Wally also mentioned thinking abt sprinkling in some Cleric and i think that would be so fun, even if i have no subclass i can predict for that (i think Death, Grave or Trickery Domains would be fun tho).

Noir - College of Lore Bard? This is the one i'm the least sure about bcs theres so many fun types of bard, but Noir mentioned Lore as one of his fave bard subclasses and i think it makes sense with this version of the party i've invented. he would probably fill in the researcher/smart guy/magic user role and Lore Bard feels like a good standalone class to start with at the start of the campaign. i do feel like its the most similar to VR-LA so i am apprehensive with my prediction and do think Noir would enjoy mixing it up a bit, so i'm excited to see how he'll surprise me. (College of Eloquence maybe? so Noir can back his speeches up with dice rolls?)

so yeah, campaign 1 isn't over yet but im already so excited!! i <3 'gil

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Empath Part 1- Malcolm Bright x OC

Malcolm Bright x Elena Nadis

Description: Elena has a special ability that she successfully managed to hide from the rest of her team. That is, until today. 

Word Count: 2.1k

It was during her college years that Elena found out about her "ability.” She had been taking a forensic class in order to test her ability to work in the field. Though the body was just a dummy, it was lifelike enough for her to practically stumble back as she examined the fake crime scene. 

She barely had any evidence to go off of, yet she still managed to perfectly describe what happened to the body and the possible events leading up to the “death.” At first her professor thought she had cheated, that she somehow managed to get a peek at the answers while he wasn’t looking. However, upon questioning her, Elena’s professor concluded that she had the ability to empathize with the killer(s). That empathy manifests as the ability to assume the point of view of criminals and psychopaths so she can vividly construct the mentality and motives of such individuals, even with limited data.

That gave her quite the advantage during her courses, and she had even been offered a job at the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI after graduating. As tempting as it was, Elena found that seeing such gory bodies affected her negatively, more than she would have liked. So, instead she just went to work for the NYPD, only to become a detective under Gil Arroyo. She never let him know about her special ability, fearing that he would take advantage of it, and instead preferred to look at the crime  scene after the body had been moved, and look at the body after it had been examined by Edrisa. The rest of the team, including Malcolm, thought that it was an odd way to work, but they said nothing. She got the job done either way so there was no real problem. It worked rather well until today. 

Elena was still relatively new to the team, and she was only a secondary detective, so usually she was put on the backburner while the others examined the scene firsthand. Today however, they had no time to drop the girl off at the station so she was forced to come along with them. She (very hesitantly) walked in behind JT and began looking around the room, already beginning to form a theory. 

“What do you guys think?” Gil questioned, though she didn’t really pay attention to it. 

“Well, they’re a pretty well off family,” JT pointed out. “Maybe it was a theft gone wrong.” That already didn’t sound right to Elena, but she said nothing. 

As Gil, Malcolm, Dani, JT and Edrisa formed a small circle to discuss possible motives, Elena crouched beside the body. Though initially hesitant, she had to be sure about her theory, so she finally pulled the sheet back to look at the dead woman. As soon as her eyes landed on the dead woman, a breathless gasp left her lips. She froze in place, clutching the sheet tightly. She could faintly hear Malcolm call her name worriedly, but she couldn’t pay attention as her eyes squeezed closed, her imagination beginning to paint a picture of the crime. 

Evidence: No scratches or marks on the windowsills or doorway, so it wasn’t a forced entry.  The victim knew the killer enough to willingly let them in, or maybe she was threatened. No signs of struggle. She wasn’t threatened. Nothing was stolen and everything seemed to be in place. Theft was not the motive. No weapons were present aside from a stray 9 mm bullet on the floor. They expected no danger in the killer’s presence. Blood and a little brain matter splattered the wall adjacent to where the body was covered up. She was killed execution style with a bullet to the back of her head, a Sig P365 to be exact based on how small the bullet was. 

In her mind, Elena stood, glancing around the scene, then walked towards the door. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her, only to turn around and knock on the door twice. It was dark outside, but she was suddenly lit up by someone turning on the porch light. She barely had to wait a minute before the door opened with the victim standing on the other side. 

“Hello ____, what brings you here?” She questioned, leaning against the doorway with a polite smile. Elena copied her expression and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, feeling the gun in her hand. 

“Hey Jan, I was wondering if Mark was in,” she responded, attempting to sound hopeful. “I wanted to talk to him about some arrangements he made for the conference this weekend.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry ____. You just missed him, he had to go back to Long Branch to visit his sister for the weekend.” Elena feigned disappointment, which made Jan continue. “Would you like to come in for a drink before you head out? I know our home is a bit out of your way,” she offered. Elena smirked internally, but shot her a grateful smile. 

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” she responded, stepping inside when Jan opened the door wider for her. She followed the woman to the living room and grasped the gun still inside her pocket. As she waited for Jan to fix her a glass of tea, she looked around the living room, making sure that no one else was in the house. She couldn’t afford witnesses. 

“Here we are,” Jan said as she walked back in, handing the girl a glass. Elena thanked her, taking the glass with her free hand though she didn’t take a drink from it. Instead, she set it down as Jan took a seat in the arm chair that Elena assumed she had been in before. It faced away from the front door. Perfect. 

“So, you said that Mark was visiting his sister? Is there an occasion?” She questioned casually as she strolled around the living room once more. 

“Oh no, he just missed her. He’s always been a family man,” Jan responded absentmindedly before chuckling. “It’s funny, before he left, he kept asking me to go with him. He said he had a bad feeling about this weekend.” Elena chuckled fakely as she finally moved behind Jan’s chair. 

“He was right.” Jan didn’t even have time to turn her head before Elena took out the gun and shot her in the back of the head, watching the blood splatter across the wall in front of her as the woman fell to the ground. She exhaled deeply then rolled her neck before shoving the gun back in her pocket, walking back to the front door. She locked the door as she stepped out then walked away without a second thought. 

Elena was aggressively pulled out of her own imagination, and she found herself falling back. She nearly flinched when a pair of arms caught her and she looked around wildly, looking disoriented. Her hearing finally came back and Malcolm’s voice was the first one she heard. 

“Lena, what happened?” He asked frantically, looking her over. Her mind was running a million miles a minute, the murder replaying in her head over and over. 

“It wasn’t a theft,” she gasped out. 

“What?” Gil questioned confusedly, crouching beside her as well. 

“The motive wasn’t theft,” she repeated. “This was an attack against Mark, he’s the end goal.” The others looked between themselves unsurely. 

“How do you know?” Dani asked curiously. 

“There’s no malice shown against her,” she nodded towards the body. “Don’t you think that it’s odd that she was killed the weekend that Mark was visiting his sister out of town? And the kids are at summer camp for the next week, which means that Mark was meant to find her. She was just a casualty to get to him.” Her breathing was heavy by the time she finished, and Gil decided that it was enough. 

“Alright Edrisa, since you’re just about done here you’re taking her back to the station, we’ll be there once we wrap up here and confirm Elena’s theory,” he instructed, standing up and resting his hands on his hips. The woman nodded and stood as well. JT opted to help Malcolm stand Elena up, then Edrisa took her hand. Malcolm could do nothing but watch as the girl was led out. He was fascinated by what he’d just witnessed. It’s not often that a woman, or anyone really, can scare him like that. He finally found his feet after a second and ran out to Edrisa’s car, where Elena was already in the passenger seat. 

“Edrisa,” he called, pulling the woman off to the side. “Hey, you recognized Elena’s mannerisms which means you’ve seen them before. That means she’s done this before, do you know what it is?” He questioned hopefully. Edrisa smiled sympathetically. 

“Sorry Malcolm, I’m afraid that’s something she has to be the one to tell you,” she responded, which made the man’s shoulders slump in defeat. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think she has much of a choice now that everyone has seen it.” With that, she patted his arm then moved around the car and got into the driver’s seat. Malcolm watched the car drive off then sighed, beginning to head back inside. 

To everyone’s surprise, Elena had gotten the profile right to a T. The killer wanted to get back at Mark for a deal gone bad a few years ago that landed him in jail. Luckily they were able to apprehend him and put him back behind bars by the end of the day. Elena was glad to just stick with helping Edrisa in the lab when need be, and once the others had made the arrest, she was ready to just go home. She was putting on her jacket when everyone walked into the station. 

“Don’t think that you’re leaving yet,” JT laughed as they reached her. “You still gotta explain how you knew all that just by looking at the body. You were like a wizard.” Elena rolled her eyes at that.

“Don’t be so dramatic, JT,” she responded simply, pulling her hair out of her jacket. The man laughed and leaned against her desk. 

“Seriously though,” he said. “What was all that?” The girl visibly hesitated. She knew that she would have to tell them eventually, she just never thought it would be so soon. Upon seeing the girl’s reluctance, Dani spoke. 

“Elena, you really scared us this morning. If there’s anything we can do to help you, we want to know.” The girl finally sighed, then nodded. 

“Alright, fine,” she said. “My professor said that I had the ability to empathize with the killer or killers. It can manifest as the ability to assume the point of view of criminals and psychopaths so I can reconstruct the mentality and motives of people like that, even with limited data.” The group looked surprised by her answer. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Gil questioned. Elena looked down with a small shrug. 

“I didn’t want you guys to think I was weird,” she muttered in response. 

“Lena, you do realize we have a psychopath profiler on our team, I don’t think you can get much weirder than that,” JT chuckled. That seemed to cheer the girl up because she laughed with him. 

“I guess so.” 

“Hey,” Malcolm called, looking offended. That made the others join into the laughter. 

“Elena, your ability doesn’t make us view you any differently,” Gil said once the laughter had settled. “You’re still a vital part of the team and you’ll be treated like one. If anyone doesn’t follow that, they can deal with me.” He shot a pointed look around his team, which made Elena smile and nod. 

“Thanks guys, but I’m really tired now. You mind if I head out early?” She questioned hopefully, receiving a nod from her captain. The others wished her goodnight and she began heading out. It wasn’t until she was outside that she heard her name being called. 

“Elena,” Malcolm called as he jogged out after her. She stopped and turned around just in time for him to reach her and stared at him confused. 

“Hey,” he called breathlessly, which made her giggle. 

“Hey,” she repeated, resting her hands in her pockets. 

“Uh, would you want to get dinner right now? I know that Gil said if we treated you any differently we’d have to deal with him but-” Elena cut him off before he could begin rambling.

“I’d love to,” she responded with an earnest smile. “I know this really good Italian place just around the corner.” Malcolm looked relieved at her answer, and a charming smile appeared on his face. 

“Well then, lead the way,” he instructed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and allowing her to guide him to the restaurant.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Won’t You Stay (Part 5)

Summary: The reader has dinner with her family and Jensen and the pair finally make a decision on their friendship...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x Director!reader

Word Count: 2,900ish

Warnings: language

A/N: Please enjoy!

______

Saturday Night

“Should I ask Marcus to winter formal?” asked Ella, pacing around her room nonstop. You raised an eyebrow at her from where you lay on her bed, Anthony shaking his head from the other side. “I was asking Y/N, not the guy that won’t even go with his boyfriend.”

“Ella,” you said, hanging your head off the edge of her bed. “If Anthony doesn’t want to go broadcast something he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to. Also, you don’t need a date. Go with your friends. It’s more fun anyways.”

“Yeah but Marcus is cute and all my friends have boyfriends,” she said, sighing as she stood in front of her closet and held up her dress.

“Don’t have a boyfriend because your friends do, Ella. It is so not worth the aggravation,” you said. “Boys are never worth the aggravation.”

“Agreed,” they both said, a tiny smile on your face.

“Why’d you break up with Logan again?” asked Anthony. You sighed and let out a long groan. “He was good looking.”

“Being attractive has nothing to do with having a good relationship,” you said.

“Yeah, but like even mom and dad don’t know what happened between you-” said Ella, cutting herself off when you sat up with a glare.

“I thought I asked you two to never bring him up again,” you said. “It’s over and that’s it.”

“Did he cheat on you?” asked Ella. You scoffed and closed your eyes. “If he cheated-”

“Mind your own fucking business,” you snapped. She stared at you, a little misty eyed and you squeezed yours shut. You’d never swore at her before and knew she’d beat herself up about it if you didn’t nip it in the bud. “El, I’m sorry. Logan...he broke my heart. It hurt. A lot. I thought he was the person I was going to end up with. He wasn’t the person I thought he was though. Obviously it’s still a sensitive subject for me. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She went over to her window seat and plopped down, turning her head to look out the dark window. 

“Ella bear,” you said, standing up and walking over, sitting next to her and pulling her into a hug. “I love you.”

“When I broke up with Brady, you told me it wasn’t the end of the world and it felt like it,” she said, looking up at you. “Why’s Logan different?”

“Things are different when you’re older, when you’re in a long term relationship and it ends,” you said. “Forgive me?”

“Yeah. Sorry,” she said, giving you back a hug before she set her sights on Anthony. “So what’s the deal with you and Nolan?”

“He kinda wants to tell his parents about us and I don’t want to do that until mom and dad know and I’m not ready to tell them,” he said, tossing his baseball up and down. “Y/N, what do you think?”

“Well it’s a personal thing. You should tell them when you’re ready. If Nolan’s ready that’s his choice but he should respect yours too,” you said.  “Honestly if you two are going to keep having sex though, maybe-”

“Y/N,” he groaned. “I thought I told you not to talk about that stuff with Ella here.”

“I took health class too, idiot,” she said.

“I’m not talking about sex with my little sister,” he said. 

“She’s sixteen. She knows what it is,” you said. “If you can’t talk about it, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

“I don’t get the big deal in telling mom and dad you have a boyfriend,” said Ella. “They wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“I’m just not ready, El. Forget I said anything,” said Anthony, tossing his ball one more time before you caught it.

“Don’t let Nolan pressure you into saying something either, okay?” you asked. Anthony smiled and nodded. 

“He wouldn’t. We’ll just wait until we’re both ready to tell them,” he said. You tossed his ball back, the doorbell ringing in the distance.

“Kids! Our guest is here!” shouted your dad from downstairs. 

“Guest? God, is it another stupid studio executive?” groaned Ella as she stood up. “I hate those guys.”

“It’s dad’s costar. Jensen Ackles,” you said, waving them both to follow you. “He’s nice. You’ll like him.”

“What’s he been in?” asked Anthony. “He sounds vaguely familiar.”

“Some of those teenage shows you like. He was on some horror show for a few years and stuff before that,” you said. “Come on you two.”

Anthony typed away on his phone as they dragged their feet down the hall, freezing and getting a sigh from you.

“Oh wow,” said Anthony, holding up his phone for Ella to see. “He’s hot.”

“Oh, move over Gil Nicholas,” said Ella. “He is so much better looking. He’s taller too.”

“Guys. Behave,” you said as you walked towards the top of the stairs. You headed downstairs with them on your tail, Jensen handing over his coat to your mom in the foyer. “Hey, Jay.”

“Hey,” he said, smoothing out his light blue button up. He had a pair of nice jeans on, some red and blue socks on his feet, a pair of boots tucked away on the mat by the closet door. “You must be Ella and Anthony.”

“Well hello,” said Ella, pausing at the bottom of the stairs, looking him up and down. You rolled your eyes and smacked her arm.

“Ella. Stop staring at him like he’s meat,” you said. “Excuse her. She’s normally not such an idiot.”

“What? He’s hot,” she said as your mom stepped back over and tilted her head.

“Ella, that’s rude. I’m sorry for my daughter,” said your mom to Jensen. “Ella apologize.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“It’s okay,” said Jensen with a chuckle. “I heard someone had a rough volleyball game yesterday and someone else had an even rougher AP History test.”

“Uh yeah,” said Anthony. “How’d you know that?”

“Your dad likes to brag about you guys,” said Jensen with a smile. “A lot.”

“Guys, please go set the table,” said your mom, shooing them out of the foyer. They both headed for the dining room, Jensen standing there with you looking around. 

“Your house is beautiful, Mrs. Y/L/N,” said Jensen, tilting his head up to look at the beams going up across the two story foyer area. “And massive.”

“Thank you and it’s Dani, Jensen,” said your mom, offering him a friendly smile. “Y/N. Entertain Jensen for a moment. We’re running a few minutes late with dinner.”

She went back towards the kitchen, Jensen walking slowly with you down the main hall, looking at a few pictures hung on the wall.

“Aw, that’s adorable,” he said, pointing at a picture of you and your dad from your first day of kindergarten. He didn’t look too much different nowadays, maybe a little less boyish but you’d seen him wear the same shirt on Tuesday to work. You had on a tonka truck shirt and purple shorts, hair pulled back in a high pony. You rolled your eyes and he let out a laugh. “You look cute.”

“Dad tried his best. Fashion has never been his expertise,” you said.

“When did your mom come into the picture?”

“I was ten. It all happened very quickly. They got married and started having kids soon after that,” you said. “Anthony and then Ella.”

“Even the perfect people’s lives aren’t as perfect as they seem,” he said, looking at one of you behind a film camera when you were little. “You’re lucky to have a dad like him.”

“I know I am,” you said. He smiled and walked down the hall some more, stopping at a few pictures, smirking at one in particular. “Oh shut up, Ackles.”

“That is a perfect picture if I do say so,” said Jensen with a laugh.

“I fully agree,” said your dad as he popped out from the kitchen. “She’s got a hell of a mess of bed head. Still does.”

“I can see,” he said, giving you a shit eating grin.

“I so love it when we have guests over,” you said, your dad pushing you both into the kitchen.

“What’s your poison, Jensen?” asked your dad, holding up a bottle of red wine. Jensen spun around in circles, taking in the space and the open family room. “Kid.”

“I’ll have a glass of whatever’s open,” said Jensen, returning his attention to your parents.

“I can get behind that. Y/N,” said your dad, sliding the bottle over to you. You hummed and poured four glasses, handing one to Jensen. “The house isn’t that nice.”

“You should see my apartment,” mumbled Jensen.

“You’re over in Sunrise Ridge, right?” he asked. Your ears perked up and your dad laughed. “I’m surprised you remember.”

“I remember the pool,” you said.

“You guys lived over there?” asked Jensen. Your dad nodded and took a drink. “Seriously?”

“We all start from somewhere,” said your dad. “Someday soon maybe you can get in a nicer place.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind it,” he said. 

“How are you feeling, Jensen? Ethan said you were hurt on set this week,” said your mom as she worked on the other side of the island.

“Oh, I’m okay. A few bandages and I’m good as new,” said Jensen. “Y/N’s actually the one that made sure I didn’t get hurt worse. I think she got in a bit of trouble over it.”

“Yeah well, that’s my job,” you said as you sipped on your glass. 

“Y/N was almost a nurse actually before she worked in an office for a few years. She likes helping people,” said your mom. “We were a little surprised she followed her dad’s footsteps.”

“Well stories help people,” said Jensen. “They can be hopeful or inspiring. I mean, the story Y/N wrote was very inspiring. That helps people.”

Your parents glanced at one another and shared a look.

“I like him,” said your mom, Jensen chuckling. “Do you have a girlfriend, Jensen?”

“Uh, no. I’m on my own at the moment,” he said. 

“Enjoy being single,” said your dad. “Both of you.”

“Well the girls will be fawning over you once the movie comes out,” said your mom. “May need to look into a bodyguard.”

Jensen laughed but no one else did, his face quickly frowning.

“Wait, you’re serious?” he asked.

“Uncle Brody hangs out sometimes with dad or us,” you said, Jensen raising an eyebrow. “Uncle Brody is dad’s bodyguard if you didn’t catch that.”

“Being famous has its occasional flaws,” said your dad. “If this thing blows up though, which odds are it might, let me know and we’ll get you hooked up with someone. It’s not an all the time thing, I promise.”

“Here I thought I was just playing a character,” said Jensen.

“Are you playing Lyle?” asked Anthony as he walked in with Ella. Jensen spun around with a smile and hummed. “Wow, he’s even got green eyes like him too.”

“Don’t you hate when those pesky authors throw out specific character traits,” chuckled your dad. You gave him a look, your mom handing a few dishes to the other guys to carry into the dining room.

“I was willing to compromise on the eye color when it came to the actor I recall,” you said.

“Mhm. I recall that going a tad different,” he hummed, flipping something over in the pan. “Go on and take Jensen to the dining room. Dinner will be out in a few minutes.”

“It’s a little funny,” said Jensen as you headed out with him around the corner, finding a seat for him in there. “Seeing you not at work I mean. You’re always so in charge there. With your family you’re a lot more laid back.”

“If I’m being honest, it makes me horribly uncomfortable to be in charge like that,” you said.

“Why do it then?” he asked.

“Sometimes you have to do scary things for stuff you care about. They wanted to shred my book apart and make it a summer blockbuster,” you said. “They wanted to make Hale the bad guy at the end if you can believe it.”

“It would have ruined it,” said Jensen with a scoff. “What idiot came up with that? It’s so stupid. It would have made everything pointless.”

“I know. I fought to be director to save it and I won. Now I hope I don’t ruin it,” you said.

“You’ll be great,” said Jensen as he pulled out your chair for you. You sat down with a smile, Jensen taking the one across from you. “I promise.”

“Dinner was delicious,” said Jensen as he headed out a few hours later. “Thank you for having me over.”

“We’ll do it again sometime,” said your dad as your mom handed him his coat. “A home cooked meal is good now and then. I know your family isn’t around here. Stop over every once in a while. Dani knows how to cook a mean prime rib.”

“I may take you up on that,” said Jensen as he pulled on his jacket.

“Well and the kids adored you which they rarely do with their father’s guests. We’d much rather have you over than Gil Nicholas. He’s such a little douchebag,” said your mom. You smirked, Jensen chuckling.

“I’ve heard the rumors,” said Jensen. “Next time I’ll be sure to bring a dish over. My mom always said don’t come empty handed to a dinner party.”

“Your mother taught you very good manners,” said your mom. 

“Sure you don’t want to stick around for another drink?” asked your dad.

“I would but I have to drive,” said Jensen. “I appreciate the offer though. Another time for sure.”

“I understand. Well have a good rest of your weekend, Jensen. Try to take a little time to relax. We got another long week ahead of us,” said your dad.

“I think I’m going to head home too, try to catch up on sleep,” you said.

“Alright. You young guns go home. Y/N, text us when you get there,” he said. 

“Mhm. Night,” you said, heading outside, walking with Jensen down the front steps. “Hey, hold up a second.”

“Yes?” he asked, following you to your car. You opened the passenger seat and pulled out a small bag, handing it over to him. He tilted his head as he opened it up, smiling wide as he reached inside and pulled out his gift. “A first edition copy of The Dark Woods. I love it. You didn’t have to do that Y/N.”

“I even signed it for you,” you said, Jensen flipping open the front cover and glancing at you. 

“Did you just ask me out through a book?” he asked.

“Did it work?” you asked, Jensen smirking. “You had a point yesterday. I don’t think anyone is ever ready for a relationship or the timing is right. But I like you and you’re sweet and I haven’t liked anyone in years.”

“Do you want to go grab some dessert?” he asked with a big smile. 

“Is this a date?”

“Maybe,” he teased.

“Oh, well if you’re gonna tease, I can do that too,” you said, turning back into the car and pulling out another bag. He stared at it before he tore into it, wide eyed and looking over at you. 

“The Dark Night. A Lyle Sullivan story,” he said, staring at the plain black covered book. “What-”

“It’s the second book. That’s an unpublished copy of the first edition. Only about ten people have read it so far but I figured you might really enjoy it,” you said.

“This is literally the coolest gift I have ever gotten,” he said, looking the book over, already flipping through it.

“Okay, fanboy. Let’s grab some dessert and then you can spend all day tomorrow nose deep in that thing,” you said.

“Tomorrow? I’m staying up and reading this tonight!” he said with a laugh. “This is awesome. I can’t wait to check it out. After dessert of course.”

“After you, Ackles.”

______

A/N: Read Part 6 here!

[applepiewinchesters]

Night Terrors (Malcolm Bright x Reader)

 REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Requested by: @topstory21​

 You’d woken up before Malcolm that morning and you carefully untangled yourself from him, weary of the restraints around his wrists.

After grabbing some clothes from the closet, you padded into the bathroom, stripping out of your pajamas and starting the shower.

You quickly washed your hair and body before climbing out, after drying off you put on the jeans and sweater you’d picked out.

Next you put on some moisturizer and threw your hair up into ponytail, and you were just about to brush your teeth when a shout from the other room startled you.

There was no doubt in your mind it was Malcolm, as this occurrence happened pretty much every morning.

Quickly leaving the bathroom, you walked into the bedroom to find Malcolm sitting up in bed, still pulling against his restraints, breathing hard.

“Hey, you okay?” you asked, coming to sit by him on the bed.

Malcolm only seemed to notice your presence when you sat down, he looked at you, eyes wide.

“Malcolm?” you asked again, reaching out and putting a hand on his cheek, rubbing your thumb against the stubbled skin.

He seemed to relax at your touch, finally calming down, but he only nodded, slipping off the restraints and throwing the blanket aside.

You were confused at the sudden coldness, but it was just another night terror, he’d be alright.

While you headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, Malcolm went to the bathroom to shower.

Your cell phone rang just as you began brewing coffee, it was Gil, he had a new case and you as one of his detectives and Malcolm as the designated profiler, you both had work to do.

So, you poured the coffee into two travel mugs before going to knock on the bathroom door, Malcolm opened it, a towel wrapped around his waist, “Gil’s got a new case, he needs us there as soon as possible,” you told him as he walked past you towards the closet.

“I’ll be ready soon,” Malcolm told you.

You nodded and put on some shoes and your coat as you grabbed your purse. You called a cab so that it would be here after Malcolm got dressed.

When he was almost ready, he came over to you, his tie in his hands. He held it out, smiling.

“Help?” he asked you.

You smiled, shaking your head as you handed him his coffee and took the tie from him.  

“Forgot how?” you joked, looking up at Malcolm as you reached up, popping the collar of his dress shirt and wrapped the tie around his neck.

“It looks better when you do it,” Malcolm told you, flashing you a smile.

You rolled your eyes as you finished your handiwork, tightening the tie around his neck before smoothing out his collar and the rest of the tie down his chest.

Malcolm leaned down, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you,” he told you, you smiled.

“Of course, now let’s go, the cab is waiting,” you said.

*

You both took the cab to the scene, it was a house in a more upper-class neighborhood, some rich guy found shot in his bedroom, probably an ex-wife or jealous mistress.

After checking out the scene, Gil assigned you, Malcolm, Dani, and JT to go interview some suspects.

“Bright, you and Y/N go interview his daughter, JT, Dani, go interview the ex-wife,” Gil said.

“I’ll go with JT,” Malcolm suddenly piped up, you turned to him, obviously confused.

“I’m better with ex-wives,” Malcolm said, you narrowed your eyes at him but shrugged, opting to just go with Dani.

Malcolm had been acting a bit odd since he woke up this morning, he hadn’t even kissed you properly.

After interviewing the daughter, who was a pretty good suspect, you and Dani picked up lunch and you went to find Malcolm when you got back to the station, you had a sandwich for him, and he’d only eat if you were there to make him.

You found him in the small conference room, sticking crime scene photos to the white board.

“Hey,” you said as you walked in, Malcolm barely acknowledged you, just nodding in your direction.

“I got you some lunch, figured we could eat together,” you offered.

“Thanks,” Malcolm said, still not looking at you properly.

Sighing, you set down the bag of food, crossing your arms as you leaned against the table, “Talk to me, something’s wrong,” you said, voice serious now.

Malcolm stopped what he was doing before turning to you, “Nothing’s wrong,” he said, giving you a small smile.

“You’re acting like I’m just some inconvenience, you’ve been acting weird since you woke up this morning,” you said accusingly.

Malcolm sighed, coming over to you and putting his hands on your upper arms, rubbing them softly, “I’m just tired,” he told you, “thanks for the sandwich.”

He gave you a quick kiss before turning back to his work, you groaned in frustration before grabbing your own food and leaving the room, you’d go talk to Dani, at least she was acting normal.

The rest of the day was filled with going over the case, filling out some paperwork from cases from last week, and Malcolm constantly avoiding you.

He either went out and did work or hid God knows where in the station. You ended up leaving work before him, so when you got home you ate a quick dinner, changed into some comfy clothes, and sat on the couch, waiting.

*

Thankfully it was only an hour before Malcolm finally got home.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t come back with you, Gil needed me,” Malcolm said once he shut the loft’s door behind him.

“Oh, you weren’t just avoiding me?” you asked, your tone cold.

Malcolm looked up, freezing amid taking his jacket off, he sighed, slowly pulling off his jacket and throwing it onto the back of the couch.

“I wasn’t avoiding you babe,” he told you, brushing off the obvious annoyance he felt radiating off of you.

“Yes, you were, you’ve been weird since you got up this morning and do not tell me you’re just tired because that’s bullshit,” you said.

Malcolm ran a hand through his hair, sitting down on the coffee table so he could face you, he took your hands in his, rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles softly.

“Please just believe I’m fine,” Malcolm told you, making you shove his hands away.

“You’re impossible,” you huffed, turning away from him and crossing your arms over your chest.

Malcolm sat back away from you, groaning as he dropped his face into his hands. He said something, but you couldn’t hear him.

“What?” you asked, your tone a bit colder than you meant for it to be.

Malcolm looked back up at you, “You’re going to leave now, aren’t you?” he asked.

You were shocked to be honest, “What?” you asked, the confusion obvious in your voice.

Malcolm stood from his spot, practically stomping away from you, “You’re going to leave, everyone does! You said it yourself, I’m impossible!” he yelled, turning back around to face you, his face was red, and he was obviously holding back tears.

You stood as well, “Malcolm…I’m not leaving,” you said, he seemed just as surprised as you were a few moments ago.

“What?” he asked, voice softer now.

“I’m not leaving you, what the hell would give you that idea?” you asked, walking forwards a bit.

“The…the nightmare I had last night,” Malcolm said, “you left, you told me you didn’t love me anymore because who could love someone as pathetic as me right? I can barely function on a good day and I need a good murder every week so I can get my mind off of the shitstorm that is my childhood!”

You felt your heart drop, he looked so broken and sad. “Malcolm, I’m not leaving you, you’re one of the strongest people I know,” you told him, coming over to wrap your arms around his neck as you pulled him to you.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face into your shoulder.

“I can promise you, I am not leaving anytime soon,” you said again, “I love you.”

Malcolm chuckled a bit, pulling away from you, his face streaked with tears, “I’m sorry I yelled,” he told you.

You smiled, shaking your head, “It’s okay, everyone has a breakdown once in a while, maybe once a week in your case.”

Malcolm laughed again, pulling you to him again, kissing you softly, “I don’t deserve you,” he said once he pulled away again.

“You deserve the world Malcolm Bright,” you told him, making you smile wider and shake his head.

He leaned down, putting an arm under the legs and sweeping you up into his arms, “I’ve got all I need right here,” he said, the biggest cheeseball, as always.

A/N: Hopefully this lives up to what you were hoping for! Thank you so much for the request! Requests are still open so feel free to send something in! Love you all! ~ Sara :) 

[blainesebastian]

title: routines ship: malcolm bright / dani powell rating: PG-13 (for graphic descriptions of terrible people and the terrible things they do) summary: “This thing with Gil will be fine, he wants both of us to be happy.”  Malcolm and Dani try to navigate the beginning of their relationship. This fic also includes pancakes, kisses and broken heart syndrome.  notes: this is a continuation / companion piece to ‘avalanche’. you kinda have to read that first or this won’t make sense. thanks anon for the request! 

Dani isn’t one for routines for her personal life, she’s already stuck in a small loop for her professional one. Don’t get her wrong, she loves every moment of it; waking up to put her gun and badge on, working with a team that has a high success rate and being able to make a difference when it counts the most. But with her home life? With her time off? She tries to keep it as interesting as possible, changing up the routine so she doesn’t end up in a rut. She picks different jogging paths, rarely visits the same art museum twice, orders Pad Thai from a variety of restaurants, and takes ceramic and sculpture classes to work her hands more creatively—because sometimes she feels like when she uses her gun all she does is destroy things.

But ever since they closed that case from Central Park and Malcolm asked her to get waffles in her favorite diner across the street, it’s become a habit that she hasn’t kicked.

Almost every time they finish typing up reports at the precinct, like clockwork, Bright meets her at her desk and they find their way to a tiny, hole in the wall diner that has a sticky floor under a specific window booth.

Read more here. 

[malcolmwhitly-bright]

Frozen In Time

Ask:  I had an idea that Malcolm and the Team are going up against someone from Edrisa's past - someone who drugs his victims to make people think they're dead, but they can feel everything but they can't react and then he autopsies them and Malcolm gets into this situation and the gang have to save him or something?

Read it here or down below:

In the seventh grade his advanced science class sent home wavers in the mail to be signed and sent back, written consent for thirteen-year-old to dissect some poor frogs in the name of science. When his mother got a hold of it, despite his initial interest, she put a very quick hold on that idea. Pre-pubescent boys are a force to be reckoned with, especially when they have their minds set on something, and the only thing Malcolm wanted in the whole wide world was to be a normal seventh grader and get to cut open a frog.

To him, it was nothing more than a frog and a science experiment his mother was being outrageous about. Not understanding him or his intense desire to just be normal.

It was never that simple though. It’s a frog but Jessica knew if he did what the other boys would do, if he got curious, and he looked and questioned- It’s all for nothing. Malcolm has a hard enough time. The tremor in his hand, the nightmares, and the anxiety. It makes him a novel to the other students, something to pick apart and ridicule. A threat and he always will be to those people. So, as much as it hurts her to say no to something so silly in his eyes- she has to.

It’s been over twenty years since that frog. His curiosity moved on to better things (a pig fetus in the ninth grade- she didn’t let him do that either, and a pig heart eleventh grader year- take a guess at that one Big. Fat. No.) and he’s certainly seen worse, now. Any medical curiosity he might have harbored dissipated whilst in college, biology and anatomy are good and all but the Surgeon ruined any hope of going into that field.

Autopsies. He’s never conducted one. He’s never seen one done. A morbid part of him is still curious, nothing wrong there, but it’s the kind of curiosity that’s better left unsatisfied.

This time, it’s not necessarily his fault. It’s… no one’s really. Edrisa had done everything they asked of her, even when it got hard. Someone had to make a mistake, they were simply bound to. Up for the better part of seventy-two hours, a single slip up wouldn’t be uncalled for. It’s excusable… he has to remember that.

“No, cause you see-” their bad guy, a solid 6’2 pathologist on the wrong end of a psychotic break, is unraveling. He’s disorganized and, just as Malcolm profiled, just being dealt a really awful hand. He’s not a mean man, not by nature. Edrisa had talked fondly of him, fear tinged into every memory she could recall as JT had slipped a Kevlar vest over his head and Dani loaded her gun. Of course, they all knew what he’d done was unforgivable but Edrisa was working double time to remind them that he’s a man.

A man not aware of his actions.

Now, Malcolm is being subjected to those very actions.

Five Hours Before- NYPD precinct’s conference room

Admittedly, Malcolm can tell that their particular, current, brand of questioning is doing more wearing and tearing and less information providing. Not that is at all Edrisa’s fault. While they have been working nonstop to provide an ample profile, place evidence, and question witnesses/family over the course of the last two days Edrisa hasn’t left the basement. None of them have left the precinct in hours, what is now days. It’s officially starting to go to their heads and not in a good way.

“Dammit!” It’s spurring the kind of outrage and whiplash that normally would never occur. Every last one of them is guilty of it too, it’s just that now the heat has been turned to Edrisa and the nervous sweat and tears threatening to fall from her eyes aren’t setting right with Malcolm. Not anymore. They’ve crossed a point- a point where they are no longer helping anyone and they certainly aren’t helping the one person who can help them: Edrisa.

“Gil,” Malcolm understands the power he has over the room. While, right now, they may be acting insensitive to Edrisa’s clear sadness there is a certain edge that he holds. It’s not, necessarily, that they prefer him to Edrisa or that they don’t like Edrisa so much as they’re afraid to break him. He’s seen the way they act. Dani walks on tiptoes around him and JT, for once, censors his clipped tone. And Gil. What wouldn’t Gil drop if Malcolm needed him?

So now, as Malcolm reaches out and gently squeezes the older man’s bicep, he knows he’s bringing a stop to the integration. “Gil,” he repeats. “I think that’s enough.” Somehow, he’s the one to acknowledge they’ve gone too far… stretched too thin.

There are first for everything.

Gil somber, a stricken sadness across his face. His actions and words are catching up to him. He hasn’t been acting like a leader and the thought sits uneasily with him. “Edrisa,” he attempts, his eyes softening as he grapples with the correct words to communicate with her how sorry he is. Nothing about his actions as of late have been appropriate but whose had been?

With their second victim, Edrisa had recognized something. Malcolm had called it a signature but she knew it to be more profound, a preferred style of incision done by a specific group of pathologists. Pathologist she knows, that she works with. As that news became public, going from something she adamantly told Dani to the rest of the team marked URGENT, the integration began.

Why hadn’t she told them? They’re three bodies in- three people have been paralyzed while a man fished around inside their bodes until they bled out or died of shock! Why was she silent?

The same reason any of them would be… they were hunting one of her friends. Not just a coworker. A friend.

“Everyone,” Gil pulls in a deep breath. Steadying himself as he leans down over the table, his head hanging. “Go home.” Before the stuttered complaints and arguments come, he shuts them down giving his head a sharp shake. A clear no. “We’re not thinking straight and I can’t honestly tell you the last time I slept or ate.” He looks up at them, as if to prove some point with his bloodshot eyes. “Go home. Eat. Sleep. We’re no good like this.”

Reluctantly, they do as they are told. Even Malcolm.

“Wait, Bright!”

While the others had filed out, nothing of theirs to gather up Malcolm had faltered with this order before moving to his coat. Delaying him just enough to leave the conference room’s only occupants to be him and Edrisa. “Yeah,” he’s too tired to plaster on a 1,000 wat smile but he offers a small grin. Something comforting.

She smiles sheepishly back and he knows the words that are going to come out of her mouth are going to be an apology before she even parts her lips. “I should have told you sooner,” she admits, ashamed. She should have, he can’t refute that.

As much as he’d like to brush it off, they might be farther than they are right now if she’d spoken up sooner. “I would have done something similar in your position,” he admits honestly, because he would. Making the decision to turn in his own father was hard and he can’t be certain what he would do now, as an adult a whole lifetime later.

He places a hand on her shoulder, “I hope you know, in the future, that you can tell me anything.” He hopes the same notion would be offered back to him if the situation was reversed. “And this isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have prevented any of this.”

They share a knowing smile, silent but full of understanding.

It makes his chest feel tight with a good kind of feeling. He’s still reeling on that high- friendship is still so new to him, better than new car smell- as he steps into his house. The first thing he notices is that Sunshine doesn’t greet him with her normal eagerness. As he whistles out to her, he hears the barrel of a gun cock.

“Ha-Ha-Hand up!”

Malcolm turns around slowly, finding himself looking straight down the barrel of a gun.

Great.

Malcolm raises his hands and aside from the inappropriate thought of I wonder if I’ve set a record for being kidnapped by serial killers he thinks about the tremor in his left hand. What would he do if he was stopped by some trigger happy maniac- make it a yet another serial killer, a citizen engorged on too much True Crime, or some cop- and the saw his hand. The tremor isn’t hard to miss and what if it’s read as guilt? Like he’s got something to hide?

He collects himself, regroups. “You don’t have to do any of this,” but it becomes apparent, sooner rather than later, that what he has to say doesn’t matter. The other man has already made up his mind. “Please-” the world goes black.

Chapter Two to come soon...

[bammtoris]

any autistic malcolm headcanons ? (I am nothing if not predictable!)

Hi, thanks for sending an ask Penny is highly appreciated and we love talking about autistic Malcolm headcanons in this blog uwu.

- During college Malcolm liked spinning his chair as a way to ease himself while having a short break from work, which helped a lot too, even though his roommates would ask him to stop doing it after minutes of spinning around since it would get them all dizzy,  he still does it today whenever he's at the precinct and doing office work, and feeling like the noises are getting too loud to bear.

- Malcolm has light sensitivity, especially with fluorescent lights, which is why when it's getting late at the precinct, the team makes sure to lower the lights in the conference room while working on a case ( See ep 4 when they're watching the pictures in the conference room).

- He prefers to be the one to initiate touch, reason why he flinches whenever someone touches him, (see ep 4 again where Dani takes off the mic or ep 10 where Shannon touches him from behind)  he doesn't like being touched in the neck which can cause an immediate reaction, the only person who he fully trusts to initiate touch is Gil.

- Malcolm accompanied his talking with hand gestures (see literally any episode where he's giving a profile uwu like in ep 14), whenever he was doing a presentation at school he would talk while making expressive gestures with his hands, clicking a pen or flipping a marker around, or just waving his hands, his teachers told him to stop doing it bc it was getting the kids distracted from actually listening to what he was saying, and it was a difficult task, his teachers would begin to warn him not to do it again but it was impossible not to.  (look a hc where the teachers definitely had no remorse for him bc of his serial killer father)

- After his father´s arrest, Malcolm would spend most of the nights just staring at the walls, the figures from his dim carousel themed light which would remind him of the moments when his father used to tell him bedtime stories (like the count of monte Cristo) and that would bring him good memories to remember to try and drain out the bad memories for just a tidbit, Jessica would later come in the morning to find him with terrible bags under his eyes bc of staying up until late watching his light spinning the walls.

- Malcolm loves snakes, at first he began making journals about every type and species out there, with interesting facts about each one of them and even making sketches and drawings about the ones he knew about, he made sure to always learn about a new type, at least one, every day, he would come to Gil and Jackie's house along with Ainsley and would tell them all about how they could change skin and the way they trapped their preys and could go on about it for hours until realizing Gil's head flopping in his shoulder with eyes closed, he would stay there and lay his head in the warmth of his non- biological father.

- Malcolm did a lot of passing during his time with the FBI, which resulted in a very tiring, exhausting part of doing the job, whenever he got back home after a long day of work. this would be as a way of masking in order to pass as someone 'neurotypical' to his co-workers. ( :(  

- the Snakes Malcolm had as a kid would sometimes cradle over his neck or tights and stay there while he was working on school stuff, this pressure would help ease his anxiety, stay more focused and calm.

-Malcolm is a very fast reader, and this earned him some extra points as ‘brother of the year’, whenever Ainsley had a book for her literature class but had too little time to actually read and understand what she was reading, she would ask Malcolm to read it and give her a resume about the whole book, which were indeed very useful and gained her a lot of A’s in her class, despite not having actually read the book herself.

- Jessica had the kids go to her high elite social events, in order to show a normal vision about them and that after the arrest they still were to keep their appearances, This type of setting would become too overwhelming for Malcolm, Ainsley would notice him start rocking bc of the sensory overload and take him to a quieter room to stay away from everything that has been overwhelming him. Jessica having two or more drinks in, looking like crazy for them through the whole event.

[tjlikesprettythings]

Random Brightwell Scene I wrote while listening to “Sleeping Alone” by Lykke Li under quarantine

For some reason the text didn’t save the first time, so another attempt! Also sorry for not putting read more break, apparently that doesn’t exist on the mobile app, and you can’t edit app post on desktop. 🤦🏽‍♀️

I recommend listening to the song during the dancing bit, it’s linked below. k, thanks! :D

 The Brooklyn rooftop bar where the summer get-together was being held was all industrial-chic, large metal lamps hanging from chains and exposed pipes, spruced up by rooftop trees or potted plants, decked out with lights and greenery, wood accents and wicker lounge settes and chairs scattered prettily with cozy neutral cushions. The lower New York skyline surrounded by the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge was the view as the sun sat lower in the horizon, true hipster haven. Not what he pictured when he was invited by Gil. Apparently, an annual thing major crimes did together. He scanned the area and found familiar faces.

Edrisa looked happy chatting away with some techs from her team. His eyes drifted to JT and Tally whispering to each other making each other smile, then there she was rolling her eyes with a smile at their affections. 

She wore a delicate cap-sleeved red summer dress peppered with small white daisy detail that ended around her knees, it fit her form perfectly, the arches of her breasts encased subtly. A pair of sandy-colored boots that ended at her ankles. Her curls seemed even fuller tonight, those dainty gold necklaces and rings completed the look as her sunkissed skin seem to glow. She looked different from her usual office attire, she looked relaxed, almost carefree.  

She was enchanting. He felt that similar thump to his chest, his mouth felt dry, and suddenly he didn’t know if coming tonight was a good idea. It was the warm hand on his shoulder that jolted him from his thoughts and he tore his eyes away from her to turn to see Gil standing next to him with two beers in his hand and a smile on his face. 

He knew how everyone around him led fairly normal lives, but seeing everyone here just being calm and normal enjoying each other’s company, the warm summer air, the music, and harmonious chatter made him feel almost out of place. It all felt unattainable and surreal. 

“Here Kid, you look like you need a drink,” Gil said patting his shoulder. Malcolm realized that while he was a gifted profiler, Gil had experience and age on him. He chuckled softly and took the offered beer bottle and took a swig.

“Thanks,” he scanned the crowd again, “this a good turn out, everyone seems to be having a good time.”

Gil nodded looking around proud of the setup. “It’s not often that we get to take a break and have a moment to just enjoy life and be grateful that we have it. These moments, they’re what keeps us from losing it when you see continuous horror.”

“I get that,” he said taking another sip of his beer, he did get it, but it was so different from what he was used to. Was there ever going to be enough moments where the horrors that he lived with daily dissipate? 

“You just have to allow yourself to let some light and good in,” Gil said as if reading his thoughts. “For a start, I’m glad you came, whatever the reason maybe.” With that, he walked away and engage a group of officers, Malcolm smiled quietly to himself, of course, Gil would pick on it. He wasn’t exactly hiding the fact that he drifted to her in any given situation.

He walked over to where Dani, JT, and Tally stood, one hand tucked into his casual linen trousers, the other holding the beer, letting the coolness ground him to reality. He decided to leave his Bond villain white stripe ensemble at home this time, opting for the white trousers and a light blue chambray shirt. He could hear Tally sharing something about marrying strangers.

“It’s crazy, these girls are just marrying dudes that they spoke to through walls? Asked JT.

“Well yeah, the whole point is that love is blind. It’s not what you see but feel.” Tally said. “Malcolm, what do you think?” Tally reminded him of Jackie sometimes, wholesome and inclusive. 

“Uh…”

Before he could start JT intervened with a “that seems dumb, reality tv is such a scam,”

Tally playfully smacked JT’s arm, “I asked Malcolm!”

Dani snickered softly at the couples exchange, her eyes drifting to Malcolm often. He looked so casual, summery even. She supposed this is what he wore to go to the Hamptons to lounge around his family’s summer house. It was both easy and hard to forget that Malcolm came from money. She didn’t expect him to come, but couldn’t help but be happy he did. 

“Ow, woman!” JT laughed. “Alright Bright! Enlighten us!”

“Malcolm!” Edrisa bounced over and smiled her full-on Colgate smile at him. 

“Edrisa, Malcolm is about to tell us what’s important physical attraction or personality” Tally filled her in. 

“Well, we like to think of romantic feelings as spontaneous and indescribable things that come from the heart. But it's actually your brain running a complex series of calculations within a matter of seconds that's responsible for determining attraction,” he started and right away the group responded. JT groaned, Edrisa bounced in agreement, Tally nodded her head in fascination and Dani rolled her eyes.  

He continued “in fact, all five senses play a role, each able to vote for or veto, a budding attraction,” 

“That why when someone smells amazing, you feel that jolt?” asked Tally excitedly,

“Exactly, all of these things determine whether a person will be a suitable fertile partner, we’re quite primitive. So I suppose that if you were to take away the biological needs and put them in a situation where it was a matter of intellectual and emotional compatibility a person could grow fonder, but I think the physical attraction is also important.”

“Says every guy ever,” mumbled Dani.

“What do you think Dani? Would you date a guy for looks or personality?” Tally asked grinning.

Dani curved her lips to the side and rolled her eyes, “I think personality is important, I mean he can look like Idris Elba but that won’t save him if we can’t have a decent conversation.”

“But would you be able to be with him if he were disfigured?” Malcolm challenged.

“I like to think I’m not superficial, if I connected with him emotionally, don’t know that it would bother me.” she threw back. “Besides, good looking guys can be damaged too, doesn’t mean they are throwaways or keepers.”

The tension fizzled in the air as Dani defiantly stared Malcolm down. It was the clearing of throats that broke them from their wordless conversation. 

“Think I’ll go grab us more drinks,” Edrisa grinned avoiding the tension on the raise, she liked Malcolm but Dani was scary. 

Dani’s lopsided grin and Malcolm’s full-on smile told the group they were gearing up to have another productive banter session, something that seemed to be happening a lot lately as JT told Tally in passing while talking about his day, to which she pressed her lips together and nodded knowingly and commented that it was probably sexual tension. JT watched his colleagues with squinted eyes, maybe Tally was right?

“Ok, before this gets out of control, let me take this beautiful woman dancing,” JT took his wife’s hands and dragged her to the dancefloor in the center of the bar. It was getting to be that time of the night when everyone was slowly getting intoxicated, the twilight was setting in the bustling lights from the city was becoming more prominent making for an even more spectacular ambiance. While the summer breeze brought liveliness.

“It’s a good thing, Diaz’s brother is the manager here, couldn’t have gotten a better venue,” Dani stated suddenly, stirring her drink, bobbing her head to the music.

“Yea, it’s nice,” he said in agreement, trying not to let her scent distract him. What was it jasmine and yalang yalang?

“I’m sure you’ve seen better parties” she smiled, “debutante balls, galas, and whatnot.”

He chuckled, “oh yea, that’s the norm, everyone was clamoring to invite the serial killer family to parties.”

She looked at him then, every so often she was reminded of the full implications of what Martin Whitley’s actions did to his family. That even with the prominence, there were social isolations that were stricter for his class of people. She hated the pain behind his self deprecating humor. 

“You should give Edrisa a dance, you’ll make her night and it is a party.”

He smiled softly, “Yea, I guess so.” rubbing the back of his neck, she knew how to level off. Knew how to defuse him.

Dani laughed softly and honestly, he wished he could hear it more. “Live a little Bright, if you’re gonna lose sleep, might as well have a bit of fun doing it.”

“How can I get used to How can I forget you Will I get used to Sleeping alone”

Live a little, why not? He should, he should let himself have moments. Moments that will shield him from the loneliness, from the dark. Moments where he can have a fighting chance. As his brain worked through this for a few seconds, his eyes caught Jackson walking towards them with a purpose, a smile on his face for Dani. Officer Adam Jackson who shamelessly flirted with Dani, who smiled at her constantly and lingered around her desk or at the break room. The occasions when she paid Jackson a bit of attention, brought an unpleasant taste to his mouth. Malcolm didn’t know what happened next but it became a blur of movements. He saw Jackson stop and stare in their direction.

“Tomorrow is a long time Forgetting so long I loved you a lifetime I loved you long”

He took her hand slowly pulling her closer, eyes on her, the music wafted through them, around them. His name almost spilled from her lips in protest but caught at the back of her throat, instead, her hands fell around his shoulders. She let him lead her, her mind drifted to that night when he was so high he ran towards her and swept her up in his arms. Lips curving to a smile, that was the night they decided to be friends, the night she decided to try to trust him. She swayed with him, the words of the song pulling at something within her. 

“Someday, somehow Somewhere down the line If you save your heart for mine We'll meet again, we'll meet again-”

She wasn’t emotional, she felt things deeply but kept it close to her heart, she felt like she needed to do that to keep herself together. Then one day Malcolm Bright came charging in erratically just bouncing against those walls until they started to fracture until the cracks started to show and she couldn’t hide from him. Even when she wished he wouldn’t see her, or find her, there he was. “You had some more coke explode in your face that I don’t know about?” she asked with a smile.

He breathed in her scent, felt her solid and warm against him. He could feel his own heart racing. She did things to him, honestly, he could be high at this moment but just from her. He smiled, “I think we both know that wouldn’t end well, but I figured friends can dance with each other right?”

Friends, the word floated between them for a moment. Lately, the line seemed to be blurring, gray setting in as to what they each wanted from the other.  

“At least you didn’t threaten to kick me in the business, I’d say that’s progress.” He joked almost nervously.

She pursed her lips then smiled, “shut up Bright,” Stepping just a bit closer and wrapping her arms just a bit tighter around him. Feeling his fingers grip her waist more firmly. She closed her eyes for a moment and everything disappeared except for his woodsy scent and the warmth of his body. Maybe, just maybe for a second, they could just be two people dancing.

“Love was my shoreline I stare myself blind Now was not our time No, I let you down”

The world just kind of stopped all he heard was the sound of her breathing against his ears and felt the light brush of her breast against his chest. The warmth of it all driving him a bit mad. Thoughts of kissing her entered his head, as it had been doing more and more lately.  The haunting song left him with such want, he wanted her, need her. He didn’t notice that Gil smiled at them from the bar or that Tally mouthed ‘I told you’ to JT to which he shook his head. 

“Some last, some die Some love wait till its time If you save your heart for mine We'll meet again, we'll meet again, We'll meet again, we'll meet again“

“Bright?”

“Hmm,” he hummed softly against her ear, his breath warm, making her skin tingle. 

“You seem different tonight,” she pulled away from him a bit to look at him. “You good?”

“Well, I definitely have been in worse situations that’s for sure.” He joked, his eyes searching her face as it turned into a signature ‘had it with your shit’ smile. 

“Oh yea, I bet dancing with me falls under the top 10 worst experiences of your adult life.” She said rolling her eyes and chuckling. 

“I’d say somewhere between getting kidnapped and holding a live bomb,” 

She laughed at that and stepped out of his embrace “thanks jerk!”

He missed her instantly, maybe that’s why he grabbed her elbows as he joined her laughter and said “dancing with you Dani Powell makes the top 10 best experiences of my life.”

“Oh, yeah? Before or after all the sex you’ve had?” she couldn’t stop herself, even as her mind yelled ‘what are you doing?! This is flirting, this is not friend stuff.’ but the words tumbled out of her mouth. 

He looked at her, watched as her face turn almost the exact shade of red as her dress, he opened his mouth then chuckled out, “it could easily take number one.” He saw her intake of breath, the way her eyes locked on him and her cheeks burned, he saw the flash of what he thought he felt. Could she possibly feel the same?

They were definitely moving away from the friend zone, and thank fuck for that she thought because it was getting exhausting to pretend that she didn’t want to grab his stupid face and kiss him every time he said something that made her heart go thump like now or when he looked like he would break from the pressure within. But then she realized where they were and reality kicked in and she got scared, so she backed off with a small smile saying “It’s a good thing you’re a smooth talker, we’re too high up for anything to break your fall.” 

Just like that, the moment changed and they were friends again...

[incorrectprodigalsonquotes]

Carved in the Cradle Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dani bit back an amused smile at the sight of Malcolm Bright fidgeting like a shy preschooler talking in front of the class for the first time. She had a feeling that if Jessica ever showed Bright’s childhood photos, she would find that he had that exact same look since he was a kid. All fidgeting with the sleeves of his uniform and luminous eyes too big for his face.

“Something you wanted to say, Bright?” 

Normally Dani would cringe at the thought of using the almost singsong lilt her voice had taken on, but he was ridiculously easy to tease.

“U-um...” Malcolm cleared his throat. His face like it was on fire and he knew it wasn’t because of the tea he’d just had. “So my mother sort of--well, demanded that I show up at her gala in a couple of days.”

Dani raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. Jessica Whitly was a societal force to be reckoned with and it was little wonder that even her son, who dealt with killers on a daily basis, was unable to say no to her. 

“So I gathered.” 

Bright being jittery was normal. The constant fidgeting, the mundane rambling, the sheer awkwardness was wired into him from a young age if Gil’s stories of a young Bright were all true, but he seemed almost… nervous? 

It didn’t make sense to her. Sure, he normally said some weird things and he had an unfortunate habit of sticking his foot in his mouth, but it was benign for the most part. It should’ve alarmed her about how comfortable she was around him, but the warmth of the tea she had still lingered, making everything about the already odd night pleasantly hazy. 

“She also wanted me to bring a date.” Malcolm let out a wry chuckle, his hand rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly. “I mean I’m already bringing Isabella as a sort of fun-sized baby date given that Mother's so taken with her, but it’d be nice to have a friend there a-and--”

“Bright.” 

Dani’s voice slowed into a low drawl as she took a step closer, her face inscrutable save for the glimmer of laughter in her eyes. She had to admit, it was pretty cute to see him so flustered.

“Are you asking me to be your date?”

“W-well, I--” 

The instant he cleared his throat, she could see a change in his demeanour. The determined set of his jaw, the squared shoulders as he drew himself to his full height, the clarity in his eyes. It briefly reminded her of something that Edrisa had said about the change that came with Clark Kent taking off his glasses. 

“I just thought it would be nice to take you to a fancy party where you wouldn’t have to arrest somebody and just enjoy yourself.”

“So it has nothing to do with you wanting to see me in a dress again?”

A teasing grin spread across Dani’s face as she tipped her head to the side. The sight of it made Malcolm’s confidence practically fly out the window, leaving him rambling so fast that he almost bit his tongue a few times. 

“Of course, there’s no obligation for you to say yes.” He nervously ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “It’s just that you’re the only person I could think of when Mother said to bring a date. I know it’s probably not your thing, but--”

“Okay.”

“W-wait, what?” If his eyes got any wider, he could pass for a Disney Princess, all round and uncertain and saccharine sweet.

“Okay,” Dani’s eyes sparkled, the corners of them crinkling as she beamed at him. “I’ll go with you.”

“Really?” Malcolm’s anxiety practically melted away as he let out a relieved chuckle. “You don’t have to.”

“I know.” Dani nodded, “But a girl needs a night off for dancing every now and then--”

She nearly took a step back as he beamed at her, nearly as bright as the sun itself, the livewire tension in his body just melting away and it wasn’t until she caught the scent of bergamot and old leather that she realized what was happening.

Was Bright… hugging her? 

“Okay,” His voice was muffled, his face buried into her shoulder, “that’s amazing!” 

Dani couldn’t help but burst out laughing as she absently patted his back, feeling more like she had an armful of excitable puppy rather than gangly profiler. 

"Well, what are friends for, right?"

“Seriously,” Malcolm pulled away just enough so he could look at her, his arms still around her, “I owe you big time!”

“Bright--”

“No, I mean it,” he insisted with a shake of his head, still grinning ear to ear as if she had just given him the secret to all of life’s mysteries. “Anything you want, I’m yours for the week.”

Dani knew he would probably say something like that. Malcolm Bright was the kind of man who would go to the moon and back for the people he cared about, but she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had become one of those people.

She briefly considered having him buy her fancy tea blends every day for a year or getting tickets to a sold out performance at the New York Ballet, but he seemed so genuinely happy that she accepted that she could only think of one thing that seemed right.

“You can start with those waffles you promised in the morning.”

(~**~)                 (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

The bed was comfortable. Too comfortable. 

Everything in the room was too tidy, too organized. The high end furniture gave Dani flashbacks of playing Tetris at the local arcade with her cousins, all neat blocks fitting together. The only things in the room that looked out of place were Dani’s clothes on a nearby loveseat and her duffle bag of extra clothes on the vanity. There was no real character to the room she was in, no personal touch. 

Bright was right. These rooms were just like hotel rooms. At least there were silk pillowcases so she didn’t have to worry about her hair. Dani tossed and turned before she took her phone off the nightstand next to her and checked the time.

4:42 AM.

She stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought with a slight frown. When she was a kid, she would jump out of bed in the middle of the night to see what was on TV so early in the morning, curled up on the couch with her blanket wrapped around her like a cape. But it wasn’t like she could do that now. 

This not being her home aside, Bright’s TV was way too big to subtly turn on and just watch with the captions. The high definition alone would be enough to wake both him and Isabella.

Then again…

Bright could be awake right now. Maybe he could use some company. She could just sneak downstairs and check in on--

Before she could make her decision, she faintly heard a high pitched squeal coming from downstairs. She absently let her hair down from her pineapple updo and made use of the fluffy white robe that was hanging in the closet before heading down. No one needed to see her in short shorts and a thin nightshirt.

What she saw made her stop at the foot of the stairs. 

She found Bright on the ground with his legs tucked under him, a wide awake Isabella lying on a fuzzy blanket with numerous toys strewn about around them.

Wait.

Was he wearing glasses?

Dark thick frames that were so close to slipping down Malcolm’s nose as he sat with Isabella with a bunch of toys and blankets around her. It was unexpectedly cute. Something about those glasses stirred up a bit of fascination for stripped down, barebones Bright in the early hours of the morning-- 

She mentally shook her head. It was probably just her groggy mind that was thinking that though. Bright wasn’t even her type anyways, no matter how mesmerizing his eyes were.

Malcolm tried lulling Isabella to sleep again, but the little girl just kept smacking plushies in his face and blowing raspberries, her face crinkled into a happy grin. Dani bit back a laugh when she saw how Malcolm couldn’t help but smile at the baby girl as he gently grasped a chubby fist. Bright made a front about being strict with Isabella about bedtime, but he really was just a big old marshmallow when it came to babies. 

“Come on, Izzy.” Dani heard Malcolm cajole the baby as the little one batted at his face. “You need to get some sleep or you’ll be cranky. And I don’t think either of us wants to see that.” 

Izzy. 

The nickname was enough to make Dani smile. She was too half asleep to consider that maybe forming a bond with the baby may not be the best idea. Isabella continued to gurgle as her tiny starlike hands patted Malcolm’s face, letting out a high pitch giggle when she managed to grab his nose. 

“Izzy,” he whined, inciting even more giggling from the little girl, “Could you let go of my nose please? I kind of need to breathe and contrary to what lolo Gil thinks, I’d like to keep breathing.”

His nasally voice did nothing to stop the laughter coming from the baby.

Malcolm was removing Isabella’s hand when he heard a tiny laugh from behind him. He turned to see Dani on the stairs, wrapped in a fluffy robe with her arms crossed, watching in amusement. 

“Sorry,” she murmured, giving him a sheepish smile. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

“No, no,” Malcolm shook his head as he picked up Isabella, “Did we wake you?”

“Hardly. I just couldn’t sleep.”

Dani’s footsteps were steady as she padded her way towards them, making Isabella turn her wide eyes to her with a coo. It still amazed her how much the little girl’s eyes were just like Bright’s, all guileless and moonlike in that shade that wasn’t quite blue or green. 

A smirk took over Malcolm’s face, a playful spark in his eyes as he made room for her to sit.  

“I thought we agreed you should avoid picking up my bad habits.” 

“Pot calling the kettle black, Bright,” she shot back as she took Isabella from him, the little girl wrapped her tiny arms around the detective’s neck, letting out a tiny kitten-like yawn as she rested her head on Dani’s shoulder. 

“For real, have you slept at all?” 

Malcolm shrugged. 

“Bright...” 

Dani narrowed her eyes at him as he simply shrugged, shaking her head as she felt Isabella tangle her hands in her curls. Her face fell into a familiar expression, what JT had affectionately named her ‘why you always lying’ face during the first case they worked together. 

“Got about four hours before I woke up,” he said, giving her a wry grin in return before nodding towards Isabella. “Then little miss night owl got up a few minutes later and I haven’t been able to get her back to sleep.”

Dani couldn’t blame him. She’d heard horror stories of sleepless nights from her oldest sister, but she could already sense Isabella starting to relax in her arms, absently rubbing the little girl’s back. Isabella was already much easier to handle than Dani’s niece and nephew. 

“Well, we’ve already exhausted all your options. Let me try something.”

She didn’t think his eyes could get any bigger, but leave it to Bright to prove people wrong. 

“You don’t have to--”

“You need to rest.” Her tone brokered no room for discussion. “We need to be up at six. Try to sleep for another hour. Make it an even five hours,” she added with a smirk.

“Five isn’t an even number.” Malcolm chuckled as Dani shot him a playful glare, holding his hands up in surrender. “Alright, but if you need help--”

“I’ll wake you, now go to sleep.” She gazed at him with stern eyes, practically daring him to ignore her. “Please.” 

“Well, since you asked so nicely…”

Dani shooed him to bed with a roll of her eyes, her smile tender as she looked back down at Isabella.

Malcolm felt sore and exhausted, barely remembering to take off his glasses as his head hit his pillow. He could hear Dani softly speaking to Izzy as his eyes fell shut.

Wait.

That wasn’t it. She was singing.

“Moon river… Wider than a mile...” 

Dani crooned as she rocked the baby, who seemed to settle down the more she was sung to. Her voice was--

Malcolm already found her voice steadying for his nerves, honeyed contralto with the slightest hint of gravel to it, but her singing?

“I’m crossing you in style someday... Oh dream maker, you heart breaker...” 

He let out a content sigh, having no words for once. He didn’t realize he was smiling as he let Dani’s singing lull him to a gentle sleep. 

“Wherever you’re goin’, I’m goin’ your way...”

And for once, he felt nothing but peace.

(~**~)                 (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

“Our prime suspect is Evan Huntington.” 

Malcolm went straight into never-miss-a-detail profiler mode as he fed Isabella her bottle. The baby was kicking one leg with glee as she drank her milk. 

“He had a previous relationship with our victim, who’s vastly different personality-wise from his usual flings and even his own wife. The fact that Arianna doesn’t look like any of them is another inconsistency in his behaviour.”

“So let me get this straight.” JT interrupted with a grimace that Edrisa liked to refer to as his ‘turtle face’. “This guy sleeps with the women at his office…” his nose scrunched up as he tried to process what he heard, “and then to get revenge, his wife sleeps with them too?”

“Yup.” Dani had an identical look on her face and for a second, Malcolm mistook them for siblings. “Gwendolyn even tried to get me and Bright to sleep with her when we interviewed her.”

Gil let out a laugh of disbelief as JT looked like he swallowed a crateful of lemons. 

“Tell me you’re kidding, Powell.”

“I really wish I was,” she snorted before shooting a sly look at Bright. “You should’ve seen Bright's face. You could pinpoint the exact moment his brain started imploding.” 

Malcolm just narrowed his eyes at Dani playfully as she teasingly narrowed her eyes back at him. 

“Does Evan even know about Isabella?” Gil questioned, frowning at the idea of such a bright little girl being raised by someone as flippant and dismissive as a Huntington. 

Malcolm pursed his mouth as he looked down at the baby, who had abandoned her bottle in favour of playing with the grey silk pocket square tucked into his blazer. 

“He knows she exists, but he refuses to acknowledge that he’s her birth father. Arianna was already pretty adamant about keeping him out of Izzy’s life.” 

If he was being honest, he was hoping this little girl couldn’t be taken away by that man. He couldn’t imagine what would happen to Isabella if she were to grow up with that so-called family. Would she be loved? Would she even be taken care of or would she end up neglected like the characters in one of Ainsley’s historical romance novels?

“Who are the Huntingtons anyways?” JT cut in, his arms crossed. “‘Cause all I’m getting from this is bleach blonde one percenters who moonlight as cartoon villains and make deals with the devil.” 

Malcolm and Gil paused at this, giving JT identical sidelong looks in near perfect synchrony. JT rolled his eyes. Gil isn't my dad, my ass.

“Miri and Noa have been really into Gravity Falls lately. The Huntingtons sound just like the Northwests.”

“I'll take your word for it.” Malcolm adjusted Isabella in his arms, letting her sit on his hip as he set aside her bottle. “Let’s just say the Huntingtons are richer than most of New York combined--”

“Which means they get away with murder all the time. That’s why we need to find something concrete that could connect them to Arianna’s murder,” Dani added, “And I don't think Evan Huntington’s willing to take a paternity test.”

Isabella interrupted with a small shriek before playing with Malcolm’s pocket square again. The team let out a laugh at her outburst, Malcolm especially. 

“Exactly. See guys, she gets what we’re saying.” 

As he continued with his profile, Malcolm didn’t notice that Isabella started trying to copy the swift way he gesticulated whenever he talked, nearly in time with him. The sight of her waving her chubby little arms with the same wide, unblinking expression mirrored on Malcolm’s face was adorable. 

Gil couldn’t help but chuckle as he was paying more attention to the baby than the man she was imitating. Just as Malcolm was going to explain more about Evan Huntington, his face suddenly twisted. The older man raised an eyebrow in concern. 

“You okay, Bright? And don’t just brush it off with an ‘I’m fine’.”

“I’m fine. Really,” Malcolm insisted after getting a look from Gil before letting out a chuckle, “It’s more to do with Isabella here and the fact that she needs a change.” Isabella giggled as Malcolm shouldered her diaper bag with practiced ease, “I’ll be right back.”

“Just be glad you’re not dealing with two of them at once!” 

JT called out as Malcolm left the room, much to Dani and Gil’s amusement.  

“You think you’re done, but then the other one needs changing,” he grumbled. “And it doesn’t help when they look the same so you don't remember which one you just changed.”

“At least yours are both girls,” Dani quipped, the corner of her mouth tilting up as she remembered. “Mona kept confusing her kids for months and she had one of each.” 

 (~**~)                (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

When Malcolm returned, he was surprised to find that Edrisa had joined them. 

“Bright!” She lit the second she saw him. “Right on time!”

He chuckled as he placed Isabella in her stroller and gave her a few toys to distract her. He glanced at Dani for a second before doing a double take, his eyes comically wide.

“Wait,” he managed to choke out, his mouth suddenly dry. “What’s happening here?”

Jessica might have drilled the idea of being a gentleman into him, but even that didn’t stop him from staring at the corset that was hugging Dani’s slim frame. It was a more subtle design than most, but the champagne silk and delicate gold embroidery against her deep blue shirt highlighted her dark hair and made her olive skin practically glow. 

The only thing jarring this image was the gaping hole in the corset just below Dani’s sternum. 

“We found Arianna’s corset in the dumpster outside her building,” JT cut in, looking almost amused at the way Bright was looking at Dani. “Seems our killer didn’t account for the garbage not being collected until the weekend.”

“And according to the shop owners where Arianna would buy her corsets, this is one of their designs, but this isn’t their corset,” Dani explained before she let out a hum of appreciation, looking down at the corset in consideration.

Malcolm furrowed his brows, still not taking his eyes off her. 

“How could they tell?”

“That’s the best part,” Edrisa grinned in excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “If you take a close look at the stitching, you’ll see that this corset was machine stitched when they exclusively sell hand-sewn corsets only.” 

The coroner nodded in approval as she added, "Plus they pride themselves on being cruelty-free and using eco-friendly materials.” She paused at the incredulous looks everyone was giving her. “What? My stepdad talks about them all the time. He did a collaboration with them for his last fashion line." 

Malcolm’s eyes were sharp with focus as his hand hovered over at the stitching of the corset, ignoring the hole left from a knife having gone through it. 

“Amazing.”

His fingers barely brushed over the curved seam above the hip when he faintly heard someone clear their throat. Gil, most likely.

“Bright?”

Malcolm was startled out of his thoughts, looking up to see Dani staring down at him with her eyebrows raised and her nose scrunched in confusion and he was suddenly very aware of just how close he was to her. 

“Right, sorry.” He cleared his throat, a high flush stark against his pale skin. “So why’s Dani wearing it?”

“So glad you asked,” Edrisa piped up, clapping her hands in excitement. “Since we need to figure out what about it killed Arianna, Dani volunteered to try it out...” 

Her smile turned into a pout, “So far no luck. We’ve laced it up as tight as possible, but it’s not like Dani’s squashed like a tin of sardines. It doesn’t seem like it’s difficult to breathe in it.”

Dani was reminded of a confused puppy at the bewildered expression that overtook Malcolm’s face.

“You’re fine?”

She nodded, her brow wrinkled in thought. 

“Yeah,” she muttered, her hands smoothing down the front panel of the corset. “It doesn’t even feel like I’m wearing it, honestly.”

Just then Isabella let out a very loud cry, startling everyone. Everyone turned to see her plush owl on the floor, the little girl’s face scrunched up when her stubby little arms couldn’t reach it. Malcolm was quick to grab it and hand it back to her, earning him a toothless grin that matched his answering one. 

He wasn’t expecting to hear someone suddenly collapse behind him.

They all turned and their eyes widened in horror at the sight before them. Dani was sprawled across the floor, eyes wide and lips turning pale as she gasped for air.

“Dani!” 

Malcolm charged towards her in a panic, ignoring the near scrapes as he fell to his knees next to her. He couldn’t help but curse as his fingers fumbled, desperately trying to undo the corset which seemed to be getting tighter and tighter by the second. Gritting his teeth in frustration when he couldn’t get the knot out, he whipped out a pocket knife from his suit jacket and slashed through the laces before ripping it off her.

He was so going to hear it from Gil later, a scolding about unauthorized weapons already ringing in his ears, but at the moment Malcolm could focus on nothing but Dani. 

He nearly slumped over her in relief as Dani started gasping as air began to flow through her lungs once again. She weakly grabbed Malcolm’s arms as he cradled her to him, keeping her upright against his chest. He barely registered flinging the damn corset away from her, now a pitiful crumpled mess on the floor. 

“I-I couldn’t breathe…” Dani finally managed to choke out, her knuckles white from her grip on him. “I couldn’t breathe!”

Malcolm’s heart thundered almost violently as he stroked her hair, not letting her go as cool air started to fill her lungs again. Dani could practically feel it from where she had her head resting on his chest, the rhythm soothing her as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. 

Malcolm briefly looked up at Gil, his expression grim, a spark of fury making his eyes electric. 

“I think we know how this thing is our murder weapon.”

(~**~)                 (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

"JT just texted, they’re on their way back." Gil reported as he pocketed his phone.

His expression was grim as he saw the man he considered a son freeze in the middle of his frantic pacing back and forth with a clingy Isabella on his hip. Malcolm hadn't been able to go to the hospital with Dani because the little girl saw him trying to leave the room and he wasn't able to do it in face of her tears.

“Is…” he hesitated, swallowing thickly. “Is Dani going to be okay?” 

If Gil noticed that his eyes were a little red, he had the sense not to say anything. 

“He said that both Edrisa and the hospital doctor confirmed that Dani only has some mild bruising. You managed to get the corset off her before any permanent damage was done.” 

Malcolm didn’t seem to take any comfort in that. The almost pout on his face was enough to make Gil smirk. 

“Kid, she’s gonna be okay. She’s from the Bronx, tougher than both of us combined, remember?” He unconsciously relaxed as he saw Malcolm let out a tiny smile. “Quick thinking with the knife, by the way,” he added, his tone almost smug.

He barely managed to keep his expression stern as the pout on Malcolm’s face dissolved into a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. It was the same face he had made the time the then officer had caught a twelve year old Bright attempting to smuggle a cageful of budgies--which Gil had later learned he ‘liberated’ from a neglectful owner--into his room, he couldn’t help but note. 

“I justified it at the time,” he admitted sheepishly as Izzy patted his stubble, “but in hindsight, probably not the best idea to have a knife on me if I’m taking care of a baby.”

“Common sense kicks in at last,” Gil chuckled as Malcolm’s face flushed with rare embarrassment, “At least I don't have to make that my next point.”

At least, he hoped he didn’t have to. Had the kid even kept his wall of weapons out of the baby’s line of sight? He kept a straight face, but he was practically screaming internally at the thought. 

“By the way,” Malcolm added as he placed Izzy back in her stroller, “my mother’s going to be stopping by to pick up Isabella while I go take care of something.”

“Where you off to, kid?” 

“I, uh, I’m gonna see Ainsley.” He glanced away, still fidgeting with the stroller’s handles, “I haven’t talked to her for a few days, though I’d check up on her.”

“And Isabella?”

“Don’t worry,” Malcolm let out a tense chuckle, “That’s why I already called Mother, she’s more than happy to watch her for a few hours.”

Gil gave an understanding smile. 

“I can keep an eye on Isabella until Jess gets here. Can’t be much different than babysitting Tala. Go see Ainsley.”

Malcolm’s smile was solemn as he knelt down to face Isabella. The baby just grinned at him and reached out to pat his face. 

“I’m only going to be gone for a little while, okay? Mother’s going to take you on another adventure, that’ll be fun, right?” 

Isabella gurgled as she hugged her owl, the plush toy squished against a chubby cheek. 

“I’ll be back soon, Izzy.” As he stood up to leave, he turned to Gil once more. “Thanks for doing this, Gil.”

“Anytime, kid.”

As Malcolm walked away, Gil knelt down and gave Isabella a smile. The baby let out a light squeal as she reached out to him, the tips of her tiny fingers barely grazing his beard. She reminded him of Tala, his only grandchild when she was that age, wide eyed and curious and grabbing anything that caught her eye. 

Once he took her back to his office, Isabella started to get fussy. He picked her up, immediately realizing what she wanted as he took the bottle of formula she hadn't finished yet. Gil couldn’t help the fond smile that overtook his face as her big blue eyes stared up at him, gurgling as a chubby fist stroked his chin. She started kicking a leg as if to say she was enjoying her snack. 

“You just wanna do everything at once, don’t you?” He would firmly deny that he cooed at Isabella if one of his officers saw him like this. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you took after Bright.”

He didn’t get a response nor did he expect one, but the gummy smile that lit up her face as she reached for her bottle gave him a sense of understanding.

Then a wave of regret hit him. If Evan Huntington knew about Isabella now, why hadn’t he taken her away? 

The lieutenant decided then and there that that sorry excuse for a man wouldn’t have a chance at ruining this little girl’s life. 

Not if he had anything to say about.

(~**~)                 (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

After the rollercoaster that had been the blackout and Endicott’s stabbing, Malcolm and Jessica somehow managed to keep Ainsley from being sent to prison by the skin of their teeth. Malcolm was the first to admit that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Gil, Dani, and Edrisa. Even JT, much to the surprise of both mother and son.

But it didn’t stop Jessica from finding it fit to send Ainsley to a rehabilitation facility of sorts. Phoenix Rehab, which the Milton matriarch had said had glowing reviews was a facility usually housed teenage heirs to fortunes with so-called attitude problems and wealthy housewives who found that something about their life just wasn’t enough and needed supposed space to breathe. 

Very rarely were there people like Ainsley, who genuinely needed help and needed to understand themselves and their actions.

Malcolm had been against the idea at first. It was already public knowledge that Ainsley was The Surgeon’s daughter, but if the staff were to find out what had really happened that night... 

He shuddered at the thought of Ainsley being raked over hot coals by the fallout. 

Jessica, still reeling from what happened, had suggested Ainsley stay there for at least six months. She was reluctant to cut Ainsley off from society, but she felt that her daughter definitely needed to be somewhere where she didn’t have to deal with media vultures. Especially when Ainsley couldn’t call herself the well-adjusted Whitly anymore. 

But from the start, their mother had made it clear that if Ainsley ever wanted to come back home, whether it be for the weekend or forever, she would welcome her with what Gil dubbed as the Whitly equivalent of arms wide open. 

His sister had ended up making a deal with Jessica. If she could find even one thing she liked about the place--whether it was the food, the meditation classes, even just the comfy mattresses and the freedom to decorate her room as she saw fit--within a week... 

Then she would concede to stay the six months Jessica had recommended.

Soon six months had come and gone, Jessica and Malcolm making various efforts to visit her at least once a week and Ainsley making quite a few visits back to the Whitly family home. Though she always stubbornly insisted that she didn’t need them to check up on her so much, especially considering the long drive. 

But for reasons no one seemed to understand, the youngest Whitly always seemed eager to go back. 

Ainsley clearly seemed to be improving. She half-begrudgingly admitted to Malcolm that she may have been ignoring her own mental health and she managed to come to terms with what she had done, making peace with it more or less. 

But it still didn’t stop the guilt that she felt every time she saw a crime news report. Nicholas Endicott was nothing short of a monster for all the trauma he had put them through and she wasn’t sorry he was dead. But what worried her the most was that something in her--something twisted, something she could have inherited from the dark underbelly of Martin Whitly’s psyche--had snapped and she just couldn’t stand by and watch scum like him get what he wanted. 

Whether it was him lusting after their mother or having Malcolm and Gil at his mercy, she couldn’t let him get away with murder. 

Not again. 

Not anymore. 

She was only sorry for how it had made her notorious, serial killer father downright giddy.

Even more sorry that her mother and brother had been left to deal with the consequences. 

And before long, six months turned to seven, to eight, then nine, but as time ticked on, Ainsley Whitly seemed to have no intention of coming home for good. 

Malcolm was brought over to where Ainsley was lounging on an open patio. She looked comfortable in a flowy white tunic top and matching leggings, her hair fabulous and effortlessly styled as always. 

She seemed at an easel painting... something? 

He couldn’t tell if she was trying for peacock feathers or she accidentally started channeling Klimt with all the greens and golds. 

“Before you say anything, I’m just playing around with this,” Ainsley said without looking up. “I will smear green paint in your hair.” 

And that was Ainsley all over. She always seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her big brother trying to tease her. He simply grinned as he walked over to her, meeting her halfway for a bear hug before he sat next to her. 

“Hey bro,” she grinned, “it’s been eighty four years. Please tell me you brought truffle cupcakes instead of just your sorry mug.”

Malcolm couldn’t help but snort as he shook his head. 

“Hi Ains. Good to see you’re still you.”

She blew a raspberry, wagging her paintbrush at him in a way that reminded him of the way great-aunt Martha Antoinette would wag her finger, seafoam green manicure almost blinding whenever she scolded him or their mother. 

“Your last visit was over a week ago. You finally coming to terms that you don’t need to be checking up on me so much?”

“It’s not that. I’ve just been…” His mouth twisted as he tried to figure out how to even begin to explain everything, “busy the last few days. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good. I’ve taken up painting obviously,” she smirked, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “You think if I grew facial hair, I could be Bob Ross?”

“Ains,” Malcolm barely got out, his shoulders shaking with laughter, “I think it takes more than mere facial hair to even pass for Bob Ross.” 

“Rude,” she scoffed playfully before trailing off. “I dunno,” she added with a shrug, “I’ve been painting a lot of happy trees lately and I could do with another hobby.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” A relieved smile spread across his face. “How’ve you been doing?” 

“Okay for the most part. I’ve been binge-watching The Good Place the past couple of days. I don’t get all the hype, but it was actually pretty good. Though the philosophy bits just confuse the hell out of me.” 

“Well, it’s an acquired taste for some.”

Malcolm chuckled, remembering how JT’s face had scrunched up when he and Tally were debating about ethics in the latest episode during their last group outing. JT preferred everything straightforward while Tally liked diving into symbolism and the intricacies of foreshadowing.

And yet the two opposites had just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. 

The siblings shared a moment of comfortable silence before Ainsley spoke up. 

“You came here to ask me something.” She crossed her arms over the table and leaned forward, her knowing eyes befitting of her passion for journalism. “And don’t deny it, you know you can’t hide anything from Whitly women, bro. What is it?” 

For once, he carefully thought over his words. 

“You gave Mom the six months she wanted. Your doctors say you’re more than equipped to return to your job and your regular life.” He frowned in confusion as Ainsley looked down at the table, almost curled into herself. “You don’t have an insatiable bloodlust, you don’t take pleasure in hurting people. I can’t imagine what must have been going through your head at the time--” 

His eyes softened when he saw her look so small, so unlike her confident self. As much as he initially thought otherwise, he hadn’t been the only one affected by their father.

“But I do understand being afraid of what you could be capable of. And I know that it was a result of trauma and stress, but what happened obviously came from a very logical and rational urge to protect our family.”

“I know,” Ainsley mumbled before looking back up at her big brother, “I’m usually good at getting that through my head--I’m still scared that something will happen again. I’ll suddenly get this pang in my chest at the realization that yes, maybe I did kill to protect my family. Maybe his death helped to save the lives of innocent people who would have died because of him...”

Her voice wobbled, her eyes suspiciously bright and it was like she was five years old again, confused and hanging onto the hem of her big brother’s sweater. 

“But none of that changes the fact that I did kill him. I killed him and I don’t even remember doing it.” 

Malcolm placed a hand on her shoulder as he noticed her eyes glaze over, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“I’m not saying that I’m worse off than you or you can’t understand what it’s like--but you’ve had this stigma of being Martin Whitly’s son for twenty years. It sucks, but at least it’s a constant for you. Imagine feeling like you’re doing fine and then all of a sudden, you’re hit with the guilt of something you actually did and can’t take back. Something you can never change.”

Malcolm held out his other hand and Ainsley was quick to take it, much like when they had been kids and she had held her brother’s hand because she was afraid of the high dive at the pool at Grandma Liz’s house.  

“I feel that less here, but I’m still reminded.”

“You’re not a bad person, Ains. Single minded maybe, but that’s hardly the worst trait for a journalist to have.”

She let out a wry laugh. 

“But I still killed a man and that changes things.” She pursed her lips as she let out a sharp exhale. “I don’t know if I can ever feel normal again.”

Malcolm nodded. Didn’t he have so many sleepless nights over that during the past twenty years? Maybe it was something only family could understand. 

“Welcome to my world,” he jested, the beginnings of a teasing smile unfurling. 

“I guess it was only a matter of time.” Ainsley let go of his hand, her laughter given way to a resigned sigh. “And I know Mom misses me, but now she’s asking me to either come back for this gala or give great-grandma Catherine ‘the Great’ something to roll over in her grave about.”

“Well, she was the life of the party back in her day,” he shrugged. 

He vaguely remembered a larger than life old woman in an Audrey Hepburn style black dress and opera gloves, laugh lines around Milton blue eyes and streaks of silver in her chestnut hair. Malcolm had been four when she passed away, but he could still recall his young self balancing on her ruby red shoes as she led him in wide sweeping circles across the dance floor. 

“And let’s face it, you definitely take after her ‘cause you’re much better at the whole gala thing than I am. I wouldn’t even know how to talk to anyone, really.”

“Wait,” Ainsley turned to him in disbelief. “You, Professor Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome, are actually going? Willingly?”

“Yeah, and here’s the kicker. Mother wanted me to bring a date.”

Ainsley let out a snort, her expression sly. 

“Because you’re so clearly fighting them off with a stick?”

“Oh, ha, ha. Very funny,” he retorted with a roll of his eyes. 

“What are you going to do when you show up without a date?” 

Malcolm went quiet, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves and looking at anything but her. Ainsley’s eyes went wide with shock and delight, her reporter mind quickly connecting the dots.

“No. Way. Malcolm Alexander Bright! You actually have a date?”

Malcolm squirmed in embarrassment, his ears turning red. 

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a date exactly--”

“It’s Dani, huh?”

“Wha--” Malcolm just blinked at her in bemusement, “I just--how’d you even--”

“Figure it out? Oh please,” Ainsley rolled her eyes, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You couldn’t be more obvious. I mean, you literally talk about her every time you come visit.”

He froze at that, eyes so wide that she thought they’d pop out at any given second. Malcolm briefly wondered how his sister could read him so easily now. It had to have been the result of her almost year long stay here. 

 “I do?” 

He winced at the way his voice almost cracked. 

“Yup,” she nodded, practically preening with unholy glee. “It’s always the same thing. You tell me about a case, update me on Gil, guess the JT name of the week, and you end on some hilarious joke Dani made, usually at your expense. Which confirms you being a masochist because you find those the funniest,” she added in afterthought. 

Ainsley settled back in her seat, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. 

“So tell me, big brother. How’d you manage to trick her into saying yes?” 

(~**~)                 (~**~)                  (~**~)                  (~**~)

Dani wasn’t normally one to simply stay at her desk, but she couldn’t help the soft smile on her face as she watched Gil and Isabella through the window of his office, the baby laughing as Gil made funny faces. It had been a while since she saw him like this, but lolo Gil was definitely a good look on him.

“Oh, Detective Powell!”

She snapped out of her thoughts a posh voice called out to her, accompanied by the crisp sound of heels clicking with each step across the floor.

“Hello, Mrs Whitly.” 

Dani looked up at the older woman with a polite smile. Jessica Whitly reminded her of the high society ladies from the reruns of Dynasty that her Granmè used to watch when she was little. Affably dramatic with those close to her, but scrappy enough to get down and dirty when she needed to if breaking an antique vase over Watkins’ head was any indication. 

Dani nearly had to cover her eyes when she spotted the bright, friendly smile on the other woman’s face, a sharp contrast with the navy suede trench coat and muted silver heels she wore. Well, at least she knew where Bright got it from now. 

“Oh no, dear, Mrs Whitly was my former mother-in-law,” Jessica chuckled airily, waving off the formality. “Given how attached my son is to you, you simply must call me Jessica. It’s lovely to see you again.” 

“It’s nice to see you too.” 

It should’ve been awkward, talking to Bright’s mother like this as if her relationship with her son was something more profound than friendship, but honestly? 

Jessica wasn’t as bad as some of the other high society mothers she had come across since meeting Bright. She was a lot of things; nosy, opinionated, a little judgemental at times when it came to Gil or her children’s choices. But she didn’t let her shortcomings stop her from trying to do right by the people she cared about. 

The subtle smile on Dani’s face was genuine, even as the detective cleared her throat upon recalling last night’s invitation. 

“Oh, by the way, I thought you should know that Bright invited me along.” 

“Invited you along...?” The older woman feigned ignorance with a quizzical tilt of her head, a rare moment of mischief for her. 

“Uh,” Dani hesitated for a second, absently biting her lower lip before she just came out with it. “Just that he extended the invitation for your gala... thing. He wasn’t really specific about what it was.”

“Oh,” Jessica lit up, clasping her hands together in delight, “So Malcolm did ask you after all! Finally. I knew that boy had a bit of the Milton persistence in him if I gave him a little nudge in the right direction, so to speak.”

Dani swallowed a chuckle, remembering the little family history lesson Bright had given them during the impromptu tour of the Whitly family home. 

“Uh, yeah.”

“Oh, this is wonderful, dear! So tell me, what do you plan on wearing?”

Oh.

Dani hadn’t really thought about what she would wear to an upscale event like that. Her family was comfortably middle class and the Powells’ idea of fancy was a night at the New York ballet and a late dinner at the Havana Café. 

“Um, I don’t really have a lot of options. Just that dress Bright bought me for a case a while back.”

“That fabulous oxblood gown you wore to the Taylor wedding?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Dani let out a laugh, simply shrugging a shoulder. “I thought about having my mom upcycle it and add some sheer lace sleeves, maybe a peekaboo collar.”

“As inventive as that may be and I will be asking for your mother’s number later,” Jessica looked momentarily intrigued by the idea before she shook her head, “I cannot let you be seen in that.”

Dani was nearly taken back, her brows raised in disbelief. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jessica started, “That dress is gorgeous and you looked stunning as always. I've lost count of how many times people have come up to me and asked who you were after you flawlessly took down the Countess of Monte Cristo, not even a hair out of place.”

Jessica’s expression turned sly as she recalled how her son would start to frown in annoyance whenever he overheard a wealthy scion ask if the lovely detective was single. It may have led to a few ice cold glares whenever Dani wasn’t looking and the occasional possessive hand cupping the small of her back as he guided her through yet another dance, but the Milton matriarch would let Malcolm have his dignity. 

For now, at least. 

“But it’s practically an unwritten rule in the upper echelon, you simply cannot be seen in something you’ve already worn, especially when it comes to these sort of events.” 

"I guess you have a point…" Dani conceded. 

She might have had a brief glimpse of high society at the Taylor wedding, but she could tell from a glance that there was a lot of cutthroat viciousness hidden behind polite veneers. She was not about to go to the gala like a country bumpkin put on display at the-- 

Dani mentally shook her head. She must have listened to Mona talk about historical Cinderella style novels one too many times. How did Bright even grow up in that kind of environment? 

“Oh, I know!” Jessica's face lit up once again, “Why don’t I take you shopping? I still need to get my dress as well and I’m sure we could find something that suits your taste. We can make a lady’s day out of it.”

“I don’t know, Mrs Whitly--Jessica,” Dani corrected after a pointed look from the older woman. “I can’t exactly take off work--”

“Actually, you don’t need to continue your shift. Given that it ended a little while ago.” Gil interrupted, his face smug as he walked out of his office, bouncing a very happy Isabella in his arms. “Powell’s just a dedicated worker.”

Isabella kicked her legs in excitement, squealing when she saw Jessica hold her arms out. 

“Oh, my little bluebell!” Jessica gushed as she took the baby from Gil, looking every inch a doting grandmother as she turned back to Dani. “Now then, if your work day is over, I would love to take you dress shopping.” 

Dani opened and closed her mouth, unsure how to answer. Jessica was nice enough in small doses, but even she didn’t know if she could handle the entire day with Bright’s mom. 

“Powell,” Gil interjected, fatherly assurance bleeding into his usual no-nonsense lieutenant persona. “After all the hullabaloo, you’ve definitely earned a break today. Don’t let me catch you back here until tomorrow.”

“Then I guess…” Dani paused, looking at Jessica with a tiny smile. “Why not? I could use a day off right about now.”

“Wonderful!” 

Isabella started to clap and giggle as Dani stood up, the little girl’s enthusiasm making the grin on Jessica’s face grow even wider. 

“See, even Bluebell’s excited for you to join us.”

Gil chuckled with a fond expression, offering to get Isabella’s stroller when his phone suddenly rang. He hurried back to his office when he saw just who was calling. 

“Gil, I think I figured out how to get Evan Huntington to talk.”

“Bright,” Gil pinched the bridge of his nose. “We still don’t have enough evidence to bring him in. There’s still a possibility that he’s not our killer.”

“Killer or not, he knows something. He’s just not telling us.”

“Don’t I know it,” he groaned, a feeling of dread already starting to bubble up, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Do I even want to know what you have in mind?”

“Probably not,” he joked before his voice turned serious. “We may have to talk to Evan Huntington’s father, Edgar. But in order for it to work--” 

He could practically hear Malcolm’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly. 

“--I may need to pay my father a visit.” 

Hey guys!

I’m sorry this took so long... again, writer’s block plus online summer courses have not been a good combination. I’m hoping that chapter 8 doesn’t take this long to write but no worries, I’m not gonna abandon the story... if anyone’s still interested in the story lol

I hope you guys are doing well and staying safe, I’ll see you next time XP

P.S. extra special thank you to @s4karuna because I could not have posted these past few chapters without her edits

[theonlinemuse]

So @lesbianmaxevans and I have been discussing how there’s very little backstory for Dani Powell on the show and we decided to contribute to the tags by coming up with our own headcanons for her:

Dani is a nickname obviously, but instead of Danielle or Danika, it’s short for Danys, a unisex Haitian Creole name. She only gets called Danys if she’s in trouble  

Malcolm giggles whenever that happens and Dani threatens to put her cold hands on him if he tries calling her that 

Malcolm learned her middle name the same day he met her middle sister, New York County Court Judge Naomie Powell, who barged into the precinct after an incident where Dani got hurt and went, “Danys Eliana Powell, if you’re going to give our family a heart attack, at least pick up your phone!”

Her dad is Haitian (I still say that episode 5 should’ve delved into this with Dani and her backstory) and her mom is Jewish. Dani and her sisters were all raised Jewish 

Dani doesn’t regularly go the synagogue, but it’s tradition for the Powells to go to services during major holidays 

Dani and JT explaining Jewish holidays to everyone

Powell wasn’t her dad’s original last name. Her dad and grandma came to New York from Port au Prince in the late 70s and their original last name was Poirot. Grandma Eliana kept the name, but her dad changed it to Powell when he started university 

She’s the youngest of three girls in the family. Her oldest sister Mona is played by Meta Golding while middle sister Naomie is played by Sydney Tamiia Poitier

Naomie was the sister who suffered from night terrors after getting into a bad car accident as a teenager and Mona and Dani would often take turns looking after her. This is how Dani knew how to deal with Malcolm 

Dani is bisexual. She and Edrisa went on a date before deciding to be friends and Edrisa likes to joke about them being exes much to Malcolm’s confusion 

“When did you even break up?” “We didn’t, technically. We just went go karting and had lunch at Zabar’s before we realized Dani was wayyyy too much like an aloof little sister to me.”

And this is totally a crack headcanon, but after seeing Jurnee Smollett-Bell playing Black Canary in Birds of Prey, Dani and Dinah Lance are now cousins. Their moms, Zipporah and Dinah Senior were sisters

Dani and Dinah may be Jewish, but they don’t keep kosher all the time. They don’t eat pork, but they’re absolutely weak against shellfish, much to their moms’ dismay 

Chaotic bi Dinah and distinguished bi Dani

Imagine Dani going undercover in Dinah’s band and them singing the Birds of Prey song from Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Dani can rock the punk rock aesthetic. Dinah makes her wear fishnet stockings, red lipstick, a corset over a dark lace shirt, and gold metallic temp tattoos. Malcolm has a heart attack

And then Dani starts singing and he’s a goner because he’s only ever hear her sing old songs from the 30s to 50s and there’s something powerful and sensual about her singing punk rock music. He’s not ready for it

JT teases the hell out of him, but he soon shuts up when Dani and Dinah bring Tally into the mix. Edrisa records the whole thing, as well as Malcolm and JT’s expressions. Gil ends up using it to keep Malcolm and JT from doing anything too outrageous

Grandma Eliana would sing old jazz and méringue songs to Dani and her sisters when they were little so Dani ended up with the habit of singing them absently whenever she’s focused on a task, usually when she’s doing her hair

Dani grew up listening to songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s due to grandma Eliana always playing her extensive vinyl collection. She didn’t really get to listen to modern music until she was in middle school 

In addition to jazz and swing, Dani’s surprisingly good at disco. It didn’t help that her dad often played Boney M and Earth Wind and Fire during her childhood

She used to joke that the Powell family is decades behind in their taste in music. Dani doesn’t listen to many modern songs, but she likes singing along to Yonce as well as Janelle Monae songs like Electric Lady and Sally Ride

Make Me Feel becomes Dani and Dinah’s bi anthem 

Malcolm once caught her singing and he keeps trying to catch her again. He’s lucky to listen for five seconds before she kicks him out of the bathroom

Dani’s a bit of a tea expert thanks to grandma Eliana, who taught her many different ways of making tea. Other than Earl Grey, Dani’s favourites include grandma Eliana’s ginger tea and pomegranate tea

And I’m not just saying that last one because I saw tags about a Brightwell Hades and Persephone AU

She loves tea flavoured desserts as well. She often gets a glazed Earl Grey donut for breakfast on Monday mornings when she needs a little pick me up

She changes up the glaze depending on her mood. Lavender for when she’s stressed, balsamic and pomegranate for when she’s in a good mood, blueberry for when she’s irritated or stuck on a case, brown butter for when she’s tired, and caramel with blood orange zest for when she’s ready punch a dick

In the summer, she loves Thai iced tea popsicles and matcha green tea popsicles dipped in chocolate

Dani isn’t as big of a coffee drinker as she is a tea drinker, but if she has to have coffee, it’s always a cinnamon mocha with a shot of espresso 

She can cook, but because of her schedule, she mostly sticks with quick to make dishes like grilled cheese and spaghetti. She likes spicing things up though, thanks to growing up with her dad and grandma’s cooking 

Every Hanukkah, Dani always gets roped into preparing the desserts with Zipporah since her dad, grandma, and oldest sister are in charge of cooking. Dani’s the first to admit that she’s not a cook, but she’s gotten good at making sweets, even if she doesn’t always have the patience for it. Eight nights a year is her limit

Malcolm as a foodie bemoans this and his trying to broaden her food choices slowly becomes a thing 

The look of horror on his face when he sees her chow down on a double beef bacon mushroom burger, poutine, chocolate pecan pie and a strawberry milkshake in one sitting is priceless

And Dani loves seafood, especially shellfish which Malcolm can’t have because it gives him hives 

Dani was a bit of a trouble maker in elementary school, but for good reason. She stuck gum in a classmate’s hair because she stole her favourite scratch and sniff stickers and lied about it. And she once kicked a football player where the sun don’t shine because he was being a dick to her

She dressed like Kimberly Hart from the Power Rangers movie in high school, though she did have a goth phase for about two weeks in freshman year. She was trying to channel Wednesday Addams. She was definitely a bit of a rebel style wise. Malcolm was most definitely a nerd

Ironically, Dani’s the one with poor eyesight. She only wears glasses if there’s no more contacts and they’re a chunky pair that’s similar to Edrisa’s glasses

Dani does have some secret nerdy traits, she knows how to code thanks to her sister Naomie going to coding camp for five consecutive summers 

And like Kay, Dani has some artistic tendencies too. She grew up with outdoor art programs that encouraged her to paint 

She’s fluent in French. She, her sisters, and their paternal cousins went to a bilingual language school thanks to grandma Eliana’s influence

Dani also did competitive figure skating as a kid. She actually made it to the Junior Grand Prix finals. She got silver

There’s recordings of her competition routines on YouTube somewhere and she actually goes undercover as a figure skater for a case. Gil acts as her coach because he actually used to skate as well

She also did some cross training in ballet as well since her godmother is a well known ballerina turned dance teacher. There are a lot of pics of Dani in her early teens of her in a leotard and tights with curls escaping her ballet bun

She has an old injury that often acts up when the weather is cold. She broke her leg pretty badly in high school due to an accident in gym class. She got knocked off the balance beam when they were doing gymnastics and had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery 

She prefers horror and thrillers to action movies, but she likes period pieces too. Belle is a recent favourite of hers

Dani likes Star Trek because her dad is the biggest sci-fi nerd and it was a big part of her childhood. She also grew up as a fan of Eartha Kitt because of him after he made her watch 1960s Batman reruns with him

As a result, she wanted to name her first kid after Eartha. She eventually nicknames her first daughter Kit because of this

Dani actually introduced Tally to JT. They were roommates in college (Dani majored in social work while Tally studied chemistry) and they went to the same synagogue 

Tally designated Dani as godmother after she and JT had twin girls. She was the sandeket at Noa and Miri’s simchat bat  

She practices Krav Maga, she and Dinah both learned it in high school, though Dani always says that Dinah had more of a natural talent for it 

Dinah also did kickboxing and gymnastics and Dani ended up tagging along her lessons. She doubled as a coach and sparring partner 

She and her sisters dressed up as magical girls for Halloween when they were little and the new Charm reboot is like reliving their childhood

She wraps her hair for sleep with funny and colourful scarves that Naomie always gives as gag gifts, a tradition that started when they were preteens 

She’s dyslexic, but she wasn’t diagnosed until middle school. She had difficulty memorizing things so she got into a habit of carrying a recorder with her. She also has her phone and computer set to dyslexia friendly fonts and listens to a lot of audio books

It’s also the reason she sometimes makes mistakes when she’s dancing. She sometimes mixes up left and right

She also had trouble learning French at first because of this 

Dani can hold her liquor, but after four drinks, she becomes a giggly drunk who randomly speaks French and sings 90s rock songs

She also suddenly gains a sweet tooth when sober Dani doesn’t usually go for sweets. Luckily Malcolm has a few lollipops stashed away for when this happens

Dani did a brief modelling stint back in college to help out her cousin, who was in fashion school at the time. She mostly modelled for women’s wear and book covers. She even posed for a couple of historical romance covers 

Malcolm may have accidentally come across it thanks to his mom. Jessica might have been a little smug when she told him to fetch the book from where she left it. The look on his face was priceless

Dani ends up recreating a cover for a case. Edrisa makes Malcolm pose with her. She takes so many pictures

Given that Malcolm has Sunshine, it’s ironic that Dani owns a cat. It’s a mischievous black cat named Shuri and she loves climbing things, especially Malcolm

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E43 (December 4, 2018)

Tonight’s episode features Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham!

Announcements for tonight: 

New Pumat shirt! Matt and Taliesin will also be playing some Fortnite with a Pumat voice pack. As you do.

#EverythingisContent stream tomorrow at 4PM Pacific: games on the all-new MAME cabinet!

Travis’ FPS stream will be happening next week!

Travis strongly recommends tuning in right at the start of the episode on Thursday. Right at the start. You and all your friends. Don’t miss it. There’s a sneak preview of some sort of animation!

Check out Gil Ramirez’s (an amazing smith, but also of “don’t fuck me Gil” fame) kickstarter!

Stats!

This episode had more spells cast than any previous episode: 76.

3rd time Beau has attempted to Extort Truth, and the 2nd time it’s succeeded.

Fjord has used four potions, all administered to other people. Brian: “For as much as you like swallowing... potions, not so much.”

Fjord has just passed Molly’s natural 20 count, reaching 26. Beau still sits at the top, with 49.

Travis and Marisha agree that this was one of their top five episodes of the show.

Fjord “totally dug” Caleb’s call to go with Wall of Flame to bring the situation with Avantika to a head. He points out that they’d had a conversation about keeping this whole situation in check if need be.

Brian: “You sound like McCree’s drunk uncle.”

The group planned (”we obsessed”) over the game for the entire two weeks, hundreds and hundreds of messages. It pretty much went according to plan. Marisha: “We had contingency plans. We had an ideal initiative, but we were like, if we fuck up, then Nott will take the journal. We had main roles and then understudies.”

Fjord thinks being able to summon demons is pretty much in line with all the weird shit that’s happened to him up to this point. He hasn’t even considered the consequences. Marisha: “I feel like that’s this entire mission. We’ll consider the consequences later.”

During the “I... wait” scene, Brian and Dani were yelling at their TVs, Travis was trying to telepathically communicate, and Marisha had complete tunnel-vision. She knew that if she’d fucked that up, they would have all died. She turned to Travis after Beau got up there and realized, “It’s just me and my words.”

Gif of the Week: the executive goth approves of Fjord’s demon-summoning! Henry models the prize:

Travis gets asked why Fjord slipped into his real voice when yelling that Caleb needed help. Travis pleads the Fifth: “My what?”

Marisha had no idea her mention of the Cobalt Soul would carry so much weight with the Plank King. It was a last-ditch effort after Fjord’s diplomacy fell flat with him. Travis desperately wants to know how much of what Beau said was true.

Brian: “Only Mercer could make Plank King cool again... Planking? Remember?” There is a brief threat of mutiny in the studio. It’s a Tuesday.

Matt mentioned to Marisha that, if Avantika had been allowed to speak, she would’ve called for a trial. Things could’ve gone very wrong for the Nein.

Out-of-context quote of the night: Dani: “Can you fit a puppy in your pocket?” Travis: “Yes, I’m enormous.”

Beau is surrounded by people who can do all sorts of absurd magic, “so of course she’s like, ‘Yeah, I can punch the shit out of you. I’ll start a fucking fight to do it!’”

Travis isn’t working with anything custom for his class, apart from the sword. Brian: “So your gag reflex is right out of the Handbook?” Travis: “That and personal experience.”

Travis on Fjord’s reaction to Avantika’s death: “All great stories are laced with truth. That fucked me up, because I hadn’t realized until that point that if she’s toast, I won’t get to ask her questions.” Not to mention the whole island having reactions to Vandren’s name. “I went back and watched it twice. The ritual, the tattoos, how she found her sphere, all of that shit, I’m feeling more like I knew less of the man than I thought I knew, and she knew more about him than I ever did. It’s fucking me up.”

Fanart of the Week: “I... wait.”

Marisha on Avantika’s very sudden death: “You know how things happen, and you go, wow, I should’ve seen that coming...” The outcome of the first plan was just to get her arrested, and then the fight happened, so she wasn’t thinking about immediate repercussions. She was expecting an arrest, and maybe she’d get executed after they left, but “I mean... that was brutal.” Travis: “It just kept escalating, and then she kept saying nothing after nothing. We’re going to be front row center for this.”

Travis: “Fjord is Lawful Good, clearly--” Brian: “You’re fooling no one with that Lawful Good bullshit, Travis.” Travis: “At least 40% of the audience. Lawful Good. Clearly feels a little distressed that she had to pay with her life.” But he points out that it wasn’t the first time Fjord wanted to see her dead. “If he could’ve seen to it himself, I think he would’ve.” It’s not something he’s very practiced with, but he’s emboldened by his new abilities.

Beau was definitely intimidated by the Plank King, but still had a bit of her contempt for authority figures. “I think it set in pretty hard that she was going to be terse, she was going to be blunt, but she wasn’t going to try anything that was going to get her throat slit immediately.”

Travis hadn’t intended to start picking up pieces of lost friends as part of his identity (Molly’s sword, Vandren’s accent), but it felt like the right fit, since he’s trying to establish his identity for the first time. He’s emulating what he admires about them.

Fjord’s in his early 30s. Beau’s in her early 20s. Playing Beau younger than Marisha lets her give Beau a little extra room for development; it also makes sense with her backstory. For Fjord, he was old enough to have mostly figured out what he was doing... and then everything changed.

Travis: “Fjord saw in Vandren a leadership that empowers people to rise in their station.” It’s about the team succeeding, not one person gaining more power. He’s constantly trying to put people in different situations for success.

Fjord is very attached to this group, but he’s also uncomfortable with how much attention is starting to be put on him. His whole survival mechanism is based on blending in, and being pushed to the front and being forced to make decisions is hard for him (Travis: “And me.”). Fjord is loving everything that’s been happening. The world’s never been richer or more exciting, and he wants to protect that if he can.

Brian: “Are you preparing for when things are as Beau-focused as they are... Fjord-focused right now?” No pun intended. Beau: “It’s a horror that you cannot prepare for. One day Matt will just introduce an NPC and he’s going to look at you and he’s going to be like, ‘Hello, Beau,’ and I’m going to be like ‘AHHH’.” Travis: “The tension is palpable. It’s real.” They compliment Taliesin on his handling of the first character-centric arc in the first campaign.

Brian jokes about everyone stumbling into Yasha’s story while Ashley’s still away, so Travis would have to play her through the whole thing. Travis gives a sneak-preview of how that would go, grabbing Beau’s hand and staring deeply into her eyes.

A gift for Travis from fans! He’s blown away.

Talks Machina: After Dog

Essential update on Henry: he likes wearing costumes because “it feels like being hugged”. There’s talk about him doing a Grog cosplay.

Pumat impressions all around. Travis’ is, according to Marisha, “Like Grog doing a Pumat impression.” Marisha has some practice because she was the one who wrote all the Pumat promos. Travis: “Wow, that puts your Swedish accent to shame.”

Fjord and Jester? “Fjord picks up on some subtle things and some not-so-subtle things, and then probably second-guesses those things.” He’s not too sure where they stand.

Everyone’s worried about their favorite artists’ tumblrs.

Travis reads the German on the back of his chocolate. Marisha: “There are way more syllables there than what you said.” Travis offers the last chocolate to Brian, and promptly eats it in front of him instead. “You gotta act fast on that shit.”

There were some ideas that didn’t work out: Travis was going to cast a spell so everyone could breathe underwater, and they were going to jump off the ship.

A question for Henry: Who’s a good boy?

Quote from the text thread: “Oh shoot. There is an a-hole with a crossbow. Dangit.”

Finally, in case you were losing sleep wondering, Brian is still dabbing every time he says the word “slash” in a URL. Further updates as warranted. 

[torentialtribute]

Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid: Bale rescues Zidane’s men with late strike before seeing red

Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid: Gareth Bale rescues the men of Zinedine Zidane with late strike before being sent for second yellow minutes later

Gerard Moreno opened the score for hosts after only 12 minutes on the clock

Gareth Bale led off to a good start after good work by Dani Carjaval

Villarreal restored their lead in 74th minute when Moi Gomez found the net

But Bale grabbed his second of the night to capture a point for Madrid

The Welshman was sent in downtime for a second bookable infringement] Published: 21:53 BST, September 1, 2019 | Updated: 22:00 BST, September 1, 2019

The Gareth Bale saved Real Madrid twice from defeat but was sent in the team 2-2 draw with Villarreal

Zinedine Zidane spent most of the summer trying to sell Bale, but he scored twice to make the international break a little less uncomfortable for the Madrid coach.

still many questions about why Real Madrid has only achieved five points of the first three games.

Gareth Bale beat allows Villarreal to score a point for Real Madrid on Sunday

Madrid bale forward cut up to his favorite left foot and fired near the how k

Bale received his marching orders in standstill time after picking up his second yellow

Moi Gomez thought that he had won it for Villarreal when he placed it back in the second half

Bale drained an empty net up close to equalize Madrid in the break line

The Welshman celebrates with his team after just before the interval had brought

Gerard Moreno beat Thibaut Courtois to open the score in the 12th minute

] EQUAL FACTS AND LEAGUE TABLE

Villarreal (4-2-3-1): Fernandez, Gaspar, Albiol, Torres, Quintilla, Cazorla (Bacca 74), Iborra, Chukwueze (Ontiveros 55), Gomez, Ekambi (Anguissa 62), Moreno ;

Asenjo, Mori, Trigueros, Feather

Scorers: Moreno (12), Gomez (74)

Booked: Quintilla

Real Madrid (4- 4-2): Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy, Casemiro, Kroos (Valverde 82), Vazquez (Vinicius Junior) 74), Bale, Benzema, Jovic (Modric 68);

Subs not used: Navas, Militao, Marcelo, Odriozola

Scorers: Bale (45, 86)

Booked: Mendy, Bale

Sent: Bale (90)

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano

This is what the La Liga table currently looks like after Sunday evening results

They will now be without Bale after the international break. He was sent for a second yellow card in 90 minutes for a high-footed challenge on Javier Ontiveros.

It delivered an otherwise good night for the man who was told to leave the club and refused to move

Here he stood on the eve of the transfer window and scored on the ground where he hit the back of the net for the first time six years ago.

Bale scored on his debut on this ground. in 2013. He was the best player in Madrid, but his brace was not enough to give them three points.

Villareal took the lead in 12 minutes when Sergio Ramos gave the ball away. Gerard Moreno has capitalized and destroyed Karl Ekambi. His shot was saved, but Moreno turned into the rebound.

The flag was raised against Ekambi due to offside at the start of the movement, but VAR corrected the error and the goal was given. Madrid was hit sideways by the early setback. Luca Jovic struggled to play with Karim Benzema and Matchman and Toni Kroos gave possession away cheaply in the midfield of Real Madrid.

But they improved and Bale declined an extra minute from a great team goal.

Dani Carvajal played in Jovic who put the ball to Casemiro. He sent it back to Carvajal, who stuck to Bale to go home from the edge of the six-meter box.

Bale thought he had scored Madrid's second goal at the start of the second half when he nodded ball up and into the path of Karim Benzema, who scored from close range. Again the flag was hoisted and this time VAR confirmed the offside.

Villarreal made optimal use of the let-off with a goal at 74 minutes. Substitute Ontiveros crossed from the left and excellent Moi Gomez reached the ball for Casemiro to score from close range

Substitute Luka Modric led to the second comeback that pushed Madrid forward from midfield. His distance shot was saved by Fernandez and offside Benzema could not indicate it.

Madrid was on its way to defeat, but Bale was ready to save a point. It was a largely uninspiring first three games of the Zinedine Zidane team. It would have been worse to start if the man he wanted to sell would leave the club.

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[malcolmwhitly-bright]

Yours, Mine...Ours

Chapter One: Uh-Oh

The cold blows harshly through New York City. It’s nipping temperature lowering steadily while the sun hides behind the thick clouds in the sky. A strong breeze sweeps through the city as Dani steps out of her apartment. It picks her thick curls off her shoulders. A single curl gets caught on her eyelash, a mild spike of painful itching distracting her from her mission. She’s frustrated, her nerves grated to their raw ends. She suspects that aggravation is not going to end soon.

“Detective,” Manuel greets from behind the counter. He spares her a hasty glance before looking back down at the textbook he has on the counter. She has known Manuel since the first week she moved into her apartment. Manuel’s father owns the convenience store as it was passed down from his father to him. Now, Manuel’s father hopes to pass it down to Manuel. Only, Manuel wants to be a teacher. Still, he spends every night, four p.m. to twelve a.m., working the shop. He hates it but his father means more to him than spending the weekend terrorizing the neighborhood with his friends.

Dani needs one thing. Masterfully, she glides along the aisles. She gets a tub of Ben & Jerry’s, brownie bits because it’s been a long and bad day. She deserves the brownie to ice cream ratio. That and, hopefully, Manuel will look over what she’s really here for. 

Pregnancy tests.

Manuel’s hand hovers over the box, his eyes glancing up at her. A silent, quick judgment on how far he can push her on the matter at hand. The matter <i>under</i> his hand. “You good,” he asks, placing both items in the same bag. He hadn’t seen Dani in some time but he knew well enough that she hadn’t been with anyone, seriously, since Estime. Unless, of course, the brownie bits Ben & Jerry’s counts. She’s always had a stable relationship there but it’s a bit one-sided.

Dani sighs heavily and wonders if she should unload her stresses on a seventeen-year-old with enough on his plate. She glances down at his textbook, math problems cover the waxy pages. Nodding, she retrieves the bag from the counter. “I’m good. Are you though? That looks pretty complex.” She motions to the textbook and Manuel’s eyes squint.

He nods, his mind no longer wrapped up on the pregnancy test. “It’s calculus,” he explains with a sigh. The low light of the shop enhancing the bags under their eyes, the tired bloodshot scleras. “It’s driving me crazy,” he adds, frowning down at the textbook. “I’ve got a test tomorrow.”

Dani hums, shaking her head. She doesn’t miss high school. “I’ll leave you to that.” He smiles at her and she feels his eyes on her as she leaves. As she climbs the stairs back to her apartment, she realizes she’s got a test too and for the first time in her life she’s not sure if she wants to pass it or not.

----------------

She locks her apartment door behind her. Stopping only at the refrigerator to collect a half-finished Gatorade. It had been in the fridge for… well, she’s not sure but she’s hoping it’ll speed this process on rather quickly. 

One line.

She holds the test in one hand, head tilted. “Oh,” she chuckles, but deep down this doesn’t feel right. It feels too easy. “That’s too good to be true.” So, in pajamas, she goes back down to the corner. She buys more tests and more Gatorade, Manuel doesn’t comment. 

“This better work.” She pees on her hand a little and it’s disgusting. Then she thinks about a baby. The amount of pee and poop she’s going to get all over her hands if she’s pregnant. Five minutes pass and two lines show up. She throws the test against the wall. It breaks in half with a satisfying crack.

With her knees drawn to her chest, she sobs into her knees. She loses track of time before she stands back up. Pulling her hair into a loose bun, she drinks another Gatorade, preparing for another test.

Just to be sure.

----------------

“These are probably better,”  Manuel holds up a bottle of prenatal vitamins. They’re pink, unlike the blue bottle Dani is reading the back of. “I did… some research.” The comment slips right past Dani, she’s caught up more in why there are so many options. She takes the bottle from Manuel and puts in her little basket. “Have you gone to the doctor yet,” he asks.

She frowns, she’d read some blogs. Mostly, she’s looked at corporate women in business breaking down how to hide a baby bump in each trimester. She hadn’t thought about the doctors yet, not once. She can’t help the blush that creeps up her cheeks,” uh no.”

Manuel frowns but doesn’t say anything. 

“So, how’d that test go?” He steps out of the way and allows her better access to the end of the aisle. She needs to pick up healthier snacks, things to keep the babu healthy and a few of the extra ‘baby pounds’ off. 

Manuel grins at her,” about as well as yours.” She ignores his comment and he fills her in. “I got an A- but considering the class is mostly self-taught, I’m counting it as a win.” His proud little smirk melts her heart and she wonders how she’s going to pass the next few months with raging hormones. “How are… your things?”

She elects to ignore his little in tone, the inclination that he’s talking about any one of the hundred problems she has right now. Especially, the ones she told him about while tipsy on box wine three months ago. More so, the one growing in her right now. “I’m fine, Manuel.” Except she’s not. She isn’t going to tell him that though. “Ring me up?”

He looks defeat, probably hoping those raging hormones would loosen her tongue a bit. No such luck.

“Be good,” she says as she leaves him. She rolls her eyes towards the sky, what a little shit.

----------------

“You okay?” The small tilt of Malcolm’s head gives away that he already knows the right answer. His eyes are stupidly blue and full of compassion and genuine interest. It makes her stomach tie itself into tight little knots. Her chest feeling cracked, nearly broken as her heart races. “You don’t look like you feel well,” he adds.

She doesn’t feel good. Her mother called last night and that call ended in mutual tears and a frustrated goodbye. There’s a box of positive pregnancy tests in her bathroom. Estime won’t pick up her calls and now Malcolm… Well, he’s looking at her with those stupidly, adorable blue eyes all concerned and caring and it’s not helping. “It’s been,” she considers lying. Then she remembers that little head tilt and knows there’s no point. “I’m exhausted and this case isn’t helping.”

He sighs in agreeance, settling himself on the edge of her desk. “Wanna talk about,” he offers but it’s like bait. He’s luring her in, even if he is genuinely interested. A part of her does want to tell him. To unload all this weight she’s carrying but she hasn’t even told her mother about the baby yet. If anything, her mother and JT should know before Malcolm does. 

Right?

She pulls herself to her feet, stuffing her paperwork back into its manilla folder. She glances at him only once, knowing her mouth will come unglued if she looks too long or spares a second glance. Those blue eyes will get to her. Remind her that he cares, that he’s more than willing to let her air her dirty laundry. Why does he have to be so damn charming?

“You okay?” He seems to be asking her that a lot lately. 

“I’ll be right back,” her tight smile doesn’t bid well with him. It… it isn’t right. Dani’s smile makes the skin around her eyes lift and crinkle. It’s contagious to everyone in the room. The corner of the right side of her face always lifts a little higher than the left, crooked. This smile was forced, it wasn’t real.

She comes back from the bathroom ten minutes later. Malcolm notices how ginger she is with her stomach, a hand half raised to protect it. His mind races to fill in the problem, the anxiety and concern eating his own stomach away. She’s not okay and she’s lying. Dani never lies, at least not to him. It’s like, around him, she says every thought that happens to cross her mind. She leans into him, his touches. Of late, she’s silent and avoidant. 

Has he done something?

“She was twenty-four,” Edrisa hands them the paperwork. The killer had brutally torn apart a young woman, defiling her in such a way that made her unrecognizable. Leaving Edrisa to put her back together and take hair follicles to give their young victim a name. “Her name was Samantha Hinegrad,” Edrisa hands Gil a picture so he can pin it to their board. “She was a mother of two.”

The sudden paleness of Dani’s features all makes sense. The wrist she keeps pressed to her lower stomach, the long bathroom breaks, and the near gag at lunch when JT reheated eggs. “You’re pregnant,” the words leave his mouth softly. It’s still an accusation and they all know who at. 

All eyes turn to Dani, her paler getting suddenly worse. “W-What?” 

They both stutter. JT’s face is a cloud of mixed emotion, aggravation and confusion. It makes Malcolm uneasy, suddenly thrown off. It does the same to Dani. She stands too quickly, her stomach hurting and she knows another bout of morning sickness is washing over her.

She’s hurt, too. Naive hope had left her to believe she could do this on her own. She could keep it her little secret. It would be easy, she coached herself each morning. Just as easy as getting knocked up in the first place. Then, she had to put up her tighter fitting t-shirts, a perfect little bump protruding from her favorite. Each week, was a little harder than the one before. 

Then there was the morning sickness. That was new to this week and whoever dubbed it ‘morning’ sickness was a cruel, mistaken bastard. 

Her chair falls over as she rushes to the bathroom. She falls to her knees, hard. Nothing comes up because she hasn’t eaten since this morning. She threw up what little of the bagel she could get down. Miserable, she leans against the toilet. Letting the cool porcelain touch the bare skin where her shirt has risen up.

“Here,” warmth. Something warm is pressed into her palm and she realizes its a heating pad. A hand eases it’s way around her torso, pressing it to her stomach. The room smells of Irish Spring and fruit. Malcolm. “Have you eaten?” She allows him to pull her away from the toilet, leaning back against his boney chest instead. She shakes her head. 

He hums thoughtfully. His sensitive stomach finally coming in handy for something. “Let’s get you off the floor, yeah?” He eases her up, bearing her weight as her knees tremble underneath her. “How about some Gatorade and saltines?”

She nods her head, resigning herself to being taken care of. 

“You okay?” Gil and JT are waiting just outside the doors. She wonders if they fought over who would come in to check on her. When neither step forward to peel her away from Malcolm’s side, she has her answer. 

Malcolm mumbles something but her attention is split. She only feels the deep rattle of his voice in his chest. “Alright,” he leads her to her chair not moving away until she’s completely settled. “Saltines and Gatorade, you need or want anything else?”

 As he looks at her, crouched down on his knees she has to force her tears at bay. She can’t do this alone, she realizes. She doesn’t have to either. Malcolm smiles at her as he rises back to his feet, heading for his coat to head out into the cold, for her. JT and Gil keep nearby too, sparing her glances and small smiles. 

She’s got a family. Her baby will have one too. 

(When you could have posted this nearly three hours ago but instead have a tiny meltdown because you retook the Myers Briggs and went from an ENTP to an ENFP)

[ao3feed-prodigalson]

by TheFibreWitch

c. 1720

Malcolm Bright has never known his father. He has always strived for greatness and he finds it in his duty as a Navigator in the Royal Navy. However, his life is soon unhinged when he is taken by notorious pirate captain Martin Whitly, aka The Surgeon. As he adjusts to his captivity on Martin's ship, The Claremont, he soon realizes the Captain is more than just a monster. Meanwhile, Jessica reaches out to Gil Arroyo, an old friend, and a respected sea captain, to assist in rescuing her son from the clutches of The Surgeon.

Words: 989, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Malcolm Bright, Gil Arroyo, Dani Powell, JT Tarmel, Martin Whitly, Jessica Whitly

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Pirate, I took a class on the history of pirates and here we are, First attempts at AU, I love the sea, i love pirates, and I love Prodigal Son, Malcolm is kidnapped by pirates, Whump, Angst, Set in the 1700's