#having to grapple with all that responsibility and attention like the doctor does. everyone's lives are in her hands. so crunchy

[aq2003]

series 3 is so frustrating because there is like a shining core of pure diamond underneath the problems . like conceptually it rocks so incredibly hard. but the problems

[screechthemighty]

Resident Evil Brain is still going brrrr, so here’s a new short fic! I actually came up with the idea for it ages ago, but finishing up everything stays gave me some breathing room to finish it off. You can read the full story below, but I’ll also post it to AO3 (same user name as here) and include a link to that in the reblogs!

If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have slept. He would have powered through, gone after the next Lord. Stopping to eat was one thing; stopping to sleep felt wrong. Almost like he was giving up, or wasting valuable time that could be the difference between life and death for his daughter.

But Ethan had nearly tripped while catching a chicken to eat, and deep down he knew he'd just get himself killed if he didn't rest at least a little. He wasn't expecting that somewhere to be the back of the Duke's wagon, but the man had offered, and Ethan was too tired to complain. He kept the two flasks he'd managed to gather close to his chest as he curled up in his corner. "It's gonna be okay," Ethan whispered. He wasn't sure if Rose could hear him; the Duke had said her essence was intact, whatever the hell that meant, so maybe. It couldn't hurt to try. "I'm coming for you, honey. I promise."

He just needed enough of a nap that his limbs would stop feeling so heavy. Ethan's eyes drifted shut. He thought between the stinging pain in his hand and the memories of that awful house with all the dolls, sleep wouldn't come easy, but he dozed off pretty quickly.

He woke up to a feeling of dread seizing his body.

At first, he thought he’d had a nightmare, but...no, it was deeper than that. Maybe it was his paranoia, but something wasn’t right. Ethan carefully moved off the cot and crept towards the front of the cart. He could just see the Duke’s shoulder, and past it...

Black robes, the flutter of feathers, no, no, she couldn’t be here, not now.

The other man glanced over his shoulder, pressing a single finger to his lips. That was the only thing that kept Ethan from panicking. He thought about making a run for Rose, but that would mean making noise. It was a miracle that Miranda hadn’t heard him move the first time.

How hadn’t she noticed them? The Duke wasn’t exactly subtle. Ethan kept bracing himself for her to turn her head, try to talk to the Duke, maybe even try to hurt him. She did look their way at one point, causing Ethan to duck back behind cover, teeth clenched, trying to steady his breathing. But when he looked again, she just moved on. As if there were nothing out of the ordinary about the Duke being there.

No. As if she hadn’t seen them at all.

Ethan stayed frozen in place until Miranda was out of sight. Even then, he kept his voice down to a whisper: “Is she...?”

“She won’t be a problem,” said the Duke. Ethan was taken aback by the other man’s tone—not quite aggressive, but definitely hostile. “Not for now, at least.” And then, just as swiftly... “It’s good that you’re awake! I’ve just finished preparing lunch.”

That tone was gone.

The smell of food was the only thing that got Ethan to leave the cart; even then, he made sure everything was packed away and secure before he did. He wanted to be ready if he had to run. The Duke didn’t seem worried, though. He just served up the dish (Ethan had already forgotten what it was called, but fuck it smelled good) and started eating his own portion as if nothing were wrong. As if he hadn’t just had the one and only major change in his mood that Ethan had seen in the time they’d known each other. It wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, but when the guy had been so consistent up until then, it was noteworthy. Weird, even.

Why are you doing all of this?

Why, it’s all part of our first class customer service.

Or maybe it was personal.

Ethan sneaked a few glances at the Duke as he ate. The man seemed genuinely unbothered, but maybe he was just good at hiding whatever that venom had been. “How didn’t she see us?” Ethan asked. It felt almost rude to ask, but if he was throwing in his lot with this guy, he felt like he had a right to know. “She wasn’t too far away.”

“I’ve been in this village longer than she has,” said the Duke. “It seems to agree with me more than it does her.” He noticed Ethan’s immediate frown. “What’s the longest you’ve ever lived somewhere, Ethan?”

“The same...place? I mean, I was in Dallas for a while. Not the same house the whole time, but...probably Dallas?”

“Well, after a while, wouldn’t you say that you get a feeling for a place’s...essence? How it moves, how it breathes? You could navigate it more quickly than a person who hadn’t been there as long, could you not? Stay hidden in places and ways they wouldn’t know about?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “...we’re right out in the open, there’s nothing...” Ethan sighed. “You know what, never mind. This is sounding like a conversation I should be drunk for.”

The Duke laughed. It didn’t sound mocking, at least. “Well, if you find anything left to drink in this place, bring it back with you. We can split the bottle.”

“Maybe. Once this is over.” And as long as it wasn’t from Dimitrescu’s winery. That stuff definitely wasn’t just fermented grapes.

Ethan kept eating, trying to focus on the food and not on the questions still nagging at his mind. Nothing about this place made sense, and the Duke was high up there on that list. Even if Ethan was choosing to trust him for now...

No, I have to knw.

“So...you know Miranda? Maybe not personally, but...” Ethan glanced up at the Duke, carefully studying his nearly unreadable face. “...I take it you don’t like her very much?”

The Duke hesitated. Even though his face stayed impassive, that alone was enough to catch Ethan’s attention. He wasn’t usually so slow to answer. “I am not one of her devotees, no,” the Duke said. “Which means I can clearly see she is the root of much suffering in this place.”

“The Lords? All those monsters?”

“In more ways than you realize. They were people once, you know. They might be monstrous now, but they are monsters of her making.”

Ethan understood what the Duke meant. He thought about the Bakers. The madman that had cut off his leg versus the man with kind eyes who’d begged him to save his family. The shrieking banshee with her bugs versus a woman who could’ve been his own grandmother. He wasn’t sure if Eveline had ever been anything but cruel, but even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have existed if it hadn’t been for someone else’s greed. Even the molded had been people once. Ethan didn’t regret defending himself and Mia, never would, and he’d keep defending himself here as long as these people kept screwing with him. But...

How different might things had been if someone somewhere down the line just hadn’t screwed with everyone? Just left the Lords, whoever they had been once, and the villagers in peace?

“Yeah,” Ethan said quietly. He took his last few bites of the food. “Fuck that crazy bitch, huh?”

The Duke laughed boisterously. "I'll certainly eat to that."

Ethan didn't entirely relax. He wasn't sure he was capable of that. But he was able to relax a little. Even if he didn't know how, it seemed like the Duke's little setup was a safe place.

There weren't too many of those in this place.

---

Knowing what to say and when best to say it was one of the most important parts of customer service. It was the only thing that kept the Duke from saying more to Ethan Winters. The poor man had enough on his plate, much he had to grapple with, most of it beyond the scope of his understanding. Further truth might not break him, but it would cause him unnecessary stress.

There was much the Duke would have told him if it weren’t for that concern. What centuries felt like. How this little village had changed, people coming and going, living and dying. How many had tried to seize the power the mountains held. None had truly succeeded before Miranda, the self-proclaimed mother of this place.

The Duke may have long forgotten the face of his own mother, but he remembered enough to know what maternal love felt like. Whatever Miranda had to offer was not that love. Just a twisted perversion of it, as the Lords were twisted perversions of children. She was an infection in these lands, but unfortunately, one he could do nothing about. The Duke had a great many tricks up his sleeve, but he was only a seller of arms. He had never learned to use them himself. He had always been keen to supply those who might oppose Miranda, but none had succeeded yet.

Out of all of them, he felt that Ethan Winters had the best chance of succeeding.

It wasn’t just the man’s biology, though that was clearly giving him an edge. It was something else: the spark the Duke had in his eyes from the first second they met. Determination. Rage. The kind of drive that couldn’t be found in any mold or virus in the world.

And what better to defeat a perversion of parental love than its true counterpart?

Ethan kept his bag clutched close to his chest as he ate, the bag that contained two parts of his daughter. The Duke had heard him whispering to the flasks before he fell asleep, trying to soothe and reassure the child. Even now, as he paused in eating, Ethan hummed quietly. A jaunty tune, one that the Duke didn’t recognize. “A favorite song of hers?” he asked.

Ethan glanced up. “Oh, uh. Yeah. ‘Doctor Worm.’ Never too early to get started on good music.” He held the bag a little closer before finishing off his meal. “Thanks. For the food. And for...” He gestured. “Whatever it was you did back there. If you did anything.”

His tone cemented the Duke’s decision to keep some things from Ethan. He sounded exasperated by even a simple cloaking technique. The Duke’s true age would only elicit a similar response.

Maybe if Ethan survived this, when he had less on his mind, the Duke could tell him everything. His full, dark history with Miranda. The full scope of the horrors he’d seen. The horrors that Ethan would have put a stop to. But for now, the Duke took Ethan’s plate with a smile. “Do keep an eye out for more meat as you go,” he said. “It would be an honor to have dinner with you.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said in a quiet huff. “Assuming I make it that long.”

That was always a risk, of course. That Ethan wouldn’t make it. But despite knowing that...

“After what you’ve done, Mr. Winters? I think you’re more than equipped to handle what’s to come.”

And he meant that. He truly did. Even if it was to be the death of Ethan Winters...the Duke had a feeling it would be the death of Mother Miranda as well.

He just hoped he would be able to explain exactly how truly important that was.

[riv-kai]

Hope everything is going well for you these days. What with the mass panic and virus mess.

Thank you so much my Anon friend, I feel like this is meant to be because I haven’t known where or how to share the thoughts I’ve been having, so thank you for checking up on me and giving me a reason to speak up.

Before you read on, I want you to know I’m fine and I’ve been through much worse before this, I know this is just temporary so I haven’t given up hope. And I don’t expect anyone to reply or read this, I’m just giving my thoughts a voice so I don’t make myself feel worse by keeping it inside.

———

I’m having trouble communicating how this time period feels. Not everyone knows this, but I have multiple chronic illnesses, and have had them for all of my life after a medical-related injury that weakened my immune system at 18 months old. This allowed Lyme disease and co-infections (passed down from a parent who was unaware they had it) to come out of dormancy and take over my body in a time of immune weakness. From then on, it got worse and worse until it fully hit me when I got food poisoning and H1N1 in the same couple of months in middle school. At 16, after what felt like a full life of struggling to survive, I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease. This means it was chronic, because hello, I have been on more antibiotics than my whole family combined and that didn’t even TOUCH it despite the CDC’s claims that a 30 day round should do it. I still had lyme spirochetes in my blood at 18 and a relapse I had to treat at 23 after aggressively treating Lyme and it’s co-infections for 9 years. Nine. In a youthful, fast-recovering body. The US government is the only country that no longer recognizes this disease to be “chronic,” claiming it’s a residual “post-lyme disease syndrome” as an excuse to say we don’t want to study your complex chronic disease and would prefer it didn’t exist because it’s a business obstacle for us. And despite having proof of the pathogen in my blood chronically, they won’t acknowledge its existence all because of some petty controversies and that we are now a liability to them. They won’t make insurance pay for your perplexing and unpredictable disease... if doesn’t exist to them. When their treatments don’t work and we are no longer profitable to Big Pharma, we are erased and become part of a silent epidemic. At the end of the day, all they had to do was be honest, even just with the fact that they haven’t researched enough to understand the big-scary-bug. But of course that’s a big ask from a big system.

At my very best, my body can’t work or live like abled bodies can, and if I force myself to (because I desperately want to) I always crash and burn. All because of pathogens. And I don’t want you to fear pathogens or give me a pity party. I’m someone who says fuck the system and believes I can continue to heal despite so many doctors giving me bad news throughout my childhood. I’ve already beaten the odds and am proud of it, so this isn’t about me. Right now, I just want someone out there to see what is happening surrounding another pathogen and to pay attention.

I never expected the whole world to understand any bit of how it feels to be at the mercy of a pathogen. Some people will act like you’re being dramatic, faking it, or that “even if it is bad, it’s not that bad because only the weak people die.” Listen, even if you don’t die (I barely survived a few times) that mindset totally discounts the trauma and suffering that lives with you forever. It doesn’t matter if you don’t die. This shit sucks. So now, I’m grappling with many things: wanting to help people through the beginning stages of processing this despite being decades ahead in processing it and sick of thinking about it, being wholly frustrated with those who STILL openly treat disabled people as expendable goods instead of human beings, and ultimately feeling like even if I did explain, it might only make people feel hopeless. However, these are all fear-based thoughts.

The truth is that I know what I’ve experienced for the past 24+ years, even if no one else ever can understand it or believe me, and these experiences helped me understand how pathogens and infections work from an emotional and mental level, not just what it physically does to your body. And I want to help somehow, so I’ll share what I can for now.

If nothing else, I want you to only take away this — pathogens are also living things. I don’t care if I sound crazy, wholly realizing this helped me end that nine year treatment battle with Lyme disease (even if I’m still working on handling the destruction it left behind).

An infection is just as much a mental and emotional battle as it is physical. These pathogens do not have the ability to understand that they are killing the hosts they need to survive and reproduce, they just take take take. I feel like we can all sense this beneath the surface. This microscopic expression of selfishness is a source of the deep, out of control, primal urgency we’re feeling. I’ve felt it before, and they are never the only ones acting out. And this is really important — we have to stop mimicking the pathogen’s behavior in response to its behavior, trampling over each other in fear and hoarding chunks of this world’s wealth/goods that are too big for us to hold in the name of “survival.” Or pretending the outside world doesn’t exist, that “you’ll be fine, so it doesn’t matter if I go out” and spreading sickness to others. This is an exact parallel to what the pathogen behaves like.

I need you all to care with me about fellow human beings. That is our strength as a species, and we are not pathogens so we don’t have to stoop to their level. Get your helping pants on. Tell someone you love them, and spend some time with them to distract or calm their anxieties. Stay home as much as possible and fight for those people who can’t go out or people who are forced to stay in, even if they want to.

And then I need you to hold our government and long-broken medical system accountable. Please, don’t let them brush their wrongdoings over this time, now that their behavior is out in the open. Don’t let them forget what they’re doing, who they are turning away, who they are making us believe are just “a few numbers.” Don’t let this pathogen take you down mentally, either. Even if you get sick, even in a mild case, and it effects you mentally on top of physically, you are not crazy. What traditional medicine tends to neglect is that these pathogens get into your head (trust me) and it’s important to realize that so you know it’s not something you’re making up. It’s not your fault. It’s not wrong to feel hopeless or shattered or depressed or unlike yourself when you get sick, you are just ill. You need help. Deserve it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Take it seriously, but don’t let it take over you. This is a delicate balance and you may waver from one side to the other, but I promise it’s possible to both care and not submit to fear. Pathogens feed off of “weak” openings, and so fear and stress before you even have it is the last thing you need. Btw, no one is truly “weak,” even if you go through moments of weakness. This idea of strong vs weak is just how primal thoughts work, and pathogens are very primal so I’m explaining through their instinctual “perspective” as a species.

And I’m not sure what I can do about this, but I don’t want more people to live like I did growing up. I want people to see what I’m seeing now, decades later, that there is actually hope. There is more to society than a government that treats its people like business deals. We are more powerful than we feel. We are capable of fully caring about each other, even if it’s just through one anonymous message on the Internet.

———

I’m sorry if this made no sense, especially in response to an anonymous message, but thank you again for being here. I hope you are staying indoors if you can, and are safe and healthy to the best of your ability. I know it’s hard even if you are healthy, and there is so much that can feel out of our control in response to illness, but what’s new and a possible hope for me is that we are not alone in this experience this time. I hope you can feel the love even from miles away, I’ll try to make an extra effort to show I care.

[redfoxwritesstuff]

Clover and Lace, Epilogue

Well, well, well. Here we are. And I didn’t kill anyone! Thank @winterisakiller for that, I assure you somehow she probably is responsible for the lack of deaths along the way. At the end of this, after the tag list you’ll find a summary for “The things you find in the rain” My next series, a Tom Hiddleston x Ofc RPF mini series.

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

Epilogue: Three months later

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

“Whoa, we got a knife block now? Fancy.” Bucky’s voice carried easily enough from the kitchen where he was doctoring his first cup of coffee for the morning.

“Rose brought it last night. Said she refused to use combat knives to make dinner anymore.” Their hearty laughs filled the apartment as Bucky came to sit on the coffee table with two mugs, offering one to Steve.

“Where is Rosemary anyway? Heard her last night and assumed she was staying the night?”

“Early morning meeting. She should be done in another two hours or so.”

“No wonder she crashed here last night. I’m surprised she hasn’t moved into the city yet. That drive’s gotta be killer.”

“Not too bad or so she says. But yeah, sucks for early meetings.”

“You know, we get along pretty well- me and your Little Spider.” Bucky was looking intently down at his coffee, small smile on his face. Steve was thankful every time he saw Bucky act so close to who he was before.

“I know you do. She like’s you a lot, Bucky. I’m glad you two are friends.” Something was coming, Steve could feel it. Bucky had been hinting at something for the last week. Steve was sure that Bucky was worried that he would be left behind, that Steve would move out and leave him behind. That simply was not going to happen.

“I’m just saying- don’t wait too long to move forward with her.” Bucky didn’t look up as he spoke.

“What do you mean? It’s only been a handful of months.” Steve was well and properly confused.

“I’m just saying, we eat best when she’s around feeding us.” Bucky joked and when their laughter died down he returned to his more serious mood.

With a careful smile, Bucky explained his thoughts slowly, watching Steve’s reactions to his words. Steve had to admit that his friend had valid points. His friend was right though, both their mothers would be turning over in their graves with Steve’s current arrangement and if he shared a home with her both. Again, Steve had to remind himself that it was a new time with new rules. Bucky’s idea at the very least was something to think about and as lunch approached, the idea grew on Steve.

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

Standing outside the glass walls of the conference room, Steve watched her with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips even as he tried to school his face. Fury was able to work out an impressive deal for them. Both of the Ramsey twins were cleared of their crimes and Julian was in the process of transitioning his business to strictly legal avenues. Rosemary however had gone on to become a vital part of the operations quickly.

He was immensely proud of her. Even now, standing outside the room, watching her feed the agents information that they wouldn’t have had access to before. He knew she kept her web close and without her Shield would not be able to make it sing. They needed her and her ability to obtain information without raising any suspicions at all. Still her web wasn’t strictly legal and they all turned a blind eye to it. To require every transaction be detailed and explained would raise red flags and kill the web.

Steve didn’t know what the future held for them but he did know that he wanted to find out. Every moment he spent with her was a breath of fresh air. With her he found a joy and thirst for life he hadn’t had in a very long time.

Still he often worried about her. She was a target. As she became more and more valuable to Shield, the more people would consider eliminating her. Two hours away was too far. It would be better if she was closer. He could better protect her if she was closer. They could spend so much more time together if she was closer.

Again Bucky’s suggestion came to mind. Was it really alright?

The ping of his phone drew his attention from the redhead commanding a room full of agents. He was reluctant to look away from her. She was a vision with her messy red hair pulled back into a bun that did nothing to contain the curls and waves that framed her face.

The phone pinged again and he tore his eyes away from her. Two text messages came in from Agent Hill, likely at the direction of Director Fury. They were simple messages.

“Detective Mary O’Kelley has been apprehended.” The first message reads. “We’ve taken a hair sample. Please inform Rosemary that we can run a DNA test if she would like to determine relation at any time if she wishes.”

“Will do, thank you.” Steve responded only to have his phone chime again in his hand.

“Stop standing outside of conference rooms like a worried father.” Steve laughed. Of course Agent Hill and Fury would know he was here. Not much escaped them.

With the meeting finished, agents filed out of the room. Some made snide comments- someone always did. In a way, he couldn’t blame them. They had no reason to trust her. It wasn’t their lives she saved. Still, these newer agents should be thankful for the information she was able to provide them.

Somehow, the talk never seemed to bother her. She looked up from the file in her hands and when their eyes locked a radiant smile blossomed across her face. Wearing a simple black skirt, white blouse and black heels- she would look at place at any office in the city. Steve counted himself lucky that got to see her when she was in the offices but wished he could see more of her working in the middle of the night wearing an over sized shirt and comfortable shorts, legs folded under her as she sat on his bed.

“Hey.” Steve smiled as she made her way out of the room.

“I thought you were off today?” Rosemary asked as she leaned back against the glass wall.

“I am. I came to check on the team- make sure there wasn’t anything needing my immediate attention. Figured it was close enough to lunch time- maybe you’d like to get lunch?” It was cute how she still blushed talking to him.

“Steve, are you asking me on a lunch date?” She teased.

“Of course I am.”

“Lucky me.”

“I’m the lucky one.”

“Oh my god! Do you have to be so damn cheesy?” Sam barked from down the hall, wide smile on his face just the same. “How the hell did you find the one damn woman in the world that cheesy ass shit works on?”

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

Steve’s hand held hers tightly as they walked down the hall toward the elevator. He was more subtended than she typically saw him and it was worrying. Was this the moment everything would finally crash down around around her?

These past three months had been as close to perfect as she had dared to dream. Sure, they didn’t get along every moment they were together. Often when they would bicker it would be over one of them taking unnecessary risks. Still what they had was more than she had ever dared to dream for. This life she had now, it was something she never thought she could have.

“Is everything okay?” Steve almost didn’t hear the her words, soft spoken as they were while the elevator doors closed behind them.

“Why wouldn’t it be? I get to have lunch with the most beautiful girl in New York.”

“You just seem… off, I guess.” Rosemary looked down at her feet, unsure if she was opening a can of worms that she would regret.

“Hey?” Firmly, he squeezed her hand in an attempt to draw her eyes to him. When that didn’t work he turned and stepped in front of her. The sheer size of him blocked her in the small space. Reaching out, he hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her gaze up to him even as he ducked down slightly, bringing himself closer to her level. “Look at me.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, not sure what she was apologizing for.

“I’m good. You’re good. We’re good, aren’t we?” Only when she nods does he continue. “I’m happy- happier than I have been in a very long time. It’s because of you, Rosemary.”

It was rare that he called her Rosemary and she smiled every time he did. It was a soft reminder that he saw her, he knew her for who she was. “I am too, Steve. I really am.”

“Good. Then we have nothing to worry about.” Steve didn’t let her protest or give her a chance to worry as he closed the little distance between them with a tender kiss. The elevator came to a halt as they reached the second floor.

Taking her hand in his, he pulled her out into the large room. The best way to feed agents was with a cafeteria and Shield had their own. Most days the food was decent enough. Mondays were questionable however. The running theory was that the staff resenting having to start another week of work and thus was trying to poison everyone every Monday.

By the taste of the food, Steve couldn’t say for sure that they were wrong.

While they waited their turn for the food- both thankful that it was not Monday- Steve held her hand. It was surprising for Rosemary. He wasn’t one for public affection often and even more so within the confines of Shield Headquarters.

The trend continued as they ate. Somehow, he was always touching her. Impossibly long legs had his foot brushing up against her calf under the table, his hand sought hers out repeatedly. With plates empty, Steve decided now was the time.

“Rosemary.” When she smiled up at him, he chickened out. “They caught Mary. Fury’s going to see to it she’s put away for the rest of her life. You’re safe now.” Coward. Coward. Coward.

“Safe from her at least.” Yet there was still warmth in her smile as she reminded him of the truth. Sometimes it was hard for him to remember that she still had many enemies.

“They took DNA samples as they processed her into custody.” Both his hands came to cover hers in a show of support that she really didn’t need. “If you wanted to know, to find out for sure…”

“If she’s really my sister?” The idea was something she and Julian had grappled with. If it was true, she was the reason their father killed their mother and their admittedly already poor home life spiraled into something so dark. “I want to know. I think I need to know.”

“I’ll let Tony know to run the test.” One of Steve’s hands left hers as he pulled his phone out and typed the message.

“Not Shield?” With her head cocked, Rosemary tried to understand why Shield wouldn’t be the one to run the test.

“I would feel better if Tony did it himself.” Steve shrugged and Rosemary had to admit that if she had to hear she was related to yet another monster she would rather it came from someone who had quickly become a friend.

The phone on the table chirped and Steve informed her that Tony would text her with the results within the hour.

“Regardless of what the results say, you’re still the same person.” It always amazed her how well Steve could read her. It was like for him, she was an open book. Someone saw her. Finally, someone would remember her.

After killing as much time as they could, Steve cleared the table. She Smiled as he put up their trays. It was one of the many small things he insisted on doing for her.

She had been so very lucky to have him stumble into the art show that Mrs. Jones had forced her to put on all those months ago. Now she was even more lucky that after everything, after all her secrets had come to light this amazing man was still smiling at her from across rooms room.

“You don’t have anymore meetings today, right?” Weaving his fingers between hers, Steve brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back.

“Free and clear.” Standing, she allowed him to lead her toward the elevator again.

“Let’s get out of here. Go home. Bucky got a new movie he wanted to watch.”

“He won’t mind me tagging along?” It was a question she asked him often. It was never her intention to come between the friends or to force her presence on Bucky, though she liked him and even considered him a friend. Still, it was hard to tell how he felt about her.

“He likes you.” Steve laughed. They’d been over this before. “He adores you.”

In the privacy of the elevator once again, Steve wasted no time in pulling her into his chest. Strong arms wrapped around her waist while she rested her head against his chest. With her arms around his back, Rosemary listened to the steady thump of his heart. She only moved when the sound of a hammer striking metal filled the small space signalizing a text received from Tony.

“Well?” Steve asked as she gazed down at the screen.

“Not related.” The news was shocking to her.

“Are you happy?” The lack of a response worried him.

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “I guess? I don’t feel any sort of way about it. I didn’t expect that.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay to not care.” Steve wrapped her tighter in his arms. “She doesn’t matter. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I’m relieved.” Rosemary admitted, leaning into his chest until the elevator doors slid opened on the basement carport. “I think… I think if it came back and said she was really my sister I would have felt… I don’t know.”

“Obligated to help her?”/ Steve offered as he gave her hand a squeeze again. She smiled at what had become his way of reminding her that he was there, right there with her.

“Yeah. That’s dumb, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so. It would make her family- at least by blood. That’s all you’ve had for so long. It makes sense that you would feel like you had to. But she’s not and you don’t owe her anything.”

“You’re too good to me.” A smile graced her face and Steve thought of how lucky he was to find a small art show four months ago in a tiny town outside of the city.

“I’ll meet you at your apartment, then?” Leaning against the side of her blue car, Rosemary fiddled with her keys.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something first.” Steve took a deep breath and suddenly looked everywhere but at her. When the ground and ceiling grew dull, he examined his hands.

“This isn’t how I dreamed of getting proposed to.” Rosemary laughed forcefully, trying to lighten the air with a joke about what clearly wasn’t happening. He wouldn’t do that. Not in a carport at work. Not after four months. Would he?

“Oh! No! No, that’s not what- I mean, I care for you a lot. I love you but that’s just- that’s a big thing and-”

“Steve.” Rosemary tried to school the worry in her voice as she leaned forward, resting a hand on Steve’s arm. “I’m only teasing you. You’re worrying me.”

“I’m sorry. Forget it. Let’s go home?” Steve still wouldn’t look at her.

“No.” That made him look at her, finally.

“No?”

“No. Whatever it is, if you’re in knots over it you need to tell me. We said no more secrets, remember?” Guilt washed over him.

It always amazed her how hard he was, how well he schooled his expressions when working. That wasn’t the Steve she knew. Her Steve was this man in front of her, this man she had grown to love so quickly was expressive and easy to read.

Steve closed his eyes and his shoulders sagged. His whole body seemed to inflate and deflate with each deep breath he took as he tried to calm himself. Whatever he was preparing himself for, Rosemary hoped it wasn’t something that would hurt her.

“Rosemary…” When he opened his eyes, he saw worry swimming in her own. She had her lip trapped between her teeth and this time he knew he was the cause of it without any doubt.

“What?” There was a whimper in her voice and he would have given anything to turn back time and start this conversation over again. He really managed to muck this up and yet he knew absolutely no one would be surprised about it.

“Move in with me.” The words came fast, each running over the other.

“Move in with you?” Surely she had heard him wrong but he nodded. “What about Bucky? I don’t want to displace him or make him uncomfortable. I’d hate for him to think I was taking over or-”

“It was his idea.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to ask just because he-”

“No!” Steve almost barked the word, it came so rushed and loud. His hands raked through his hair as he turned from her, taking a step away only to turn back and fiercely kiss her. The force pushed her back and he had her pinned against the side of her car, not that she was complaining. The kiss ended just as suddenly as it began however he didn’t move away.

“I was scared to even think about it. I was scared I couldn’t have that.” He admitted and she understood that feeling all too well. It was one she often had herself, even now. Everything she had right now felt far too good to be true. “Bucky had to remind me that we’re not still in the 40’s. He also made a point to remind me that we both eat best when you’re over.”

“So he wants me to move in and feed him?” A small giggle slipped out of her as her hands relaxed against his chest, taking in the feeling of the worn white tee shirt and warmth that radiated off him. That did sound just like Bucky.

“Maybe.” Steve seemed to relax as his own laugh joined hers. “But it got me thinking. I stood there, watching you command the agent’s attention and I was so proud of you. Proud that you’re mine. I love waking up next to you every single morning I’m blessed to. I love coming in from my runs and seeing you. I love falling asleep with you in my arms. I love you.”

“I love you too, Steve.” The warmth in his smile could make anyone forget the flustered mess the man had just been.

“I want to have that every day. And Bucky thinks it would be great to have you with us. So, will you?”

“Steve-”

“Shit. I know, you probably need time to think. I shouldn’t- Sorry. I shouldn’t put you on the spot like this. You don’t have to answer right now. Take time, think about it, okay? The offer is always open.”

“Steve.” His jaw slammed shut. He was rambling and he knew it.  

Both arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled herself flush against him. Instinctively, his hands fell to her waist as she rose up onto her toes. Softly she pressed her lips against his. With a sigh, the tension seemed to melt off of him.

“Okay. If you sure- okay. I’ll do it. I’ll move in.” Steve lifted her off her feet and spun her around. When he set her on her feet again, his lips met hers in a kiss that left her light headed and gasping for air.

Rosemary couldn’t say that the life she had was a dream come true. It was something she had never dared to dream of. It had been such a large risk when she decided against blocking his number that first night. It took her going against everything she had ever known to give him a chance and now she was so very thankful that some some small part of her refused to let him go.

Finally, she had a taste of love. It was fierce and passionate. It was warm and comforting. It was the light in the darkness. She didn’t know it at the time but love was Steve Rogers smiling at her from across a crowded cafe in a small town.

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

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 The Things You Find in the Rain

Maggie and Evan had just married and were honeymooning in London. He was a difficult man but Maggie was a kind and forgiving soul. She loved him with all she was and when that is thrown away, not even 72 hours after they said their ‘I Do’s, what’s a girl to do? Except perhaps hit up ever bar her feet can take her to while the night sky opens up above her. 

When Tom’s out walking Bobby in the rain, he’s thankful. It’s true that beast will come into the house muddy and wet. He’ll even likely make a mess. But in the rain, even fewer were out this time of night and he was allowed the simple peace of walking around the park like any other man. In the rain no one expected him to take pictures with them. No one expected him to sign anything. In the rain, no one expected anything of him. 

This story has a long lead up to Tom’s involvement. Like most of my stories, it is the OC’s story and sometimes it takes us a bit to make it to our muse. I hope you fall in love with Maggie while she’s on her journey to meet Tom. Let me know if you want tagged in this or any other future works <3

[chillerhjemmeisak]

in your evak fanfic you called their son jonah and thats so cute because its so obviously because of jonas so i was wondering if you could writ something about the isak telling jonas that he was going to same his son after him pleaseeee

I loved this prompt and got super caught up in it! Sorry it’s so long but ENJOY

It wasn’t often thatIsak had the free time to do this; having the boys over had become ararity over the years.

So having them over while Even was at work was an unexpected but welcome development.

As each of them hadgrown older and grown apart, their lives had taken over. Adulthoodwas nothing like high school, with responsibilities around everycorner and not a moment of free time in sight.

Mahdi had briefly movedto Denmark after university before deciding that the language wasjust too “potato” for him to handle. When he had returned, he hadtaken to teaching, something that no one had really expected of him.But with the same sort of dedication he showed his universitystudies, Mahdi took to shaping the lives of little kids in Oslo. Hisjob meant that his only free days became the weekend, when the boys’regular jobs decided to be particularly busy.

Magnus was a proudwaiter. Where others had bullied him for such a minimalistic careergoal, Magnus had always enjoyed social situations and found hiscalling in attending to others. He never let dismissive comments gounnoticed and never allowed anyone to look down on him. Even oftenvoiced his praise for Magnus’ strength, something that had certainlytaken a long time to develop. Unlike in highschool, Magnus no longertook anyone’s crap.

Except the boys’. Hewould always be the punching bag of the group, whether he liked it ornot.

Jonas had become apolitician to the surprise of absolutely no one; fighting primarilyfor civil rights and against the seemingly endless stream of corruptpolitical influences. He had become as headstrong in his personallife as he was in his professional one, becoming a strict but lovingfather to his and Eva’s first child; Frida.

In the many years thatIsak’s busy career had threatened to sever the friendship he sharedwith Jonas, both men had changed and evolved to accommodate theirdeveloping lives. For not a moment had their friendship wavered.

And it was forprecisely that reason that Isak had asked Even if he could name theirsecond child. Even, having graced Belle with the name of hisfavourite Disney princess, had agreed immediately as long as Isakpromised their child would have a meaningful name. Isak had arguedthat, claiming that a Disney princess was hardly ‘meaningful’ butEven had remained ignorant.

Looking back, Isakcan’t help but wonder if Even had known that Isak was a sentimentalloser and wouldn’t hesitate to make their child’s name ridiculouslycheesy.

And so, just to proveEven sickeningly right, Isak had gone for as meaningful a name as hecould.

But where chosing thesappy name had been easy, the name coming without hesitation,delivering the news came as a struggle to Isak who, despite years byEven’s side, continued to struggle with displaying emotion.

Isak blamed his job;doctor’s were notorious for struggling with grappling basic emotions.He was no exception.

“Y'know, if you wentdown on her I’m sure she’d fogive you.”

Magnus’ words tore Isakfrom his train of thought and he immediately felt himself cringe.“Serr, Magnus?”

Everyone looked at Isakwhen he spoke for the first time in what Isak presumed was a longtime. Magnus looked confused by his outburst but Mahdi and Jonas weregrinning widely.

“What?” Magnusdemanded. “I was just telling Mahdi that if Isabel is pissed athim, maybe it might help.”

Mahdi rolled his eyesdramatically. “You really don’t get it to do?” he laughed. “Ican’t just go down on my wife and hope that’s apology enough, youidiot.”

Jonas snickered atMahdi’s words. “He’s right Mags. You’re married, surely youunderstand that women don’t drop things that easily.”

Magnus shrugged, “Vildealways forgives me if I go down on her.”

Isak gaped at them,shocked and confused by how their discussion about their kids hadsomehow morphed into him hearing about Magnus going down on Vilde. Asmuch as Isak loved both parties, he could survive withou the imagesplaguing his dreams.

Or should he saynightmares.

“You do it, rightIsak?”

Isak turned hisattention back to the boys at the sound of his name. “What?

“You must do the samething to Even right? If he’s pissed at you, he gets head. Right?”

If Isak thought Magnuscouldn’t have gotten more dense after high school ended then he wasproven severely wrong. Rolling his eyes and moaning exaggeratedly,Isak settled back into the chair and glared at Magnus.

“No Magnus”, hegroaned. “We talk it out. Like adults.”

“But then he gets ablowjob, right?”

The grin on Magnus’sface made Isak recoil in horror.

“Dude he’s nottelling you that”, Jonas piped up, his smile hidden behind hishand. Isak glared at him for daring to laugh.

Magnus sighed loudly.“Why does no one tell me anything?”

“We tell youeverything”, Mahdi defended. “Just not about blowjobs.”

“Or sex in general”,Jonas added.

Magnus’s frowndeepened. “But best friends are supposed to talk about that sort ofthing.”

Isak dropped his headinto his hands with a sigh. “Magnus”, he began, looking at hisfriend through the gaps of his fingers. “We would talk about thatsort of thing if you weren’t so damn interested. It’s kinda creepy.”

Jonas and Mahdi snortedat Isak’s words and Magnus looked away, offended.

“Anyway”, Jonaslaughed, clapping his hands together. “I have news!”

The room fellobediently silent as the boys looked expectantly at Jonas, who wasbeaming widely.

“Eva and I are havinganother baby.”

Where moments ago theroom was silent, it suddenly burst into action. Isak propelledhimself towards his best friends, throwing his arms around him and helaughed wholeheartedly. “I’m so happy for you guys”, he cheered,patting Jonas on the back in affection.

Jonas laughed intoIsak’s ear, clearly elated. “Thanks bro, me too.”

“Move out the wayIsak!” Magnus complained, displeased that he hadn’t given Jonas ahug too.

Isak chuckled butpealed himself away from his best friend, moving back to his chair.He seemed unable to control the bouncing of his leg as he waited toshare his own news.

After a few minutesMagnus seemed to have his full and moved away, leaving Mahdi open topat Jonas’s back in a bro hug.

Jonas was beaming whenMahdi pulled away, his cheeks red with heat.

“So, how long?”Mahdi asked.

“20 weeks”, Jonassighed happily.

Isak immediately shot up. “Dude!Fy faen! Why didn’t you tell me!”

Jonas looked a littlesheepish at Isak’s outburst. “Because I wanted to wait to tell youso that I could tell you something else at the same time. You know,make it all dramatic and stuff.”

Isak rolled his eyes athis best friend but sat back down. “But I saw Eva like 3 weeks agoand she didn’t look 20 weekspregnant!”

Jonasshrugged, “It’s there but its small, you’re right.”

Isakcouldn’t help but feel a deep sense of betrayal at that, genuinelyoffended by his friend’s unwillingness to share the news. I mean,Isak had told Jonas about Belle the second their request to adopt hadbeen confimed, even though Jonas had been in Portugal at the time.The bill Isak racked up calling him had been well worth it.

Orso he thought.

Fora moment, Isak couldn’t help but scold himself for his dramatics.Were Even there, he would be rubbing a soothing hand across Isak’sback to calm him down. Imagining exactly that, Isak sighed andsettled back into his chair, looking expecantly at Jonas for anexplanation.

“Imean if we’re all sharing news without telling our best friends firstthen I guess I’m next”, Isak said when Jonas seemed too reluctantto speak, his eyes flitting about nervously. “The adoption wentthrough. We’re getting another baby.”

Jonas’spreviously torn expression transformed into one of sheer joy as hisface tore apart into a grin. “No way!”

Magnusscreamed, jumping from his chair. “You’re both having another kidat the same time?! This is some psychic shit!”

Mahdirolled his eyes, quickly reaching across to clasp Isak’s hand incongratulations. Isak nodded gratefully back. “I think that’sawesome Isak”, Mahdi beamed. “You guys are awesome parents.”

Isakgrinned smugly; of course they were.

“Areyou trying to steal my thunder or something?” Jonas joked, standingto walk to Isak. Isak chuckled as he stood to accept Jonas’s hug.

Jonassqueezed Isak tightly, to the point where Isak genuinely worried forhis spine, which felt about ready to snap. With another squeez, Jonasdropped his head to Isak’s shoulder.

“I’mso happy for you man”, Jonas sighed against Isak’s ear.

Isaksmiled softly, his arms tightening around Jonas reflectively.“Thanks”, he whispered back, eyes wet.

Jonasgrinned as he pulled away. He reached up to wipe away Isak’s straytear. “You’ll kill it, just like last time.”

“Sowill you”, Isak nodded firmly.

Themoment was broken, unsurprisingly, by Magnus. “You guys are socute! You’re almost as cute as ‘Evak'”

Jonasand Isak recoiled slightly. “Don’t compare our friendship to Isakand Even’s romantic and, more importantly, sexual relationship pleaseMags.”

Magnuslooked unphased. “Seriously, it’s awesome!”

Isakrolled his eyes at Magnus, who finally stood to hug Isak. Isakcouldn’t stop himself from squealing slightly when Magnus lifted himoff his feet in the hug.

“Dude!”Isak complained when Magnus set him down again.

Magnusignored his complaint. “When is Even getting home?” he askedexcitedly. “I wanna congratulate him.”

Isaklooked across at Jonas, exasperated. Depsite the years that hadpassed, Magnus was still just as taken with Even as he was the firsttime they met, and remained obssessed with him. Lucky for him, Evenfound it rather endearing and entertained Magnus’ affections kindly.

“Inabout two hours”, Isak said as he sat back down. “Anyway, Iactually have more news.”

Mahdithrew his head back. “You’re not like… having a third kid areyou? We can only deal with two baby announcements in one day!”

Isaksnickered but shook his head. “Not yet”, he said, ignoringJonas’s raised eyebrow and coy smile. “I actually meant I have somenews for Jonas, well… mostly Jonas.”

Jonas’ssmile settled at that and he sat forward in anticipation. “Just soyou know, I have to tell you something in a minute too.”

Isaklooked at Jonas in confusion.

“Isaid I waited to tell you about Eva for a reason. But anyway, I’lltell you in a minute. Tell me your news first”, Jonas saidexcitedly.

“Okay”,Isak began, clasping his hands together to fiddle with his fingersnervously. Looking at his best friend through his lashes, Isakblushed. “So, it’s a boy first of all.”

Magnuslet out a little cheer at that and Isak couldn’t help but smile atit.

“Andwell… since Even named Belle, we agreed that I’d get to name thisone.”

Jonasstraightened up slightly, his eyes widening and a smile spreadingacross his face. Isak cursed slightly, annoyed that Jonas had seemedto figure it out.

“AndI, uh… Well, I wanted to call him Jonah. If- if that was cool withyou”, Isak stuttered awkwardly. He could almost see Even rollinghis eyes in his head.

Jonassimply cocked his head, his eyes soft and full of affection. “You’ddo that?”

Isaknodded immediately. “Of course.”

Jonasgrinned, nodding too. “Jonas is a pretty fucking awesome name toget inspiration from I suppose.”

“Ass”,Isak chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

Aftera moment, Isak looked up at his best friend and saw a small butknowing smile on his face. Isak looked at Jonas, eyebrows furrowingin adorable confusion.

Jonaslooked almost close to tears as he chuckled, his smile affectionate.“I waited to tell you about Eva until we knew the gender; just so Icould get an idea and me and Eva could get a name.”

Isaksquinted in further confusion. “Why-Why would you need a namebefore telling me?”

Mahdisnorted beside him and Isak shot him a look in surprise. Mahdi lookedat him pointedly before rolling his eyes, nodding back to Jonas. Isakturned to him, his confusion palpable.

“We’recalling him Isaac, dude.”

Isakgaped at his best friend. “Wait, what?”

“Withtwo As though”, Jonas continued unbothered by Isak’s surprise.“Y'know, the English way. Just so there’s less confusion I guess.”

Isakremained frozen and when Jonas failed to get a response, he finallylooked over at Isak. “Isak?”

Noddingslowly, mouth hanging open in shock, Isak met his eye. “You- you’recalling him- you’re naming him after me?”

Magnuslaughed sharply. “This is getting too weird man!”

“ButI’m naming Jonah after you”, Isak continued uninterrupted.

Jonasshrugged. “And?”

“AndJonah is only inspired byJonas but you’re literally naming your son after me! I feel like ashitty friend now!”

DespiteIsak’s obvious distress, Jonas stared in shock. “Isak”, hedeadpanned. “Are you serious?”

Isaknodded rapidly.

Jonastried to refrain from rolling his eyes lest they fall into the backof his head. “Isak, there aren’t many names similar to yours thataren’t just Isak.”

Isakshook his head. “That’s a lie, there’s tons. Like…”

Silencesettled around them as Isak paused, and Jonas looked at him with aface that clearly said ‘I told you so’.

“Shutup”, Isak said, pointing a finger at him. “I’ll think ofsomething!”

“Itwont be a nice name”, Jonas promised, sinking further into hischair as he relaxed as though just to spite Isak, who was sitting onthe edge of his chair.

Mahdilaughed wholeheartedly. “Isak just give up now.”

Isakshook his head vehemently. “No, he can’t give the baby my name whenmy son only gets a similar name.”

“Thenjust name your son Jonas”, Magnus chirped up cheerfully.

Isakdidn’t even look his way as he spoke. “Even doesn’t like thatname”, he said, waving his hand dismissively.

“Hey!”

[bigyack-com]

Covid-19 Changed How the World Does Science, Together

Using flag-draped memes and military terminology, the Trump administration and its Chinese counterparts have cast coronavirus research as national imperatives, sparking talk of a biotech arms race.The world’s scientists, for the most part, have responded with a collective eye roll.“Absolutely ridiculous,” said Jonathan Heeney, a Cambridge University researcher working on a coronavirus vaccine.“That isn’t how things happen,” said Adrian Hill, the head of the Jenner Institute at Oxford, one of the largest vaccine research centers at an academic institution.While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history. Never before, researchers say, have so many experts in so many countries focused simultaneously on a single topic and with such urgency. Nearly all other research has ground to a halt.Normal imperatives like academic credit have been set aside. Online repositories make studies available months ahead of journals. Researchers have identified and shared hundreds of viral genome sequences. More than 200 clinical trials have been launched, bringing together hospitals and laboratories around the globe.“I never hear scientists — true scientists, good quality scientists — speak in terms of nationality,” said Dr. Francesco Perrone, who is leading a coronavirus clinical trial in Italy. “My nation, your nation. My language, your language. My geographic location, your geographic location. This is something that is really distant from true top-level scientists.”On a recent morning, for example, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh discovered that a ferret exposed to Covid-19 particles had developed a high fever — a potential advance toward animal vaccine testing. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have started work on an academic journal article.“But you know what? There is going to be plenty of time to get papers published,” said Paul Duprex, a virologist leading the university’s vaccine research. Within two hours, he said, he had shared the findings with scientists around the world on a World Health Organization conference call. “It is pretty cool, right? You cut the crap, for lack of a better word, and you get to be part of a global enterprise.”For Mr. Trump, the unabashedly “America First” president, Dr. Duprex and other American scientists represent the world’s best hope for a vaccine. “America will get it done!” the president declared.But trying to sew a “Made in the USA” label onto scientific research gets complicated.Dr. Duprex’s lab in Pittsburgh is collaborating with the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Austrian drug company Themis Bioscience. The consortium has received funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, a Norway-based organization financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a group of governments, and is in talks with the Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world.Vaccine researchers at Oxford recently made use of animal-testing results shared by the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana.Separately, the French public-health research center Inserm is sponsoring clinical trials on four drugs that may help treat Covid-19 patients. The trials are underway in France, with plans to expand quickly to other nations.In some ways, the coronavirus response reflects a medical community that has long been international in scope. At Massachusetts General Hospital, a team of Harvard doctors is testing the effectiveness of inhaled nitric oxide on coronavirus patients. The research is being carried out in conjunction with Xijing Hospital in China and a pair of hospitals in northern Italy. Doctors in those centers have been collaborating for years.But the coronavirus has ignited the scientific community in ways that no other outbreak or medical mystery has before. That reflects the scope of the pandemic and the fact that, for many researchers, the hot zone is no longer an impoverished village in the developing world. It is their hometowns.“This is playing at home,” said Professor Hill, of Oxford. He has worked on vaccines for Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis, diseases that have been most prevalent in Africa. “But for Covid, it is happening right here.”Several scientists said the closest comparison to this moment might be the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, when scientists and doctors locked arms to combat the disease. But today’s technology and the pace of information-sharing dwarfs what was possible three decades ago.As a practical matter, medical scientists today have little choice but to study the coronavirus if they want to work at all. Most other laboratory research has been put on hold because of social distancing, lockdowns or work-from-home restrictions.The pandemic is also eroding the secrecy that pervades academic medical research, said Dr. Ryan Carroll, a Harvard Medical professor who is involved in the coronavirus trial there. Big, exclusive research can lead to grants, promotions and tenure, so scientists often work in secret, suspiciously hoarding data from potential competitors, he said.“The ability to work collaboratively, setting aside your personal academic progress, is occurring right now because it’s a matter of survival,” he said.One small measure of openness can be found on the servers of medRxiv and bioRxiv, two online archives that share academic research before it has been reviewed and published in journals. The archives have been deluged with coronavirus research from across the globe. Despite the nationalistic tone set by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, Chinese researchers have contributed a significant portion of the coronavirus research available in the archive.Though Chinese officials initially covered up the outbreak and have since used it for propaganda purposes, Chinese scientists have in many ways led the world’s coronavirus research. A Chinese laboratory made public the initial viral genome in January, a disclosure that formed the basis for coronavirus tests worldwide. And some of today’s most promising clinical trials can trace their origins to early Chinese research on the disease.Few areas of the world have been spared. Last year, Jamal Ahmadzadeh, an epidemiologist at Urmia University in Iran, warned that the world needed a rapid-alert system in response to MERS, another coronavirus. No country was immune to the risk, he wrote. In an email last week, as Iran grappled with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, he wrote that defeating the virus required information-sharing across laboratories and across borders.Even scientists working in fields beyond infectious diseases have been drawn into the effort. Dr. Perrone, who is supervising an Italian clinical trial of the immunosuppressive drug tocilizumab, is a cancer specialist. He is involved because of his experience running clinical trials for the National Cancer Institute in Naples.Dr. Perrone said the coronavirus pandemic may make medical science more nimble long after the emergency has passed. Ten days after researchers conceived of the trial, the normally laborious government approval process was complete and doctors began enrolling patients, he said. “This should be a lesson for the future,” he said.While Mr. Trump has touted American pharmaceutical prowess, and big drug companies like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have announced that they are bankrolling coronavirus vaccine research, the biggest drug companies focus on drugs they can sell year after year in affluent countries, not during short-lived crises centered in the developing world. Vaccine research has been seen as insufficiently profitable.When Ebola captured the world’s attention in 2014, for example, the drug giants that chased a vaccine all took major losses on their investments. The first vaccine, originally devised by a Canadian government lab and now sold by Merck, was approved for sale last year, long after the epidemic faded.“Of course there are people in competition. This is the human condition,” said Dr. Yazdan Yazdanpanah, the director of infectious disease at Inserm in France. “What is important is to come up with a solution for everyone. The way to achieve that is to collaborate.” Read the full article

[doctorwhonews]

Doctor Who - The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield - Vol 4: Ruler of the Universe

Latest Review: Writer: James Goss, Guy Adams Director: Scott Handcock Featuring: Lisa Bowerman, David Warner, Sam Kisgart Big Finish Release (United Kingdom) First Released: September 2017 Running Time: 5 hours  “Well, you did find something! So what’s the problem?” “You are, Mr President! You are!” “Don’t call me that – you know I hate being called that! I’m the Doctor ...” “No, that’s the problem, you’re not – not anymore!” The “Unbound” Doctor and Bernice Summerfield   As this month marks 20 years since Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) made her audio debut with Big Finish, it seems only fitting ahead of BF’s birthday celebrations for Benny later this month to review her most recent set of adventures which occurred in a parallel, “Unbound” universe. In Volume 3 of The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, Benny found herself stranded in another universe with a completely different version of her (and our favourite) Time Lord – one of the “Unbound” Doctors (brilliantly portrayed by veteran David Warner). To compound matters, this variation on the Doctor Who universe (or Whoniverse) was on the brink of total collapse. When Volume 4 opens, Bernice has returned to her roots and is undertaking an archaeological dig on an ancient world, hoping to uncover evidence of the Apocalypse Clock, a mythical device that could halt this universe’s imminent demise. The Doctor, meanwhile, has resumed his role as president of the universe (after initially shunning the responsibility) and is finding himself increasingly burdened in the day to day affairs of state – much to his and Summerfield’s chagrin. He is therefore happy to visit Benny to inspect her progress on the dig as a little bit of PR and to escape the trappings of office. The City and the Clock, the opening instalment in this quadrilogy, is the straightest and most conventional of the four serials which are, for the most part, quite satirical and madcap. Unfortunately, it’s also a quite plain drama, lacking the tension and suspense that you would associate with a tale about mummified, undead creatures stalking the ruins of their ancient city at night. Indeed, if it weren’t for the introduction of the infamous clock that is a recurring theme in the box set, the story would be redundant. It’s saying something when the memorable moments of this play are the cleverly written dialogue, exchanges and interplay between Benny and the Doctor (“What possible interpretation of the words ‘first’ and ‘class’ include having Karfel’s Next Top Model played at you? I wanted to confess five minutes in and I hadn’t done anything!”). A balloon ride over the ancient ruins also has Warner’s Doctor waxing philosophically: The Doctor: It puts things in perspective, rather doesn’t it? Seeing it from up here – a whole ancient town, once a thriving community, people living lives, sleeping, eating, loving and dying under all those roofs and then … Benny: The dust of ages, layer by layer, burying it from sight … The Doctor: You’d think travelling in time, I’d get used to it – the idea that we’re all nothing more than temporary fixtures, walking bones, but I don’t! Everything we’re doing at the moment – all the plans, all the panic, all the meetings, everyone thinks it’s important because nothing’s ever more real than now. The people that lived down there thought the same thing – look where it’s got them! Nothing matters, not really. We’re all just waiting for the dust to bury us! Benny: Well, I’m so glad you popped by – you’ve cheered me up no end! Otherwise, aside from terrific dialogue, the plotline of The City and the Clock – and the premise behind the clock – is entirely forgettable. It’s a pity because writer Guy Adams clearly devises the story to put Benny back into her element – yet the tale, which is slow from the get-go, never builds to a dramatic crescendo, and Benny doesn’t get to employ the smarts that make her such a terrific archaeologist. Strangely, after the “drama” of the first instalment, Asking for a Friend is a more character-based and pensive piece, as Benny and the Doctor grapple with the dilemmas of having to make compromises in a dying universe to save the hundreds of civilisations that fall outside the clock’s sphere of influence. This includes diplomacy with tyrants and zealots, and false promises to the needy. Indeed, Benny’s disappointment in the Doctor is apparently so great that at her suggestion the Time Lord ends up seeing a therapist (played by the wonderfully ebullient Annette Badland, famous for her portrayal in the first season of the modern TV series as the Slitheen Margaret Blaine). Of course, conducting therapy sessions with someone as complicated and self-absorbed as the Doctor is never going to be easy (he himself remarks it’s like “a mosquito scratching at a continent”!) – and that’s before you factor in time travel as well! James Goss, the other writer of this boxset, provides a quite compelling tête-à-tête between Guilana the therapist and the Time Lord, as they verbally spar to pry sensitive information from the other. Attention to detail is required of the listener, as each new session between the two hints at subtle, new elements from the last scene between them (in the CD extras, Goss admits that he has “borrowed” an idea from former executive producer Steven Moffat that he used not just once but twice – notably in the TV serial A Christmas Carol, and a short story called Continuity Errors from way back in 1996!). When the consequences of these sessions finally come to a head, it is only then that you perhaps fully appreciate just how alone and isolated – and hopelessly disconnected – the Doctor must be in this – and in any other – universe. In turn, put a solitary character like the Doctor in charge of executive government, and it’s little wonder that in the next serial Truant, he returns to his adventuring of old. The pre-titles sequence to this third instalment is highly amusing, as the Doctor’s attempts at heroics against amateurish evildoers and ne’er-do-wells are thwarted by their cowardice and his own reputation for being a champion (“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Is there nobody with a backbone in this stupid universe?” he moans at one point). Even when the Doctor eventually encounters a conspiracy he can get his teeth into, much to his frustration he realises he has arrived too late to overturn the appalling wrong that has been inflicted. Nevertheless, Truant is one of the highlights of the set, mixing the right levels of drama and humour, as the Doctor and Benny evade unprofessional and sloppy villains in the Silvans, who are as much incidental victims of the conspiracy historically as their purported victims. Only in Doctor Who could the titular hero convincingly pull off a getaway by stealing not only a vehicle but its effusive driver as well – or “interrogate” the chief villain over coffee and chocolate biscuits! Guy Adams’ script is probably still a little too wacky for TV, but it suits the BF audio format perfectly. The boxset closes with The True Saviour of the Universe, as the Doctor upon his return to parliament is arrested and thrust into impeachment proceedings. Much to Benny’s suspicion, the arrest coincides with the sudden arrival of this universe’s incarnation of the Master (Sam Kisgart, aka Mark Gatiss) and the emergence of a hooded figure which has been offering parliamentarians incentives to oust the Doctor from office since the events of The City and the Clock. Are they connected? Does the Master have designs on the presidency, so he can hijack the Apocalypse Clock? James Goss’s clever script challenges and upturns all the listener’s expectations while poking fun at all of Doctor Who’s conventions. Goss jokes that The True Saviour of the Universe is “a remake of Logopolis involving Cthulu and singing nuns” – which, despite sounding far-fetched, is an apt description. The Sisterhood of Beedlix, like the Logopolitans, can influence the fabric of the universe through songs and prayer that recite the power of numbers. The appearance of the “old ones” at the gateway to another universe at the climax is an old riff on the nineties New Adventures novels, which regularly pitted the Doctor and his companions, including Benny, against “ancient evils from the dawn of time” – to the point of overkill. Further, Goss has fun challenging the many clichés that fans have come to associate with the Doctor and the Master over many decades. For example, when Benny asks the Master how he survived his execution at the Emporium in the closing chapter of the Vol 3 boxset, his response is simple yet curt - “Don’t be boring!” – a subtle nod to eighties Doctor Who, in which no explanation was ever given for the Master cheating death or escaping from tight scrapes. Other quotations and dialogue subtly homage Logopolis and The Daemons, as the Master seeks to harness the power of the “old ones” to seize control of the universe. Of course, the joke is very much on the Master – and in the most unexpected way … The production qualities of this boxset, like next to all of BF’s input, is first class – as are the performances of the first tier and supporting casts. Warner and Bowerman are a fantastic Doctor/companion combo and Kisgart/Gatiss is charming, urbane and oily as the Master (although Gatiss has far too much fun as his Kisgart persona in the CD extras for my taste). The flirtatiousness of the Benny/Master combo also puts an unusual spin on the usual antagonism between Master and companion. As mentioned above, Badland is outstanding as the Doctor’s therapist, while Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint of the Paternoster Gang) puts in an understated appearance as the aide-de-camp to the wimpy Silvan leader (Jonathan Bailey). Most notably, Hattie Hayridge (better known as the female Holly in Red Dwarf) delivers a terrific performance as the Doctor’s press secretary, deftly diverting and deflecting the tough questions about her President’s leadership in exchanges with Guy Adams’ hard-hitting journalist. Volume 4 of The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield is an entertaining boxset which isn’t afraid to be tongue-in-cheek about Doctor Who’s conventions and show a strong sense of humour and fun. It isn’t constrained by the continuity of the regular series, so it can afford to be more audacious and satirical. This means it won’t necessarily be for every fan who prefers the more no-nonsense style of the TV series adventures, or even some of BF’s regular Doctor Who output – but if you’re a long-term fan of Benny (who as a character herself isn’t above taking the piss), then you’re in for a treat. Indeed, the set ends on an upbeat note and with a paradox to boot. I won’t say what that paradox is (spoilers!) but if BF isn’t already sorely tempted to exploit the potential for a run-in with Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor in the future, then clearly the company’s heart isn’t in the right place! We’ll perhaps have a better idea of how this oxymoron may be addressed later this month in Volumes 1 and 2 of the next Benny series The Story So Far.   http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/09/doctor_who_the_new_adventures_of_bernice_summerfiel.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr