#jack thompson will make an appearence i swear

[whosmarinette]

The Walten Files: the story of Linda Thompson’s involvement and its consequences

Please note that I actually haven’t been in the fandom for years, this is just me organizing what I believe to be the story regarding Linda. I used to have a whole sideblog where the whole joke was how much I love her, so….

Linda Thompson was Jack Walten’s cousin. They were pretty close, maybe they were both only children and close in age, so every family reunion they would play with each other.

Perhaps, Linda even introduced Jack and Rosemary. What definitely happened was that Jack introduced her and Felix. Felix was immediately smitten, regarding Linda as the most beautiful woman he’s ever met. She did fit the beauty standard quite nicely: blonde-haired, blue-eyed all-american girl. It was almost hard to believe her and Jack were closely related with how different they looked.

She married Felix and for the first while he was the perfect, loving husband, even making the company’s uniform her favorite color - purple. A bit too nervous at times, and really obsessed with his work, but that only left her more time to visit the Waltens and become better friends with Rosemary, as well as a real auntie for their kids. To the point, that, inspired by her husband’s and cousin’s clear fascination with rabbits, she sewed a gray plush rabbit for the kids.

But Felix and Linda had fertility problems, and Felix’s drinking was becoming less and less “having fun with friends” and more and more “when was the last time you were sober”, which couldn’t have helped.

She still stayed for a while - she truly did love Felix, and believed the magic of their early days could be reborn. And also, for a while, she felt like she couldn’t leave Jack and his family behind, since they are her family too.

But she finally decided to do it. Felix was busy - first at work, then he’d have to look after Jack’s kids at a school party, so he wouldn’t be home until late. She called Jack to pick her up and explained the situation. He helped her pack her things while she wrote her goodbye note, and they were off.

As they drove towards the train station past the woods, Linda noticed something on the ground - a gray bunny she made for the kids. She pointed it out to Jack, and he said the kids were probably playing and threw it out of the open window in the car on their way home. They picked up the bunny and Linda rushed Jack to take her to the train station: Felix must be getting home by now and who knows how he might react to her leaving.

But when Jack returned home after dropping Linda off, his kids weren’t there. He propped the toy in the kitchen and called Felix, but he didn’t pick up. He kept on leaving increasingly irritated voice messages on his phone.

In the meantime, Felix returned home to find it folder than it ever was. Pictures taken down from walls, half the closet empty, the only food are at least a day-old leftovers, and his wife’s diary open on the bed. The weight of the day crashed over him and he had a complete mental breakdown as the phone played back Jack screaming and shouting.

Felix spiraled from there. Over time his mind twisted. Everything appeared ugly to him, everything except the picture of Linda he kept in his wallet, which he’d grown to treat like an image of God. He tried to get her back, but she kept slipping away.

And then, twisted thoughts began to bubble in his mind. He just has to remake Linda. He’s an inventor, he can build an animatronic, he can build her too. He just needs to find spare parts, something close enough to be able to recreate her. Someone close enough.

After the attempt with Jack turned out a failure, he turned to Rosemary. To the one lady in his company that he could swear had the same smile as Linda. He was obsessed with the idea of making a perfectly beautiful specimen, to remaking his wife. In his mind, he was almost finally making a child with her. And it had to be beautiful.

He kept Rocket because she made it. Many years later, he attacked a man with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing purple - for a moment, he thought he was her, and when he wasn’t, he flew into a rage.

And now he’s on the hunt for Rosemary - the last Walten - because of how many times Linda mentioned that she feels like Rosemary is her baby too.

[talesfromsiteredacted]

Incoherent Out Of Context Quotes

Random bits of nonsense overheard on duty.

343: "For the last time, Dr. Beringer... I am not making you a snow cone."

Agent Strelnikof to a trainee: "Listen, Viktor... you will never last if you let every little odd thing get to you. Tomorrow, when Dr. Clef starts playing that blasted ukulele, just ask someone to dance."

049 to a random junior researcher: "Oh my. It appears Dr. Bright has caught a terrible sickness."

Junior Researcher: "Not the Pestilence, I hope."

049: "An even worse disease. Stupidity. I do hope he does not infect the others."

073 to Dr. Jakobi: "It's rocket science, not brain surgery. You can figure it out."

Random D-Class: "I thought being in lock up was bad. At least my biggest worry there was Tiny Tyrone thinking I was kinda cute. Now I gotta dodge big cranky alligators, the zombies, the creepy old dude, the angriest edgelord in history, reality warpers, killer statues, and... Dr. Clef. Should have stayed the fuck out of Priapat."

Iris, to Dr. Huang: "Do I really need to know all this, Doc?"

Huang: "Knowledge is power, Ms. Thompson. Any bit of extra information can mean life or death."

Iris: "But Doc... no one, ever, in recorded history, needed to know algebra to shoot photos. Face it, Al Gebra's ex isn't coming back, and if he can't figure out why that's on him."

049, hearing an agent cussing out a fellow agent: "Agent, such language. Clearly I need to disinfect your mouth."

Agent Takamura, swearing loudly in Japanese... no translation.

Dr. Clef: "English please, Agent Takamura?"

Takamura: "If I ever find a way to do it and get away with it, I swear on my ancestors I will end Jack Bright. I am NOT a furry! I do not even know what that is! It's not my fault I have fox ears!"

Dr. Clef: "Death to the oppressors!"

Agent Fisk: "Dr. Clef, we're the ones going around covering up anomalies, neutralizing threats, suchlike. Pretty sure we're the oppressors."

Clef: "Death to the Chaos Insurgency, then!"

Fisk: "O5 revoked your kill privileges."

Clef: "Grrr. Fine. Extremely improbable bad luck to the Chaos Insurgency. Happy now?"

Agent Denisovich: "For the last time, my name is not Ivan, I've never even tried boxing, and I am Ukrainian not Russian. Stop asking me for Rocky's autograph."

Random guard to 076-2: "He looks so sweet when he's asleep. You can almost forget the insane bloodlust and anime hero powers."

[slxthxrxn-sxmp]

.:Now is Not the End:.

This is chapter one of my Jack Thompson fanfic Titled 'jack, get your gun' which was originally posted on Ao3 then Wattpad

fugitive. 

by definition a fugitive is a person who flees or tries to escape in order to avoid arrest. 

so in all honesty y/n’s brother, the howard stark, was in fact a fugitive. well was about to be. 

his sister can understand why he was running, it wasn’t looking good for him, but now he just looked even more guilty. 

everyone was looking for him. which inevitably meant in the near future all of them will look for her, his sister y/n. the hunt wasn’t working out too well for them because the whole time the two were with his loyal butler, who happened to be one of y/n’s closest friend, brainstorming ideas on how to get the attention of a certain SSR agent without getting caught. 

for a genius howard could be extremely dense every now and then. 

finally a plan was agreed upon: 

write a note, give said note to person while she was distracted in a diner, wait with the knucklehead of a human in his car, and finally talk to the agent and get help with the sticky situation howard had somehow gotten himself into. 

it seemed simple enough right ? 

well apparently howard hadn’t accounted for the fact that this agent was on the suspicious side and that she can pack a good punch. or maybe he had and just decided not to warn his sister or his friend. 

all this being said y/n now found herself stepping out of the passenger seat of one of howards many cars. a smirk that could give james barnes mischievous lopsided smile a run for its money played on the womens bright red-orange lips as her older brother said, 

“i know. i should’ve called first. you miss me ?” 

a soft scoff escaped the siblings lips.

“heya peg,” 

hearing the soft brooklyn drawl and receiving the now trademark stark wink from the other female caused a soft smile to creep up on peggy's face even though the situation she was in called for anything but smiling. 

in a few swift and smooth strides y/n was helping jarvis up to his feet while peggy and howard slid briskly into the back seat in case there was someone coming. with the same smirk on her face she raised a brow at jarvis as she helped him up. 

then she opened her mouth to ask if hes okay however he beats her to it. 

“we will not speak of this.” 

he brushes some dirt off his jacket and then with his head held high he takes prideful strides towards the car. 

“oh don't be like that jarvis,” the female stark take a few strides herself till she was at the passenger door looking over the car at her friend, “its not like that was your first time getting knocked to the ground by a women,” with that she opens the door with ease and sits in the seat. 

a soft annoyed scoff could be heard outside of the drivers door followed by jarvis getting into the car and driving to the docks. 

the very tense silence in the car was broke by peggy, who was still confused as to why she was here,

“they’re calling you,”she takes a sharp inhale and looks to the passenger seat, 

“both of you a traitor,”  

her voice was tight which gave away the fact that she didn't believe what was being said. which caused the other female to tilt her head ever so slightly towards her friend but she quickly turns back to look at the road. 

“im calling it a setup,” 

silently y/n looked to the driver, who was trying to act very concentrated on the road, but yet again she promptly looked back to the road. 

“i have a vault-” 

not even thinking twice about it the other stark corrected him.

“-had,” 

“right right i had a vault. sub-basement of my office,” he paused for a short beat,

“Triple-thick, lead-lined. it was where i kept my bad babies.” 

“bad babies ?” 

that single question caused an almost transparent smile to tug at y/n’s lips. 

“inventions too dangerous for anyone. even my friends.”

“which begs the question, why invent them at all.” 

“i cant help what i think of, but i can damn well control what i sell. at least i could until last month.” 

subconsciously the younger siblings jaw clenches which makes the barely visibly smile disappear. 

“i was in monaco,” he takes a beat as hes always been one for the dramatics, “with a lovely tax advisor. when i got back, i found a hole under my vault, all the way to the sewer. a couple of weeks later, my bad babies, they start turning up on the black market.”

“but why run ? why not tell the senate the truth, ask for their help “ 

she had a point.

 in fact a couple of hearings ago y/n thought the same exact thing.

“apparently, its not too big a jump to see me cutting a hole in my own vault and making some money on the sly,” after a second his voice is filled with disbelief  “really ?”  

peggy had obviously made a face or nodded for him to react that way. which made some more of the tension in the car evaporate. it also allowed the other female to realize that if she clenched her jaw any harder her teeth might break. so while peggy said something about angles  y/n let out a soft breathe through her mouth to somehow allow herself to relax.

“now thats the peggy carter we need.” 

“for what ?” 

“to clear the stark name.” 

“you can’t be serious.” 

“i try not to be but sometimes it slips out anyway,” he must have realized that his so-called charm wouldn’t get him out of this one because less then a second later his tone changed completely, “oh, come on, peg. you know darn well y/n or i didn't do this, which means the ssr is looking for the wrong guy. i want to find the right guy. but im gonna need someone on the inside, someone i can trust. and, peg, theres no one i trust more than you.” 

ouch that bruised my ego. 

nevermind its all good i’m over it already. y/n thought. 

“howard, you’re asking me to become a traitor in order to prove the both of you are not one. you do see the irony ?” 

“she's got a point,” finally the other stark interjects and looks to the back seat to see her brother flash a glare directed at her but then look back to peggy his face etched with desperation. this causes y/n to look back at the vast city and road in front of her. 

“oh, come on, peg. i know they’re not using you right over there. you want a mission that  matters ? this is it. my technology in the hands of some nut that wants to be the next red skull. you have no idea how bad that could be. right now, you’re the only one that can stop that.” 

finally we arrive at the docks and jarvis slows the vehicle just as howard raises his voice ever so slightly. 

“here’s good,” just as instructed jarvis parks the car, “kill the lights.” once again jarvis complies. 

all four of the passengers get out. however howard and peggy head to the trunk to get his bag. quickly howard walks down to the actual dock where his boat is with peggy trailing behind him. y/n and jarvis decide to stay back a little to give the two friends privacy. plus the two had already said their goodbyes. 

crossing her arms over her chest y/n looks out at the city that is now light up like a christmas tree. out of the corner of her eye she sees howard glance up at the direction where her and jarvis stand. slightly confused by this she looks to jarvis and he attempts to give the women a comforting smile. though y/n could tell he was just as upset over howard leaving as she was. she attempts to return the favor though her smile was more convincing and visibly eased his nerves. 

when she looks back to where peggy and howard stood she sees that howard was already in the boat riding off into the distance. y/n takes this chance and walks down the ramp and stands on the end. 

“nice to see you too, howard.” peggy's soft voice barely reaches the younger starks ears. 

the comforting smile plays on the woman's lips once again, “i swear our parents raised him in a literal barn. he has absolutely no manners.”  

peggy turn to her friend with a smile of her own,

 “i think hes just used to you going around and making amends for him.” she starts walking up to y/n as she  move out of her way with an obvious fake shocked face. 

“miss peggy carter,” she trails behind her up the ramp, “are you blaming me for my brothers lack of manners?” she puts emphasis on me and my to lighten the mood and to sound more dramatic. 

“oh no, i would never even dream of it.” both women chuckle at her sarcastic tone but it quickly dies down when the two are at the top of the ramp facing a very nervous jarvis. 

“the next time you approach a woman in a dark alley, you might introduce yourself.” 

the younger stark hums softly in agreement and gives jarvis a sly smile. 

“well, i shall endeavor to remember that, provided my concussion isn’t too severe.” 

y/n walks around the car and gets into the passenger seat as jarvis hands peggy a card with his phone number. a few seconds later the back door is opened for peggy by jarvis as he asks, 

“what now, miss carter ?” 

then with her natural grace she says while getting into the car,

“now i go to work.” 

a peaceful car ride, with y/n and peggy chit chatting the whole way through, later the car is now parked outside of peggy's apartment building. y/n turns and looks to her a smile on her face that jarvis hasn’t seen in a long while,

“see you around, peg. if you need me call jarvis he’ll put you through to me.”

“will do, y/n/n.” with that peggy gets out of the car before jarvis can open the door for her. 

shaking her head at the nickname and her actions she turns back around to jarvis. 

he sighs and raises a brow at his friend ,“will you be staying at the house, miss stark?"

“i don't see why not. scratch that. i do see why i shouldn't, however i don't  care.” 

and with that jarvis drove back home with a small smile on his face as the two listen to the radio.

[doof-doofblog]

"It's Not Yours!"

Tuesday 4th May 2021

Hello again everyone and good morning! I'm up bright and early today to make sure I get this post up! So in the previous post I recalled everything I had caught up on, and Monday's episode ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Now Callum has revealed everything to Ben, are they going to be able to move on from this?! I'm really looking forward to finding out, so without further ado, lets focus on the episode!

The first thing I'm going to mention of course is Ben & Callum! Ben appears to be seething after learning the truth about Callum's betrayal to his family. Even though we all know that Callum was blackmailed into going behind the Mitchell's back, he tries his absolute best to explain himself to Ben. But the one thing that Ben wants to know is who was behind it, as he slams the dining room table in anger he demands Callum tells him truth. Realising he's going to have to come clean, Callum admits that it was Thompson who was behind everything. Ben begins to panic, asking him what he actually knows or what he's been told. But Callum swears that Thompson knows nothing and he hasn't told them anything.

As things escalate, Callum tries to persuade Ben that if they still love each other they can both get through anything together, but for Ben there seems to be no way back from this. He can't seem to fathom that he's been sharing his bed with someone who has betrayed his family and basically become a grass. Later on, as Ben takes some time to breathe and digest what he's just learnt, he take a visit to his Mum's. Kathy can see that Ben isn't looking in the best of moods considering he's due to be married soon. As Ben makes a slight comment stating that she shouldn't have bothered collecting the wedding rings, Kathy sits beside her son and demands an explanation. Ben doesn't really tell her very much, only that Callum has lied to him about something, but Kathy finds that hard to believe and questions whether her own son is has played a guilty part in any way. She actually gives her son some good advice - Callum is the best thing that's ever happened to him, if he loves him he needs to sort things out before their wedding!

As Ben listens to his Mum, he returns to the Mitchell household where Callum is anxiously waiting for him. But this time, there is no raised voices and no arguing, Ben is more quiet this time. In my opinion, it looks as if Ben blames himself for the way Callum has become. He recalls that when they first met, Callum was sweet and honest and terrible liar, but since he's been with him, Ben seems to think that he's somehow turned his fiancé into something he's not. Callum shakes his head, not believing a word that's coming out of Ben's mouth. Ben still voices his concern of not being good enough for Callum, claiming that at some point in the future he will hurt Callum, possibly more than once - not that he'll ever mean to but at some point, Callum will end up hurt. Callum refuses to listen to his partner and asks him straight out whether he loves him or not. Even though Ben admits that he does love Callum, he announces that regardless of that - there isn't going to be a wedding! Could this really be the end of Ballum? Will Ben be able to forgive his partner and actually end up marrying the one person he truly loves?!

--

The next thing I have to mention is Isaac, we saw that he flushed his medication down the drain - are things slowly taking a turn for Isaac now he's off his medication? Whilst he's sat in the Cafe, he seems to be staring at the missing poster of Bailey - but suddenly he begins to rip down every poster he finds as he realises that they've missed a digit on the phone number. Everyone seems shocked by this action, especially Lola. Even though Isaac explains why he's ripped down the posters, it looks as if Lola questions whether ripping them down was the best idea? He could've simply taken them down without ripping them or just simply penned in the missing digit?

As Keegan and Bernie continue searching the streets for Bailey, Keegan is saddened to see one of their posters ripped. Bernie tries to console Keegan by explaining that it could've been immature kids. But as they go off on their separate ways, Keegan witnesses Isaac ripping down more posters. As anger boils up inside him he rushes after him and confronts him about why he's ripping down their posters. Once again Isaac notifies him that he was doing them a favour because they missed a digit. As Keegan checks over the poster he realises his mistake, his anger evaporates and turns into worry, speculating that people might've been trying to call trying to notify them that Bailey had been seen or even found. As Keegan apologises for his outburst, Isaac is completely understanding saying that he would've reacted exactly the same way.

However as the day goes on, Lola decides to pay her boyfriend a visit, only as she walks in she can see that he's looked like he's not slept and is completely obsessed over finding Bailey. Could these small signs be the sign of a breakdown for Isaac? Lola pleads that her boyfriends gets some rest otherwise his meds won't work. However as soon as she mentions his medication, Isaac goes cold and she can see that he's hiding something from her. He realises that he can't keep this secret from her and informs her that he's stop taking his medication, but he's feeling fine! Lola seems shocked to hear this news and questions whether it's the right thing to do, to make sure that Isaac will be okay without his medication, she makes him promise to inform his doctor about coming off his meds. But even though Isaac promises, I've got the feeling that he has no intention about informing his doctor or even his parents that he's flushed his medication.

Meanwhile as the Taylor's are still fretting about Bailey, Jack decides to inform them that another way of getting the word out there about Bailey's disappearance would be to do a TV appeal. Even though Karen agrees to do it, Mitch doesn't feel that it'll make much difference and hides himself away whilst Karen tries to come up with a speech. Will Bailey be found safe and well?!

--

Now the last thing I have to mention of course is the Carter's. As Nancy prepares to open up the gym with Sharon and Zack, Frankie pays her visit trying to inform her half-sister that she completely understands Linda's worry, but also acknowledges that she's on Nancy's side. At the end of the day it's her body and she can do what she wants, she just wants to be the supportive sister. This act of kindness seems to really touch Nancy, she thanks her half-sister and invites her to take part in a trial run of the electric bike. This is the moment where I think Nancy realises that she'll always have a sister there to support her - which I found really sweet!

Only, without Nancy's knowledge, her Mum has gone behind her back and gone to the clinic and cancelled her appointment. Linda of course only thinks she's doing right by her daughter, but she needs to understand that it's not her body, she can't control Nancy's life. Only as Linda tries to explain herself to the doctor, she becomes a little light-headed and has to take a rest. As the doctor offers to check her over to make sure she's okay, Linda seems to realise what is actually happening to her - she seems to think she might be pregnant!

Returning back to the gym whilst Nancy and Frankie enjoy some sisterly bonding, Nancy receives a call and it looks as if it's not the best news. As everyone comes together back at the Vic, Nancy is raging with anger and explaining the phone call she has had to her Dad, she's learnt that her Mum has actually gone behind her back and cancelled her appointment. As Linda enters she tries to explain that she was only thinking of her daughter, but Nancy is furious, shouting at her Mum that she's the one who actually shouldn't be allowed kids! As Nancy walks out leaving Linda and Mick alone - Mick is also shocked to hear what his wife has done and claims that if it's something that Nancy really wants, hopefully she'll be able to rebook her operation.

Linda admits that all her life all she's tried to do was be the best Mum and support her children, but then she states "Maybe I'll get it right next time!" - Mick looks a bit confused and asks what she means by "Next time". But the pin suddenly drops and Mick realises that Linda is informing him that she's pregnant with her fifth child. Mick is completely over the moon, the look on his face is pure joy as he states that this is what the family has needed for a long time, a fresh start and a new little one in the family is just what they need, he joyously even thinks that Ollie would love having a little friend around, but then Linda drops the bombshell that she's actually in fact 5 months pregnant - if the dates add up correctly, it might mean that Mick isn't the father of the baby, and she could actually be pregnant with Max's child!

Oooh gosh!!! This is going to cause more sadness between Mick and Linda isn't it? Will she decide to keep the baby? Will Mick be able to stand by her if she's carrying someone else's child? We know that Kellie Bright is also pregnant herself and will be going on maternity leave at some point in the near future, but what could be her temporary exit story? I've got the feeling that maybe this could be it? Could this pregnancy come between the couple and will she feel the need to leave for a little while? Who knows? What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the recent episode! Thank you all for reading! I am so happy to be back and I can't wait to post up again very soon! Enjoy the rest of your day folks! Love you all xXx

[jaskiers-sweetkiss]

Worth It

Pairings: Dousy, background Pepperony, FitzSimmons, Philinda, Mackelana, and Huntingbird  

Word Count: 2.8K

Warnings: mentions of violence, mentions of gun use, mentions of ptsd, light swearing

a/n: Here’s my soulmate au for day 6 of @aosficnet2 ‘s AoS AU August! It’s got Modern Man!Daniel Sousa based on Enver’s appearance as a police officer in The Avengers. 

___

Daisy “Quake” Johnson - Inhuman, hacker, Agent of SHIELD, and now she could add “Avenger” to her list of descriptors. The agent hadn’t been entirely surprised when she’d received an impromptu meeting with Director Nick Fury about her powers. At the time he had told her he was putting together a team, a group of people with super-human abilities that would work together to defend the world if the threat arose. She had signed on, she was already a SHIELD agent and she’d had plenty of training with her ability from her mom growing up at Afterlife, but she never met the team. Well, until about 24 hours ago. They were a bit of a nightmare (a complete shitshow if she was being blunt), none of them had worked together before so it was no surprise that they were butting heads. Daisy got along just fine with Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow as the two of them had crossed paths from time to time within SHIELD, but she couldn’t say the same for scientist Bruce Banner (the Hulk), billionaire Tony Stark (Iron Man), or the first-ever superhero Steve Rogers (Captain America). Of course, now they were also dealing with a Norse god of thunder who was supposedly good and his brother who was apparently bad. Thor, Stark, and Rogers: three massive egos in one aircraft. 

Judging by the footage they were streaming from the museum Loki was more than just bad. Daisy had always been wary of powers, her mom had taught her that. Power was extremely dangerous when put in the wrong hands, that’s why Afterlife was so selective in choosing who got to go through terrigenesis. Loki was clearly the wrong hands and even though she really hated the men she was surrounded with, if they were the world’s only hope then she’d put up with them. 

“So you expect me to believe there is life on other planets?” 

Daisy sighed, trying not to get too frustrated. The man had been in the ice for seventy years, he missed a lot and probably had no reason to expect that “aliens” existed. Of course, she had known the truth since she was a child: not only was it highly probable that life existed elsewhere in the galaxy, but she was part-alien herself. Of course, no one else knew that. Inhumans were a secret from the rest of the world and it would need to stay that way. 

“Oh, I’m sorry Seismic Activity, did you know that already?” Stark asked sarcastically, raising a brow at her and she rolled her eyes. 

“It’s Quake, actually, and yeah, I knew that, statistically, it was highly probable that alien life exists,” she bit back, glaring at the man, “Just about everyone in this century knows that.” 

“Agent Johnson if you have some sort of issue with when I was born then you should just come out and say it,” Cap said, a frown on his face as he sat up in his chair. 

“Look, I couldn’t give two shits whether you were born yesterday or a thousand years ago, I just don’t think we really have time to be debating extraterrestrial life right now,” Daisy said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes again as she gestured to the holoscreen displaying Loki’s cell.  

“She’s right, gear up.” Director Fury said. Daisy wasn’t sure when he had entered but she was glad he was taking her side. “We’re under attack.” 

Daisy nodded, rushing out of the room to find her gauntlets and her weapons. It wasn’t a great idea to quake on a giant helicarrier so she’d probably be fighting old school. 

“Woah, what the hell is that Johnson?” Natasha Romanoff was sneakier than Fury and Daisy hadn’t even known she was in the room until her wrist was tightly in the woman’s grasp. 

She sighed, tugging her arm out of the redhead’s grip and slipping on her gauntlet to cover the writing. The marks weren’t uncommon, most of the world had them. They developed at age 16 and were usually the first words your soulmate said to you. However, not everyone got one or soulmates died and SHIELD specialized in utilizing the soulmark-less. That’s not to say there weren’t agents with soul marks in the organization, for ordinary agents SHIELD held a mostly don’t ask, don’t tell policy. Typically the only way to get into high-risk assignments like the Avengers was to prove the lack of a soulmate, but of course, the Avengers were less than typical. 

“They make exceptions for people with powers.” She brushed it off, slipping on her other gauntlet. 

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re connected to someone,” Natasha argued and Daisy huffed, turning away. 

“Stark’s got a mark, and he’s actually met his soulmate. If something happens to me mine’ll never know what they missed.” 

Daisy quickly slid her various knives and guns into place in their holsters before leaving, effectively putting an end to one of the worst conversations she’d had in a while. She didn’t need the Black Widow to guilt-trip her, she had herself for that. She’d heard the stories about the pain people felt when their soulmate died and it often kept her up at night, but right now she had a job to do and she’d be damned if she sacrificed the world for one person she hadn’t even met. 

Of course, her dedication to the cause hadn’t mattered much, she still wound up on the floor of the helicarrier with Phil Coulson bleeding out. She didn’t know the man super well, but he was usually the agent present whenever an 0-8-4 was discovered and since Daisy was something of an 0-8-4 herself, they crossed paths pretty frequently. She knew he was an upstanding and kind man, she knew he was a good agent, and she knew he didn’t deserve to die like this. 

It wasn’t long until Fury came and swept him away and Hill ushered her back into the briefing room where some of the others were gathered. They all looked worse for wear and apparently they were about ready to give up. The Hulk was gone, Loki had jettisoned Thor from the airship, and he has the tesseract and would likely be taking over earth shortly. Daisy couldn’t believe it. 

“I just watched several good agents die, and you want to throw in the towel? Do you have any respect for yourselves?” She questioned, glaring at Rogers and Stark. 

She stormed out when she was met with silence, passing Fury in the hallway. She wanted desperately to change out of her skintight Quake suit and get cleaned up, but she wasn’t ready to give up the fight yet, opting instead to unzip the top half, tying the sleeves around her waist. She wandered around the ship like that, her sports bra the only thing covering her torso, before finding herself on the top deck, leaning over a railing. 

“Have you met them yet?” 

Daisy turned to see Rogers gesturing to her wrist where the words “Who the hell are you?” were written in a neat script. 

“Nah,” she shook her head, barely concealing her disappointment with a smile. 

“You’ll find them eventually, or they’ll find you.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile.

“Thanks for not berating me for risking my life while my soulmate is out there somewhere.” 

“Hey, I hid my makr to join a highly experimental drug trial and enlist in World War Two so I don’t have much room for judgment.” He joked and Daisy laughed, feeling a little better.

___

Daniel Sousa had been sure this would be another day at the station as he slipped his uniform over his shoulders, covering the soulmark on the back of his shoulder. Soulmarks appeared when a person turned 16, appearing at the place where their soulmate would first come in contact with them. The combination of the location of his mark and the words (“Probably your only chance at survival now let me go”) had always been a mystery to him though he hoped he would solve it soon. 

He took the subway to the station, just like he did every morning. Daniel was a police officer for the 99th precinct in NYC which was about a fifteen-minute subway ride away from his apartment. Despite its obvious flaws (thanks MTA), he liked taking the subway - it was more environmentally friendly than driving himself, it was much faster than trying to make it through New York traffic or walk (though sometimes he did walk when it was nice and his leg wasn’t bugging him as much), and the crowds increased the probability that he’d come across his soulmate. 

She wasn’t on the subway today again and so Daniel resigned himself to daydreams of how they might meet. He hoped it would be romantic, that she’d bump into him accidentally (it was the best way he could explain the back of his shoulder), maybe he’d catch her as she tripped over him and they’d lock eyes and she’d take his breath away. He pushed away the fears that she would be freaked out by his prosthetic or the fact that her words on his shoulder didn’t fit that scenario at all. He wanted their meeting to be perfect for her. 

He was ripped away from his thoughts by his partner, Jack Thompson, telling him they had to go check out a call downtown. There weren’t any detectives involved so it likely wasn’t anything serious- probably a noise complaint or something equally mundane.

Daniel had been right, the call was a typical noise complaint, easily solved and probably ignored as soon as they left the building (Jack bet they’d be back in 24 hours, Daniel gave it 32). However, he never could’ve guessed that when they went to climb back into the squad car a portal would open up in the sky and a bunch of space creatures would attack earth. Thompson grabbed the radio to inform the station of the situation. It took a few minutes of convincing (he didn’t blame them, he only believed it because he was seeing it) and a few more to figure out what to do (there really isn’t an official protocol for Hostile Alien Invasion) before they were told to stay put and that backup was on the way. 

Daniel reached for his gun, steeling himself for the fight he was sure he was about to be involved in. An alien invasion would be a really bad time for his crippling ptsd. Still, he was sure his hand would shake if he had to actually lift his gun, his finger would hesitate on the trigger, he’d have to fight to keep his eyes open because if he closed them all he’d see was Afghanistan. 

“Sousa you with me?” Thompson asked, snapping him from his thoughts. 

He nodded, letting out a shaky breath, when had he stopped breathing? 

Thompson nodded, more to himself than to Daniel, “Good, cause we’re going to get through this.” 

___

If she had been really thinking at all, she might’ve wondered if she was having an out-of-body experience as she moved through the streets of Manhattan with the purpose of a woman on a mission. The Avengers were scattered across the borough trying to fight the Chitauri with mixed success. It seemed like no matter how many they blasted, quaked, shot, or struck with lightning more kept coming through the portal. Daisy was taking out as many of the aliens as she could while trying to command the local police forces- badges or not, they were purely human and severely underprepared to fight this threat. Their services were more equipped to evacuate and protect the civilians. 

She hadn’t been paying attention when she knocked into someone’s shoulder. It was a police officer, she noticed, though where most of the officers she’d seen seemed ready to take on the Chitauri head-on, he looked terrified. 

“Who the hell are you?” The man questioned, quickly grabbing her wrist before she could run off. 

“Probably your only chance at survival now let me go.” Daisy bit back angrily and the man gasped, dropping her arm and backing away like she had burned him. 

“You’re- we’re-” The man stuttered and even though he could’ve been about to say anything (maybe “you’re Quake!” or “We’re gonna die!”) Daisy knew exactly what he meant. She knew from the burning sensation on the wrist he had been holding. He was her soulmate. 

“Oh my god, I don’t have time for this!” Daisy yelled angrily, quaking the alien that had appeared behind the man. 

She silently cursed fate or destiny or whatever was behind this for planning her soulmate meeting during a literal alien invasion. 

“Listen, I need you to leave the frontlines- spread the word: all officers are to evacuate as many civilians as possible. Focus on protecting them.” She ordered making an effort to put the world-altering event before the life-altering event she had accidentally just stumbled upon. 

“Who’s going to be there to fight?” 

Daisy quaked another approaching Chitauri soldier. “Leave that to the people with powers.” 

The officer nodded mutely, seemingly stunned into silence. 

“Sousa!” Another officer called out, “Quit chatting we have a job to do!” 

The dark-haired officer, her soulmate, nodded to the man and started to move away. 

“Officer Sousa!” Daisy called, taking steps backward herself, “Maybe we can get some coffee when this is all done?” 

“Sure but how’ll I find you?” He asked, turning back to stare at her hopefully. 

Daisy’s steps were picking up speed, the urgency of the day not lost on her. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll find you!” 

And with that she was off, turning on her heels and sprinting towards Stark Tower. 

___

Daisy stared at the computer monitor in front of her. It had been a few days since the Chitauri attack and while New York and her mental state was still a disaster, she needed to do this. The file she had found in SHIELD’s database was a welcome distraction, as was the handsome face staring back at her from the screen. 

Daniel Jordan Sousa. Born 1984 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Served one tour in Afghanistan before being discharged due to an injury resulting in the amputation of his left leg. 

She scrolled down to the contact information. 

Cellphone: (xxx)xxx-xxxx 

Bingo. 

Daisy: Hi, it’s Daisy Johnson, your soulmate? I was wondering if we could get that coffee?

She was surprised by how quickly he responded. 

Daniel: I’d love to! 

Daniel: btw how did you get my number? 

Daisy: It’s a bit of a story, mind if I tell you over that coffee?

Daniel: does 1:00 work? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat while we’re at it?

Daisy smiled before checking the time, 11 o’clock. She had two hours to get ready. 

Daisy: 1:00 sounds great. I know a cute place off 12th ave 

___

Daniel had no intention of pulling his soulmate from the field, he knew it was where she wanted to be and he’d never dream of taking it from her. However, he’d be damned if he wasn’t out there to watch her back. So, he joined SHIELD not long after they met. Despite his prosthetic, he climbed the ranks relatively quickly though Daisy wasn’t surprised. She had seen his record both in the military and the police force, Daniel Sousa was a damn fine agent. 

The two weren’t in any hurry relationship-wise. They had moved in together fairly quickly but even two years later they had yet to get engaged. It was a bit of an anomaly - soulmates were usually hitched within a year of meeting each other but Daisy didn’t really hold much stock in a piece of paper declaring their relationship valid and Daniel decided he really didn’t need that paper either as long as he still had Daisy. Besides, with their separate jobs at SHIELD, they didn’t really have much time to plan engagements or weddings. 

In 2014 the pair were recruited to an elite team by Phil Coulson, the man Daisy could’ve sworn had died in her arms, the man the Avengers were told had died. She had shaken her head at Fury when she found out. “You manipulative son of a bitch,” she had said though she had meant it fondly. Who knows what would’ve happened when the Chitauri invaded if he hadn’t done what he had. 

Daisy and Daniel joined scientist duo and soulmates Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz as well as Coulson’s soulmate Melinda May on the Bus, a giant plane Fury had given Coulson as reparations for his death. The team had its bumps in its initial missions but they quickly became a tightly knit family that only grew when Coulson took over as Director of SHIELD after the Hydra takeover. 

When Daniel finally proposed Jemma had been her maid of honor and Bobbi and Elena had been her bridesmaids. Likewise, Fitz had been Daniel’s best man and Mack and Hunter had filled out the rest of the groomsmen roles. It had been a small but beautiful wedding, Daisy’s mom had allowed them to have the ceremony at Afterlife and Coulson and May had been their officiants. 

Daisy had cursed fate when they met, but looking back she realized it was all worth it for this. 

___

a/n: I had no idea how to end this. Also, I have no clue where the 99th precinct operates in NYC (if it even exists) I just wanted to make a Brooklyn 99 reference. Though I’m realizing belatedly that B99 takes place in Brooklyn and probably doesn’t operate in manhattan but oh well.  

[doctorhelena]

Steggy Ficlet: Here Comes the Bride

I wrote this for @roboticonography‘s Endgame Wedding Challenge, but since it’s been a little while since the challenge was issued, I thought I’d also post it separately.

Summary: Thompson and Sousa attend Peggy Carter's wedding, and have a slight disagreement about the identity of the groom.

Rating: PG

Read it on A03

“Seriously,” asked Sousa. “You don’t see it?”

Jack sighed. He hadn’t wanted to be here in the first place, couldn’t see why Carter even wanted them here. Sure he didn’t dislike her as much as he once had, and he had to admit she was a good agent. That still didn’t mean he wanted to know anything about her personal life.

But somehow, here he was, sitting in a church next to an embarrassingly woebegone Sousa, watching a priest and four other guys cool their heels at the altar. Three of them he knew by sight - one he’d even met, during a mission in Russia he’d rather not think about.

The fourth was clearly insane, to look that happy about marrying Peggy Carter.

“Think about it,” Sousa insisted. “Those three are Howling Commandos. Why the hell would they stand up for some random guy who happens to look like Captain America?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack, irritated. “Peggy’s pretty chummy with them. Maybe they just didn’t look good in dresses.” There was a silence. “Look,” he said, finally, “if Rogers was alive, would Carter have made such a fuss about that last vial of his blood? That was only a couple of months ago.”

Sousa looked stubborn. “Maybe she didn’t know then. Maybe they found him since.”

Jack glanced at his watch and sighed. Carter might not be your typical girl, but that wasn’t stopping her from being late to her own wedding. “So, what? You think they found him preserved in the Arctic somewhere, thawed him out, and then just - gave him a new identity and let him ride off into the sunset, footloose and fancy free? Come on. You work for the government.”

Sousa shrugged. “If anyone could pull it off, Peggy could. Maybe Stark found him.”

Jack rubbed his nose and wished the goddamn wedding would hurry up and start. “Okay, yeah, I admit, the guy looks like Captain America. If Captain America was ten years older and needed glasses, which we all know he fucking well didn’t.” He shrugged. “Look, Carter just has a type.”

“I think it’s him,” insisted Sousa.

Jack shrugged. “Fine. But if you’re thinking of standing up to object during the speak now part, fair warning, I’m pretty sure she’s armed.”

The organist finally launched into the opening chords of the wedding march, and everyone turned to the back of the church to get a look at Peggy, beaming, on the arm of Howard Stark’s butler.

Jack had to admit, she looked good. Her husband-to-be seemed to think so too - the way the two of them were looking at each other while she made her way up the aisle made Jack worry for a moment that they were going to go at it right there at the altar.

The ceremony, once it finally got going, was short at least. There was a minor moment of excitement when the groom briefly lost track of one of the rings, and Jack felt the corners of his mouth lifting at the look Carter shot the poor man, one that was considerably less moonstruck than a moment earlier, although still clearly steeped with affection. Howard Stark, across the aisle, snorted.

And then, Margaret Elizabeth Carter and Grant Steven Josephson were pronounced man and wife, and shit, were you actually allowed to kiss like that in a church?

*****

“I swear, I didn’t find him,” said Howard Stark, snagging a champagne glass from a passing waiter. “Look, I know this guy looks like Rogers. Peg just has a type.”

“He looks like Rogers because it’s him!” said Sousa, a little too loudly, setting down his own empty glass on a nearby table and picking up a new one. “It has to be. Look, Peggy isn’t an idiot. A guy who looks and talks just like Captain America - can’t be a coincidence. Either he’s some kind of Leviathan plant, or it’s really him. And Peggy’s too smart to - ”

Jack wasn’t drunk enough for this. “Sousa. You have got to let this go.” He took a healthy swig of his drink. “Hell, for all you know, Rogers had a twin.”

Stark laughed. “If Rogers had a twin, the guy would be 90 lbs soaking wet. Scrappy, though.”

“There, see!” said Sousa. “And they’d have the same last name.” He sounded ridiculously proud of his deduction, and Jack started to wonder just how many of those glasses of champagne he’d had.

Stark patted Sousa on the shoulder. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, pal.”

“Who’s barking up what tree?” asked Peggy, appearing out of nowhere, her fingers laced between her new husband’s. Still making the rounds - Jack would have guessed they’d be well into the honeymoon by now, given the way they’d been looking at each other all through the toasts.

Sousa was just drunk enough to press the point. “I don't know how you did it, but I know you did it somehow.”

Peggy raised an eyebrow. “Did what?”

“You know,” he said, eyes narrowed.

Jack hastily grabbed his arm. “You really don’t want to do this, pal,” he said, through his teeth. Sousa was going to owe him, once he sobered up.

Peggy sighed. “Daniel. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Just admit it’s him,” said Sousa, stubbornly, and Peggy glanced back at her new husband. A look passed between them.

“All right,” said Peggy, and Jack nearly choked on his champagne. What the hell?

Peggy took the glass from Stark’s hand, and drained it. “Hey!” he protested, and she shrugged. “There’s plenty more where that came from, Howard. You were quite generous.”

“Wait,” said Sousa, slowly. “You’re admitting it?”

Peggy’s face was utterly serious. “Yes, you’ve caught us. Now, of course, Steve should be somewhat younger, but, as his crash site has not yet been located, he was forced to travel back in time after he was rescued.”

“Well, you don’t have to make fun of me,” said Sousa, setting down his glass with a thump.

Peggy gave him a look. “Well, you need to realize that Steve Rogers was lost in the ice some time ago, and hasn’t been found. I let him go, and I’ve moved on. I know that, perhaps, you’d hoped - that you’re looking for a reason.” She smiled at her husband, then raised an eyebrow at Sousa. “I love Grant. He doesn’t need to be Captain America.”

Sousa sighed. “Okay, I guess I deserved that.” He looked down at his empty drink on the table, then back up at Peggy. “I just - I guess I actually kinda hoped he was alive. Feels like we could use him, sometimes.”

Peggy’s husband slid an arm around her waist. “There’s a lot I don’t know about Peggy’s work. But I do know that the world is in pretty good hands with her.” He shrugged. “And, from what I hear, the two of you as well.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at Peggy, but she just smiled serenely at him. “I’ll see both of you at the office, a week next Tuesday. Don’t let the world fall apart in the meantime.”

Huh. As he watched her husband swing her onto the dance floor, Jack reflected that it was entirely possible that he really didn’t understand Peggy Carter at all.

[you-guys--are-losers]

When Waffles Mean Trouble

//I have had “Replay” by Zendaya stuck in my head for literal days, so this happened. 

The two nerds are still snoring, and MJ doesn’t feel like getting slapped in the face while waking up Leeds. The loser is notoriously dangerous to wake up; Parker swears he still can see a scar from the last time he tried to rouse Ned after a late night marathoning. 

The night before, they managed to get through every single Harry Potter movie except for the last one. Several minutes passed in which MJ mocked them for being too tired to finish at 3:49 AM, and then Leeds and Parker had passed out immediately. As soon as they were asleep, MJ turned the volume down and finished the movie. She didn’t like leaving it unfinished before bed, and there was a large chance she would not be able to sleep anyway. 

When MJ wakes that morning, the selection menu is playing over and over above her. She must have fallen asleep, she realizes as she rolls over to fumble for the remote to turn off the television. A quick glance at the old clock that hangs on the wall, plus the added five minutes to account for the time discrepancy, indicates that it is 7:44.

Funny, really, that she can fall asleep much more easily at the Parkers' than when she is actually home. MJ doesn't feel much like thinking about the irony this morning.

MJ flicks off the TV and glances over at the two sleeping teens, one of which is on the floor and the other dozing in an armchair. Michelle studies the boy on the floor, the one who had insisted she take the couch the night before. He has a thin blanket kicked off of his feet and his curly brown hair and his pillow are the only things between his face and the carpet.

MJ's eyes find his face, which has been much paler and more tired than it should be lately. It's not like she's worried about him, really. She may not see him eating enough, and she may have noticed that he is carrying too much on his shoulders without enough sleep, but that doesn't matter. It would be stupid of her to be this worried about the loser... But then, she can’t really help her tiny obsession.

She jumps as stomach growls so loudly that MJ is sure she will wake them both. Neither boy stirs, and she can't help rolling her eyes. They are both heavy sleepers whenever she stays over with them after marathoning. They are also terrible cooks, and she is starving. 

MJ has been here often in these past few months, whether she is reading while they watch Lord of the Rings or fiddling around with the pieces while the nerds construct a Lego ship. She's good at observing, and she always has been. For instance, she has observed that May always buys flour and sugar under the pretense that she will be cooking. She also knows that they sit in the upper right-hand cabinet in the kitchen, where they never will see the light of day.

 On her way to the kitchen, MJ steps over Parker and walks past Leeds’s chair. Her fingers absentmindedly tug his hat down slightly so that it will keep the sun out of his eyes as it comes in through the window. She steps into May Parker’s tiny, sunny kitchen and pauses as she glanced down at her phone. 

May has an old speaker with tinny sound quality on the counter, and there is an aux cord connected to it. MJ knows the speaker doesn’t play too loudly, but it does play, so she moves to insert the cord into the headphone jack and presses shuffle on her Spotify playlist. 

The song starts immediately, and MJ begins to move around the kitchen to the beat of the song. She grabs the sugar and the flour, as well as the baking soda and powder. She finds an old bag of chocolate chips in the cabinet as well, so she takes those and sets them on the countertop as she grabs the remaining ingredients. 

MJ begins to stir the bowl vigorously, folding the chips into the batter. She starts humming with the song, but then the chorus comes, and MJ is tempted. 

Does she hate the way the entertainment puts a price on talent? Yes. Does she think that celebrities are just a way for companies to suck the money out of people and make sure they enjoy it at the same time? Definitely.

Does she like this pop song? Of course. 

“He-ey, wanna put this song on replay,” she sings to herself as she pours the wet ingredients together and sharply raps an egg on the counter. “I could listen to it all day, I could listen to you all day.” 

Her voice grows louder as she becomes slightly more confident in the fact that they won’t wake. After all, Parker snored loudly enough that Leeds could probably sleep through Armageddon. MJ finishes mixing in the dry ingredients, and there is a smile on her face as she stirs the bowl until the batter is smooth. 

“Don’t stop.” 

Rippp. The bag of chocol dumps a liberal amount into the batter. Some people say that this is dangerous as compared to sprinkling them in the iron because the chips are prone to sinking, but MJ has discovered a solution to this. If there are a ton of chocolate chips in the batter, it is not hard to make sure that they are in every waffle since they can only sink so far. Also, she is just a little addicted to chocolate chips. 

“Turn it on, turn it up, make it louder. I don’t wanna miss a single thing, wanna hear every melody...” 

The waffle iron sizzles as MJ drops a chunk of butter onto it, and the sound only intensifies her hunger. 

“Beating,” she continues, enjoying the feeling of the music leaving her lips. She has not sung just to sing for a very long time, and it feels amazing... Freeing, because she is the only one who can hear it. “Beating so loud you can feel it... Beating, beating for you-” MJ turns around, and the spatula clatters to the floor. 

Not is only one who can hear it. 

Leeds and Parker stare at her from the living room with eyes the size of the waffles currently steaming in the iron. Ned gapes at her, and Peter blinks several times, swallowing so his Adam’s apple bobs. The way they are looking at her, she might as well have just announced her sudden, passionate lust for Flash Thompson. 

“U-um, we...” Peter stammers. “We didn’t, w-we didn’t wanna, like, freak you out or anything-”

“What were you doing?” Ned interrupts. 

MJ blinks several times, and her mind is whirring as she struggles to speak. “Waffles,” she finally manages to force out. Her voice is tight and constricted, and she quickly turns and presses the button on the speaker to switch it off. 

“Um... I meant the other thing- ow!” Ned mumbles, and there is the thud of an elbow meeting someone’s side. 

MJ does not turn around. Instead, she grabs a fork and attempts to salvage the burnt waffles from the iron. They are so badly scorched that she practically has to scrape them from the heated metal. She stabs the burnt crisp far harder than necessary, with a violence that seems to put both of them on edge. 

As MJ pries the burnt waffle into the trashcan, Ned’s phone begins to buzz. MJ can hear the sound of repeated notifications on his Stark Industries phone, and Peter appears terribly uncomfortable. 

“Right,” Ned stammers. “I’ve got to, um... It’s my mom, she’s-” 

“Out of town this weekend,” MJ says in a sharp voice. She is still smarting with embarrassment as she pours more batter into the iron, and it makes her slightly more caustic with Ned than she normally is. 

“-Has... A... Sister,” Ned slowly forges ahead. “Um. Who’s texting me? About her baby. My mother has a sister who’s having a baby.” 

“You’d better answer it, then,” Peter interjects. MJ cannot see with her back turned, but she thinks that he shoots Ned a look. 

“Right,” Ned fumbles. He turns and quickly shuffles out of the room, and then MJ and Peter are alone. 

MJ closes the iron and listens to the hissing sound filling the empty kitchen. She likes it, normally, but right now it is substantially less satisfying thanks to the smoke clouding the with the smell of burnt waffles. She moves to open the apartment’s tiny kitchen window. 

“I didn’t know-” Peter begins from behind her. 

MJ stiffens. She knows what he will say... Both Ned and Peter have heard her rants at the lunchroom table about the cancerous, parasitic nature of the entertainment industry and the way that people are willing to sell anything, even abstract concepts, to make a profit. 

“I know, Parker, you don’t need to tell me about how much of a hypocrite I am,” she fires off, talking quickly. MJ whirls around, brandishing the spatula in the air like a baton as she rambles. “Just because I think that the entertainment industry is corrupted doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy the music, even pop, because if I like the song then I’ll be damned if I don’t listen to it, and-” 

“-that you could sing,” Parker finishes quietly. “I didn’t know that you could sing.” 

MJ blinks repeatedly in surprise, clearing her throat quickly. She is much closer than she expected now that she has stalked over to the couch, and a little bit of batter is on her cheek from her waving of the spatula. 

“Really? You get stuck on that, Parker?” she mutters, turning to face the waffle iron. She doesn’t want to look into his earnest puppy-dog eyes, because she doesn’t want to feel the things that she feels every time she does. She doesn’t know what those things are, exactly, but she knows she hates them and she knows they’re his fault. 

“Well, I mean, you don’t really seem like the type- not that you’re bad at it! You’re good, really, really good, but I... Um... I just never really thought you might sing.” 

“I don’t,” she retorts, ignoring the way his flustered rambling sort of makes her want to push him against a wall, but not in an angry way. In the kind of way that she definitely, definitely will not be thinking about. “Not for people, or ever.” 

“Then what about a minute ago?”

“You caught me in a moment of weakness. They’re rare, so treasure it, loser,” she mumbled, using the fork to move the waffles to a plate. MJ slathered enough syrup to drown them onto the plate, and then she shoved them in his direction over the counter. Parker nearly lets the plate fall to the floor, and he spends a minute fumbling with it that she uses to put more batter in. 

“How did you know-” 

“May doesn’t like syrup on her pancakes or waffles, but you always have a bottle and every time I come it’s almost gone,” she rattled off without looking back at him. 

He sighs, and then his stupidly earnest voice says, “I will treasure it.” Her heart skips a beat, damn him. “Why don’t you?” 

“I don’t like it. Coincidentally, I also don’t like idiots asking me impertinent questions.” 

“That’s a lie, we saw you. You were smiling.” He is eating standing up the way every man in MJ’s life ever has, although there are a whopping two of them as of now. One is in Peter’s bedroom being a liar who lied to her, and the other eats his breakfast with so much syrup that she thinks he must be a diabetic. 

She glares down at the waffles as she yanked them from the iron. MJ loves waffles, especially chocolate chip ones. But right now, they have caused her a lot of trouble no matter how fluffy they are. 

“I used to take voice lessons,” she mutters, unplugging the iron and setting down her plate. In need of something to do, she covers the batter and slides it into the fridge so May can make more later. “They didn’t end well.”

“How do voice lessons end badly when you sing like that?” Peter asks incredulously. She shoots him a look only to find that his plate is already empty. 

“How do you stay that skinny when you eat so much?” she asks, mimicking his tone. She moves to take his dish, but he swipes it from her grasp and walked to the sink with it. Leaving her waffles on the plate, MJ gathers all the dishes and begins to load them into the sink. It becomes an assembly line then, with Peter washing and MJ drying. 

“I’ve got fast metabolism. Your turn.” 

MJ sighs as she sets down the now clean glass mixing bowl. “I didn’t... It wasn’t my voice,” she mutters as she turns to wipe the spatula. “It was the recitals.”

“You... Have stage fright?” he asks, and his eyes are huge. He pauses in his rinsing of a teaspoon measure, quickly saying, “Not that that’s so crazy, I mean a lot of people do, I-I don’t like talking that much in front of people-” 

“I would never have guessed.” 

He passes her the teaspoon, and he is quiet for a moment, urging her to continue. Maybe it is foolish, but she does. 

“My dad used to come to all of the recitals,” she sighs, taking much longer than necessary on the teaspoon. “He bought those daisies, the ones they color with cheap dye, and they were always purple because that was my favorite color. And then my parents...” 

Peter winces, looking away. “MJ, you don’t-” 

“They divorced, and then he stopped coming,” she finishes. “No more daisies and no more ice cream on the way home, and no more dad. And he went out and got a new family, and I stopped taking voice lessons.” MJ slams the teaspoon on the counter with the other dry dishes. “So no, I don’t sing, not anymore.” 

MJ turns with open hands to grab the next dish, and she finds Parker staring at her instead. His stupid eyes look like they were transplanted out of a puppy, and they bring a lump to her throat that she shoves down. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, and she looks at him with eyes as sharp as the kitchen knife that has clearly been sitting in the sink for days. 

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault, and I don’t want your pity.” MJ picks up the knife by its wooden handle and snatches the dishrag from him. 

“But you can’t let him define it for you.” 

Her eyes snap up to him, and she raises an eyebrow dangerously. “And who are you to tell me what I get to do?” she hums. 

He returns her gaze. “I’m your friend, and don’t deny it, because I know that you have books to read and that you could be at any party you wanted if you felt like trying,” he insists. 

Her face heats up, and she hopes it doesn’t show. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.” 

“But you’re good at it, MJ, and you love it. Why should he get to decide if you like it or not?” he insists. “Your dad let you down. Not everyone will, MJ. Not me, not Ned, and definitely not May. She loves you, and I know she would love your voice.” 

“But-” She accidentally starts speaking, and now she knows she has to continue. “Whenever I do it, I think about him. And I don’t want to, Parker. It isn’t worth it, and I always end up hurt.” Her throat aches, but she ignores the feeling. She is not in pain, Michelle Jones does not feel pain. 

Peter winces, and she knows that he realizes how serious she is. “I know. But just then, you weren’t singing for him. You were doing it for you.” 

MJ blinks, and she opens her mouth to speak. However, he continues. 

“If you do it for you, you get to rise above him. You get to put him behind you and choose people who won’t let you down,” he insists. His gaze doesn’t leave her face, and she slowly begins to wipe the knife blade. HIs eyes hold warmth as he looks at her, and a tentative hand moves to swipe the batter away from her cheek. “It’s not about him, it never was. It’s about you, and it’s beautiful.” 

MJ’s grip tightens, and she nearly drops the knife, but it is at that moment that Ned comes stumbling into the room.

“Hey, Peter-”

Peter’s head snaps to Ned, and MJ has a chance to recover her fumbling fingers. 

“Oh,” Ned says slowly. “Was I...”

“Um, no, no, of course not,” Peter stammers. 

“Good, because... Because you have a thing,” Ned insists with wide eyes. 

“Right,” Peter says quickly. “That thing. The one I forgot.” 

“Yeah, that one.” 

Peter’s eyes flicker to MJ. “Look, MJ, I-” 

“Nah, it’s fine,” She hums as she sets down the knife. “I have to go anyway.” She glances at the lukewarm waffles on the counter and decides to leave them for May as she goes to fetch her bag. “You do your thing. Sounds important.” 

Peter gapes at her, seeming shocked she isn’t questioning. “But-” 

“Seriously,” she assures the pair. “I forgot, I’ve got to go and get my teeth cleaned at the dentist anyway.” 

“Oh, cool,” Peter says slowly. He offers her a tentative smile, one that makes MJ’s hands shake the way they did when she almost sliced her middle finger off holding the knife. That would have been a disappointment the next time she saw Flash. 

“See you guys later,” she hums as she swings her bag over her shoulder. “Tell May I say hi.” 

Are they the worst liars in the world? Yes. But that doesn’t mean that she is going to confront them. She wants Peter and Ned to choose to tell her on their own, not to have a part of themselves forced out by a sleep-addled mind, waffles, and a tinny speaker. She wants to know... Wants in on that part of their friendship, to be that much closer to them in a way that she hasn’t with anyone else. 

MJ leaves the two nerds sitting in the kitchen, appearing quite bemused. That’s her favorite way to leave people with a look like they’re wondering what just hit them. 

The rest of the day goes normally, for the most part. It is only when her mother points out later that she has been humming while doing the dishes that MJ realizes something. She was singing... And it wasn’t for her father. It wasn’t for her mother, it wasn’t for Peter, and it wasn’t for anyone. 

Her song had been for Michelle Jones, and no one else. 

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1279

Sunday, September 15, 2019

 I'm posting this a day early because I've decided to go fishing tomorrow morning, possibly for the last time this season. It's been very windy this weekend which has kept me off the water. The winds tomorrow morning are supposed to be light so I will get on the lake and try my luck. My expectations are low as fall temperatures have settled in and my lake seems to be fished out. I've seen many boats in previous years and I am sure not everyone was following the rules of size and limits. I noticed a lot less boats out this year most likely because people aren't catching anything and not returning. I am happy if I land one fish and just enjoy my time doing something I love to do. I'll be busy doing the Capital Comic Book Convention next weekend, September 22. Dear friends from Calgary are visiting the weekend after that (September 29) and the weekend after that (October 5) we're doing a road trip to Freeport, Maine. I hope I don't get detained at the border.

 Guardians of the Galaxy The Prodigal Sun #1 - Peter David (writer) Francesco Manna (art) Espen Grundetjern (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Prince Prah'd'gul returns home to avenge the death of his father. He has an extreme reaction to his brother's betrayal and the ending made me chuckle. Peter David likes a good pun so the Sun in the title is the joke in this issue, not the Guardians of the Galaxy. Prince Prah'd'gul is a very powerful new character and it will be interesting to see where he pops up next.

 Ironheart #10 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Riri and Shuri must stop a villain from gaining unlimited power but they are up against some group that includes a long lost relative of Riri's. This mystery is enough to keep me reading.

 Moon Knight Annual #1 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Ibrahim Moustafa & Matt Horak (art) Mike Spicer (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is an "Acts of Evil" one-shot. The basic concept of "Acts of Evil" is a super hero versus a super villain story. Here we have Moon Knight trying to keep Kang the Conqueror from getting three Egyptian artefacts that will give the bad guy complete control over time and remake reality in his own image. I should have stopped reading as soon as I saw who the villain was. Marc Spector jumps around in time and gets help from other Moon Knights to thwart Kang. Reality is saved once again. The end. These kinds of stories don't thrill me.

 Detective Comics #1011 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Christian Duce (art) Luis Guerrero (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This issue along with #1010 was a nice two-parter with Batman versus Deadshot but it wasn't very interesting. I liked the two old World War II castaways but I didn't like this version of Deadshot. I like it better when Deadshot is a semi-good guy.

 Punisher Kill Krew #2 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Juan Ferreyra (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This book is just too ridiculously fun. Frank finds an unexpected ally while hunting down the frost giant that killed a family during the War of the Realms. It's the last person that I would have expected to be in this story. The last page has another surprise appearance that makes me want to read the next issue for sure.

 Sabrina the teenage witch #5 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Veronica Fish & Andy Fish (art) Jack Morelli (letters). The first story arc ends with Sabrina saving the day. Yay. The next story doesn't hit the racks until 2020 and it should be good with Sabrina's secret identity in jeopardy.

 Black Cat #4 - Jed MacKay (writer) Travel Foreman (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). The Fox has enlisted the help of Felicia and her henchmen for his final heist before he retires. That's why the robbery at Doctor Strange's house last time and this issue it's the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Johnny is the dupe but plans go awry and a super villain pops up to make matters worse on the last page. We haven't seen this blowhard in a while.

 Catwoman #15 - Ram V (writer) Mirka Andolfo (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). I didn't mind Selina's move to Villa Hermosa after the non-nuptials but the change in writer and artist lowered my enjoyment of this title. I will be putting the cat out after this issue.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #10 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). If you noticed the higher $4.99 US cover price and the higher page count it's because this issue is Legacy #250. The main story features villains from Miles's original Ultimate Universe and a shocking final page that brought back vague memories for me of what happened back in that universe. The bonus story is the origin of Starling by Saladin Ahmed (writer) Annie Wu (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & VC's Cory Petit (letters). She's the granddaughter of the Vulture which explains the suit she wears so she can fly. I like that she's a good guy.

 Young Justice #8 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabriel Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). Wes Abbott (letters). The team wind up in Earth-3, home of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. This earth's version of Young Justice is just as nasty as their missing elders and we go from fight to fight as Wonder Girl, Superboy, Red Robin and Impulse battle their evil counterparts. It's all narrated by a native good guy who wants to rid their world of the evil doers. It was a nifty surprise to find out who that was. I can't wait for them to get out of this universe because constant fight scenes get boring.

 Silver Surfer Black #4 - Donny Cates (writer) Tradd Moore (art) Dave Stewart (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Reading this penultimate issue was a mind blowing experience. Part of this is Galactus's origin story and wow, was it ever cool. Tradd Moore really captures the cosmic scale of this story. The panels showing the Surfer towing Galactus's incubator were awesome.

 Batman Universe #3 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). Batman's time on Thanagar doesn't last long and he's back on Earth healing up at the Hall of Justice. Now we know that Vandal Savage has his hands on a mysterious power source and he's trying to use it to conquer the world. This issue has Batman teaming up with Green Lantern on Dinosaur Island. It's nice seeing a lighter side of Batman in this adventure.

 King Thor #1 - Jason Aaron (writer) Esad Ribic (art) Ive Svorcina (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I can't believe I've been reading Jason Aaron's Thor stories for seven years and loving every issue. This final story takes place in the far flung future as the universe is dying and King Thor and his granddaughters are trying to save it from Loki the All-Butcher. Between this and Silver Surfer Black the universe is in dire straits all due to the god Knull. This book looks so pretty. When the big bad shows up on the last page I just knew they couldn't keep him dead.

 Powers of X #4 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Each issue of this book and House of X builds on the new Mutant Foundation. Jonathan Hickman has made me care about the X-Men again. The beautiful art certainly helps too. I like when minor characters come to the fore. Mister Sinister and Doug Ramsey/Cypher are featured this issue.

 Batman #78 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I loved this issue of True Romance. It's Selina and Bruce, wearing a Magnum P.I. disguise, getting all hot and bothered on a tropical isle. Batman continues to get stronger in preparation for his return to Gotham City and a confrontation with Bane. This single issue illustrates why I've enjoyed this title so much.

 Age of Conan Valeria #2 - Meredith Finch (writer) Aneke (art) Andy Troy (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I'm trying to decide if I want to continue reading this story of Valeria hunting for her brother's killer now that I know who it is. The art isn't bad but it sure doesn't do much for me.

 Gwenpool Strikes Back #2 - Leah Williams (writer) David Baldeon (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). As if Gwenpool wasn't hilarious on her own, this issue ups the frantic antics quotient by teaming her with Deadpool. Their adventure inside 4 Yancy Street made me laugh a few times. I need this kind of humour now and then.

 Loki #3 - Daniel Kibblesmith (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I liked the little tour inside the House of Ideas with the Children of Eternity, Now and Then. I think they're a great new concept. This is a nice interlude issue before we get back to Loki's battle with Nightmare.

 Daredevil #11 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I wish there wasn't so much @#%*!-ing in this book. My brain tries to substitute the appropriate swear word which disrupts the reading process. I eventually smoothed things out by going bleep in my head whenever those annoying symbols appeared. Matt still hasn't donned the red costume yet and he even turned down help from an ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, one of Daredevil's followers is nabbed by the cops while stopping a guy from abusing his girlfriend. I'm really happy Marco Checchetto is on this book. His Kingpin and Owl made an impact on me.

 Invisible Woman #3 - Mark Waid (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). If you passed on reading this solo adventure of Suzie's you're missing out on a great spy story and some gorgeous art, especially this issue. Sue looks hot in Adam Hughes's cover but she's even hotter inside going under cover to a posh party. This story is surprising me all to heck.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #29 - Nick Spencer (writer) Francesco Manna (art) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Here's another enduring love story. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson have known each other for a very long time. MJ knows Peter's secret and she's cool with his super heroing. I'm glad they're a couple again. There's more action in this than Batman #78 with Spider-Man trying to rescue a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from the bad guy with the outcome setting up more problems for the web-slinger.

 Event Leviathan #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Josh Reed (letters). The identity of Leviathan is still a mystery and it's the reason I'm reading this story. I also think that it's going to have a significant affect on the DCU after it's done. Brian and Alex have collaborated for a long time and I have enjoyed all of their projects. It's unfortunate that more fans don't appreciate Alex's art. This book should be selling a lot better than it is.

[londontheatre]

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying: (From left) Hannah Grover, Marc Pickering – Photo Credit Darren Bell

It’s good to hear punchlines in a musical comedy delivered as they were originally written for this show’s first outing on Broadway in 1961, before it became fashionable to swear, swear and swear some more.

Too many modern shows just lay on the profanity to make a point that the libretto becomes bland and uninspiring. In How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, there’s a wide enough vocabulary deployed, such that when JB Biggley (Andrew C Wadsworth), president of the World Wide Wicket Company, is taking one of his direct reports to task, he does so with some style.

The choreography is extremely varied. It is at its best in ‘Paris Original’, in which several female colleagues for a large firm have been sold the exact same outfit by a less than truthful retailer who appears to have assured them, separately, that their purchase was one of a kind. Elsewhere, the dance sequences didn’t fit the stage properly, and I couldn’t work out what a very random dance break late in the second half was trying to ‘say’. Was it supposed to be an expression of frustration, like ‘Angry Dance’ in Billy Elliot the Musical? A depiction of panic? Chaos?

Some of the acting is so melodramatic I got the rather unpleasant feeling that the production itself was being laughed at. A repetitive running gag about either a spotlight or one of the performers being in the wrong place outlasted its welcome. I wonder if the creative team have considered how boring it is to watch a number of characters on stage glued to a television set whose screen is turned away from the audience. It’s not the only aspect that could have been cut in a show with a running time just shy of three hours: the whole thing is twenty minutes too long.

The set changes become increasingly awkward as the evening goes on: clunks and screeches could be heard as set and props come on and off. Doors to an elevator (this being an American show, I couldn’t possibly call it a ‘lift’) don’t work as they should. The cast does well to soldier on regardless. Such weaknesses in the production are only magnified by a flawless nine-piece band, led by Ben Ferguson; they are positioned, as the orchestra is in Half A Sixpence, above the stage. The sound levels are excellent, and – credit where credit is due – it is rare to hear every line as clearly as it can be heard here.

The airs and graces of corporate working life are demonstrated well, particularly in an early number, ‘The Company Way’. The narrative does provide a surprisingly plausible explanation as to how certain people rise to the top of the corporate ladder without necessarily being the hardest working or even the most popular person in the firm. There are still (certain) people today who would benefit from hearing both the explicit and implied messages given in the self-explanatory musical number ‘A Secretary Is Not A Toy’. Make what you will, however, of such blatant misogyny on a London stage in 2017.

The story plods along at the pace that storylines did back then, and greater opportunity could have been made in the song and dance numbers to go ‘full out’, to borrow a term used by famed director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Instead, the company (pun acknowledged but unintended) come across as though they are merely going through the motions. At what should have been what Broadway calls an eleven o’clock number, ‘Brotherhood of Man’, I could almost hear Zach in A Chorus Line barking: “Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch! Again!” as though this were a rehearsal.

J Pierrepont Finch, the central character, is portrayed with panache by Marc Pickering – British audiences love rooting for the underdog. Of the supporting roles, secretaries Rosemary Pilkington (Hannah Grover) and Miss Jones (Maisey Bawden) stand out. The true beauty and power of their singing voices are only made fully apparent so far into the second act that I couldn’t help feeling that their talents are underutilised. This show did, to be fair, have some members of the audience humming the more memorable tunes as we filed out of the theatre. In the end, though, this particular production came across as a lesson in how to put on a musical without really trying and only succeeding up to a point.

Review by Chris Omaweng

Do you wish that your life was more successful? Do you yearn to reach the pinnacle of business and change the world for the better? Do you just love getting ahead?

Well, we have good news for you! This show is designed to tell you everything you need to know in the science of getting ahead. Follow J. Pierrepont Finch, played by Marc Pickering (Les Misérables, Sleepy Hollow, Calendar Girls) as he rises from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, in this anarchic tuneful romp. Jam-packed with sly, swift, sharp humour, and with its tongue firmly placed in its cheek. If you have education, intelligence and ability, so much the better. But remember that thousands have reached the top without any of these qualities – even to the highest job in America.

With an addictive score by Frank Loesser, composer of Guys and Dolls, join us for a sexy, scintillating and outrageous evening where business and pleasure collide in this multi-award-winning musical comedy.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning show includes famous numbers such as I Believe In You, Brotherhood of Man and Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm.

Directed by Benji Sperring, behind recent London hits Toxic Avenger and Shock Treatment. Book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser Based upon the book by Shepherd Mead

Presented by Nicholas Thompson Productions and Tarquin Productions in association with the King’s Head Theatre Originally presented by Cy Feuer and Ernst H. Martin In association with Frank Productions Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited

8-22 April 2017 http://wiltons.org.uk

http://ift.tt/2p7lMGV LondonTheatre1.com

[doof-doofblog]

"KAT!"

Friday 27th November 2020

Hello again everyone, hope you're all doing well! I apologise for this one being a little late, I was in work last night so I've only got round to catch up today. The previous episode ended on such a cliff-hanger, I'm really looking forward to seeing what's going to happen in the episode.

Let's waste no time and jump straight in, the episode begins pretty much where the previous episode ended. Phil has successfully found a recorder which was bugged inside the Arches by Callum, however as Phil throws it to the floor and crushes it with his foot to destroy it, little does he know that Callum is watching from the footwell below and watches him crush the device. Phil is absolutely enraged as he leaves the Arches, leaving Callum in absolute dismay - what does this mean now though? Does that mean all his evidence against Phil is now lost? Or has DI Thompson managed to hear enough to convict Ben or Phil? Also, will Phil find out that Callum was the one who planted the recorder?! We know he's not going to be happy when he does!

Meanwhile, up in Whitney's loft, Kat is explaining her reasons to Kush as to why she's not that all keen in leaving the Square. But in all fairness, Kush doesn't really want to leave the Square either as he'll be leaving his son behind, but he really feels he has no other choice. However as Kat has her doubts, he kneels beside and proposes a plan, to flee with her and the kids to France just for short period of time, mainly over the Christmas period as it'll give them some time to get away from everything and also be able to spend time together with the children, he even suggests that everyone else could visit - Stacey, Jean and Mo! It looks as if Kush is running out of time, but he pleads for Kat to at least think about his offer, but warns she shouldn't take too long.

Returning to the Mitchell household, Phil storms into the house, with Ben none the wiser, Phil throws the recording device on the living room table in front of Ben, informing him that he's just found it in the Arches and that with it still recording, it must've been planted there recently. Ben is absolutely stunned as Shirley makes her way into the room, after being contacted by Phil. She also notices the recording device and between them all they all begin to question all the possible suspects who could've planted it, who has been in the Arches recently?! Danny, Dotty, Gray - even Callum? But then Phil announces that he's got an idea of who the culprit could be! As he makes his exit, Shirley instructs Ben to make any calls to see if can find out any information, as she makes her leave, Callum enters the house and of course, acting absolutely none the wiser asks his boyfriend what's gong on.

The next scene shows both Mick and Linda returning to their apartment after going shopping, of course, viewers will know that in the previous episode, whilst waiting for Linda in the parking lot, Mick was left in the car and it seems that he was having dark thoughts about committing suicide and driving his car straight into a wall. As they return home, Mick suggests that when Linda goes to pick up Ollie, she should take his superhero costume, which has a stain on it, to Tina - as she may be able to convince the young boy to wear it. As Linda agrees, she begins to mention the idea of maybe they all should wear costumes and have a family photoshoot - however Mick becomes a little distracted as he hears his Mum's voice coming from the Square, he looks out the window as he hears her shouting to Phil to calm down! Before Linda can finish what she's saying, he rushes out the apartment to see what's going on.

Out on the Square, Phil is marching towards the Slater household, as he reaches the front door, he bangs aggressively and calls for Kat. Shirley follows him, still asking him to calm down. After banging against the door and windows a couple of times, Jean answers the door is a right state, asking what's going on. The poor woman hasn't got a clue what has happened, as Phil barges himself in looking for Kat, Shirley apologises to her fragile friend and follows Phil. As Phil searches the house for Kat, suddenly Mick makes an appearance asking to speak to his Mum (Talk about timing!) - He claims that what he needs to speak to her about is really important, however of course being in the middle of what's happened with Mitchells and Slaters recently, Shirley is torn between calming down Phil and helping her son. Like I just said, Mick didn't really pick the best of times to speak to his Mum, he could clearly see she had her hands full at that moment in time. Shirley asks whether Mick can wait until later on, but he's adamant he needs to speak to her now, but sometimes it's not that easy just to drop everything. Mick once again seems disappointed as his Mum doesn't step up and speak to him, he walks off once again leaving Shirley feeling completely torn. I do think Mick kind of dropped Shirley in a difficult situation there, he could clearly see she was in the middle of something that looked important, so why choose now to want to speak to her? Considering he's been speaking like to crap to her over the past few weeks!

Meanwhile, Kat is sat on her own in the Cafe, from the looks of things she's looking as if she's in deep thought, possibly thinking about and considering Kush's offer?! As she sits alone, Jack questions her from across the room whether she's seen or heard from Kush. Sarcastically she replies to him with "No comment, Officer!" - of course Jack was just asking as a neighbour and a friend, not as a police officer, even though he knows what Kush is wanted for. It's then that Sonia makes her way into the Cafe - looks like she has returned from her trip after seeing Bianca, Kat is surprised to see her. However as the conversation continues between the both of them, it becomes aware that Sonia has no idea that Kush has been hiding in her attic. Sonia suggests to Kat that she should pop over for a get together with everyone, including the family, as Kat agrees to her invitation, her phone beings to ring. As she answers, Jean is on the other end, obviously informing her about the commotion that's happening over at their house, Kat leaves in a hurry, but as she leaves Jack watches with a suspicious look.

Back at the Slater household, Jean is looking nervous as tensions are rising, she asks Shirley whether she can tell her what's going on, but the only thing Shirley is able to tell her is that Phil and Kat have been involved in some form of business together. You can see clearly from Jean's face that she's not happy about the idea, she's eager to know what kind of business, but Kat interrupts the conversation before anything more can be revealed to poor Jean. She persuades both Shirley and Jean to make themselves scarce, as things could get ugly between the too. As she walks in to speak to Phil alone, it's then he informs her about what he's found and it becomes perfectly clear who he's blaming. Kat is stunned to hear what Phil's saying - as she says - why would she go through everything just to plant a bug in the Arches and have the police come running?! But then Phil suspects that if it wasn't her that it would have to have been Kush, then that way as soon as they get their share of the money, they would contact the police and have Phil and Ben arrested. Not in so many words, Kat denies knowing anything about the recorder whilst also defending her boyfriend.

Returning to the Square, Ben and Callum are seen leaving the Mitchell household, as they see Shirley across the Square, they're eager to know what's happening. She explains to them that Kat and Phil are having words inside, however it's not long that they make an appearance onto the Square themselves. As Kat and Phil's voices begin to raise, Ben is wary of them making a scene as there could be too many eyes and ears around, observing. Suddenly Callum speaks up and claims that it has nothing to do with Kat - Oh, for a split moment it makes you think that he's going to maybe admit to something - everyone falls silent and looks towards Callum, even Ben questions his boyfriend. It's then that Callum point out that you can see it in Kat's eyes that she's not lying, it's then that he proposes that she swears on her children's lives that she knows nothing, she loves her kids more than anything, it would become clear that if she was to swear on their lives, everyone would come to realise that she has nothing to do with it. Kat agrees and swears on Tommy, Bert and Ernie's lives.

Meanwhile at the Minute Mart, Honey looks to be in her own world as Jay enters the shop, as their conversation continues, it looks as if the shop isn't doing so well, due to the article on the Walford Gazette about Suki offering bribes. Has that taken affect on Suki's business? Does no one want to shop there anymore? If this continues, it looks as if the Panesar's might be in some trouble! As Honey informs Jay of how quiet the store has been, Suki listens in as Honey gossips about her. Suki makes it that little bit awkward as she approaches Honey after she's spoken to Jay, she confronts her with a serious looking stare, you can sense the awkwardness in the room!

At Ruby's club, Mick is sat alone while Sonia makes friendly conversation to him. She informs him she's just seen Linda in the park with Ollie and explains that Ollie has found himself engrossed in one of Mack's console games that Tina is trying to prise it off of him. Mick smiles as he hears the gossip about his little boy. He attempts a smile as he attempts to inform Sonia that he's hiding away to stay clear from all the commotion. Sonia giggles and informs him that he'd better show his face soon, and she takes her leaves from the club. Mick continues to sit alone with his thoughts, he grabs his phone and decides to dial a number, eventually the caller on the end picks up and he asks for their help. Who on Earth could he be calling?!

Meanwhile at the Panesar household, Kheerat has a bit of unfortunate news for his Mum. It turns out that since the article about Suki was released in the newspaper, they've lost a number of contracts, another 3 just from that morning. Suki seems to act like it's nothing, much to Kheerat's surprise. He's concerned that his Mum has seemed to stop caring about their businesses, but Suki is quick to defend herself and make sure that her son knows that if anyone crosses her, she will fight back. Even if it means going up against Ian Beale. Is Suki aware that it was Ian who sold his story about her to the newspaper?! Because I'm sure she's not going to be one to take it lightly, she will be blaming Ian for their bad luck in losing contracts and she will be out for revenge, I'm sure about that!

Back up in Whitney and Sonia's attic, Kat appears to be informing Kush about what's been happening with the Mitchell's. Kush is absolutely stunned to hear that Phil appears to be blaming him for planting the recording device. It looks like now more than ever he needs to flee the Square, however as Kat is throwing him his belongings, she happens to say the word "We" - was that a slip of the tongue? Or has she made her mind up and decided to flee Walford with him? Suddenly they happen to hear commotion from below, Kat hushes them to be quiet so they can hear what's happening. Downstairs Whitney answers the door to Jack who's come to sort out the loft and sort out Bex's and Amy's belongings. Of course, Jack is completely unaware to Kush hiding in their loft, and it would be really awkward if Jack was to find him. Thinking quickly on her feet, Whitney offers Jack a quick drink, explaining that the stuff in the loft doesn't need to be sorted straight away and he can do it another time, however Jack seems pretty adamant to get the job done. Having to act really quickly as slowly begins to make his way up the stairs, she claims to have found a rat or a mouse in the kitchen and asks for his help, to which he finally agrees to assist.

Returning to Mick in the club, he appears to be talking to someone, speaking about how his visit to Lee would help him clear his head and sort things. He explains that it did for a short while, but once he arrived back on the Square, everything came flooding back and it became clear that the issue hadn't disappeared at all. As the camera spins around we can see that the person Mick is speaking to is Katy, she questions whether his problem is related to something or someone closer to home, but then he makes the big revelation that the issue is in fact her and Frankie. He explains that since her arrival to the Square, he can't stop thinking about her. He keep revisiting every memory in his head and he informs her that she is the only one who understands what he's going through, as she was there when everything happened. Of course, in his mind, he thinks that she must feel the same - maybe? She must have had the same emotions that he has had, after having to relive everything that happened in their past? But of course, we know that truth. It looks as if he doesn't understand or want to believe that he was a victim of sexual assault, he has convinced himself that he and Katy were maybe one a couple. He pleads to her for her help. He pleads to help her stop him - stop him from what? Having these dark suicidal thoughts? Stop him from reliving his past?! What does he mean exactly?!

Meanwhile, back at with Whitney and Jack. He informs her that he hasn't been able to locate the rat or mouse. As Whitney tries her absolute best to stop him from heading upstairs, she's adamant that she saw a rat. Suddenly her phone pings and we see that Kat has sent her a message informing her that they're leaving the attic and heading downstairs. As Jack seems to grow agitated, Whitney asks his help to sort out the food and music as she puts on the stereo player and urges Jack to dance with her. As he seems really reluctant to dance, a bang can be heard from the hallway which catches Jack's attention. He seems to click on Whitney's weird outbursts and goes to investigate, unfortunately finding both Kat and Kush on the stairs. He's disappointed in Whitney from trying to distract him, he forces both Kat and Kush inside the living room, he informs them both with himself being a police officer he needs to hold out his duty. He informs Kush that he's a wanted man, for assaulting a police officer and for stealing motors. Kush pleads to him to let Kat and Whitney go, if he does so, Kush will hold his hands up and come quietly to the police station. Only, as Jack agrees to go with Kush's suggestion, he's attacked and knocked out from behind as Kat wallops him over the head with the stereo player, leaving everyone in the house absolutely stunned by her actions.

Returning to the club, Mick informs Katy about the dark thoughts he had about driving himself into the brick wall, he explains that the only thing that stopped him was Linda coming back to the car to collect some bags. He questions her, what if it was to happen again? What if happens again and worse yet, Linda and/or Ollie are inside the car with him? Would he be able to stop himself and also put their lives in danger also?! He informs Katy that he's convinced he needs to talk to someone or get some therapy, seek some kind of help. However, I noticed that Katy is quick to state that seeing a shrink won't help, as she explains (in a twisted way) that no one else understand like the way she does, no shrink will care like the way she does. In her twisted ways, is she maybe to trying to convince Mick to not see a shrink as she fears he may inform them about his sexual encounters, which may expose her crimes?! That is exactly what I'm thinking she's doing! What do you guys think?! She also reminds him that she was there whilst he was in care and she reassures him that she was there to help him then, and she wants to help him just as much now. Even sinking a lot lower that he shouldn't tell anyone and leave it between the two of them! I do feel for Mick during this conversation, as you can see he is deeply struggling with his thoughts and emotions here, he's teary as he pleads for her help. Suddenly, Mick pleads to Katy to help him with one thing, she's eager to help him with whatever he needs, but to her surprise, he informs her that he wants to go back to the home that he grew up in, he believes that if he was to visit it again, it may help. Of course, she seems to swerve him off explaining that the building isn't even a home anymore and it's all boarded up, but that doesn't seem to register, he pleads for her to go with him to the home they once lived in together. Ooooh, something tells me this story with Mick and Katy is going eventually get darker and darker, what do you guys think? It's going to be long process/storyline, but I'm hoping that in time, Katy's crimes will come to light to the Carter family and everyone will be able to rally round and support Mick in his time of need.

The final scene of this episode, back on the Square, Kat and Kush are hurrying the children into their car, as Kat makes the children comfortable, Stacey is calling out for her cousin explaining that she doesn't have to flee, the police are after Kush, not her. But Kat can't take that risk, considering she's just assaulted Jack. Kush worries about not saying "Goodbye" to Arthur but Kat rushes him into the car, they need to get away as soon as they can. Suddenly, Jack appears from the Fowler household and rushes towards the car, Stacey alerts her cousin and she manages to speed off with Kush and the children in the vehicle before Jack can get to them and and quickly speed off around the corner. Jack is visibly irritated, but I do feel for Stacey, having to watch her family flee.

So, what does this mean? I do believe that even though Davood Ghademi is leaving the soap, his final scenes as Kush won't be until 2021! So something is telling me that eventually they will return? Maybe just before Christmas? Who knows? But something is going to bring them back to the Square. But what? Overall another drama packed episode! What do you think is going to happen with Mick? His story could go on for a long time, but if it is going to be a revelation of sexual abuse, they could do it brilliant justice! I think this is one of the main stories I'm looking forward to seeing progress and eventually revealed! What are you guys looking forward to? Any story-lines grabbing your attention? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions, please feel free to leave me a message or any comments! I'd love to hear from you! Thanks again folks! Love you all xXx