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andreafmn · 3 years

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Running In Circles - Chapter 2

Word Count: 2,663

Characters: Female Reader Rossi Character, Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Jennifer “JJ”Jareau, Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia

Story Description: (Y/N) Rossi is following in her father’s footsteps by joining the BAU team as a profiler. The girl genius knew almost everything but she could have never predicted falling for Aaron Hotchner, her boss and her father’s friend. in their world mutual feelings are not enough to push them together. Will all the adversities and obstacles they face pull them together or push them apart forever?

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Criminal Minds, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and CBS Network. The only thing I own is Arden Rossi, any upcoming characters, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ story line.

Chapter: 2/?

Chapter Description: The team goes back to work as Aaron Hotchner considers retiring from the team and spend time with his son. (Y/n) can’t help but provide emotional support for the Hotchner boys.

A/N: I enjoy angst and slow burns way too much XD. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

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Chapter 2

Once it was over, the interviews came. We knew the story. We lived it. The case was open and shut. They could try and make us pint it all on Hotch, the easy way out, but we knew better. And we would stand next to our unit chief whatever the price.

Haley’s funeral was no easier than being at the scene. It was a somber day and the sadness was imprinted in us. We all walked with dropped shoulders and a tight chest. I stood between Derek and Reid, using Morgan as support because I felt that my legs would give out at any moment. My father stood behind me rubbing circles on my back to comfort me. As we laid the roses on top of the casket, we laid to rest the life of Haley, a woman I only knew through the loving words Hotch spoke of.

The group did not know what to do to help the heartbroken man. It would take time to heal even just the smallest bit of his heart. All we could hope for was that he would come back to the team.

At the worst possible moment, the phone rings. No other team available and someone in need, we had to go to work. We all rolled our eyes or shook our heads; this was the job. But would it be the same without him?

I went to Hotch before we left and gave him a hug.

“Call me if you guys need anything,” he said.

“Just take care of your son,” I smiled, and he softly returned one of his own. I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and left to join the team.

On the plane, we were caught up with the case. We stored all our feelings and got the machines running. We needed to finish this quickly and perfectly.

Two women, both brunettes and young, high-powered executives, murdered in their own homes, the floor around them decorated with flower petals. After Emily and Derek visited the crime scene, we had another part of the puzzle, the unsub was stalking his victims. Everything just seemed so perfect and staged, there was no way he was not prepared.

I stayed with JJ in the station working on the announcement and trying to figure something else from the details provided and the crime scene photos, but JJ could see my head wasn’t in it completely for the first time.

“Hey,” she said, taking my attention from the piece of paper I had been eyeing for the past five minutes. “What’s on your mind? Talk to me.”

“Is it wrong that I feel bad for being here?” I sighed. “Working like nothing’s happened.”

“Of course not, we all feel a bit guilty,” she smiled. “I know you most of all.”

My eyes opened in shock.

“Oh, come on, (Y/N). Everyone knows you have a not-so-secret crush on Hotch,” she laughed. “The only one that can’t see it is him. And probably your dad. Parents can be quite oblivious to their children’s feelings in this way.”

My head flew into my hands to cover the embarrassment that was flooding my cheeks. It was one thing to assume the whole team knew, another was to have it confirmed.

“It’s okay, (Y/N), we’ll see what comes of it. What I can say is that you can’t let this stop you from doing your job.”

She smiled one last time and it was all I needed to push Aaron Hotchner to the back of my mind and bring the case forward.

“Find anything?” My father asked entering the small room at the police station, Reid following behind.

“Several people had access to each home,” I said rubbing my temple. “Housekeeper, gardener, pool cleaner, dog walker…”

“Each with their own key and an alibi to match,” JJ added, an annoyed tone rolling off her tongue.

“Any crossover?”

“None. We even vetted delivery people and utility workers.” I sighed.

“Garcia, do you have anything?” Reid said, sitting down.

“There’s no hits at the prints at all. But I did what Sir Derek there asked, and I created a paper trail,” Penny explained. “There’s no cross-over between the two victims themselves in the weeks leading up to their murders, but they did run in similar circles.”

Penelope continued to explain how both victims lived quite a lavish and high-class lifestyle as Emily and Derek joined us. We figured this man would fit right in this crowd. Educated, intelligent, a gentleman. What we had yet to pinpoint was how the unsub entered the homes with no signs of forced entry. It was clear we were not going to make any headway tonight and Derek knew it too. So, he decided we should be done for the day and we would come back tomorrow well-rested and with fresh eyes.

That night I laid in the bed of my hotel room staring at the ceiling. All I could think of was Hotch and everything he was going through. I could only imagine.

And as if by fate, my phone rang. Aaron Hotchner.

“Hello?”

“Oh,” Hotch said surprised. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I haven’t been able to sleep.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I guess I’m just worried about you.”

He chuckled softly. “You really shouldn’t.”

“But I do, Hotch.”

He stayed silent, only his slow breathing was heard through the phone.

“Did I fail her?” He asked after some minutes of comfortable silence.

“Absolutely not.”

“I promised her that I would catch Foyet and spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”

“And you still can.”

“But” he exhaled loudly. “How?”

“By being the best father you can be to Jack and continue living your life in the best way you can.”

“You know, Dave told me that I had to figure out what kind of father I wanted to be and then I’d know what to do. But I have no idea what that is.”

“Hotch…”

“I’m serious,” he interrupted. “I don’t know what kind of father I am. I catch killers. I save lives. I’m a hero until my key hits the front door, and then I’m just the father who’s never there. Haley was raising Jack all by herself and that was my support blanket. I was able to do my job because I knew he was cared for by another parent. A better parent.”

He sobbed softly as the last words escaped his mouth.

“I’m going to stop you right there,” I said, trying my best not to sound angry. “To that little boy, you are the only real hero that exists. He knows that when you’re not home it’s because you’re out here catching the bad guys like Foyet and making the world better for his sake. He knows that everything you do is out of love for him.

You know, when I was little my dad was absent quite a lot because of this job, but there was one thing that I knew for sure, that he loved me more than anything and that he worked better and faster because he wanted to come back home to me. And never ever have I resented him for leaving and catching the bad guys. He’s the reason I became an FBI agent.

You are an amazing father and anything you choose will be the right thing for Jack.”

After a minute of sobs, Hotch started to calm down.

“Thank you, (Y/N). You have no idea how much I needed that right now,” he cleared his throat. “How’s the case going?”

“Nope,” I laughed. “Not going to talk about the case.”

“Really?” He chuckled.

“Yes, Hotch. Take a breather. You deserve it.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, and I could hear his smile through the phone.

We had been talking for about an hour when I heard him yawn.

“Seems you’re getting sleepy there, Hotchner.” I laughed. “We should both get some rest. If it’s 3 am over here it must be 2 am in Washington. So, good night and see you soon.”

“Good night, (Y/N). Again, thank you. Sweet dreams.” And he hung up.

And finally, I drifted to sleep.

The next morning, we were up and ready for business.

“We believe our unsub is already with his next victim,” my father started. “If he matches the patter, she’ll be a successful woman, probably brunette, early 30s to mid-40s. She’ll be at home in Nashville’s upper echelon.”

“This means that he fits in,” I explained. “He drives the right car, he wears the right clothes, he’s highly intelligent. He probably comes from a place of status.”

“This guy’s sociable and he’s endearing,” said Morgan. “You would never suspect that this man is capable of murder. But he will do whatever it takes to protect the fantasy that he’s trying to relive.”

“It’s this fantasy which fuels his drive. He’s reliving a romantic evening and recreating it with each of his victims.”

“He most likely had a relationship taken away from him,” Derek crossed his arms. “So, look at men who have lost loved ones or have gone through a messy divorce.”

After finishing with the profile, we set out to establishments that fit the criteria to possibly get a suspect. As we worked, we got a call. Another crime scene, but this one was different.

A male victim. Overkill on the female. Something made him change his M.O.

Out in the garage, Reid and I looked for any sort of clues and I noticed his sight direct to the car. There may be another way we could connect the victims and how the unsub made their way into their homes.

Finally, Garcia had something with the hunch Spencer had figured. She overlaid all the geographical routes the victims had taken against the geo profile to show what we were missing with any paper trail. Although it was not a clear answer, Erika Silverman was the only one that did not fit the extravagant lifestyle and she only went and came from her work or her home. Except on Tuesday, where she went to the Botanical Gardens, what was she doing there? JJ, Reid, and I left for the gardens to find out.

And just as we had suspected, there had been an event to which Erika had attended. And a puzzle piece revealed itself.

“An event up here would be a hard sell for women in heels,” JJ commented.

“Well, most of our private events hire valets to drive the cars down to the base of the park so they don’t have to hike it up the hill.”

“Who had access to your keys but goes unseen?” Reid asked.

“And to your GPS,” I added.

“Dealerships program your home address into the navigation system before your car even leaves the lot.”

“He had turn-by-turn directions straight to her front door and the keys to get him inside,” I pointed.

We now had how he got his victims and how he entered their house without force. Now, all we had to do was pinpoint his next victim and see who he was.

JJ was instructed to get dad and Prentiss to pick up the owner of the valet service used in the event, and Derek, Reid, and I stayed behind to canvass the employees. We could catch this guy in action unless he had already gotten his next victim.

Joe Belser. That was our unsub. With the profile, the owner was able to point out the suspect quickly. And off we were.

JJ, Reid, and I headed to the venue and the rest of the team went to Belser’s house. He wasn’t in the apartment, but they had found the meaning behind the roses and universal garage door openers. In the venue, Reid called Garcia to see which of the VIP guests could be the next potential victim.

Ann Herron was the next victim, and he was already at her house.

“FBI! PUT IT DOWN!” Derek screamed, blinding Joe with his flashlight. I walked in from behind Derek and kneed Belser’s stomach. He fell to the ground groaning and Emily grabbed the man by the throat to immobilize him.

“Fantasy’s over,” she spat. “Is that what you did to them? You hit them to shut them up and then forced them to play along with your sick delusion?”

“I love them,” Joe said sinisterly.

“You’re finally gonna meet your soulmate, Joe,” I added from behind Prentiss. “In prison.”

“Only you’re not gonna be able to push him around like you did those women,” Emily continued. “And when he comes for you in the middle of the night, when you’re least expecting it, you do me a favor. Play along.”

She stood the man up forcibly and put him in handcuffs and I went outside to check on the victim.

“How is she?” Derek asked walking out of the house with my father.

“She’s strong,” I said closing the ambulance door. “She’ll make it. But you don’t survive something like that without scars.”

“Scars remind us where we’ve been,” my father commented. “They don’t have to dictate where we’re going.”

He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my head as we walked back to the SUVs, finally on our way home.

The next day, I called up my dad so he would accompany me to Haley’s grave. Something told me I had to go. At the cemetery, I saw what the pull was. Sitting in front of the headstone less grave was Hotch. I walked up to him first, my father close behind. Hotch lifted his head and stared into my eyes, sitting up slightly.

“I had a feeling I’d find you here,” I spoke softly. “Have you told her yet?”

“Told her what?” He mused.

“That you’re coming back to the team,” my father joined his left side. Hotch looked at him. “That fighting the bad guys is who you are.”

Hotch lowered his head and shook it. “I don’t have to tell her. She already knows.”

I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and gave him a soft smile. My father did the same and walked to my side, so we’d retreat, giving Hotch some space.

“So, do you want me to drive you back to your house?” My father asked.

“No,” I smiled. “I’m gonna stay with Hotch for a bit and then I’ll go home.”

“Okay, darling.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll pick you up on Monday then. Ciao, Mia Bella.”

“Bye, dad.”

Once my dad left, I sat down on a bench and waited for Hotch.

“(Y/N), you’re still here?” Hotch questioned with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, thought you might want some company.”

“Truthfully,” he chuckled. “I do. Thank you.”

“How about this, we pick up Jack, you guys come over and I crack open a present I had for Jack.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he motioned me to his car. “Let’s go.”

We drove quietly to his apartment, only the low volume of the radio and the sound of our breathing could be heard. It didn’t take long to arrive at the complex, where he opened the car door for me and led me upstairs. Inside apartment #121, was Jessica Brooks, Haley’s sister, and Jack playing a card game.

“(Y/N)!” Jack screamed as soon as I walked through the door, running to give me a hug.

“Hey, buddy!” I hugged back.

“Hotch, you’re back,” she exclaimed. “Good to see you again, (Y/N).”

“Good to see you, too,” I smiled. “How you holding up?”

“As good as I can be.” She answered as she began to gather her things. “Well, I’ll see you soon. Bye, little guy.”

“Bye, Aunt Jessica.”

“Bye, guys.” She said as she left.

“Hey, little man,” I directed to Jack. “I’ve got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“How about you to pack a go-bag and you and dad come over so we can open a present I have for you?”

“Yes!” He exclaimed as he sped off to his room to pack.

“I think you should go help him,” I smiled at Hotch. “If I have any memory of being a kid, they’re not very good at packing.”

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Maybe I should.”

I waited for both father and son to pack for the night asking myself why I was putting myself in this position. Growing closer to a man I had a 0% chance with. But I couldn’t help it. All in all, he was my friend, and he needed all the support he could get.

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A/N: if you wish to be tagged for the next parts, please let me know. I’d be happy to. <3

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greekowl87 · 3 years

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Fic: Embracing Parenthood 5/?

Get caught up: (1) | (2) | (3) (4) or AO3

A/N: I’ve been writing while trying to figure out my depression but it’s not as much as I would like. I finally got this done and have two other things I am working on. Looking at episodes 4-D and Lord of the Flies, I decided to consolidate this chapter and do a focus on “Lord of the Flies”. I’m still not 100% on the direction this will be taking. I borrowed lines from the episode so, just an fyi. I used the transcript from Inside the X. Bit of light smut at the end.

Tagging @baronessblixen @suitablyaggrieved @today-in-fic @improlificinsarcasm

After a few more months, they seemed to finally be hitting their stride. This new...whatever it was...took some getting used to for Mulder and Scully. Aside from the one time they caught William’s mobile spinning under its own accord, they had not caught anything else. Scully was fine with this and shut down any attempt Mulder made to bring it up. She kept telling herself that their son was just fine and normal like any other baby. After a couple of weeks, Mulder gave up. It became an unspoken agreement between them. Aside from this, things at the academy and x-files remained quiet.

Agent Reyes settled in an apartment in Foggy Bottom. A few x-files have been solved. Despite Agent Reyes’s claim of an interdimensional serial killer nearly ending his life, Doggett was still alive. Mulder and Scully settled into their teaching roles at the academy, William was growing in size, and they both were beginning to believe that they were getting that happy ending that they both deserved.

On a regular Wednesday afternoon, as Mulder graded quizzes in his office, he heard a light knocking at the door. “Come in,” he called looking up from his desks.

Scully smiled at him. “How’s the grading, Agent Mulder?”

“I want to know your secret,” he confessed. He held out his hand, offering a chair across from him. She surprised him instead by taking his hand, squeezing it, and kissed him deeply. “Well, hello to you too.”

“I like this, Scully.”

“I’m glad. I have to go to New Jersey though. Agents Doggett and Reyes need my medical opinion about a matter.”

“Do you need me to tag along?”

She didn’t answer his question. She sat in the chair across from him. “Teaching suits you, Mulder. Are you happy?”

“I can do without the grading,” he confided. “So, back to the case? Is this what...for an afternoon?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe. I’m sure it’s fairly straightforward. A teenager was found with half of the head collapsed in, and many flies came swarming out.”

“Flies? Is this a case of Lord of the Flies? Or Jeff Goldum’s The Fly?”

“Thankfully not. I just suspect something weird. However, I need to travel to New Jersey to lend a helping hand.”

“You never answered my question. Do you need me to tag along?”

“No. I’ve already called my mother to let her know. I’m taking a car from the pool and I’ll be stopping by the apartment before making my way to New Jersey.”

Mulder shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The suddenness of this news made him feel very uncomfortable. He did not have much time to sort through these new feelings as Scully continued. “It’s a three-hour drive from Washington. I’ll be spending the night up there. I should be back in a day or two.”

Mulder cleared his throat. “Just like that?”

She titled her head. “Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“No,” he lied. He fiddled with the pen in front of him, rolling it back and forth on his desk. “I’ll pick up William from your mother.”

“It’s only for 48 hours,” she said.

“It’s not a big deal, Scully. Do you not have faith in me taking care of William?”

“I didn’t say that but you are pouting.”

“I’m not pouting. Look, I probably need a guy’s night anyway.”

“The Gunmen?” She asked.

“I was just thinking about me, Will, and Plan 9 From Outer Space. You know a guy’s night.”

“Maybe pick a less depressing film?”

“We’ll be fine, mom. Promise.” Scully arched her eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Promise, Scully. Nothing will go wrong.”

Her cellphone started to ring and she sighed, looking at the caller ID. “It’s Agent Doggett,” she sighed. She got up from her chair and hastily kissed his cheek as she left. “I’ll call you when I get there. Love you.”

“Love you too.” He replied, watching her retreating form.

As the emotions welled in his chest. Mulder pushed the rest of the ungraded quizzes to the side and began to search for movies. As a psychologist, he knew pushing his emotions aside and burying them was unhealthy. He and Scully spent seven years doing that. Unfortunately, he was no longer a bachelor and had a baby to worry about as well.

* * * * * *

Traffic was a beast in driving the length of I-95 to Quantico to drive the hour to Annapolis to Marget Scully’s house. Two accidents just added to Mulder’s sour mood. As he sat in traffic, he tried to distract himself by switching it to NPR and ultimately switched it off. As traffic inched towards Maryland, he finally identified and named just a few of the emotions that were swirling in his chest. Jealousy. Feelings of inadequacy. Sadness.

He sighed, finally sighting the exit to Mrs. Scully’s and signaled the right turn signal. As he pulled off, he was bitterly reminded of the initial shock and awe he felt coming back from the dead. He struggled to find this place in a Twilight Zone-like universe where he no longer had the x-files and had Scully seven months pregnant. They struggled to find their footing. Mulder remembered feeling left out and bitter that Scully had a new partner in Doggett. He didn’t necessarily dislike this man. He was a good agent, just like Scully had said, but he was the one investigating x-files with Scully. Mulder wasn’t. He didn’t mind Agent Reyes either. He liked her and thought her addition to the x-files office in place of Scully would help balance the skeptical Doggett. But that didn’t stop him from feeling jealous and left out.

As he slowed, pulling into a residential neighborhood, he saw Mrs. Scully’s white sedan in the driveway and the lights throughout the house. He jogged up the front steps and raised his hand to knock. Mrs. Scully opened the door before his knuckles could rap against the wood. “Fox, I’m glad to see you weren’t caught up in traffic too badly!”

“I still hit a couple of accidents, Mrs. Scully.” He forced a smile. “Were you expecting someone?”

“What? Oh, no! I saw your headlights in the driveway. Come in! I was just about to pull out dinner.”

“I couldn’t…” he stammered out of instinct.

“Nonsense. Besides, William will be very happy to see you.”

Oh yeah, he thought, I’m a father. “You need to get past the formalities, Fox. Don’t you think Maggie will do? You are the father to my grandson after all.” Mrs. Scully was already pulling on his hand, tugging him inside before he could put up a fight. “Besides, as much as I love my daughter, Dana does not know how to cook.”

“Actually, she’s quite good,” Mulder defended.

Mrs. Scully chuckled to herself. “What I meant is she doesn’t know how to cook for a family. I raised four children by myself for the most part when the Captain was at sea. Now that William is here, I’m not going to dismiss the possibility. Take off your shoes, Fox.”

Mulder slid off his polished Oxford shoes and loosened his tie. “The possibility of what?”

Maggie stopped and smiled. “Of what could be. Come on. I bet William will be excited to see you.”

Mulder followed Mrs. Scully into the kitchen and saw his son light up. William began to babble happily and stretch his arms for his father. He smiled and bent down to kiss his forehead. “I think he is going to have Scully’s eyes.”

“They might still turn brown. I don’t know, Fox. I think William is beginning to look like you. Have a seat. Do you want a beer with dinner?”

“Water would be fine.”

Mulder sat closest to William as Mrs. Scully served them. “William was fine today,” she said. “Dana called and let me know. If it is more convenient, I can come to Georgetown and watch William tomorrow if you want.”

Mulder nodded and replied, “I would appreciate that. I wish I could simply take the time off.”

Mrs. Scully played with her shepherd’s pie. And how are you feeling, Fox with Dana in New Jersey and you here?”

He was caught off guard with the question. “What do you mean?”

“Seven years you two were practically glued together. She would always answer your calls. Now you’re here and she's out in the field.” She paused. “I know you two had some difficulties when you came back.”

He chuckled hollowly. “Not every day you come back from the dead.”

“Exactly. She was alone for six months.”

“I didn’t leave her intentionally,” he defended quietly.

“I’m not saying that you did. I’m not my oldest son, Fox.”

“I’m that bad?”

“Worse than Dana,” she chuckled. “I know what it’s like to feel left behind and on the sidelines. I imagine you felt some sort of jealousy with Agent Doggett when you first met him?”

“I, uh, punched him in the jaw.”

Mrs. Scully nodded. “Dana mentioned something about that. The point is, Fox, I know what is like feeling out of the loop when your partner is out doing something. I felt the same way when Bill was out to sea and I was left to raise four kids of my own. He would joke that I was the admiral in the family.” She gave a small smile. “And you find yourself in a similar situation.”

“I guess so,” he whispered. He pushed his food around. “Even though we’re both teaching at the academy, it doesn’t feel the same.”

“You could always propose.”

William squealed eagerly and threw something across the table making Mulder jump. “Excuse me?”

Mrs. Scully shrugged. “I just figured after 8 years, a child, and sharing an apartment...it’s time you make it permanent, Fox.”

“I…”

She held up her hand. “You don’t have to say anything. Just think about it. In the meantime, are you sure I can’t get you anything else right now?”

“Yeah,” he stammered. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

As it neared 8 o’clock, Mulder gathered his son and Mrs. Scully piled leftovers into a brown grocery bag to walk him out. “I’ll be up by 10 tomorrow. What time will you be home?”

“About six,” he replied, shifting William in his arms. “Scully said she might be home by tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll set one extra place at the table.”

Mulder, still feeling insecure, interrupted. “You don’t have to, Mrs. Scully. I can take care of William. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Nonsense,” she dismissed. “I love seeing my grandson.” She kissed Mulder’s cheek goodbye. “And I don’t do these things because I pity you or think you unworthy of Dana, Fox. I do it out of love for you and William. Now, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

As the door closed behind him and Mulder tucked William into his car seat, his thoughts became distracted yet again. Scully did need him, right? He hadn’t brushed aside. And what did Mrs. Scully insinuate with their dinner conversation?

* * * * * *

A few states away in Manahawkin, New Jersey, Scully retired from examining the half-collapsed head of “Captain Dare” and the persistent flirting of Dr. Rocky Bronzino earlier than she anticipated. She politely declined the dinner invitation from Agents Doggett and Reyes as well. She found her attention drifting towards various journal articles about the Spanish fly and their mating rituals. After a few hours, Scully abandoned her research.

She tried to take a bath and felt distracted. Her mind couldn’t wrap itself around the facts of the case. As she dressed for bed, she sleepily looked at the motel clock and saw it was nine o’clock. How could she have let time get away from her? Without a second thought, she found her cell and called the apartment’s landline. When there was no answer, she quickly called Mulder’s cell phone. He answered the third thing.

“Mulder,” he greeted automatically.

She could hear him hiding a yawn in his voice. “Mulder, it’s me,” she spoke softly. “Did I catch you at a bad moment?”

“No,” he sighed. “I just put William to bed. A late bath, a lot of crying, and a partially read bedtime story and he is down for the count. He misses you terribly.”

“I bet,” she said. Scully shifted the files around. “And what about you?”

“What about me?” He yawned again.

“How are you?”

“Tired,” he admitted simply. “And very much missing you. Your bed is too big without you. But never mind me. Tell me about the case?”

“I am dealing with a human head half-collapsed in with flies exploding it before I arrived. Agents Doggett and Reyes are chasing down a teenager suspect.”

“Oh,” he hummed. “Bugs. Is this like those teenagers from Pittsfield, Virginia, Scully?”

“Not at all,” she said. “I’m not entirely sure if this is an x-file yet. I mean it has bugs. It’s all about the bugs, Mulder.”

“Washington state. One of our first cases.”

“Well, no one has been found cocooned in the web.”

“Yet.”

“Yet,” she repeated. Scully sighed and looked at the empty side of the motel bed. “I should be done by tomorrow evening. Hey, we have the weekend at least. One perk of teaching at the academy: normal 9-5 jobs.”

“Unless you get called away on another case.” Scully could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice. “But yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

“Mulder, are you okay?”

She could hear the phone shifting on his end. “Hm? Yeah. I was just getting the blankets pulled down. I thought about putting William in the bassinet but I guess he needs to learn about sleeping in his room.”

Scully groaned inwardly. “You’re not helping,” she told him.

“What did I do?”

There was a weariness in his voice she could not place. “Mulder, what’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing, nothing. Everything is okay. I’m handling it just fine.”

She heard his voice rise defensively and the baby crying in the background. “Look, Scully. I’m going to check on William. I’ll talk to you later okay?”

“Okay but…” Mulder hung up the phone before Scully had a chance to reply. “Great.”

Scully looked back at the clock, wondering if she should call her partner back. She felt hurt about the shortness in her voice. What had happened? Did her mother say something to Mulder? Did she do something? Did something else happen to William that he wasn’t telling her? In the end, she decided not to call him back lest she wake the baby again and cause Mulder to lose any sleep. As she settled in the motel bed, she turned onto her side and swept her arm up and down the empty side. She missed being away from him and their son.

Three hours away in Georgetown, Mulder, unable to sleep found himself on the couch in front of the television. William held contently against his chest. William sleepily watched his father as Mulder settled on TCM for a black and white horror film. A small gurgling brought Mulder’s attention back to his son. “We’ll just keep daddy sleeping on the couch a secret from mom,” he said.

William yawned and twisted his head towards Mulder’s chest. “Well, the important thing is that you’re comfortable,” Mulder continued. “You’re just like your mother; she can sleep anywhere too. I think her favorite place is to fall asleep on me.”

He shifted his attention back to the television and then back at his son. “I can’t help but feel forgotten,” he confessed to William. “I mean, your mom was all by herself when she found out she was pregnant with you and I was abducted. She got a new partner.” Mulder thought of Doggett’s straight-laced demeanor. “He is just the opposite of what I expected. And of course, I am jealous of him. He was the one watching Scully’s back because I ran off to chase down a damn UFO. Look at what that got me, Will. Six feet under.” He looked down at his son. “Does that make me a bad person?”

William met him with silence.

“Well, I value your opinion so don’t hold back,” he told the baby. More silence except for a sleepy blink. “I think that is why I was so distant tonight. I’m jealous. I’m upset. I feel left behind.” Mulder watched his son grow sleepier. He had Scully’s blue eyes. “I feel like she’s moved on without me. I have since I came back. Even with you and all your glory, bud, I still feel inadequate.” William grabbed a fistful of Mulder’s t-shirt as his eyes grew heavier. “Are you trying to reassure me?” Mulder chuckled slightly. “I wish I could tell Scully how I felt.”

One day, he promised himself. As William drifted off to sleep, Mulder found himself wide awake still, his thoughts going to Scully and the bitterness he felt over the fact she was out in the field and he felt left behind.

* * * * *

Back in New Jersey, Scully left the motel to head straight to the medical examiner’s office. Agents Doggett and Reyes had texted her that they were going to follow up with some matters at the high school before meeting her at the medical examiner. On her way there, Scully tried to call Mulder again first at his office and then his cell. This was the second time since last night that he hadn’t answered his phone. Trying to dismiss the growing insecurities into the back of her mind, she tried to focus on the case instead. As Scully strolled into the main medical lab, it was much to her dismay that Dr. Bronzino was waiting for her.

“Dr. Scully,” the overly tanned scientist greeted. “How are you this fine morning?”

“Well,” she greeted with some reserve. “Have Agents Doggett and Reyes arrived yet?”

“Not at all! But I’ve been examining the flies that exploded from that young man’s skull. It’s quite fascinating really. Being a forensic pathologist, you might find this particularly interesting. Have you ever heard of the coffins fly?”

Scully took a step back and forced a smile. “I can’t say I have.”

“Well, they’re amazing creatures. A female coffin fly has been known to bury its way through over two meters of dirt just to lay its eggs on the cadaver. That is the equivalent of a human digging two miles into the ground.” He flashed her a dazzling smile of whitened teeth. “Isn’t it amazing of the lengths one will go to procreate?”

“Fascinating,” she replied quickly, “but what does this have to do with the victim?”

“Oh,” the entomologist exclaimed, “all the flies that came for the young victim’s head were female. There is probably nothing to it but isn't it fascinating?”

Scully’s mind was already firing and meaning connections. “It is. And it could be nothing or it could mean everything. Did you set any aside for the examination?”

Dr. Bronzino waved to the other end of the room where the microscope was. “I was going to prepare some samples to examine.”

She moved towards the microscope. “Why don’t I start on that and you do whatever it is that you are doing, Dr. Bronzino”

“Excellent suggestion, Dr. Scully! Divide and conquer! I like the sound of that!”

“I’m sure,” she answered.

“Which reminds me. I’m going to run back to my lab real quickly to gather another instrument of my invention. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be here,” she said.

Scully was secretly glad to see him retreat as she set to work. She laid out her research of flies that she had started the night before and her morning coffee. She paused, trying to collect her thoughts before she delved into the day’s work, however, she couldn’t. Her thoughts kept going back to the abrupt conversation that she had with Mulder the night before. He sounded distant and aloof. She was reminded of his jealousy when he came back from the dead. She found her phone and dialed his office at Quantico. At nine a.m., he should have been strolling right then. However, it went straight to messages. She hung up before she could leave one. Growing disgruntled, Scully called the Georgetown apartment. To her surprise, it was her mother that answered.

“Hello?” Her mother answered.

“Hi, mom,” she greeted quickly. “What are you doing at the apartment?”

“Oh, I thought I would save Fox driving to drop off William with me this morning,” she said. “One less hassle to do. I also picked you and Fox up some groceries that you desperately needed.”

“We were fine,” she said. “Where is Mulder? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” her mom replied vaguely. “I found him sleeping on the couch last night with the tv on. William must have kept him up all night.”

She felt a twinge of regret twist her heart. “Is he okay?”

“I guess so. He seemed fine and left for the office with no issue. Why? Is there something that I should be aware of?”

“No, no,” Scully said. She pushed the thoughts of insecurity deep down. Now was not the time. “He seemed distracted last night. We only chatted briefly. Is William okay?”

“He’s a fat, happy baby who can sleep through anything. Just like you were. I’m here until Fox comes home if you need anything. Do you want me to tell Fox that you called?”

“No, no. Everything’s fine.”

Her mother was silent on the other end. “Well, if you do need anything, Dana, I’m here with William. Love you.”

“Love you too, mom.”

She hung up her phone and tried to ignore the new signs that taunted her. Nothing was fine except she was not going to say anything. Scully sat at the microscope and began to work.

A couple of hours later, Dr. Rocky Bronzino rejoined her with a crude-looking invention to he promised to give a giant break in the case. She half-listened to ramble on about the various mating rituals of insects until she noticed a pattern emerging with the insects. It took Bronzino to confirm her suspicions and identify the peculiar fact about the case. As she continued to examine the flys, at a quarter till noon, Agents Reyes and Doggett walked in. Scully looked at both of them and announced, “I’m glad you’re here. I think we just got our first real break in the case.”

“What did you find?” Reyes asked.

“Well, it's what the entomologist Rocky Bronzino found. The flies that ate at the brain and skull of the victim are all female. Every last one of them.” Scully motioned to a fly under the microscope as she spoke.

Doggett looked towards Monica Reyes and asked, “Exactly how is that a break”

Scully thought for a moment and answered, “Well, what are the chances of that?”

Agent Reyes clarified, “You mean that the absence of males suggests there's a reason for the attack. Behaviourally.”

“Well, something biological is going on. Whether it's hormonal or chemical something has caused these bugs to attack,” Scully theorized.

Doggett added, “Or a need to express themselves.”

Scully asked, “To what?”

Agent Doggett continued, “This is a kid that calls himself "Sky Commander Winky." Agent Reyes and I were interviewing him as a suspect when this happened.” He showed photos of the victim’s back were the words ‘DUMB ASS’ shined a bright, red welt. “The paramedics arrived and treated him for an aggressive attack of bodily lice.”

She took the photos to examine them closer. “Hmm. Lice are not altogether uncommon in a school environment.”

Doggett snorted. “Except that these are better spellers than most of the kids.”

“Maybe they stayed late for after-school lessons,” she snorted. “So what are you saying? That this is just another dumb ass stunt?”

Reyes interjected, “Well, that was my first thought. But the victim here was just too freaked out by this incident to make me believe he'd staged this. Which leads me to think that while you may be right about this being a matter of biology, someone is directing the biology.” She paused. “Maybe you might want to consult Mulder?”

“Why?” Doggett asked. “These are bugs we are talking about.”

“And how does one direct bugs?” She added.

Reyes shrugged and replied, “I don't know how but we've been running down a long list of witnesses.” She passed Scully the rest of the photographs. “A loner who was present at every dumb ass stunt and who had a run-in with this kid Winky at school just prior to the lice attacking. His name is Dylan Lokensgard. We're going to want to talk to him.”

“He seems like a promising start,” Scully replied. “Dr. Bronzino should be back soon. He promised to bring a piece of equipment that will help break the case.”

“We’ll be back then. Call us if you have anything. Let’s head back, Monica.”

“I’ll call you when I have something,” Scully replied.

She watched the two agents retreating. She glanced at the clock on the wall and did the math in her head. She probably wasn’t going to be home that evening that she had promised.

* * * * * *

Having Mrs. Scully watch William in Georgetown instead of Maryland was a bigger relief than Mulder had realized. Although he hit traffic on the way to Quantico, the extra hour of not driving had put him in a somewhat fairer mood. However, as the morning dragged on and he did not hear anything from Scully began to sour his fair mood. By lunch, he was mad. Well not mad, but pouting and being gloomy. If Scully were here, she would have chewed him out and told him to pull his head out of his ass. But that was just it. Scully wasn’t here to do that.

As noon droned on, Mulder heard a light knocking at his door and looked up with some surprise to see A.D. Skinner standing in the doorway. “Wow, Mulder. Even having an office out of the basement and looking depressed as hell.”

“And it’s good to see you too, sir.” Mulder rose to greet the man and offered his hand. “I suspect you did not come down to comment on my office.”

“No.” Skinner paused. “I had a meeting I needed to attend. I wanted to check in on you and see how things were. You know, just to see if you threaten to burn down the establishment yet.”

“Haha,” Mulder said lamely. “No. Things are normal. Just perfectly normal.”

“And you are a terrible liar. Why don’t you come to lunch, Mulder? Get your head out of your ass and get some fresh air.”

“I’m fine where I am,” he said.

“And I know you well enough to know when you’re lying. You’re jealous aren’t you?”

“About what?”

“I know Scully’s out in the field,” Skinner stated, “and you’re not.”

“Way to rub it in.” Mulder glanced at his computer clock and relented. “Fine, fine. It isn’t like I have anything else to do today.”

“Good. You could use the distraction.”

. . . . . .

Back in New Jersey, Doggett and Reyes were still canvassing the school looking for more witnesses, Scully found herself out in the streets with the brazen etymologist, Dr. Rocky Bronzino. His continued efforts of flirting with her wearing down on her last nerves. She surveyed the empty street and how idyllic it reminded her. Dr. Bronzino focused on the tool he had brought from his lap that was designed to help them. He took a step back from the tracker to examine the surroundings.

“So many flowers ... so little time,” he murmured

Scully looked up from the trunk of the Land Rover. “Excuse me?”

The etymologist stated excitedly. “Pheromones, Dr. Scully. Heavy in the air. Nature's natural attractions. Driving the insect world to go forth and pollinate.”

As Dr. Bronzino began to advance on her, she took a few steps back. She shifted her gaze to the device he had brought with him. “I'm aware of how pheromones work. But according to this device, there isn't a single pheromone to be found out here.”

He began to tweak his machine and Scully rolled her eyes, looking back up to the sky. She smirked, remembering the time she was with Mulder when frogs rained from the sky. Dr. Bronzino was growing frustrated. “Well, that can't be right. The biosensor uses an actual fly antenna over which the pheromones pass. But I modified the EAG to measure in picograms which makes it sensitive to traces a mile in any direction.”

Scully watched an overly casual Rocky lean against the car, a confident hand on his hip, as he tried to charm her. Scully tried to remain professional and keep them on track. “But I'm still not sure why you think that pheromones might cause an otherwise harmless fly to attack a human so violently, Doctor…”

“Rocky,” he corrected. His whitened teeth shined as brightly as he flirted with her.

“Rocky,” she repeated

He smiled, thinking his charm was working. “Bugs are small-minded creatures, and therefore very predictable. They don't have moods. They react to circumstance and stimuli as they have been doing for millennia.”

“How wonderful.” She tried to keep it professional. “So what do you suppose they're reacting to out here?”

Dr. Bronzino puffed out his chest like a mating dove and took a few steps forward. “It may be the bugs are being somehow driven crazy with desire. You know, they say we humans respond to pheromones, too.”

Scully put her hands on her hips, clearly uncomfortable. “Yeah, I tend to agree with that, yeah.”

Rocky pressed on. “‘Women's dormitory syndrome.’ It's believed that pheromones are the reason that women who live together share the same menstrual cycle.”

“Fascinating,” she deadpanned.

Dr. Bronzino felt emboldened. “You know, when a male and female calliphorid fly mate they stay joined for up to one and a half hours. One and a half, doctor.” He punctuated the last few words for emphasis. “What do you think of that?”

Scully stood unfazed. This was not the first time she had to deal with this, however, this time was different. “You know, Rocky ... I'm a mother.”

He arched an eyebrow, not dissuaded. He looked at her left hand. “Mothers are women, too.” He took a moment to look at Scully surveying her. “I noticed a lack of a ring. And what does it matters? Women have biological needs, just like men do.”

“You are drawing dangerous conclusions without lack of evidence, doctor.”

“Well, as a trained scientist, I observe you are a woman. There is no ring on your finger to denote a marriage or a serious relationship in what we consider legally.”

“I can assure you that I am very serious. I am in a committed, nine-year relationship with the baby’s father.”

“Well, he is not here. You are.”

“Doesn’t matter, Rocky. Let’s keep focused here, please.”

“Well, relationships aren’t known to be monogamous,” he countered.

“Seahorses, macaroni penguins, gray wolves, barn owls, and bald eagles,” she said.

“What do those animals have to do with relationships?”

“If you were a real scientist,” she pressed, “you would be aware of some of the animal species that are known to mate for life. There are some cracks in your argument. ”

“Well, there are numerous insects that perform a variety of mating rituals. Give it time, Dr. Scully and I’ll win you over.” She was about to reply but was interrupted by the beeping of the pheromone bio-sensor. Dr. Bronzino turned excitedly to the machine. “Big hit!”

“What is it?”

“A high concentration of c-13 calliphorone...incoming.” He looked up at the sky. Scully did the same and heard the beeping increase and then suddenly dissipate. “What? What happened?” He quickly went to check his machine.

“Nothing, apparently,” Scully commented drily. “We should get back to the lab. Agents Doggett and Reyes might have something for us there.”

“Are we going to continue our discussion of animal mating and ritual habits?” He asked, his voice heavily laced with innuendo.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s done.”

“Dr. Scully, are you blushing? As the great Charles Darwin once said, ‘Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.’”

“Don’t make me shoot you,” she sighed.

“I consider it a challenge.”

. . . . . .

“How do you like teaching at the academy,” Skinner asked. He watched Mulder use his plastic fork to push the mac and cheese around on his plate. “Mulder?”

“Um, interesting. A lot better than having to deal with the profiling cases in VCU even though I’m sure I will come calling. That’s part of the deal with teaching? We help out and consult as needed.”

“Are you that bitter that Scully is on an x-file and you’re not,” he asked.

“Am I that obvious?” Mulder asked.

“I’ve had hemorrhoids that weren’t as annoying with you,” he replied. “Or is it the fact that you don’t have the x-files anymore?”

The bluntness of Skinner’s observations caught Mulder off guard. He looked up from his food and took a few moments to reflect. “In theory, I shouldn’t. I have Scully and our son, things are about as normal as we can make them. But I can’t help but feel connected to them in some way. Seeing Scully out in the field, me not there…” He shrugged. “It brings up a lot of baggage.”

“Especially with Doggett?”

Mulder was quiet. “I blame myself. I should have stayed with her instead of chasing UFOs.”

“Doggett’s a good agent, Mulder. It was hard watching her, Mulder, during those months she was gone. Having to keep her pregnancy a secret. It was tough.” Skinner took a napkin and wiped his mouth. “You know, Sharon used to get mad at me when we first got married. I was still a field agent but the jealousy she would get. She felt inadequate with everything that was going on between us. Said she felt left behind.”

Well, Mulder thought, certainly hitting everything on the topic. Skinner continued to stare at Mulder. “And?” he asked. “What did Sharon do?”

“Well, we had a real nasty fight that was the start of our quarrels at the very beginning of our quarrels. I was in the field, missed an important date, you know how it goes.” He smiled to himself, remembering her. He thumbed at the wedding band thoughtfully. “But we made time. Communication wise. It didn’t always go well but we tried.”

“So, in addition to being an assistant director, you are secretly a marriage counselor. Wow, sir.”

“Knock it off, Mulder. All I am saying is that something is bothering you about this...arrangement, then make sure you take the time to talk to Scully.”

Mulder nodded. He decided to change the subject. “So, how is our old buddy Kersh?”

Skinner chuckled. “Tap dancing his way on the top floor so that you’re no longer there to bother him.”

“Well, at least some things never change,” he answered. “My advice, Mulder, from one man who tried to balance a career and relationship? Make sure you always leave time to talk and communicate. If not, the whole thing can go to shit.”

“Thanks, sir,” he nodded. His mind drifted to Scully. “I appreciate the advice. You should come down to Quantico more often. Skinner’s Lunch Hour wisdom.”

“Knock it off, Mulder,” he dismissed.

. . . . . . .

After getting John’s call from the school, Scully took her car to investigate and meet them there. According to Monica, Dylan had somehow controlled the bugs during their confrontation. She was surprised by the number of cops, firefighters, and EMTs. She was even surprised to see people in hazmat suits. But to her surprise, Monica had found them a clue. A used tissue. They rode back to the medical examiner. As they rode the elevator to the second floor. Scully was the first to emerge carrying the tissue in a metal container with Doggett and Reyes flanking her. “Where did you get this again?” She asked.

“Dylan Lokensgard provided it to us when we interviewed him,” Doggett answered.

“I have to warn you, there's typically not a lot to be found in a teenage boy's sweaty kleenex.”

“Well, a teenage boy can produce other things,” Reyes replied.

“Don’t remind me of the future,” Scully laughed thinking of William.

“But we were looking for pheromones. Aren't there pheromones produced in adolescent sweat?” Reyes continued.

“Yes, it's what causes B.O., But all too obviously it's not all that attractive--to anything,” Scully countered. “While I was out with Dr. Bronzino this morning, we thought we had a possible hit this morning but it turned out to be nothing.”

“A possible hit?” Doggett asked.

“Well, Dr. Bronzino was more than trying to hit on pheromones.”

“Well, at least Mulder isn’t here to punch him in the face,” Doggett chuckled.

“Yeah,” she said distantly. Scully’s brief thought of Mulder drifted away as she entered into the medical examiner’s office where Dr. Bronzino was bent over a microscope. She still needed to call him. The lack of communication between them was growing. “Let’s see what we uncover.”

As they entered, the biosensor’s beeps became progressively faster, startling the etymologist grew excited. “Finally! I knew it wasn’t broken!” He glanced up seeing Scully, Doggett, and Reyes. “Dr. Scully, I’m so glad you’re back! I've got a reading here that's going right off the scale. Holy Toledo! We've got pheromones coming out of the ying-yang here. C-13 calliphorene and how.”

As they got closer, the beeping became a steady tone, and then suddenly stopped. Doggett raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“I think my electroantennogram just... tilted,” Bronzino spoke in disbelief.

“What's c-13 calliphorone?” Reyes asked.

“Insect pheromone,” Scully supplied.

Dr. Bronzino’s attention shifted to the sample the FBI agents had brought. “Where did you find this mother lode?”

Agent Reyes answered, “A boy named Dylan Lokensgard. That specimen came from him.”

Rocky Bronzino sputtered, “A boy ... is secreting bug pheromones? That's impossible. Preposterous.”

Doggett glanced at Scully who met his gaze, trying to hide her smirk. He glanced back at the doctor. “You're the expert, Dr. Bronzino. How else do you explain it, then?”

When he didn’t respond, Scully asked, “Rocky?”

“A boy is a boy, a bug is a bug. You can't have it both ways,” he explained trying to wrap his mind around it, “science doesn’t allow it. Period.”

“I have a few theories,” Scully began, “Okay, so this boy's going through puberty, right? I mean, maybe his body chemistry is somehow just going crazy and it's his raging teenage hormones that are attracting all these insects.”

Reyes nodded in thought. “What if it's more than chemistry and hormones? More than biology? Dylan's not just attracting these bugs he's using them to act out.”

“Yes, but against what?” Scully asked.

“We saw him talking to a girl,” Reyes answered.

“Well, that makes sense. In a way. Teenage love,” Doggett connected. “The girl is the one in the dumb ass video. Captain dare's girlfriend.”

“How on Earth are you all making these connections,” Rocky said.

“We’ve experienced with cases like these,” Scully said. “Agent Doggett, why don’t you and Agent Reyes try to chase down the girl and check on her. Dr. Bronzino and I will check on Dylan.”

“We will?” He asked, confused.

“We are,” Scully confirmed. “Call each other in about two hours and meet back here?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Doggett nodded.

. . . . . .

It was evening by the time they got to the Lokensgards’ home. As Scully and Bronzino pulled up in front of Dylan Lokensgard’s house, her mind was elsewhere. She did not remember to call Mulder. As they walked up the sidewalk to the front door, Scully slowed and saw the front door slightly open. Scully slowed and drew out her flashlight. She knocked lightly on the door. “Mrs. Lokensgard? Dylan?” She called out.

Rocky Bronzino behind her was fiddling with the machine, trying to fix it, and it started emitting a series of steady beats. “Ah, got it! I'm getting a reading here. Trace levels inside the house.”

Scully shifted her gaze and replied, “Well, I guess that's probable cause.” Scully began her trek up the stairs when she was stopped by Rock Bronzino. “What now?”

Bronzino said quickly, “Dr. Scully? I just wanted to say this while I had a chance.” He smiled with bleached teeth. “This is so exciting. I've never had a partner before. And this isn’t a thing. This is a professional collaboration that happens only one time.”

Scully thought of Mulder and felt her heart twist. “I have. Don’t forget what I told you, Dr. Bronzino.”

“Semantics, Dr. Scully. I'd like to think of it as a hymenopteran relationship. Two scientists using their special knowledge reaching higher than either of them could ever reach alone. And if I may say so, Doctor, you complete me.”

“I’ve already completed. I already have a partner. I’ve told you this. Now, I got upstairs, you takedown.” She shook her head and thought of Mulder. She needed to call him once this was done.

“All right,” he exclaimed, “Partner!”

She rolled her eyes and jogged up the stairs. As she slowly examined the upstairs, her thoughts drifted back to Mulder and how she hadn’t communicated with him. Or her mother. As she neared Dylan’s room, Scully spied Natalie’s class picture on the bed. As her phone rang, she jumped, digging it out. “Scully?”

“Where are you?” It was John Doggett. He sounded rushed.

She looked around the room. “I’m with Dr. Branzino at the Lokengard’s house. But there’s nobody here.

“Yeah, well, I'm afraid the kid's on a tear. He's caused a car accident out here on Glenhaven road,” Doggett explained.

“How'd he do that?”

“You'd better see for yourself.”

“I’m on my way.”

Scully turned to make her downstairs while Rocky was just getting his equipment working properly. He looked up. “It’s everywhere, Dr. Scully. C-13 calliphorone. I'm getting a stiff new reading from up here.”

Scully nodded, “Yeah, Dylan's bedroom's up there. That’s probably what you’re reading. Unfortunately, he's not in it.”

“Where are you going?”

“The kid's on a rampage. I’m going to meet Agent Doggett.” The pheromone machine began to beep loudly and Dr. Bronzino cried in surprise. She called, “You got my number.”

Dr. Bronzino smiled and called out. “Does that mean you’ve changed your mind, Dr. Scully?”

“Not in your wildest dreams, Rocky.”

. . . . . .

Mulder came home, hoping to see, Scully but his heart fell when it was only Mrs. Scully smiling with William. He should be happy to have his son but he was missing his partner more. After a simple dinner and promises of coming to dinner Saturday night, Mrs. Scully left Mulder alone with William on a Friday night. William was quick to fall asleep and Mulde put him to bed. He surveyed the empty apartment. It felt foreign without Scully there with him.

He went back to the couch and tried to get comfortable. Flipping on the TV, he found the Sports Center. He glanced at his cell phone. He checked it one last time before turning it off. If she wasn’t busy saving the world without him, she would find a way to let him know what is going on.

. . . . .

As Scully drove to meet Agent Doggett, her phone started to ring again. She sighed and answered, “Scully.”

“Agent Scully,” Doggett’s voice filtered through the voice piece, “I need you to turn around and go back to Dylan’s house. Monica just called. She got knocked out and Natalie is gone. I think Dylan got her.”

“Is Agent Reyes okay?”

“Yes, I think so. I found her covered in some sort of web. Like a spider.”

Scully’s mind flashed to one of the first cases she and Mulder had on what was supposed to be a walk through the forest. “Call the EMTs and make sure they bring hazmat gear. I’m on my way back to Dylan’s house.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“Take care of Agent Reyes first. And call back up for me as well.”

“You got it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She tried to dial Rocky’s number but it was disconnected. As Scully pulled back up at the Lokensgard home, it was still eerily quiet and something felt amiss. She drew her weapon and flashlight and took a few steps in. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natalie Gordon, the girl that Doggett and Reyes had been after, sitting in a chair and crying. She asked, “Where are they?” Natalie shook her head, unable to speak. “Natalie!”

Natalie’s crying continued. She pointed upstairs wordlessly. Scully pointed her weapon upstairs and began to make her way to the attic. She widened her eyes in disbelief to see large human-sized sacs of web hanging from various positions. She instantly recalled the mysterious web-slinging, glowing insects from Washington state and how her, Mulder, and the park ranger were almost swallowed alive. As she examined them, a small voice emitted, “Help me. Dr. Scully, help me!”

Scully bent down to tear off the web. “Dr. Bronzino?”

“It’s the boy! And the mother!”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” His voice sounded faint. “I don’t feel so good.”

In the distance, she could hear sirens. That must have been Doggett and Reyes coming with the cavalry. She tried to tear the webbing away as she heard the sirens sound to a stop. Bronzino looked faint suddenly and lolled his head backward and his eyes shut. She dragged him out and checked for a pulse. Feeling one, although faint, she began CPR. She heard footsteps running up the stairs and as the flashlight shined on her.

“Agent Scully!” Doggett greeted. “Is that Branzino?”

“He was in one of the web sacks,” she explained quickly, continuing CPR.

“He’s smiling,” Reyes observed.

“He’s what?”

Scully looked down to see Bronzino with his eyes closed but he was smiling. “That sonofabitch,” she cried.

Caught up in the moment, she slapped him against the cheek and got to her feet. The smack was resounding and caused Dr. Bronzino to sit up suddenly and place his hand against the red cheek. “What kind of care was that?”

“A dose of reality,” she snapped. “Make sure the EMTs check him out.”

“I thought we were partners,” he pouted.

“We worked together on this one case. That’s it.” She turned to Doggett and Reyes. “I found him cocooned up like these unknown victims. I had seen something like this once before when I first started on the x-files. That might be worth checking out.”

“We will,” Doggett said, trying to fight from grinning. “But um, do you find any signs of Dylan?”

“Gone. How is Natalie?” Scully answered.

“Fine. Shaken up but I think she’ll be okay,” Reyes said, trying to fight the urge to laugh.

“What?” Scully asked. She turned as the two agents stared at Bronzino who was now trying to charm a female EMT about his close brush with death. “Oh, come on!”

“I’m just saying,” Doggett said. “If Mulder were here, he would have slugged the guy.”

“Just because you were on the receiving end of the man’s fist once, John doesn’t mean he would slug another guy.”

Scully rolled her eyes and cast one lingering glance at Bronzino. “Speaking of Mulder, I need to call him.”

“Let him know about the human fly trap?” Doggett grinned.

“Both of you knock it off,” she grumbled.

“Agent Scully,” one of the police officers called, “I need to get your statement!”

“Can it wait?”

“I’m afraid not, ma’am unless you want to do it in the morning,” the officer said.

Scully sighed. “Fine, fine, I’ll do it tonight.”

Her plans of going home or evening calling Mulder disappeared as she was left with Agents Doggett, Reyes, and the cops investigating the scenes.

. . . . . .

Saturday morning. The sun was just peeking through the windows of the Georgetown apartment as Mulder sipped his coffee. He was preparing to wake William up to take him to do a morning run to the shop down the street for donuts and a newspaper. Despite the jealousy and sour feelings, he had with Scully being in the field, being home on a Saturday morning with his son was nice.

His attention was drawn to the door when he heard a key sliding into the lock, the deadbolt turning, and the door open. In came Scully, still wearing the suit from the night before. She came in, kicked off her boots, and dropped her keys on the table next to the door. She sighed and Mulder stood quietly. “You look like you’ve had a tough case,” he called softly.

Scully looked surprised. “You’re awake.”

“I’m not much of one for sleep. You should know that by now,” he replied. “You didn’t call.”

“I’m sorry,” she started. Her tired mind tried to piece the past 24 hours. “I got busy and distracted. Everything came to a head last night. I didn’t want to wait to see you so I drove through the night…”

“You drove through the night,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“As a doctor, you should know better.” He made his way to her in a few steps and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Scully was shocked by the greeting but relaxed a few seconds later. Her arms came under his and she hugged him tightly. Mulder squeezed his eyes tightly and buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply. “I missed you.”

Scully buried her face into her chest. His cotton shirt smelled of William, old sweat, and just home. “I missed you too.” She lifted her head and kissed him. Mulder smiled and kissed her deeply, not relinquishing his grasp. She chuckled tiredly. “You missed me.”

“Words fail to describe it.”

She smiled again and looked about the empty apartment. “Where is William?”

“Still sleeping. He’ll wake up in another hour or so. What about you? When was the last time you slept?”

“I napped at the station before I hit the road.”

“You’re a doctor,” he admonished.

“I know, I know.”

“So you know bed rest is the thing you need right now. I’ll call your mother later and cancel dinner plans.”

“Dinner plans?”

Mulder nodded. “We thought you were coming home last night so we were going to have dinner as a family. No worries. We can do it tomorrow.”

“Mom usually goes to church first thing.”

“I’m sure she’ll make an exception.”

Scully was already moving towards their son’s bedroom. The need to see her son was killing her. She opened the door slowly to see William still sleeping soundly. “He sleeps like you but like clockwork, he’ll be up ready for his bottle. We were going to run to the store to get donuts and the Saturday paper. I can pick you up for breakfast if you want?”

“That’d be nice.”

At the sound of his mother’s voice, William sleepily opened his eyes and gurgled happily. “He was up earlier, about three, with a diaper. Go ahead. I’ll get his bottle ready and get you some coffee. Unless you want to change.”

“No, no, this is fine.”

Scully bent down to pick up her son, cradled him, and sat in the rocking chair. Mulder smiled at the image before he went to fetch the bottle and coffee. As he came back and saw Scully, still disheveled from her case, smiling and cooing at their son, the anger and bitterness he had been nursing the past few days momentarily vanished.

. . . . . .

“Is William asleep?”

“Yeah,” Mulder replied, crawling into bed with her. “He’ll probably be up around two or three. He’s been consistent the past few nights with you gone. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take the first shift when he wakes up.”

Scully flipped the covers down for him further. “I missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“You, William, us.”

Skinner’s advice came back to him suddenly and Mulder said, “I have something to ask you. Rather something to tell you?”

“What?”

“I was quite moody and jealous when you were gone. I felt...I felt left behind,” he confessed searching for the right words. “I know I screwed up being abducted and dying and putting you through all that before William was born. With you gone…” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong. I may have gotten caught up in the work,” she said. Scully reached for his hand. “But this parenthood thing, our relationship, we just need to strike a balance and find out what that is. I enjoyed Saturday with you and William. That’s something we wouldn’t have if we were still on the x-files.”

“True. But I still feel bad.” He pulled her suddenly towards her and she let out a yelp of surprise. He kissed her neck and nuzzled her pajama top open. “William can sleep through anything. And, correct me if I’m wrong, doctor, you’ve healed enough.”

She giggled and slide down so he had better access. “On the case, there was this etymologist that had helped us. Rocky Bronzino. The man kept flirting with me to no end. He ended up in a cocoon…”

“A cocoon you say,” Mulder murmured.

His fingers were already unbuttoning her pajama top, his hand sinking beneath the elastic waistband of her undergarments. She shivered to feel his fingers touch her. “Yes. I got to say I was in a relationship,” she smiled. She sought more kisses from him. “Publicly. Openly. I am in a committed relationship with my partner.”

Mulder smiled and whispered, “You sound so sexy saying that.”

“What? I am in a committed relationship with my partner?”

“Yes.” Scully found herself topless and pulled off Mulder’s shirt. “He made me perform CPR on him.”

Mulder paused. “He did what?”

“Don’t worry. I gave him a good dose of reality.” She snickered. “By slapping him.”

“There’s the Agent Scully I know,” he breathed. “And good. I don’t share.”

Scully let him continue his ministrations, relishing being home and with him again. Her thoughts about the case as she just let herself be present and let herself be free. Mulder moved and loved her, silently thanking whoever was listening he had her and William in his life. After a passionate reunion, Scully cuddled against Mulder, resting her head on his heart. “I missed you.”

He held her and gently played with her hair. “I missed you too.”

On the baby monitor, William began to make noses, crying from one of his parents. “I got it,” Mulder whispered. He kissed her quickly. “And you’re right, we’ll try to find a balance.”

Scully laid back down in bed and watch his naked behind jog to the nursery. She lay back down to watch the shadows on the ceiling and he was back five minutes later. Mulder slid effortlessly back next to her, embracing her again. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “He was just talking in his sleep. Like you do.”

“You mean you,” she yawned.

“I mean you.” He pulled her closer. “It’s good to have you home, Scully.”

“It’s good to be home.”

#xfiles #xf fic #msr #txf #txf fic #msr fic #embracing parenthood fic #mulder #scully #mulder and scully #season 9 #au

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arsonistslut · 3 years

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TW: This part of the story is inconceivably violent, so if that triggers you or you're uncomfy with this sort of stuff, please skip this chapter of my rewrite.

Chapter 18: The Killer's Rampage

CRASH!

The hospital chair proved more than effective at breaking the locked window that held him inside, the moon shining in and providing miniscule light for Jeff Woods. He knew he had to be quick to get outside, as the faculty would probably be barging into his locked room any second now,so he scrambled through the broken window frame, ignoring the glass shards cutting into his bandaged body and hospital gown as he jumped down from the room. It wasn't a long fall, as he was on the first floor of the building, so he quickly proceeded off the hospital grounds and on the road toward his house, grabbing one of the larger shards of broken glass on the ground, just in case he might've needed it. He wasn't waiting anymore. It had been far too long already.

Randy Ellsworth was still thinking over his decision to split off from Keith and Troy on his way home. His mind wandered through ideas, questions he had. Did he really hurt Keith and Troy, or were they just caught up in the moment? One thought led to another, and soon, his thoughts were back at the party. He had invited Jeff there as a peace offering, something that could keep everyone happy for a bit and let everything settle down..but he just had to do that, didn't he? He had to glass him, send him tumbling into that fire..he could only hope and pray he was doing alright. His train of thought about his transgressions was stopped when his headlights highlighted a figure walking down the road, wearing some sort of hospital gown. The figure looked like they were bleeding, so Randy pulled over and got out of the car, cautiously approaching the figure.

"H-Hello? sir, ma'am, whoever you are..you need a ride or something? I can drive you somewhere, if you want."

Randy looked at the person standing before him, before looking into their eyes..the black hair was a start, but those black, sunken-in, terrifying eyes that peered out from the bandages wrapped around their head were a dead giveaway.

"J..Jeff..is that you?"

Jeff's breathing got heavier, gripping the glass in his hand so tightly that his hand bled, until he let out a gutteral yell and charged Randy, driving the shard deep into his chest and tackling him onto his car. Randy screamed in horror and pain, and Jeff took the shard and stabbed him with it, over and over into his gut as blood sprayed onto his face and body. Ellsworth cried and screamed as Woods proceeded to reach into one of the open wounds on his body and violently string out his intestines, his guts flowing out like streamers. Randy hurled a mixture of vomit and blood onto his car, before finally perishing in the killer's grasp.

Jeff shivered as the cold nipped at him, the wind howling as he opened the door to his family's home with the spare key under the floormat. The house was much warmer than the outside, as Jeff just took a moment to soak it all in..the warmth, the stench of blood on his body, what was to come next. Making sure his footsteps were muted, he made his way to the drier and began rummaging through for clean clothes, something warm to replace his hospital gown. A white hoodie and a pair of red jeans would fit him nicely, so he threw the gown aside and slid his new clothing over his athletic frame, hissing as the cloth made contact with his tender, bandaged flesh. His spare pair of steel-toed military boots tied off the outfit quite well, so he proceeded upstairs, retrieving his switchblade from his drawer and pocketing it. He then went to the bathroom, wanting to see his face after not having seen it in over a month. When he peeled away the medical tape from his face, the sight he saw horrified him. His face..it was horrible. All of his skin was a cadaverous white, now, and the old mouth scars he had were gone, overwritten by the hypodermic scarring that had turned his body into a chilling reminder of the party that had gone terrifyingly wrong. He began to chuckle at the sight, the grisly state his face was in, before taking his switchblade and digging it into his cheeks, letting out awful sobs and laughs as bloody tears began to slide down his face.

"Who's there?"

His mother's voice called out into the darkness, and with rivers of crimson pouring from his wounds, he patiently waited. Carla turned the corner, a switchblade to the throat quickly silencing her. Her eldest son watched her gurgle and choke on her own blood, a cold, unforgiving glare meeting her gaze as she died on the floor. The cathartic sensation that washed over Jeff felt unending, his breath growing shaky as he entered his father's room. Carla had gotten out of bed and left Jeff Sr. asleep in his bed. Woods slowly approached his father, before raising his blade and driving down into his head, his father's eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

He was going to die.

Liu was asleep, downstairs, his earbuds blocking out any commotion he might've heard otherwise. He was a light sleeper, so the overpowering smell of blood and sweat that wafted into his room as his door opened was quick to wake him up. When he turned around, he saw his brother standing in the doorway, holding a blowtorch he'd surely gotten from the garage and sliding something down the back of his pants.

"Jeff..is that you? W-What're you doing here?"

A sickeningly prideful chuckle came from Jeff, turning on the blowtorch in his hand and holding it in the air so Liu could definitely see it.

"I am the devil, Liu. And I am here to do the devil's work."

Liu had no time to question his brother about anything he just heard, as Jeff had pinned down the boy with his left hand, igniting the flame of the blowtorch with the other. Then, every neuron in the boy's brain shocking him with pain as his brother rammed the blowtorch into his face, laughing at his screams and cries of pain, a smile soon charred into his face, much like Jeffrey's. Drawing his switchblade from his pocket, the elder sibling jammed the knife into Liu's shoulder, his screams delighting Jeffrey as his blood sprayed onto his face. Jeff, however, was soon knocked away by a lamp thrown at his head. He dropped the blowtorch and held the side of his head, looking to see who threw a lamp at him. He had just enough time to make out Natalie's face as she then struck Jeff with a wrench, knocking him even further back. Liu's body slumped off his bed as Woods tried to kick Natalie away, to no avail when she struck his ankle aside.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!"

She cried out as blows from her wrench followed, each one more and more painful than the last. However, Jeff had an ace up his sleeve. Reaching into the back of his pants, he grabbed his father's 1911 pistol and pressed it against her cheek.

"Go to sleep, bitch!"

The gunshot that then rang out was deafening, Natalie screaming as her face bled, both of her cheeks blasted open by the 45. ACP that was shot right into her face. Jeff groaned as he stood up, his body still aching from those wrench strikes, and reached down to Nat's face, gripping her right eyeball and beginning to yank it out of her head. With a disgusting snap of her eye's optic nerve, he succeeded, dropping the eyeball next to her. Natalie screamed until her vocal cords no longer let her, Jeffrey running his bloody, bandaged fingers through his hair without a single notion of guilt for his terrible crimes as she eventually passed out from blood loss. With 3 people surely dead at his hands for sure and 2 more in a less certain state, Jeff proudly smiled as he wrote a message in blood on one of the walls, Liu's sobs the only audible sound in the house.

"Why...? Jeff, why did you do this?"

Jeffrey turned to his brother..his crying, bleeding, surely dying brother. A member of his own family, laying in a pool of his own gore. He just looked at Liu, unable to conjure an answer.

"...Why?! Answer me, damnit.."

As Jeffrey began to walk toward the front door, he internally struggled to find an answer for Liu's pleas. The truth was..he didn't have an answer. These were crimes he committed out of impulse, out of a blind hatred he felt for the world. Jeff felt that his brother hated him anyways, so the truth wouldn't change anything. He slowly walked out of his home, not a single word leaving his lips as his brother pleaded for a reason for his killings.

Jeff had a moment of peace outside, his hoodie shielding his body from the cool winds around him. Then, he saw an old '68 Dodge Charger pulled over on the side of the road, and when he caught sight of Keith Winchester at a nearby payphone, he knew killing him would get rid of the aches his body faced from Natalie's attack, and take Liu's seeming demise off his mind. The car's hood was up, and as he got closer, Jeff was able to catch a glimpse of Troy trying to fix the engine.

"Yeah, our car's broken down and it needs to be towed somewhere it can be worked on. Yeah, we're on-"

Keith suddenly felt the phone cord wrapped tightly around his neck, Jeffrey strangling the life out of the boy from behind. The chuckle that sounded out from behind signaled to Keith that somehow, someway, Jeffrey was out of that hospital.

"I can't decide, whether you should live or die~ Oh, you'll you'll probably go to heaven, please don't hang your head and cry~"

The cord tightened around his throat, as Jeff softly sang into his ear, he desperately tried calling out to Troy, but the boy was unable to.

"No wonder why my heart feels dead inside, it's cold and hard and petrified!~ Lock the doors and close the blinds, we're going for a ride~"

Winchester eventually grew limp in the killer's arms, so Woods dropped him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey, Keith! I think it's the timing belt, it got fucked all the way up!"

No response.

"...Keith? You okay?"

A series of hard thumps running up the car was the eventual response he got. Before he could even scream, the stick holding the trunk up snapped as Jeff jumped on top, crushing Troy's hands inside with a sickening crunch, the bones in his hands shattering under the combined weight of the heavy hood as well as Jeff's full body weight. Troy yelled at the top of his lungs in pain, his horror only growing as he saw the mess that was his assailant's face. Woods squatted down so he could talk to the poor bully face to face.

"Hi, Troy! How are ya? Hey, quit screaming, I'm talking here."

When Troy didn't stop, Jeff shook his head in annoyance.

"Okay, how about we teach you some anatomy, huh? It takes about.."

His bandaged hand took hold of one of Troy's ears, ripping it clean off.

"15 PSI to rip off a human ear. The same applies for both, actually! Why Mike Tyson was able to bite his opponent's ear off so easily."

As he talked, he ripped off his victim's other ear, reaching into his mouth as he cried and then yanking out his tongue, throwing it aside with disgust.

"That was your tongue, won't be needing that anymore..now, for the teeth! Good God, your teeth are bad..they aren't usually piss yellow, lemme just.."

Two punches to the boy's mouth and a face slam onto the car's hood loosened one of his front teeth enough that Jeff was able to yank out one of his front teeth, the blood flying out of the stump Troy once called a tongue soddening Wood's bandages with even more blood, to the point where they were beginning to fall off his hand and reveal the burnt, pale skin underneath.

"There! Now, it takes about 1,000 to 1,250 pound-feet of torque, or force if you're a neanderthal, to break a human neck! Here, I'll show you!"

Jeff then slid his hands into position, finally ending Keith's misery by breaking his neck, killing him instantly.

"I think this surgery went pretty damn well!"

The killer hopped off the hood of the car and continued down the road, his mission becoming clear in his head. It wouldn't be long before the police caught up to him, so before they found him, he needed to hit one last place.

Ingrid groaned as she made her way downstairs, having decided to crash at Jane's place for a bit since she recently got thrown out of her house. She began rummaging through the freezer when she heard the wail of several police cruisers speeding past.

"What's with all the cops at this hour?"

She went to look out the window, but a hand soon clasped over her mouth, a knife quickly slitting her throat as well. As her blood dribbled from her throat, her attacker spun her around so he could look at her..look at the girl Jeff felt he was replaced by.

"You..You took my Janey away from me..and now, she'll die for her nerve, to leave me when she knew I had issues, and you'll die for daring to touch her!"

3 more strikes to the neck followed, Ingrid's head coming clean off and rolling along thee floor after the 3rd slash connected. Jeffrey took a look around the house Jane brought him to when they were together during one of the only meaningful relationships Jeffrey had. So many hateful, vile thoughts ran through his head as he grabbed a canister of gas from the garage and 2 chairs. He used the chairs to barricade Jane and her parents in their rooms, before pouring the gasoline around the house. Jeff then struck a match he found in a kitchen, walking outside and carelessly dropping the matchbox as he went. He gazed into the small flame for what felt like ages, all the memories he had with this house flashing before his eyes as he threw the match on the gasoline. An inferno quickly started, Woods turning around and walking away as his former lover's house burned. 3 police cars soon pulled up to the burning home, the officers seeing the blood-soaked perpetrator of the crime calmly walking down the driveway.

#creepypasta #jeffery woods #liu woods #jeff the killer #clockwork #sully #tw so much violent murder omg #i think i went overboard

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 4 years

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Please Don’t Come Back Chapter 2

Summary: John asks for Ava's help with finding Gary's father. Meanwhile, Gary deals with Vandal Savage and the purpose of his return.

TW: Abuse/mentions of abuse

AO3

Two days had gone by since Gary had gone off on his break. So little time, and yet so much had happened. They’d managed to acquire the first piece of the Loom of Fate from William Shakespeare. John had donned a pair of tights and played Romeo to a crowd. Ray and Nora had left the ship and the Legends for good. Whenever his apprentice got back, there was going to be a lot to catch him up on.

“Gideon, is there any way you can call Gary?” John asked as he was preparing to head back home. “He ought to know what’s happening.”

A few moments passed without response. “Gideon?”

“I’m afraid he’s not picking up, Mr. Constantine,” Gideon replied. “You could leave a message for him.”

John sighed, minorly disappointed. “Sure, why not?”

“I’ll record you. Go ahead.”

It seemed a bit stupid to recite something to the AI all by himself. However, he did need to get the message to Gary.

“Hey, Gary. It’s John. We found the first piece of the Loom with Shakespeare and nearly broke history, but we fixed that up. Ray and Nora left though, so that’s a downer. They’ve got their lives now, best leave them to it. I’m fixing to head to the house until the Legends need me again or you come back. I hope you’re doing well, wherever you are. I miss you. Just…let me or someone on the ship know you’re okay, right? Bye.”

“I’ll send it his way, Mr. Constantine.”

“Thanks, love.”

“You’re worried about Gary, huh?” someone asked behind him.

John turned around to see Ava standing at the corner of the doorway. “He’s just taking a few days off. Damien Darhk had him a bit rattled.”

“He never took a sick day from the Bureau as far I can remember,” she remarked. “It’s sweet that you’re checking up on him.”

“I don’t do sweet.”

Ava shrugged but didn’t look convinced. John was about to go, but then looked back at her. Ava had worked with Gary for years at the Bureau. She also had that fascination with serial killers and the like, which had been a benefit to them in their Encore hunt. John hadn’t pressured Gary into telling him who his father was, but that mystery was staring to bug him.

He turned around to face Ava. “Do you still happen to have files on the agents of the Time Bureau?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I need you to find out who Gary’s father is. He’s afraid the old man is going to come back as an Encore.”

“I can take a look,” Ava offered. “I’ll get back to you on it.”

“Thanks. See you around.”

With that, he opened a portal back to the manor and stepped through.

~~~

“Hello, Gareth.”

No matter how much he wished this to be a nightmare, Gary knew he was awake. His worst fear that he’d confessed to John had come to fruition. Vandal Savage, his father, had returned and found him. He was walking the Earth once more. It brought Gary back to his spiral at Ray and Nora’s wedding days ago, how he nearly shut down at the thought of him returning. Now that nightmare had come to exist.

“Y-you,” he finally forced out. “You died.”

“On multiple occasions, but only once for good,” his father rose to his feet. “And I went to Hell for all I’ve done.”

“I heard you were there,” Gary murmured, remembering how sick he’d felt when Ray talked about being imprisoned with his father. “Someone’s set you free though. Why are you back? What are you here for?”

Vandal looked him up and down, inspecting him. “I was given a second chance on Earth. So I decided to go and find my son. It was too easy to do so. I know I taught you better about leaving paper trails, my boy.”

“I haven’t worried about paper trails for nearly a decade.”

“Tsk, tsk, Gareth,” his father tutted. “You’re brighter than-.”

“Why are you really here?” Gary demanded. “Because I can’t think of a single reason for why you would want to see your failure of a son?”

Vandal’s glare zeroed in on him. Gary did his best to hold it, even though he felt like a small child again under it. He was barely holding it together. His hand began to shake, so he clenched it and brought it behind his back. Now was not the time to show weakness. Gary wanted to shudder that he was taking something his father had told him and using it here.

“I was harsh on you when you were a child,” Savage said, taking a step towards him. “Parenting, especially when one is alone, is not easy, and-”

“Sure, because it’s not like you’re immortal and have had children before me.”

“Do not interrupt me again, Gareth.”

Gary fell silent, hating himself for it.

“I made many mistakes during my first time on Earth,” Vandal continued. “But there is a chance to start anew. To weave the threads of time and create a new outcome.”

The choice of words was too obvious for Gary to ignore his father’s words. He was always so deliberate with words. He had once told Gary that words could build empires, raise armies, and sow the seeds of dissent. His father must have known about the Loom of Fate too. Worse, he probably wanted it for himself. John and Charlie were about to get some serious competition.

Gary let out a slow breath. “You’re talking about the Loom of Fate, aren’t you?”

“You’re aware of it,” Vandal gave him a cold smile of approval. “I knew of its existence, and then learned so much more about it in death. Torn to pieces and scattered across the universes by the youngest of the three sisters. But all the pieces are back in one place and spread across time. They are waiting to be found. And they will be.”

“Not by you,” Gary spat out in a moment of bravery that surprised himself and his father.

“Do I have competition, my boy?”

Gary kept his mouth shut. He reminded himself over and over to breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Don’t fall apart. Breathe in, breathe out.

“It’s the Legends, isn’t it?” Vandal grinned wickedly. “I do love a good challenge. I’ll enjoy seeing them again.”

Gary remained silent as his father drew closer. He stared at the patterns on the carpet.

“I remember Dr. Palmer telling me that you’d been with them when we were in Hell together. Are you still working with them, my boy? Perhaps you can work for me and them? Think of what we could do together. You could find the pieces with the Legends and slip them to me. And I would rebuild the Loom to-”

“No.”

He could feel his father’s displeasure radiating on him. “What did you say?”

“I said no, Father,” Gary repeated, finally meeting his eyes. “I won’t help you. And…and you’re going to leave the Legends alone. Don’t go near them. Any of them.”

Vandal sneered at him. “So you’re giving the orders now? You aren’t very good at it, Gareth. Your voice is unsteady. You are not standing straight. There’s fear in your eyes. It’s hardly convincing.”

Gary swallowed, wishing he could shake away the comments. “You don’t even have to do this!”

“I’m a servant of Fate. I have no choice. If I have the Loom, I can make everything right.”

“I don’t care what you want or say!” snapped Gary. “I am not helping you. I never will!”

That was the most he had ever said to stand up to his father. Gary was glad he hadn’t thrown up yet like the last time.

“You never were well-liked as a child,” Vandal’s voice was soft, dripping with disappointment. “Are things different now that you’re with the Legends? Dr. Palmer didn’t speak very highly of you when he mentioned you to me. Are you as much a nuisance to them as you have been for me?”

Breath in, breathe out. Do not break. Breathe in, breathe out. Do not break. Breathe in, breathe out.

“You’re still as weak as I remember. You grew up to become a coward, didn’t you, Gareth?

It was true, but Gary refused to give and admit he was correct. Ever since Rip had told him his father was dead, Gary had stopped being afraid of him. He was not going back to that life of fear and hiding. His father had invaded the home where Gary had recovered from his influence and could be back at any time to hurt Jeff, or Stacey if she showed up to check on him. He had to be removed now.

“Get…out.”

“What did you say to me?”

“Get out,” Gary repeated. “Or I’ll make you.”

Vandal stared at him before bursting into laughter. The sound made Gary’s stomach twist, but he still raised his hands.

“Oh, you were serious?” his father taunted. “Gareth, what do you think you can do?”

“You will never set foot in this house again,” Gary told him, keeping his voice as steady as possible. “And you will not go near the Legends.”

“Enough of this nonsense!”

A knife went flying towards him. Instinct kicked in and Gary dove out of the way. It also wasn’t the first time that he’d had to dodge a weapon used by his father.

“For the last few years, I could actually live without worrying that you would find me,” he shouted as he rose back up to his feet. “I am not letting you back into my life.”

He began to chant the words of the banishment spell. It wouldn’t send his father back to Hell or keep him from finding the Legends, but he would never ever be able to set foot in this house again. His father looked surprised to see the magic taking hold of him and moving him out. Gary watched him try and fight it, only to fail and be dragged further towards the door.

“You learned magic,” his father chuckled. “But this just banishes me from this property. I’ll still find you again.”

Gary ignored the words and kept on chanting. His father was thrown towards the door but clung onto the frame before the magic could throw him out.

“You are making an enemy, my boy,” Vandal snarled. “I will find those pieces, and the Legends too!”

The spell was almost done. His father’s fingers were slipping.

“You know, the last time we parted ways, you killed me. But you didn’t want just me to die, did you?”

The last words for banishing his father left Gary’s mouth as a scream. Vandal Savage lost his grip on the door and was pulled out onto the street, nearly slamming into a car across the street. Gary watched him climb to his feet, hoping the spell had worked. His father crossed the street, but he couldn’t make it onto the lawn. It was if some invisible barrier was preventing him.

Satisfied his spell had worked, Gary slammed the door shut and locked it. He made his way through the rest of the house, finding all the other possible ways in and sealing them manually or magically. Once all was done, Gary headed back to the living room, removed the knife from where it had lodged in the wall, and sank onto the couch. This house had once been his safe place after running away, somewhere his father would never come. Even though he’d banished him, his uncle’s house now felt tainted by his father’s visit.

“But you didn’t want just me to die, did you?”

Gary shut his eyes tightly, trying to banish the memories of the night he had run away. Instead, he tried to think of how he could tell the Legends that Vandal Savage was back from Hell without having to explain his…history.

~~~

Ava stared down at Gary’s file again, making sure she had the right one. Shortly after John talked to her, she’d raided the crate in the cargo bay where she kept all the files on Time Bureau agents that she had salved during the shutdown. When Ava had opened Gary’s, she was surprised to see almost all of it had been blacked out until his work at the FBI prior to being recruited to the Time Bureau. There was only one other file with so much redacted information and that was her own.

There was a suspicious commonality between her and Gary’s files. Rip Hunter’s signature was on a form in both authorizing key information to be redacted during October 2017. Ava found another form dated back a few months further that had her assigned to be working with Gary Green also bearing Rip’s signature. Apparently, he’d deemed it would be beneficial due to the fragility of their pasts. Whatever the hell that meant, it was clear to Ava that her former boss had been hiding more than just her own origins.

“Gideon?” she called out. “You don’t happen to have access to Director Hunter’s Bureau files, would you?”

“While the Time Bureau had me on lockdown, Captain Hunter did upload select files into my systems despite downgrading me to a flight simulator used to train agents.”

The bitterness in her voice did not escape Ava. “But you do have files on agents in the Bureau?”

“Yes, Captain Sharpe. Unfortunately, yours was deleted by Captain Hunter.”

“Of course he did,” Ava muttered. Rip Hunter, still withholding information beyond the grave. “Was any of it redacted?”

“No. All its contents regarding your origins were present and legible.”

Some good news then. “Would you show me the unredacted file for Agent 1066, Gary Green?”

A moment of silence passed before Gideon spoke again. “Mr. Green’s file requires a command code for access.”

“A command code?”

“Yours required one once as well. I’m sorry, Captain Sharpe.”

“Thanks, Gideon.”

Ava sighed and shook her head in confusion as she looked at the file again. What the hell about Gary had made Rip redact the one the Bureau had on file and hide the original behind a command code on the Waverider? John was onto something about the Encore thing, that was for sure. But what Encore was Gary’s father?

She definitely wanted to find that original file now.

#legends of tomorrow #gary green #vandal savage #john constantine #ava sharpe #constangreen #fanfiction

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dobrikburrito · 5 years

Text

dirty secrets pt. II, d.d.

words: 2.9k

requested by anonymous

have you considered doing a part 2 to dirty secrets? like ending with them getting nearly caught, I want more lol & continuation of dirty secrets where the squad finds out david and reader just fucked?

disclaimer: it is late but it is here. there’s fluff, there’s smut, there’s a little bit of angst. it’s fun for everyone. am I cooking pt. III bc this was too long? maybe.

⠀

“Okay, let’s do this.” Jack said, positioning himself a few feet from the pool. “Just do that again, come out of the water and then up the pool.”

I closed my eyes and held my breath, diving in the water from the pool of our Coachella house. My hair was completely wet… as was the crop hoodies and desert shorts from the new fanjoy collab Vlog Squad merch. Once I rise, the water drips from my hole body, as I hold myself onto the side of the pool to sit by the edge, looking straight at the camera.

“That was… perfect.” Jack said. “It looked amazing (Y/N).”

“That will look amazing on the montage.” Zane commented, loving the scene.

“Thank God we have Jeff and (Y/N) to sell the merch. Can you imagine if it were just me? We’d be doomed.” Jason joked and everybody laughed.

“Oh yeah, because this isn’t awkward for me at all.” I laughed, clearing my eyes from the water.

“What do you mean just Jeff and (Y/N)?” Todd asked, hands on waist, outraged. Jason shrugged.

I was laughing at their interaction, when I felt my skin burning. I looked around only to see David staring back at me, smiling and biting his lips. I looked away and smiled, trying my best to keep our little act together.

Since the party, we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other. There wasn’t a day where we didn’t secretly met and fucked. We decided to keep it a secret from all of our friends, which required some skills to achieve. After barely making out unnoticed from the party, with some lame-ass excuse that only worked because everybody was hammered, we were smarter and strategic about our sneaking around. We developed signals and little hints. Making sure our dirty little secret was only ours to keep.

Natalie gave me a towel to dry off, since I was freezing a little. “I desperately need to change clothes.” I told Natalie and in that moment David smoothly entered the house, headed to the one room were Jack was storing boxes of the new merch.

“Yeah, there’s dry ones in the merch room, everybody got the ones we stored in the living room already.” Natalie suggested, mindlessly.

“Oh okay. Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll be right back.” I told Natalie, smiling softly.

I walked calmly to the inside of the house, but as soon as I turned left to face the hallway, I ran for my life. Laughing as I found the right door, I opened it only to find David’s hand grabbing mine and pulling me inside, quickly closing the door behind me. Our bodies collapsed and his hands were on my face, pulling me to a kiss, where I couldn’t help but keep smiling.

“I’m literally making you all wet, baby.” I whispered to him, kissing him back.

“Oh no, that’s my job!” David laughed and I felt his tongue sliding into my mouth.

We found a wall free of boxes and packets, David masterly took off my hoodie and shorts in a split second. “You’re getting better at this, quicker.”

“I’m good with my hands,” He stated as he kissed my thighs from the knee up.

I nodded, “I’m one to tell.” I bit my lower lip, crossing my fingers in his brown messy hair.

We discussed previously that since literally all of our friends were in this house with us for the whole weekend, maybe we should keep apart and not call attention to ourselves. In the end, it was only three and a half days. We could do it, right?

Wrong.

We arrived four hours ago to the house. Posted some Instagram stories. Played some volleyball. Changed clothes to the new merch, filmed endless bits for David’s montage. Took pictures to advertise the merch later. All of the VS protocols, you might say. Needless to say, when I saw David wearing the desert shorts, I sneaked him into his room and got down on my knees.

We didn’t even last four hours. Three and a half days? Yeah, no.

“David, you need to stop looking at me that way. You know what it does to me.” I whispered and closed my eyes when he took off my panties and started licking me. “How am I supposed to keep my hands to myself that way? Oh. OH.” He hit some right spots and I pressed my hands on his hair, harder.

“I can taste what my look does to you, actually.” He teased. “It’s really good.”

“Son of a… Oh.” He resumed his business, knowing exactly how to make me tic.

David positioned one of my legs over his shoulder, giving him more liberty to, well, basically destroy any sanity I had left. The wet and warmth of his tongue hitting just the right places in my clit was giving me a quick build up, which raised even more when I felt his long fingers inside of me. My hand went straight to my mouth, biting the back of my index finger to keep myself from moaning. I circled my hips on his face and he hummed, always loving when I did that, specially when I sat on his face.

Took me a second to reach my orgasm and any strength I had left in my legs were quickly gone. Luckily, David was clever enough to hold me tight by the waist, leading me down to the ground, on top of him. I fell by his side, smiling happily, giggling when he made his way on top of me, kissing my face, lips and neck.

“You look amazing when I make you cum, did you know that?” David whispered to my ear, biting my neck softly. “Even more amazing than when you looked all wet with my merch.”

“You did like that, didn’t you?” I laughed to myself. David nodded, now kissing the valley of my boobs.

“I might not even put on the montage, because I’m jealous of it.” David smiled, knowing exactly how my reaction was gonna be.

“You wouldn’t dare! You know how hard it is to do that and not look like a gumball?” I looked at him, caressing his face.

“You’d never look like a gumball.” David chuckled, giving me a quick peck.

“Wait until the third day of Coachella, you might change your mind.” I joked back.

David changed his shirt to a dry one and left the room swiftly, firstly hearing if anyone was outside and then making a run for his room. I took my time to dry my hair and put on another pair of shorts and some t-shirt. When I made my way out to find everybody, they were still out playing and eating some food that Jason was preparing.

Then Coachella happened, all of us got drunk, danced, walked around from stage to stage, took a bunch of pictures together and had the time of our lives. For the whole first day, David and I spent mostly apart, which was a fun change of pace, because by night, even if we were exhausted from the festival, we’d be texting each other and sneaking out at 4 am to be together somewhere where no one would see us.

Honestly, a part of us were loving being together but the adrenaline of sneaking around and maybe getting caught was giving it an extra thrill. We didn’t want our friends lurking around and asking us a million questions about relationships since we didn’t wanna label anything or ruin this amazing thing we have.

On the second day, though, the girls and I spent the morning getting ready together, helping each other look our best. Not to suck my own dick, but I looked gorgeous, as well as my girls Nat, Cass and Kristen. Needless to say, it annoyed the hell out of me when despite our mutual arrangement of keeping a distance, David spent his day with Madison Beer, Kelsey and Stass.

And I couldn’t even bitch about it to my best friends.

“Oh, you’re in a mood. What’s up with you, girl?” Kristen noticed my grump.

“Nothing,” I said, like a spoiled child.

“Are you 5 years old?” Kristen laughed at me.

“Yes,” I frowned, then laughed with her. “I’m tired, my feet hurts, that’s all. I really want an iced coffee, but I’m trying to manifest it coming to me instead of me walking all the way over there.”

I was great at excuses with most people. Not David, though. He always read right through me. That happened when the little time we spent together inside the group bus after the festival, he asked me something and I barely answered.

I met him outside the house at 3:45 am. I lied down on the grass, looking up to the sky and seeing the stars, something that was hard to see in Los Angeles. David made his way to me and lied by my side, but instead of looking at the stars as I did, he kept looking at me.

I didn’t really say anything about his arrival, “Are you gonna tell me what’s been bothering you?” His fingertips ran through my arms, giving me chills. It’s hard being mad when my body doesn't even follow.

“I can’t.” I told him.

“Why not?” He kissed my shoulder.

“Because if I do, I’m just gonna look like I need to be put into an insane asylum.” I stated. David laughed at me, even though he seemed unsure if he could without making me more upset.

“If it makes you feel any better, I already think you need to be put into an insane asylum, so anything you say or do won’t change anything.” He told me, affective and cute.

I tried really hard not to smile. “I’m going to scare you away.”

“Are you a serial killer?” David asked me, pretending to be serious and furrowing his brows.

“No.” I raised one brow at him, confused at his question.

“Then you’re not scaring me away,” David was destroying any angry bone in my body. I was now back to being my normal pudding self.

“God dammit, you make it really hard to be angry.” I hid my face in my hands.

“Just tell me, please?” His hands caught mine and caressed it. I sighed and nodded.

“Maybe I’m a little bothered by the fact that your day was filled with Instagram Models and Pop singers.” I shrugged, rolling my eyes to myself.

David chuckled. “I was just staying away as we agreed.”

“Yeah, but… I thought that would be around Jason or Dom.” I whined and David laughed louder.

“So, the girls are the problem.” David nodded and messed his own hair. “Okay, I get it. If it were the other way around I’d be bothered too. But honestly, I was just trying to get some content for the montage. I’d rather just have been with you.”

“Did you get any good shots at least?” I touched his face and caressed his skin.

“Not sure, maybe one or two. I’ll probably just walk around with Jeff tomorrow and make him be dreamy and stupid and that will be the montage.” David chuckled, leaning his face on my hand.

I laughed. “Honestly, if you put Jeff doing the most random shit in the world, the viewers will still absolutely go nuts.”

“That’s true.” He smiled at me. “Are we okay? Do I get to kiss you now?”

“I was hoping you’d do worst things to me than that Dobrik,” I bit my lip and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt.

It was all dark outside, everybody was sleeping. Having him all to myself was enough to get me wet. I was wearing just an oversized merch shirt and panties, which earned me an approval growl when David slid his hand under it to find my boobs. Pulling the shirt up, he put his mouth on one of them, sucking and biting and licking. His left hand spending some time on my other boob, but then sliding down, feeling my body, taking my ass in his hand and groping, pulling me closer.

I loved how at this moment, there was no rush. There was desire and fire, but we could take our time and feel everything. The chilly night weather and the fact that someone could walk in on us was a trigger, but at this point we didn’t really care. David’s mouth found my neck and then my lips, which he continued to kiss intensely, making me breathless of how much feeling was there in his lips and tongue. His hand found my panties, which he slid into and started rubbing my clit, teasing me. His hair was soft on my hand, but I wanted to tease him too, so I found his already hard dick pulsating inside his pants. I took his whole length in my hand and slowly stroke him, competing on who could be the bigger tease.

David one-upped me, thrusting into me with three fingers, which made me moan in the middle of our kiss and made him smirk. Bastard. I bit my lips, pulling him back to the kiss, wanting him more. His curled up fingers inside of me knew how to read the one spot that would corrupt me. As payback, I jacked him off faster, but he was winning by a mile. I bit his lower lip and he moaned, softly, he liked a little bit of pain.

My pleasure was rising fast and he knew, he could feel it in his fingers. “You’re so fucking hot and you’re all mine. Every piece of you is mine to do whatever I want with you and to make you cum as many times as I want.” His whispers in my ear were filled with breathless sighs and growls.

As I was about to reach, he stopped and as a reflex my hand held his arm and my nails carved into his skin. “David…” It was a warning and a beg.

“Shhh… Be a good girl (Y/N).” He bit my collar bone.

In a swift movement, he took me by the waist and pulled me on top of him. Arranging everything, he moved my panties to the side and let his cock out of his pants, positioning himself on my entrance. “I want you to ride me, (Y/N).”

I barely could say anything, as my body easily slid down on his cock and I felt him filling me whole. “Fuck.” I whined in pleasure.

David sat down on the grass to help me ride him, both of his hands on the back of my thighs to give me the support I needed to come up and down on him. First slowly, then gradually getting faster and faster, the positioning allowing him to reach even further inside me. I managed to pull him back to kiss me again, but that lasted a couple of seconds since my moans were taking the wheel here. His kisses went to my neck, sucking it, my head fell back, giving him room.

“Fuck, baby. You’re so good to me. No one rides me like you do,” He praised me and that just made me even hornier. He kept motivating me to go harder and faster, kissing every bit of skin he could. “Yeah, just like that, feel me all inside you.”

His praises were rusky in his deep tone, faded with deep sighs. He slapped my ass, which earned him a louder moan. He loved how responsive I was to everything he did and how, just like him, I loved a little pain.

I kissed him again, harder and more desperate, as I was reaching my climax, that way helping him come undone as well. I rode him faster and faster and then slower and slower. Finding my own rhythm back down from that high. Once we were done, both breathless and sweating, I kissed him softly and fell beside him on the grass, chuckling.

Todd had the worst headache, which woke him up after a couple of hours of deadbeat sleep. He found some Advil in his bag, but his water bottle was empty, which made him whine and get up, sleepily walking towards the kitchen. He tried to fix his hair, which was all over the place, without much success, and his eyes were barely able to fully open.

He found the kitchen, opened the fridge and got himself a cold bottle of water, then after a few sips he swallowed the pill. Walking outside of the kitchen, he faced the yard glass door. Everything was dark, but far on the grass bit of the yard there was something moving, something he couldn’t exactly tell what.

“Is that a coyote?” Todd asked himself, frowning.

Quietly, he opened the door and lurked in the shadows, trying to figure out what the hell was happening there. He took a couple more sips of water, until his eyes were used to the darkness and started to give form to whatever that was.

The movements were steady and repeating. Then it hit him. Someone was literally fucking in the house yard in the middle of the night. “Holy fucking shit.” Todd whispered.

“Is that...?” He squinted to try and find out who that was. The girl was on top, clearly, and then she fell onto the grass and Todd saw the guy fixing his messy hair. “David?” His eyes went wide. “Holy shit, but wait… Who the fuck is that?”

Then he put two and two together, realizing that there was only one single girl at the house with that length of hair. “Oh my fucking God.”

He couldn't wait to tell Jeff.

#david dobrik #david dobrik x reader #david dobrik fluff #david dobrik ff #david dobrik smut #david dobrik angst #david dobrik fanfic #one shot #smut #angst #david dobrik request #requests #vlog squad #vlogsquad #todd smith #toddy smith

725 notes · View notes

newagesispage · 4 years

Text

JUNE 2020

PAGE RIB

FX and Ryan Murphy will bring us season 10 of American Horror Story next year. The cast includes Mac Culkin, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan peters, Billie Lourd, Lily Rabe and Finn Wittrock. There will also be a spinoff called, wait for it, American Horror Stories. Woo Hoo!!

*****

Reno 911 is back

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I happen to have a clementine in my butt. –Jimmy Kimmel

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NASA got their dragon launch. It is unfortunate that they had to compete with the current cycle.

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Sam Springsteen (son of Patti and Bruce) has been sworn in as a Jersey City firefighter.

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Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood is great. I don’t know how to feel about the fast and the loose and the nice made up endings like Once upon a time in Hollywood. Will this be a trend??** Another great one on Netflix is, Have a good trip.

*****

Are there biopics in the works for Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, the Bee Gees and Bowie?? That is the word.

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Days alert: Look for Lani to become pregnant. Eli and Justin are both thinking marriage. Claire is back which will bring Shawn and Belle back. Gabi may be kidnapped. Word is that July will have a wedding every week that will lead to a funeral. Allie Horton is all grown up and heading back with a secret. Will she be like Mom, Sami?? Brady thinks that ruining Titan will get back at Victor. Sonny and Will may get a chance at another child. Eve may be back later in the summer. And, C’mon Xander, do something wonderful to get your woman back. Lucas may be on the way back and Orpheus is leaving. ** Judi Evans (Adrienne) had a serious horseback riding accident on May 16. She had broken ribs, a collapsed lung and 2 chipped vertebrae. The good news was in the hospital they discovered a blood clot so the whole thing saved her life.

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Morton Buildings is being sued by 2 women for harassment and discrimination. One incident claims an employee said, “God created women by lining up all the men and castrating the stupid ones.” Another lawsuit was filed in 2009.**Thanks for the tip, Di.

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If you expect elementary school children to endure the trauma of active shooter drills for your freedoms, you can wear a mask to Costco. –Sara Elizabeth Dill

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House republicans have sued Pelosi to block proxy voting.

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Seth Rogan, Steve Carell and Ben Schwartz are donating funds to bailout Minneapolis protestors after the death of George Floyd.** The country has been turned upside down as another cop kills another black man. No need to rehash, we have all seen it. I wonder if those four horrible cops are proud of what they have done to their city. Could we finally have a tipping point in this time when racism is spotlighted with our racist President? After many incidents in just the past couple of weeks and everyone on edge with coronavirus, it has boiled over. Scary Clown threatens to start shooting as Minneapolis burns down. Burn down a police station, get a cop arrested (finally)? Seems worth it to me. The way the killer looked into the camera as if he was just so proud is gonna stick with us as it should. ** A CNN crew were arrested live on the air but released later after Jeff Zucker spoke to Gov. Walz.** Liberate Minnesota was the Trump tweet, well, they are working on it.** I am hearing people saying in all sincerity lately that it is time for the humans to go, we are ruining each other and the planet.

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If you have not seen the Killer Mike speech from Atlanta, you need to check it out.** Netflix, Hulu and Paramount are taking a stand and showing support for the Black lives matter movement.

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John Cusack put out video of police coming at him with batons and pepper sprayed him as he protested in Chicago. More than 1000 were arrested and it continues.** In Flint, Sheriff Chris Swanson and other police put down helmets and joined the protestors. Police in Schenectady took a knee and joined the march. The behavior is spreading and look what a difference it makes, could they be starting to get it?

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Never thought I’d say this but in light of everything that is happening, the DNC made a big mistake in not backing Berne Sanders. –Pete Buttigieg ** Ok, first, of course he is right but you helped set this all in motion. It is a bit late for that …or is it? Biden is not the OFFICIAL nom, the deal is not done yet. Will Bernie jump back in the race?? Perhaps we will soon see BERNE FOR PRESIDENT again.

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American carnage was a self -fulfilling prophecy, alas. –Susan Glasser

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Scary Clown 45 has designated Antifa a terrorist organization. ** There is no legal authority for designating a domestic group, any such designation would raise significant concerns. –ACLU

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In any season, police violence is an injustice, but its harm is elevated amidst the remarkable stress people are facing amidst covid-19. Even now, there is evidence of excessive police initiated force and unwarranted shootings of civilians, some of which have been fatal. –American Medical Association.

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Washington Week had a great discussion about how all the ills in US history have played out in 2020. Impeachment, pandemic, depression and civil unrest are all here at once.

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Word is that Trevor Noah has been proven much more popular than the other late night hosts since they have been at home.

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I predict the picture of the upside down flag with the backdrop of the burning liquor store will be the lasting image of the Trump Presidency.

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This is the Presidency George Wallace never had. –Max Boot

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Spanish flu, Polio, Aids, Covid-19: Why don’t people get any smarter? The masses (and sometimes those in charge) can get it wrong over and over again. From Dr.? Phil and Dr Oz and their cavalier attitude toward death to Rosie wanting her son to take a leave of absence from the grocery store, we just do not learn. Even before that, I can’t forget the woman who wanted to change her vote after she found out Buttigieg was married to a man. Is she even a dem? Do your research people! Respect others, people!! Have compassion, stop being so selfish and use your brains!!** Puerto Rico was a pre curser to the pandemic response.

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Amy Cooper Chris Cooper? WTF? Another liberal who is not really liberal.

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Crime in general is down and police shootings are up. And yes, now the opportunists are out of control and anger is boiling over but protests against police brutality causing police brutality is WRONG!

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Check out the book, What makes a marriage last, from Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue.

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Ben Taub, Barry Blitt and Colson Whitehead have won the Pulitzer Prize.

*****

Word is that Nick Cage will play Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame. Of course he will.

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I refuse to wear a mask because God did not have us born with one.- Nino Vitali** How many people have you heard say, “The President isn’t wearing a mask, so I don’t have to.”

*****

It looks like Apple will partner with Paramount for Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.

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Oh my: Scary Clown is having a twitter feud with twitter! He has to, of course, lash out and now signs an executive order targeting social media. He is going on about section 230 which gives immunity to social media companies against being sued over content. It could curb liability protection. Experts say it will only encourage lawsuits because he does not want to be edited.

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If Native American tribes were counted as states, the five most infected states in the US would all be native tribes. –Nicholas Kristof

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Did ya see that Jeff Epstein doc from James Patterson. It is lays blame in all directions. Why does it seem like all these old guys on there with all that money have such yellow teeth?

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Lindsey Graham is urging Federal judges in their mid to late 60’s to step down so they can fill the spots with republicans.

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Richard McGuire tried to live at Disney World in a zoological park that was closed down.

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Caterpillar, Levi, Black and Decker and others have cut jobs but gave millions to shareholders.

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Axl Rose and Steve Mnuchin had a twitter feud.

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China announced plans to introduce a National Security law in Hong Kong. The law enables mainland Chinese National security agencies to operate in the city for the first time. Using a rarely used constitutional method, they bypassed Hong Kong legislature. Since the former British colony became a semi-autonomous region of China more than 20 years ago, they have manages its own affairs. The law will affect media, education, politics and international business. Many acts will now be criminalized. Hong Kong is party to international treaties guaranteeing civil liberties that China is not. The U.S. is urging Bejing to reconsider. Pro- democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong were tear gassed as they yelled, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

*****

The Michael Flynn charges were dropped.

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Holyoke soldier’s home in Massachusetts lost 70 souls to Coronavirus. AP photographer David Goldman got a projector and cast big pictures the vets onto the homes of loved ones. Each one had a story including one vet who was sent to Nuremberg to guard Nazis. He claimed to have filled Hermann Goring’s glass with toilet water.

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The swimming Dinosaur, Spinosaurus has been getting a lot of attention. The Sahara desert which was once massive rivers kept the first intact aquatic dinosaur. With a snout, teeth and jaw like a croc, it is so far the only known kind of dinosaur that lived in the water. The 50 foot long bizarre fin-like tail is like a giant paddle. Paleontologists encourage others to have a look at other fossils to see if there are more.

*****

Octavia Spencer is said to have been telling everyone she is a year younger than she is. She is turning 50.

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The $69 million ventilator scam. Really? The White House heard from a guy who told them he could supply the product so the WH told NY to order them and stood behind the guy but it was a scam. Scary Clown sure loves his shady people, intentional or not.** A Florida woman, Rebecca Jones claims that she was asked to fudge the numbers to make reopening look better. ** Georgia moved their dates around on a graph to make their cases seem flattened. ** For 17 months, Florida investigated voter fraud for Trump and Gov. Scott. They found NOTHING!!

*****

Amazon stock price is up 25% yet they have become notorious for the terrible way they treat their workers. Bezos is set to become a trillionaire.

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We have to remember that order comes from chaos. True enhancements can come from large scale crisis. What will we learn from this one? This is a warning!!** Universal health care? No more buffets? ** Prices will probably go up everywhere what with the closings and all the extra cleaning. I hope this means that hotel bedspreads will be cleaned after every stay. It looks like there may be no cocktails or food on planes.

*****

Take a virtual tour of the statue of liberty. All the fun without all the swaying.

*****

Local PBS stations are making it easier to learn. Students will be able to put on a channel for lessons that does not need cable or internet. Woo Hoo!!

*****

Insiders say that Trump threatened to sue his campaign manager because he did not agree with his assessment and the poll numbers in a 2 day rant.** Just one more example of Scary Clown double talk. Then: Less testing, less positives. Now: So much testing is a badge of honor.**Doctors without Borders are now here, not the third world countries that they usually help, it is US.

*****

Haven’t we had enough of powerful men being accused? A female Dem candidate would have been nice and Bernie did not seem to have any baggage that way either.

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Will the Senate see fit to ok some more stimulus $? 4 trillion to prop up Wall Street seems per the usual. Enough for them, let’s take care of those small businesses and those really in need.

*****

Thao and the get down stay down is one of the best in this internet entertainment era.

*****

Check out Stars in the House with Tony Shalhoub and others.

*****

The Detectorists on Acorn TV is a great little show!!

*****

Happy Day! There is a new season of At Home with Amy Sedaris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

It looks like Pier 1 will permanently close as well as JC Penney, J Crew, Sears and Neiman Marcus.

*****

Check out the wonderful, This is about Humanity!!

*****

Have U seen the trailer for The King of Staten Island?? OMG Pete Davidson, Steve Buschemi and Marisa Tomei , just to name a few!! I can’t fucking wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Bill Maher looked really high on his 5-22-20 show. This working from home makes him much more mellow!!

*****

3 Russian doctors treating coronavirus have fallen out of windows in about a weeks time.** Russia boasts that it has more ventilators per capita than the U.S. After they made fun of us, on May 22, the first shipment of U.S. ventilators headed to Russia. They are a gift from Trump and the U.S. taxpayers. –Julia Davis

*****

State Department Inspector General Steve Linick is out. Was he investigating Pompeo? Trump never knows anything about any of it. Why are all the protectors of the rule of law thrown out? ** Was Pompeo throwing lavish foreign policy dinners with Reba, Dale Jr. and the owners of that horrid chicken sandwich place? ** The clean water rule has been suspended which cuts protections for most of the country’s wetlands.

*****

The market facilitation program has been helping small farmers over the last few years in a $28 billion bailout. Trump’s sanctions brought this on and the corona virus has made it worse. Mostly the money has helped bankers and bigger farms. Much like the stimulus $ that was earmarked for small business, there are loopholes that screw up the ‘rules.’ The cap is not being followed like they may say because the $ is going to “investors” in the farm and often not the actual farmer who works on a smaller scale. A small farm run by family members may not get the bailout. It seems to be more important to get a good lawyer who can manipulate the paperwork. Sad that taxpayer $ is used this way.

*****

Just in time, the Space Force flag and plans for the super duper missile have been unveiled. WTF??

*****

Paula Poundstone is a woman I knew I liked. She was recently talking about not liking couches. I thought I was the only one, People are always telling me how much they love their couches and I don’t get it.

*****

Jeff Gibbs and Michael Moore are upset after Youtube pulled their doc, Planet of the Humans. After 8.3 million views, there was a copyright claim by Toby Smith of about 4 seconds of footage. Now , this is not the first time that Moore has had problems with content in one of his movies. Many have claimed there is a lot of fiction in this latest venture. I think I would just remove the possible copyright infringement and move on. It can now be seen on Vimeo.

A Florida law that restricts felon voting is found unconstitutional by a federal judge.** The RNC filed a lawsuit against California to stop mailing ballots to registered voters.

*****

R.I.P. Little Richard, Roy Horn, Jerry Stiller, Sam Lloyd, Ann Sullivan, Mike Cogswell, Michael Keenan, Shirley Knight, Irrfan Khan, Hana Kimura, Forrest Compton, Jimmy Cobb, George Floyd, Ken Osmomd, all the corona victims, Lynn Shelton, Richard Herd, Larry Kramer, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Anthony James, Fred Willard and Carolyn Busch.

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cienie-isengardu · 6 years

Text

Bi-Han’s rudeness...?

I guess, it’s common idea that Bi-Han was the rude (if not the rudest) Lin Kuei warrior we had a chance to meet. Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat 9 (2011) pretty much embody elder Sub-Zero’s crude and sarcastic nature. It was especially seen around Scorpion, his enemy (”Will not...or cannot?"; "To hell with your clan!“), but even around Grandmaster - the ultimate superior & Quan Chi, the important client of Lin Kuei (accussing Quan Chi on hiring another assassin for the same mission and generally being go yourself there if you so badly want that stuff) or Raiden - the god (”That's it? Not even a thank you?").

We may only guessing if Bi-Han at this point of story was simply done with everyone around him, or if the lack of manners & respect ties directly to cryomancer’s genes or did he do that on purpose. Regardless the reason, Bi-Han’s cold, often harsh way of speaking to others distinguishes him from the few known Lin Kuei warriors. Of course, the lack of game examples how he interacts with fellow Lin Kuei, from companions sent on the same mission to his own brother, only adds to general impression of Bi-Han’s rudeness.

Also, comparing Bi-Han’s attitude to Sektor-Cyrax and Smoke-Tundra (Sub-Zero II) duos, where all other warriors to some degree had strong and/or complex ties to each other, the personal isolation of Bi-Han really stands out.

Of course, we know from games and other sources that Kuai Liang cares deeply for his brother and Sareena over the course of years has some emotional ties to Bi-Han as well. But frankly, we are more told that by them than really have insight into Bi-Han’s psyche. I mean, we still don’t have any clue why he would spare Sareena in Mythologies, have we? What only adds to the feeling of Bi-Han’s isolation; we scarcely see him interact with other characters that aren’t stricte enemy.

This is why I want bring three moments from other than game sources, in which Bi-Han thinks about or interacts with people that seems to be liked or at least respected by him.

Mortal Kombat 4 Limited Edition Comics,

in which we are told by narrative that “Several Days later, on Earth, Sub-Zero returns to China to the ancient Temple of the Elements. The Temple’s location is secret, but Sub-Zero learned how to find it from his older brother, the original Sub-Zero.”

So, between one mission (Shinnok’s amulet) and another (Tournament), Bi-Han found time to talk with Kuai Liang. And shared informations about his important assigment. Of course, we do not know Lin Kuei rules, but I don’t think that revealing details of the mission was ever well appreciated. Still, Bi-Han told his brother where to find Temple, and from the panels below, what was there (Shinnok’s amulet), why it was important (”the amulet that keeps [Shinnok] trapped in the Netherrealm”, ”as long as the amulet remains on Earth, Shinnok cannot escape the Netherrealm”), who guarded it (Four Elements / gods of water, earth, fire and wind) and though it wasn’t show in flashback itself, most likely that Bi-Han fought them all.

The flashback itself is really short and part of their talk must happened off panel, so we don’t know how much Bi-Han told Kuai Liang, nor why. But we must remember that in Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Bi-Han alone never heard about Shinnok or Netherrealm before the mission (”Quan Chi could simply be a lunatic sorcerer. I've never heard of an Elder God named Shinnok! Or of a place called the Netherrealm! “) and if he didn’t know that back then, Kuai Liang most likely didn’t either. By sharing his newly acquired knowledge - with or without consent of the Grandmaster - Bi-Han gave his younger brother additional informations that may someday be useful (or maybe even save his brother’s life, especially if he get involved with another Shinnok-related mess).

Did Bi-Han told the story to warn Kuai Liang, or just to satisfy his brother's curiosity, we can’t be sure. Maybe his reason to do so was mix of two, maybe something completely different. What is important, Bi-Han found time to talk to Kuai, even though he did not have much of it between last and future mission.

Bi-Han told the informations in rather stolid (no emotional) way. No rude, but not overly warm, personal way either. Straight to the point, I would say.

Mortal Kombat book by Jeff Rovin (1995)

is a book in which original Sub-Zero is both rude/sarcastic and even more brutal than usual (game) self. Also, is Shang Tsung’s favorite assassin. Unfortunately for sorcerer, “Bi-Han” was not available for important mission; after killing his former partner who left Lin Kuei/criminal life, Sub-Zero went into hiding and no one knewn where in China he is, not even other members of the Lin Kuei.

This turn of events upsetted/annoyed the sorcerer but of course, Shang Tsung is not someone to give up so easily, so he used magic ways to find Sub-Zero. On the occasion,we learn more or else that “Bi-Han” not only brutally killed his former companion (”Scorpion”) but also offended demigod:

There was a long pause. “I… am looking.” Then, the disembodied voice said, “I see him… Shang Tsung. He is hiding.”

“Where?”

“In a cave… in a cliff… north of Wenzhou.”

“That’s just like him,” Shang Tsung said. “With the fees he charges, he could live in splendor. Yet he chooses a life of hardship and study.”

“And death!” Ruthay said.

“Yes, death,” Shang Tsung admitted. “Don’t be too harsh on him, Ruthay. Some people deserve to die. I will summon him–”

“Wait! Be warned, Shang Tsung. He is cursed!”

“Cursed? By whom?”

Ruthay wailed, “By the immortal Yu.”

Shang Tsung felt cold spiders crawl up his spine. “The demigod Yu?”

“Yes… he who is said to dwell in the underground caverns of Horse Ear Mountain… which is sacred to the goddess Kuan Lin. He who protects the canals… and the tunnels… and looks after all who use them, human and animal.”

“What did our brash friend do to Yu?”

“He… killed a man,” said Ruthay.

“What man?”

“A toll-taker… one who had given up a life of crime… one who had been a partner of the man… you… seek.”

“And how did that crime come to the attention of the spirit of Yu?” Shang Tsung asked.

“The man was killed… slowly disemboweled with a sword… while accomplices forced his wife and his son to look on! After his murder… the man’s remains… were dumped into a canal!”

Shang Tsung raised an eyebrow. “Is that all? I was expecting something truly terrible!”

“It was!” Ruthay shrieked. “When he disposed of the body… in that way … he profaned one of the sacred waterways… of Yu!”

Shang Tsung smiled now. “Then he is definitely the man I want,” he said. “Anyone who is impudent enough to insult a demigod won’t be afraid to attack a member of the White Lotus Society, or the gods who watch after them. I will send Hamachi, Ruthay. When he nears his goal, see through his eyes and guide him!”

So, book!”Bi-Han” is by no means a nice person. Sub-Zero spent years searching for a man that betrayed Lin Kuei and when finally found him, not only killed him in brutal way while accomplices forced man’s wife and son to watch his flesh ravaged and his blood spilled, to see his intestines and stomach exposed, still alive, as he squirmed and shrieked and died but also thrown the battered body into sacred water of demigod Yu. And from “Bi-Han”’s own POV: even if Yu himself crawled into the cave, he would find the killer unrepentant and willing to kill the former ninja again.

Because Sub-Zero does not fear (nor respect(?)) gods, Shang Tsung was even more willing to hire “Bi-Han” to do the important job (”Then he is definitely the man I want,” he said. “Anyone who is impudent enough to insult a demigod won’t be afraid to attack a member of the White Lotus Society, or the gods who watch after them”). To reach Sub-Zero in warrior’s hiding place, Shang Tsung sent his precious, the most trusted bird to carry his messeng:

But some of the birds were kept more for practical purposes. His falcons were trained to fly to the mainland and kill with claws of poison, while his beautiful white pigeons were trained to carry messages to spots all across eastern China.

Going to a small writing table tucked in a corner of the stone chamber, Shang Tsung lit a candle, dipped a fountain pen in red ink, and wrote in small, tight characters on a slip of rice paper:

LIU KANG AND TWO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE WHITE LOTUS SOCIETY ARE CAMPED TO THE WEST OF WUHU, HEADED EAST TO INTERCEPT A BAND OF BLACK DRAGONS. THESE INTERLOPERS MUST BE STOPPED. YOU ARE MY LAST HOPE. RETURN THE BIRD WITH A TOKEN SO I WILL KNOW THAT YOU HAVE GONE AFTER THEM.

SHANG TSUNG

After finishing the message, the sorcerer went over to one of the cages, carefully removed a pigeon, rolled the paper around its right leg, and fixed it there with a length of red string. Holding the bird in both hands, he made his way under and around the many cages to the window. The black shutters of the window were closed, and one of the hooded servants scuttled over, released the catch, and threw it open.

Shang Tsung bent close to the bird and said softly, “I know you won’t fail me as my fellow humans have, devoted Hamachi. Fly true and take my urgent message to the region you know so well. Ruthay will see through your eyes and guide you from there. Then return to me, my delicate servant. Come back safely and soon, and I will offer up a human sacrifice to you.”

So, from the book it’s clear that Shang Tsung had high respect for Sub-Zero’s skills and to some degree was familiar with Bi-Han (”That’s just like him. With the fees he charges, he could live in splendor. Yet he chooses a life of hardship and study.”). Looking at how often Shang Tsung asked/demanded to know why he “couldn’t get the man I wanted“, I dare to say even a bit obsessed with hiring him. But then again, Shang Tsung had a lot to lose if the mission failed, so of course he wanted the best assassin for the job.

The cave was located two hundred miles south of Shimura Island, though it was still hours before dawn when the pigeon reached it. Landing in the narrow mouth, the bird cooed once then stood still, as it had been trained to do.

The ninja was awake and beside it in an instant, crouched beneath a ceiling that didn’t allow for him to stand. Dressed only in a white loincloth, despite the cold floor and chill air in the cave. He was reading the message by moonlight a moment later.

A smile crossed his lips, lips so pale and claylike that they appeared dead. His small, very narrow eyes looked from the message to the bird to the moonlight that lit just the entrance of his dark abode.

He ran the back of an index finger up and down the bird’s breast. “Good Hamachi. Return to your master so he will know that I have received his message and am on my way to do his bidding. For a price, of course,” he said. He glanced at the several pyramid-shaped stacks of scrolls in the rear of his cave. His fee was another manuscript from Shang Tsung’s library, one of the many scrolls that were centuries old, dating back to the dawn of the days of the first ninjitsu and containing arcane secrets of the league of assassins to which he belonged, the widely-feared Lin Kuei.

"Bi-Han” smiled at the new task and I think this was a genuine smile; something we rarely had a chance to see. Of course, it may be related to great price he will get, another precious scroll from Tsung’s own collection (what alone raises a question like was Sub-Zero even allowed to work for Shang Tsung without the proper Grandmaster’s approval, because it seems he was hired by sorcerer quite often). So, either he was simply happy to have something dangerous (challenging) to do or the mere idea of new stuff to read warmed his heart or most likely the smile was reaction to mix of those two things.

Does this have anything to Bi-Han’s rudeness? The reaction to carrier-pigeon is unusual and frankly, pretty warm for Sub-Zero’s cold, impersonal nature. Especially compared with his previously described brutality. He did not mind killing a man in front of victim’s wife and son (who both were forced to look on the whole homicide). A man, that was once Sub-Zero’s partner / member of Lin Kuei.

But then when Hamachi brought him messenge, “Bi-Han” ran the back of an index finger up and down the bird’s breast what itself sound as rather affective gesture, petting an animal that did not belong to him in the first place. Even if he was aware how important the bird was to Shang Tsung, that still does not mean he needed to pet it, or praise (“Good Hamachi). Also, looking at sorcerer’s messenger, there is only RETURN THE BIRD WITH A TOKEN but “Bi-Han” knew (and used) its name. The whole scene is interesting because there is no real reason why he should bother to be nice to simply carrier-pigeon, but I think it is right to assume “Bi-Han” to some degree was fond of the animal. Maybe even of Shang Tsung... For a price, of course.

Later in the story, “Bi-Han” was capable of working with Goro and Reptile albeit still was at times sarcastic too. Nothing really drastic, for Sub-Zero’s standards. And hey, even made a joke/snickered at Scorpion’s expense (thinking about it, that frankly is normal thing for Bi-Han):

“Calm yourself, Goro,” said Sub-Zero. “What is your name, boy?”

“I am Scorpion,” said the youth.

Sub-Zero snickered. “I’ve eaten Scorpion, and had scorpion soup. I can’t say I cared for either. Now, tarantula stew–”

“You murdered a toll-taker,” Scorpion cut in. “He was a gracious and blameless man, a gentle husband and caring father.”

“Ah,” said Sub-Zero. “You are... the son?”

So, in the novel “Bi-Han”

showed little respect to demigod Yu,

brutally killed a man that once was his partner but who betrayed Lin Kuei; thus was hunted down and eliminated

was sometimes sarcastic yet capable of working with other Shang Tsung’s no-human servants without much trouble

showed some fondness for Hamachi, by petting & praising the animal and in general seemed to have good working relationship with Shang Tsung

had at least one moment in which said something more personal (two, if we take the joke about eating scorpions and tarantual stew seriously)

Overall, “Bi-Han” is rude and sarcastic but also capable of being gentle & nice( r) to the few he likes(?); in this case mainly to bird Hamachi.

MORTAL KOMBAT BLOOD & THUNDER (1994)

is another take on first Tournament. The Lin Kuei clan was represented by Sub-Zero and Hydro. During journey to Shang Tsung’s Island, the two warriors kept distance from others. When Kano and Johnny Cage fought at ship deck, “Bi-Han” watched it from safe place. When Hydro asked what is going on there, Sub-Zero only stated “a petty altercation, Hydro. It is no concern of the Lin Kuei”. Despite the impersonal answer, the warrior could tell something is bothering “Bi-Han”

Unexpectedly, Scorpion (the Wraith) showed himself, telling Sub-Zero he is gonna kill him and so on, you know the drill. The biggest difference between Mythologies & MK9′s backstory of the conflict is that, “Bi-Han” and Scorpion fought one on one, to test which clan is better and “Hanzo”’s revenge is more about getting into afterlife between his dead ancestors (who for some reason denied him that) and that Shirai Ryu ninja is more dramatic. Like, wishing to kill every “Bi-Han”’s friends, then family, then finally him, even though he died in fair fight. Anyway, Scorpion left and Hydro saved “Bi-Han”’s life

and soon after that once again Hydro was asking if “Bi-Han” is all right

Here some interesting details:

When Hydro asked about Sub-Zero’s physical injury, “Bi-Han” truthfully answered, adding how it happens every year on the same day. He does not keep any ‘tough guy’ act around friend (and looking how Hydro can tell how “Bi-Han” is distracted and knows about his injury, saves his life and in general is assuring/caring, I think this is correct way to call Hydro).

Yet, when Hydro asked if Sub-Zero is all right, “Bi-Han” did not answer that directly. Instead of telling how he is emotionally / mentally feeling, the warrior already was analyzing situation and pointing mistake he did (showing fear)

In both cases, it seems like Hydro is the one more emotionally open and/or supporting of the two. “Bi-Han” does not show much emotions, however he is willing to admit his fear of Spectre, to share informations about the injury - like what the pain means (”he is coming back”) - does not ridicule Hydro for worrying about him, does not bother with tough guy act at all. I wouldn’t say Sub-Zero is overly warm and open there, but definitely not rude or sarcastic. He does care when something is happening to Hydro, but unfortunately does not show much emotion after the warrior was killed by Scorpion. Then again, “Bi-Han” at that point of story is no more affraid of the Spectre and is pretty much willing to kill him again. And did fight against enemy, even though Raiden took him under his protection. So, maybe Sub-Zero did not speak about his feelings but the change from fear into I’m gonna kill you again could be motivated by his friend’s death?

I’m bringing Hydro and Sub-Zero’s relationship for the contrast between how “Bi-Han” is acting around his close(?) companion and people he does not know nor care for. Like Sonya and her partner from SF, who get on Shang Tsung’s ship to find and arrest hiding there Kano.

Just after Scorpion dissapeared, the US soldiers accosted Lin Kuei, looking for a bit cooperation to find Kano. Sub-Zero’s reaction?

and

So, “Bi-Han” very quickly changed from admitting to companion making mistake / showing fear to enemy to “You do not understand. The Lin Kuei do not have to cooperate with anyone!” (saying it while buring picture of Kano, because this is how much he cares) and “Bah! Your threats mean nothing to me, woman” (while totally not caring to call Sonya by her name she told him just moment ago. Rude.)

Those three examples made me think of Bi-Han as someone who is rarely warm to other people, even those he is close to. Even while talking about important and sensitive things, he rather talk in impersonal way. Maybe this is result of Lin Kuei training, maybe just Cryomancers are like that. But for sure Bi-Han’s way of speaking and acting change depending on in whose company he is. Sarcastic and rude way of speak and act is usually directed at people he dislike, does not trust or care, or at gods in general. Which makes probably a long list of people that fits those categories.

Bi-Han may be unable (or not willing?) to be overly warm/nice to people (and creatures/animals?) he likes and/or respects, but at the same time is willing to share important informations, answer their questions, does not ridicule them (as far as we coul see in those little examples) for caring and/or showing their care for him and even praise (at least Hamachi). I think Bi-Han is the type of cold, collected person but no less honest, who does not know (or does not want) how to tell people about his feelings but is showing how he care by small gestures (telling the truth about injury, sharing information, petting the bird).

Of course, this is just my take on Bi-Han, based on various sources (games, books & comics), but I really believe he was not the type of brother to be rude or sarcastic toward his younger sibling or close comrade (unless the situation called for him acting that way). Everyone else though deserves all the rudness and sarcasm.

So, in short, it’s not like Bi-Han can’t be nice(r), it’s just that the list of people he care for and respect is really short.

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niall-is-my-dream · 6 years

Text

Light of my Life - Part Six

2600 words

Three car loads was all it took to bring your stuff to Harry's.

You had left behind your sofa, bed and other larger items so that they could be donated to the local charity furniture shop. You'd also boxed up the kitchen stuff and Harry had organised someone to come over and collect it all for you.

Standing on his upstairs landing with a box each, Harry had hesitated. You could see he didn't know whether to bring your things into his room, or the spare room that you'd been staying in with Jacob.

"Um..........." He mumbled.

"How about I stay in the room I'm in for now. See how we go, yeah?" You said.

"Of course." He said, nodding. "I know it's a big change for us."

By Monday afternoon it was all unpacked. You'd officially moved in with Harry.

You were happy and scared at the same time. You knew Jeff had been right when he'd said it would look strange if you weren't living together. A couple in an almost four year relationship, with a baby not living together, would seem strange. You wanted the fans on your side after all.

Moving around the kitchen that evening making dinner, you could feel Harry's eyes on you. You looked up and smiled.

"What you looking at Styles?!" You smirked.

"Just thinking how good it feels to have you both here. I know that we weren't exactly planning on making this step so soon. I mean we only got back together nine days ago. But I'm really happy." He smiled, his cute dimples springing to his face.

"I'm really happy to, nervous as hell, but happy."

"Nervous?" He said, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I mean this is a big change, we've never lived together before properly, we have Jacob now to. It's just scary."

He made his way to you, taking your hands in his. Dipping his head down, he nudged his nose against yours and you smiled.

"I'm nervous to, but I mean it, I've never been happier. I'm sorry for everything that's happened. I will spend everyday for the rest of my life proving to you how much I love you."

Closing your eyes, you let how the breath you'd been holding in.

"I love you to H."

He kissed your lips softly, your kisses had been so heated in the last few days, but this was slow and made your stomach flutter. Pulling away a few seconds later, you told him to stop distracting you whilst you cooked and sent him to check on Jacob.

Lying on the sofa that night, cuddled up to him, Jacob asleep across his chest, you felt content.

You knew this was a risk, trying again.

However, you knew in your heart that you owed it to yourself, to Jacob and to Harry to try again. After hearing Harry say to his Mum about how complete he felt with you both, you'd admitted to yourself that you felt the same.

"What time are you meeting your friend in the morning?" Harry asked you.

"11, at GInger and White in Belsize Park. Going to have a coffee and some lunch I think. That ok?"

"Yeah, of course. Was thinking I might head out and look at some cars for you, after I drop you both off."

"Harry....mmm we talked about that. I'm ok without one."

"Fliss, please hear me out. No girlfriend of mine is getting the tube and being shoved about with our son in his carrier. I won't have it. You know what they're like on the tube if its busy. I'm putting my foot down about this. I have the money to do it. "

He was ranting now, but desperately trying not to raise his voice as Jacob was asleep on his chest.

"I know you're not with me for my money, never once in almost four years have you asked for anything from me."

You curved your lips into your mouth to try and hide your smirk.

"Don't laugh at me." He said, noticing your smirk.

"I'm sorry, but you're so funny when you go off on one like this." You giggled.

"I'm not going off on one!" He whispered loudly.

"Yeah, you are!"

He huffed in annoyance, and you giggled again.

"Stop it, it's not funny. Just love you both, that's all. I'm worried about your safety to, once the news of Jacob surfaces. "

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to appear ungrateful."

"Just let me do things for you."

"Ok......I am really sorry."

"You should be." He smirked "It hurt my feelings!"

You hid back your smirk again and cuddled up closer to him.

"Thank You."

"You're welcome."

Harry pulled up by the cafe just before 11am on Tuesday morning, he hopped out and helped you get Jacob's car seat out.

"Just text me whenever you want me to pick you up." He said.

"Are you sure?"

He raised his eyebrows at you.

"You want to start that conversation again?!"

You scrunched up your nose and laughed. "No, wouldn't want you to have to put your foot down again!"

"Alright love, no need to take the piss! Just want what's best for you." He replied smiling.

"I know you do. I'm sorry. I'll see you later. And Harry, please don't get me anything too much car wise."

"I'll get you something practical and safe, don't worry!"

You saw him scoping out the street, it wasn't too busy and you knew he was trying to decide if it was safe to kiss you.

"It's ok, you know. You don't have to kiss me goodbye."

"I really want to though." he said, taking a step forward. He smiled and leaned in to kiss you gently on the lips, before placing a kiss on top of Jacobs head.

You were still grinning like an idiot, as Harry pulled away in the car and headed down the street.

You spotted Lisa at a table near the back as you entered the cafe. You waved a hello and made your way down to meet her.

"Hi!" You said, leaning down to hug her. "How are you?"

"Good thanks, you?"

"Yeah, really good." You smiled.

"I ordered you a decaf coffee and some water, hope that's ok?"

"That's great, thankyou."

You relaxed into an easy conversation with Lisa. You'd met about four months ago at your antenatal classes. She was there with her husband Tim and they welcomed baby Lucas five days after Jacob was born. She was easy to chat to, had a similar job to you and you had lots in common. The conversation never got awkward and she had become a great friend.

Saying that Jacobs Dad was away with work had seemed the easiest way to explain his absence. If she ever found out about Harry being Jacobs Dad in the future you hadn't wanted to mention the model or the breakup. Harry may have broken your heart when he had ended things, but you hadn't wanted his name dragged through the press, that wasn't the kind of person you were and you didn't want to upset Anne either.

She was telling you a story about how Tim has changed a particularly disgusting nappy of Lucas' when you started laughing.

"Yep had similar this morning actually, I honestly thought Harry was going to throw up!"

Lisa was laughing to. "His face was priceless!" You added.

"Is Harry Jacobs Dad?" She asked, as she took a sip of her coffee.

You realised then that you hadn't actually spoken much about him to her. You think she presumed you lived together, however she knew you weren't married. You had only ever met up at the classes or in cafes once a week, you'd never been to each others homes. She knew he worked away a lot, you'd told her he worked in sales.

"Yeah, um about that."

"Everything ok?" She asked, and you could see that you had worried her.

"Yeah everything is fine, I haven't exactly been honest about him with you."

"Oh god, he's not going to prison or something is he?" She asked almost joking, but genuinely worried that she had guessed correctly.

"No, nothing like that, but he will love that you said that." And you both laughed.

You paused for a moment, wondering how to tell her. You had rehearsed a conversation in your head numerous times, but now you were blank.

"Hey Fliss." She whispered, leaning over to hold your hand. "You can tell me, it can't be that bad."

"You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

"Fliss, you're worrying me. Is everything ok? You can trust me you know?"

"Yeah, it's honestly not that bad. It's just that he's um....... kind of famous, he's been away on a world wide tour for most of my pregnancy, hence why he didn't attend the classes with me."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?!"

You nodded.

"At least my theory about him being in prison isn't true!" She joked.

"I'm sorry I lied to you."

"Well you didn't exactly tell an awful lie, did you? You bent the truth to protect you all I presume?"

"Yeah, his fans are pretty intense. We've kept our relationship pretty private for the last 3.5 years and don't really want Jacobs picture splashed everywhere."

"So a famous Harry hey?!" You could see her mind ticking over as she tried continue about who it could be.

"The only famous Harry I know who's a musician is Harry Styles....."

You smiled at her and she realised she'd guessed right.

"Really?!"

"Yes, but please don't tell anyone. He's really worried about people following me and Jacob and about security and stuff."

"I've seen how fans can get, I won't tell anyone. Are you worried about it? I mean it's not hit the news yet, has it?"

"No not yet, with Harry being on tour and me working, I hid my pregnancy well. Not many paparazzi pay attention to me, so I avoided them quite easily."

"Well your secret is safe with me. Honestly thought you were going to say he was some serial killer who has just been locked up for fifty years!"

You both laughed at her thought.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!"

"Honestly I was pretty worried for a moment. Come on lets order some lunch."

Harry came and collected you a few hours later, taking Jacobs car seat from you and securing it in the car.

He introduced himself to Lisa, knowing that you had intended on telling her about your relationship. It felt strangely natural to say relationship, Harry had referred to you as his girlfriend last night when you were talking. You were both desperately trying to take things slow with each other, however the last ten days had felt like you'd never been apart and you were both behaving like it had been before the problems had started.

With one hand on the steering wheel and one hand placed in your lap with yours, Harry had asked you about your lunch with Lisa and told you about his trip to the car dealership. He had ordered you a new Audi similar to his and it would be delivered in a few weeks time.

Pulling into the drive at his house still felt strange, the memories of your last visit here when you had broken up suddenly springing to the front of your mind.

*********flashback***********

"Harry!" You called out as you entered his house with the key he had given you. You'd not seen him in weeks as he'd been away on his tour, but with a small break you'd be able to finally spend some time with him. He was still struggling with the events of the summer and you hoped he'd relax a bit and enjoy some down time with you. You'd booked a few weeks off work to be with him, hoping that maybe your relationship would take the next step.

He appeared in the doorway of the living room and you practically ran towards him. His embrace was weak and you pulled back to look at him. Hearing a noise from the direction of his office, you could see Jeff pacing around on his phone. There goes your afternoon of sex, although to be honest you hadn't been feeling that great for a few days.

"Fliss, can we talk?" He said in almost a whisper.

"Um, yeah sure." You replied, walking into the living room and taking a seat.

He didn't make eye contact with you, he just sat next to you nervously pulling on his lip.

"Are you ok? Has something happened?" You asked, suddenly worried that someone was hurt or worse.

"Yeah, sort of. Um.........I'm really struggling to manage everything at the moment."

"I know you are, that's why I took a few weeks off work so that we can relax a bit. Plus we've got Christmas in a few weeks, your Mum is looking forward to seeing us."

"I'm um....... not sure I can manage a....... relationship and my career at the moment." He said, not looking at you.

In that single moment, your heart broke.

After nearly three years together, this was how he was going to end it.

You could feel the bile rise up in your chest, tears threatening to fall, but you kept it together. Anger, hurt, despair, confusion. You just couldn't understand it. You'd been chatting on the phone just yesterday before his plane left for his return trip.

You sat frozen as you tried to digest what he had said.

Slowly you opened your hand, carefully you unhooked his key from your key chain. You stood and his eyes finally looked up at you. Placing the key on the coffee table you held your head high and walked out the living room, not looking back. You caught Jeff's eye as you walked passed Harry's office, your expression was blank and Jeff looked at you confused before you walked towards the door, slamming it hard as you left his house.

The heartbreak you had felt led you to spend your two weeks off in bed. With Rachel away with work for the two weeks, you could wallow away in your room without being bothered. Harry had been excessively calling at your flat every day, ringing the door bell over and over again. You put your ear phones in and ignored him, he eventually gave up after five days. When Rachel returned from her trip, she didn't even mention Harry to you. You weren't close and to be honest she didn't like him coming over, as she didn't want the wrong people finding out where we lived.

You had hoped that Harry would want to move in with you and you could finally move out of Rachel's. She was just a friend of a friend that had a room to rent in her flat, it was ideally located for work and in a really nice area.

It was only when you ventured out to the corner shop a week after Harry had ended things that you realised how late your period was, 8 days to be exact. Along with milk and bread you'd added a pregnancy test to the basket. Plus a copy of The Sun newspaper that had a picture of Harry with a Victoria Secret model on the front.

When the two lines appeared on the white stick, you sobbed.

Looks like you were in your own. Harry had found his way back to the girl you'd had your suspicions about all along.

**********

Taking a deep breath as you got out of the car, you realised how far you both had come since that heart breaking day.

Harry had been seeking help and talking through his issues, he was back to his old self now. You were more positive about the future than you had been in a long time.

"What's with that look?" Harry asked you. A look of concern on his face.

"Nothing, just happy to be home."

A massive smile appeared on his lips, his dimples that were your total weakness, beamed from his face.

"Me to love."

Next part

https://niall-is-my-dream.tumblr.com/post/179001835293/light-of-my-life-part-seven

#Harry #Harry styles #dad Harry #Harry styles fan fic #harry styles fanfction #Harry fluff #Harry angst #solo Harry #Emily writes #one direction #1dff

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voightsgirl · 7 years

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crossfire: volume i - chapter 10

a/n hope you guys have had a wonderful week and have a great weekend :) & previous chapters can be found here

☆ tell bunny i said hi ☆

“Jay!” came Will’s voice over the busy hallway at Chicago Med. “How are you doing, man?” he clapped his brother on the back. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Thanks, but I’m here on official business,” Jay replied, gesturing his badge. “Is Ethan around?”

“Hey, Jay,” came Dr. Choi’s voice from behind him. “Kim, Adam,” he nodded at the other two detectives. “We have another one.”

“Is this about that case you’re working?” Will interjected. “The kids?”

Burgess nodded gravely. “That’s fourteen, and counting.”

Choi frowned. “Thirteen,” he corrected. He gestured in the direction of the ICU. “This one’s still hanging in there.

“Hang on,” Will interrupted. “I thought we’d only had thirteen come in here?”

“Found a kid in an abandoned warehouse this morning. Seventeen years old,” Ruzek explained, and Willy’s face fell.

“Same circumstances?” asked Choi.

Jay shook his head. “Nah, gunshot wounds to the head. But he’s definitely involved in this case.”

“Well,” Choi continued, “he’s not conscious yet, but you’re welcome to wait around. Shouldn’t be too long now.”

“Thanks, man,” said Ruzek, and Choi nodded, before leaving the four of them there. “Hey, Kim?” Ruzek asked. “You want to grab a drink from the vending machines?”

The two partners left together, chatting and laughing.

“Are they back together yet, or what?” Will asked.

Jay shrugged. “Who knows? Probably. Whether they’ve admitted it to themselves or not is another thing entirely.”

They fell into an awkward silence. Jay’s head was a million different places, and Will could tell. He’d rung his brother the previous night to thank him and Erin again for babysitting Owen two days ago, but when Jay picked up he could immediately tell something was wrong. He hadn’t asked though – if there was one thing he knew about his brother, it was to wait and respect his privacy.

“So,” said Will, trying to break the tension in the air and take Jay’s mind off whatever it was that was bothering him this time. “Do you want to explain to me why my son is suddenly curious about what ‘dick’ means?” he raised an eyebrow at the detective, who turned to face his brother with a look of utmost horror on his face.

“Uh…” he stuttered, before changing his tune: “Your son, huh?” he nudged the doctor playfully, and Will blushed a shade of red nearly as bright as his hair.

He shrugged, getting serious. “I know that Jeff was a huge part of Natalie’s life. And I know that she loved him and he would’ve loved Owen. I don’t want to take over that space – for Natalie, at least, and Helen. But Owen never knew Jeff. He knows all about his brave soldier dad, who died in combat saving the world, and everything, and while I don’t want to take that from him, I also want to be his dad. If he wants me to, of course. Especially since I am, you know, marrying his mom.”

Jay grinned. He still couldn’t really believe that his brother was getting married. Even if it had meant, when Will first proposed, that Jay had to sheepishly give his brother his mom’s ring after his own proposal plan to Erin had fallen through when she left for New York. Slightly awkward. But Jay was happy for them.

“Well, I’m sure you’re already a great dad. Even if you didn’t have the best of examples to follow, eh?”

Will rolled his eyes. “He wasn’t that bad, Jay.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten that time he threw a glass bottle at my head?”

“Well, you did just tell him that he had achieved nothing in his life and it was his fault that mom died, so I mean it was kinda –”

“Don’t you dare say ‘justified’,” Jay warned, and Will laughed, raising his hands in defense.

Jay was about to say something when his phone rang. He pointed a warning finger at Will. “If this weren’t Erin on the phone right now, you and I would be having a serious conversation –”

Will just shook his head. “Okay, sure. Tell Bunny I said hi,” Will joked. “Now there’s a bad parent.”

Jay shook his head, but he was smiling. True, he thought. Compared to Bunny…

“Hey, Babe. What’s up?” he answered the phone.

“Don’t freak out,” was the first thing she said.

“When that’s how you greet me, I’m pretty much certain to start freaking out,” he muttered.

“Okay. Sorry. Hi, Babe. How are you?”

“Great. The kid that was brought into Med is doing well – Ethan thinks he’ll pull through. What’s up?”

“Luca was working as a CI for Upton’s gang unit.”

“What?” Jay asked, incredulous. “What the hell?”

“Yeah,” Erin said grimly. “I know. But that means that Avery is in even more danger than ever, and she needs to be put into protective custody. I was wondering if…”

“She could stay with us?” Jay finished.

“Yes,” his partner breathed down the line. “I totally understand if you don’t think it’s a good idea or if you don’t think we’re ready…but it’ll only be temporary. And I really don’t want to send her to Indiana, Jay. She’s only fourteen.”

He swallowed. He knew she was right. “Erin, are you sure? I mean, you were pretty broken up when she had to leave last time and…”

“I know. I know. I just want to give her the best chance I can and I don’t think she’s ever gonna get that if she doesn’t get closure on this case. If she goes back into the system we never see or hear from her again and she never finds out if her best friend’s killer gets justice.”

Jay sighed. “Erin,” he warned. He felt his stomach churning. She was right: they weren’t ready. They didn’t know how long the case was going to last, they didn’t know what other things this girl had going on in her life, they didn’t know…

Erin didn’t know. That this was what Jay wanted more than anything else in the world – to have a family. With her. Unfortunately, taking in a girl at age fourteen was never part of his plan. He took a deep breath. You’re getting ahead of yourself. It’ll only be a couple of weeks, until the case is done.

“It’ll only be for a few weeks, Jay. Just until we’ve used her help on the case and I can make sure that I’ve found a suitable and trustworthy foster placement for her, okay?”

He let out another sigh, somewhere between annoyance and admiration. “Okay, okay. Okay. Fine. As long as it’s only temporary. And absolutely no drugs in the house. We are going to have to be ultra-strict with her, okay? Get her into a routine.”

Erin let out a long breath as if she had been holding it for the whole conversation. Something told him that she’d already offered Avery the spare bedroom, knowing that he’d say yes. Sometimes it annoyed him how much she knew him. “Thank you, Jay,” she said. “I love you. We’re gonna help this girl like Voight helped me, you’ll see.”

“I love you too,” he said. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I’m just gonna wait here for the kid to wake up, maybe talk to the parents and all that. I’ll send Ruzek and Burgess back though.”

“Okay. Bye. I love you,” she repeated.

He laughed. “Bye.”

“What was that all about?” Will asked when he had hung up.

Jay frowned. “I – uh…I think I just agreed to fostering a child.”

Will opened his mouth slightly in shock, or surprise, or as if he was about to say something. He stopped, shook his head, clapped his brother on the shoulder and then turned back to the corridor, gesturing in the direction of one of the rooms that he had to go.

“Talk to you later,” Will yelled over his shoulder, and Jay nodded, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

He swallowed. It’ll only be for a few weeks, Jay. Unfortunately, Jay knew Erin as much as she knew him – and he knew that if she could, she’d stay protecting this girl for the rest of her life. He wasn’t sure what he’d just agreed to.

☆ ☆ ☆

thank you for reading!! if you’d like to be notified when it’s updated either head over to my ff.net account or message me and i’ll tag you at the end of the post :)

@allenting @sophiaxjesse @writteninthestarsandthesky @riverdaleangels@chillmydude

#chicago pd #linstead #erin lindsay #jay halstead #linstead fics #myfics #mine #cpd #crossfire #lol i meant to post this last night #but i fell asleep #sorry

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mandibierly · 7 years

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'Good Behavior' star Michelle Dockery looks ahead to 'Godless,' 'Network,' and, hopefully, the 'Downton Abbey' movie

Michelle Dockery as Letty in ‘Good Behavior’ (Photo: TNT)

“Letty is the sort of character that feels like she can do anything,” Michelle Dockery says. “She’s fearless like that.” Look at the roles the British actress has on the horizon, and it’s clear she and her Good Behavior alter ego have that in common.

After six seasons as Lady Mary on Downton Abbey, Dockery signed on to play Letty — a recovering addict and unrepentant thief who hooks up with a hitman (Juan Diego Botto’s Javier) while hoping to someday give her son, Jacob (Nyles Julian Steele), a “normal life.” She remembers the TNT drama’s creator, Chad Hodge, and director of its 2016 pilot, Charlotte Sieling, wrote a manifesto. “I always have it in my dressing room in my trailer just to remind myself of some things,” she says. “One of the first things Charlotte said to Chad was, ‘I think we’re creating poetic noir.’ And he said, ‘What’s that?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.’ That’s what they achieved. They’ve created this genre which is very different, and we have brilliant directors who really get the style of it and the tone. It’s very specific.”

yahoo

In Season 2’s second episode, airing Sunday, Javier tells Letty he’s going on his annual solo camping trip to mourn the little brother whose accidental death his father still blames him for. In reality, as Letty learns in the exclusive sneak peek above, Javier has taken another job to help pay for her son’s private school. She’ll spend most of the episode trying to keep Javier from being alone with his mark. “She’s doing it for the good of Javier and her son, because if he continues to carry out these jobs then he’s not holding up his end of the bargain [of being there to help raise Jacob]. The danger [of the FBI catching Javier] only increases with each job that he does,” she says. “And, of course, they’re aware now that somebody is trying to kill Javier, and they don’t know who that is.”

This season, even more than the first, has a “Bonnie and Clyde feel to it,” Dockery says. That’s fitting, considering Dockery’s next role is one that won Bonnie and Clyde‘s Faye Dunaway her Oscar. She’ll star as ruthless television executive Diana Christensen in the first stage adaptation of the 1976 film Network, opposite Bryan Cranston as mad-as-hell anchorman Howard Beale, which runs Nov. 4 through March 24 at London’s National Theatre. “I love the film, it’s a classic, and the adaptation is brilliant — so much of it is [Paddy] Chayefsky’s original dialogue that [playwright] Lee Hall has done a brilliant job at working it for the stage,” Dockery says. “And it is incredibly current, this sense of unrest and unease. There’s a lot of angry people out there, and I think it’s something that has come at the right time.”

She’d been eying a return to the stage, where she began her career, for a long time and jumped at the chance to act with Cranston, whom she’d previously only met once, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “He’s such a lovely man, and, of course, someone who I’ve loved since Breaking Bad,” Dockery says. “So it’s an honor to work with him.”

Michelle Dockery as Alice Fletcher in Netflix’s ‘Godless’ (Photo: James Minchin/Netflix)

Come Nov. 22, she’ll be back on the small screen in Godless, the Netflix limited series from writer/director Scott Frank and executive producers Steven Soderbergh and Casey Silver. The seven-part drama is an authentic Western, centered on a town run mainly by women. Dockery stars as outsider Alice Fletcher, a widow who finds herself in the middle of a brewing showdown between a wounded outlaw (Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell) who shows up at her ranch in the middle of night and his former gang, led by his revenge-seeking father figure (Jeff Daniels).

Dockery never dreamed she’d get to be in a Western — “Of course it’s something that you’d love to do, but they’re incredibly rare, especially for a Brit,” she says with a laugh — let alone one that tells a new kind of story. “Those towns, where it was solely women and children because the men had died in a mining accident, were common during that time,” she says. “Along with all of the conventions of a Western — the bad guys and the good guys — there is this story running through it of just the people and how they lived in the town, and a sense of loneliness, that everyone essentially is alone, and the relationships that develop between people, and just daily life in the West in the 1880s. It’s something that I’ve never really seen before on television. It is a truly beautiful masterpiece, I think, and I’m very proud of it.”

youtube

The project has been over a decade in the making. “Initially it was a film script, that Scott Frank has been working on for 10, 15 years,” she says. “So I feel really fortunate to be part of it. We all feel like that, because it could’ve happened years ago [with a different cast]. It could’ve happened at any different time.”

That leads us to our final question: Will patience pay off for Downton Abbey fans, who are hoping to see Lady Mary return for that proposed movie? “That’s always the last question!” Dockery says with another laugh. “I remain hopeful. It’s just difficult to get together 18 strong cast members. I think it’ll all be about timing, so we’ll see.”

Good Behavior airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on TNT.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

‘Godless’ first look: Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever get their guns

Review: ‘Mindhunter’ and the origins of serial-killer entertainment

Frank Oz restores dark original ending of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ for Trump era (exclusive)

#news #_revsp:wp.yahoo.tv.us #good behavior #downton abbey #bryan cranston #_author:Mandi Bierly #godless #netflix #_category:yct:001000086 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT #interviews #network #michelle dockery #_uuid:bb0c2e8a-d2f3-395a-a173-925538cea657 #tnt

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thechasefiles · 6 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 1/24/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 24th January 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

SPEAK UP – Do more to stop all these guns coming into Barbados! That was the call from President of the Senate, Sir Richard Cheltenham, as he reacted to the rising incidence of gun violence. So far for the year, there have been 13 reported shooting incidents, four of which resulted in deaths. Declaring there must be “a conversation” on guns coming in, he asked: “Where are these guns coming from?” He added that no-one seemed prepared “to speak with candour and frankness”. Speaking to THE NATION in Parliament Yard before the Senate sitting began, the Queen’s Counsel suggested that not enough was being done by the agencies charged with responsibility for investigating the origin of the many guns on the island. “Those who have responsibility for guarding the country – Coast Guard, the police, the airwing – all of them know about it, but nobody seems to say where are these guns coming from and how they are getting in here. That is the disturbing thing,” he said˚. “Nobody is saying a word about them, nor are they saying anything for themselves . . . . They don’t drop from the heavens like manna!” (DN)

DLP CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION – The Democratic Labour party is calling on Government to present a plan to tackle the worrisome gun violence now plaguing the country. Following the latest gun crime in Baxter’s Road St Michael on Wednesday night, the DLP issued a statement on its Facebook page calling for immediate action. “We are witnessing a spate of killings unprecedented in the history of Barbados. The Democratic Labour Party now calls on the Government to come to the people with its plan to fight crime in this country,” the statement said. It called for the Mottley led administration to move beyond public relations ‘grins’ and ‘handshakes’ saying, “ The current crime spree will take more than a photo opportunity in the form of a walk through citizens are afraid, they are nervous and uncertain.” (DN)

SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT – Josephine Hughes and Leroy London are desperately seeking answers about their son’s disappearance on Sunday. It was around 8:30 p.m. when police received a report that Lindy London, 15, was missing after he got into difficulty in strong currents at the “Hot Pot” area at Brighton Beach, St Michael. He has not been seen since. However, his parents were dissatisfied with the reports given to police, and instead are claiming that he was “lured to the beach”. “I am so devastated,” said Hughes. “I had trouble sleeping. I usually know everywhere he goes and I never heard him telling me about the beach. In fact, when he came out of the Government Industrial School, I told him the beach is one place I don’t feel comfortable with him going.” On December 13, he returned to his Bridge Cot, St George home after spending four and a half years at the Government Industrial School. His parents said they saw a change in the behaviour of the former St George Secondary School student after he returned home. They said he wanted to further his education and had participated in baptism classes at the People’s Cathedral. (DN)

UPDATE : POLICE IDENTIFY BODY FOUND IN ST THOMAS - Police have released the name of the man whose body was found lying along the roadside at Edgehill, St Thomas last night. He is 35-year-old Barry Delonor Taylor of Shop Hill in the same parish. According to a media release, he had a laceration at the back of his neck. (DN)

MOTHER GRIEVES OVER SLAIN SON – The mother of the young man who was found bleeding at the side of the road at Cane Garden, St Thomas, where he eventually died, wants her son’s killer(s) found before he goes to his grave. A devastated Joan Benn who last saw her 35-year-old son Barry Taylor at their Shop Hill, St Thomas home just over an hour before his bloody and lifeless body was discovered with stab wounds around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday said she just wants justice for her child. She said she last saw Taylor around 5 p.m. that same day when he told her ‘good evening mummy’, to which she replied ‘good evening Barry’. He then told her he was leaving. “I want them hold before the week done. Before Barry get in he grave I want them hold,” the sobbing mother told Barbados TODAY. “I just feel empty. It is unbelievable. I ain’t supposed to bury he; he is supposed to bury me. Everybody trying to hold up. Everybody trying to cope with it because it is not easy,” she added. Benn said she received the tragic news about the death of the first of her three children from a co-worker who was passing the area on her way home. “She saw him, recognized he was my son and she came and told me. I could not believe it. A gentleman who lives not too far from there saw him take his last breath. He said he was stumbling and then he dropped down,” she said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. As she wiped the tears away with a blue washcloth, the mother said she has been struggling to understand why somebody would have carried out such an act on Taylor whom she described as someone who did not “get into anything”. “He would be in and out. He would be in Shop Hill and Jackson and sometimes he would go in town and come home quick. He would be in and out, but in the area,” she said. The Shop Hill community was quiet when Barbados TODAY visited the area this morning. Most of Taylor’s family members were locked away in their houses, which are all situated close to each other. His aunt Betty Springer said she knew her nephew to be one to run away from crowds. She said most of Tuesday he was at home listening to music. “I can’t believe it. I helped to raise him. Barry doesn’t trouble you. Up to yesterday Barry was home playing his music. Barry doesn’t trouble you so I don’t know how this happen. This thing got everybody shocked. I went to the scene but I could not go close to the body. I could not look at my nephew that way,” the aunt said. Benn said Taylor was a former St Leonard’s Boys student who loved playing football and had represented Shop Hill in that sport. A resident who lives close to the scene told Barbados TODAY the image of Taylor’s mother sitting in a chair crying as she watched her son’s body waiting to be removed from the scene, was a sad sight that he believed would stay with him for a long. “That ain’t nothing no mother should have to go through. I don’t understand why all of this killing and violence,” the concerned resident said. (BT)

UPDATE: MAN DIES IN BAXTER’S ROAD SHOOTING – Police have confirmed that the man shot in Baxter’s Road St Michael has succumbed to his injuries. It’s now the fourth murder by gun for the year and the 13th reported shooting incident. Police have not yet released the name of the victim. (DN)

GUILTY PLEA – At 27, Jeff Confield Washington has been deemed medically unfit and is therefore unable to work. As a result, he has an unpaid fine of $555 which carries with it an alternative of 55 days in jail which was ordered by Magistrate Graveney Bannister in January last year. When Washington, of Lewis Gap, Green Hill, St Michael, appeared before acting Magistrate Anika Jackson today in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife, Shauntelle Waithe, occasioning her actual bodily harm on November 16, 2018. According to Prosecutor, PC Kenmore Phillips, on the day of the incident, the couple was in the Cheapside Terminal and during a struggle, Washington struck his wife in her belly. She was seven months pregnant. She said she felt light-headed and then started to vomit. The prosecutor said she was taken to the Branford Taitt Polyclinic, Black Rock, St Michael, where she was treated and discharged and the matter reported to the police. According to the prosecutor, on January 22, 2019, Washington was taken to the police station where he was charged. Washington however told the court that when he heard the police wanted him, he went to the police station. It was at this point the accused informed the court that he had not taken his medication and the acting Magistrate allowed him to sit. She then looked at the antecedents on his card noting that he had committed similar offences and had even threatened a member of the judiciary. Washington admitted that it was the magistrate who had ordered the fine which remained unpaid. He said he had a head injury which caused him to be hospitalized. He explained to the court that he is supported by his brother and wife and he could not ask his brother to pay the fine. The acting magistrate said she was bound by that sentence of 55 days and sentenced him to three months in jail for the incident with his wife to run concurrent with the 55 days for not paying the earlier fine. (BT)

COMPLAINANT NO LONGER INTERESTED – It’s time to revert to the situation where a complainant should be asked to pay costs after coming to court and saying he or she was no longer going through with the matter. Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson presiding in the District ‘A Magistrates’ Court made the comment today after complainant Shaquille Smith said she was no longer going through with the case involving Kadeem Rashad Scantlebury. Pointing out that she was not casting aspersions at those in the matter before her, she added “I feel we should go back to those times, because it’s not only wasting the police time and the court’s time, but also it’s costing taxpayers money,” the acting Magistrate noted. She then dismissed the matter. (BT)

SMALL DRUG FIND LANDS BIG FINE – “Ma’am I feel responsible. It will never happen again. I am very sorry it happened.” These were the words of 28-year-old Andre Xavier Leacock, of Combermere Street, St. Michael, who pleaded guilty to having $15 worth of cannabis on January 20, 2019. Prosecutor, PC Kenmore Phillips told the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court that the police were along Dalkeith Road and stopped the car which Leacock was driving and found the drug under the floor on the driver’s side. Acting Magistrate Anika Jackson noted his early guilty plea and fined him $750 in a day or one month in jail. (BT)

CORRUPTION PUTS SOCIETY AT RISK – Opposition Senator Crystal Drakes wants the level of corruption in Barbados to be identified. Then, she wants those persons identified to have engaged in the illegal practices brought to justice. Those were her suggestions as she spoke during debate on the Public Finance Management Bill 2019 in the Senate this afternoon. “What I’m asking us to do as we move forward is to identify the level of corruption that we have, because if we sit here and say there is possibly corruption, or there maybe is corruption, it is to deny that we are unaware of any of these wrongdoings. “It’s only when we acknowledge it…you can then only start to solve it. In acknowledging we have to then start to report it,” Drakes said. The senator also partly blamed the country’s current economic situation on those persons who engaged in corrupt practices. “So when we here in Barbados have these cases where we hear either outright in public or in whispers of unscrupulous deals being made and large unexplainable contracts being given to persons, that is what has contributed to us coming to this point in time. “I want to say that anyone who has ever benefited from such deals, or fat contracts as people would call them, you have in your small or large way contributed to why Barbados is now at the place it is at,” Haynes said. “Yes we have issues with our economic structures, as far as the drivers are concerned, but when you compound low growth with elements of wastage and mismanagement, you make the situation even more dire.” She said the actions of those corrupt individuals had left Government’s hands tied and meant tough measures now had to be implemented. “What you do as an individual then leaves the Government to have to cut expenditure, you leave a Government to now have to send home workers, you leave a Government to raise taxes to the point where it feels almost burdensome to the others in society. “Sometimes we talk about these things as if they are abstract concepts. It is corruption by persons, by individuals. You are the ones who are placing your society at risk, this is where it leads us. So when there is poor mismanagement and a disregard for integrity you lead a country to the brink of economic turmoil where no one is left untouched by harsh measures,” Haynes said. (BT)

‘GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE LIABLE TOO’, SAYS SENATOR - Independent Senator Monique Taitt is suggesting that Government incurs a penalty for failing to pay for services or pay income tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and Corporation tax refunds within a stipulated time. Taitt, who was addressing the Upper House today as she contributed to debate on the Public Finance Management Bill, said it would only be fair for the government to be penalized just as individuals and companies were if they failed to meet their obligations to Government. “What are the penalties for the government failing to repay or remit if they don’t take on the suggestion of interest and penalties? Are you calling upon individuals to have to go to court, which is an additional cost, or at the end of the day is it just lip service where you got to wait anyway because it is Government? I am just asking these questions because to me public finance is not only revenue generation it is also for the people. It is also ensuring that people are not crippled, because an asset rich cash poor company is a recipe for disaster,” said Taitt. She said it was about time the government addressed the issue of income tax, VAT and corporation tax refunds, adding that the new Bill should make provision for Government to be held responsible. She insisted that while Government seemed to have an “air-tight, organized and structured piece of legislation in place to deal with the ills of public finance management” it should also ensure that “the people for whom this Bill has been devised” also benefit. “I have a client who told me they are owed over $60,000 in VAT returns, $30,000 of which is over a year old. So I am just querying and hoping that with this new Public Finance Management Bill that the proper system of accounts of all money received and paid by the government will speak to things like income tax returns, VAT returns, when you do a job for the Government,” she said. “I am hoping that with the advent of this Bill that those things will be properly managed and if they are not, just as how if you don’t pay your land tax on time or income tax on time there are interest and penalties, will the government by virtue of having all of this going on, by allowing persons to whom they owe either remittances or refunds, allow those persons to benefit from interest and penalties as well?” she asked. Saying she hoped it would not take up to a year for the government to pay what it owed, Taitt also questioned what mechanisms would be put in place to ensure that the proposed legislation was effective. “It cannot be for example, that when you go on the BRA (Barbados Revenue Authority) website they are telling you that TAMIS is down and they apologize for any inconvenience caused and they are trying to get their technical people to deal with it. So, there are VAT returns that as far as I am aware, are yet to be filed because they can’t get on to TAMIS or whatever system deals with VAT. If you are the agency to collect, you should be running effectively. So I am hoping that all the bells and whistles in this piece of legislation will also deal with the necessary infrastructure to allow it to work, if not this is all just rhetoric,” she explained. Taitt also questioned why the government did not allow for the settling of its debt by setting off what it owed individuals and businesses against what it owed by them. “That has always been a puzzle to me why set-offs are not happening at BRA,” said Taitt, “so that is another query I have as it relates to the public finance management of the country and the common sense of it all. You pay to get back instead of set-off?” she said. (BT)

RIGHT MOVE – Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn has welcomed the decision by Prime Minister Mia Mottley to remove some of the duties of Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, but said it was only done “half way”. In fact, Franklyn said he believed all Hinkson’s ministerial duties should have been taken away, though he did not say why. Franklyn, who was contributing to debate on the Public Finance Management Bill in the Senate on Wednesday, said he was ready to “support” the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration once it was “doing the right thing”. “I see the other day the Prime Minister took away some of their duties and I support it. If there is any fault that I could find with her in that regard is that she did not take away all. But when you do the right thing I will say so,” he quipped. “I am very serious she did the right thing this time, it is just that she did the half right thing because she should have carried away all. But be that as it may, I need you, this country needs you to do the right thing,” he urged Government. Last week Mottley relieved Hinkson of his duties related to the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) with immediate effect and reassigned them to Attorney General Dale Marshall. Hinkson was also relieved of responsibility for the Forensic Services Centre, the Criminal Justice Research Unit and the Police Complaints Authority. Hinkson has so far said he was in “total agreement” with the Prime Minister’s decision, indicating that he could now better manage his remaining duties. Turning his attention to the Bill, Franklyn urged Government to weed out corruption and bring people guilty of wrongdoing to justice. “I don’t feel that politicians or anybody should betray the public’s trust and get away with it. This is not a witch hunt, you are hunting thieves. So please go after these people. That last group did not carry away the pie, they carried away the whole pie and the pie pan and somebody needs to account for it,” he said, Pointing out that the legislation “goes a long way” to ensure that people would think twice before doing wrong, Franklyn said he did not believe it would stop people from “transgressing”, but would cause them to want to be more “innovative”. “Now that you are at the wheel you’ve got to stay the course and deal with these people,” insisted Franklyn. While lauding the BLP administration for “starting on this transparency thing”, Franklyn cried shame on the administration for not disclosing its intention of accepting $13.5 million for land at Coverley before it did. In making the announcement of the transaction, Mottley had revealed that the $13.5 million was three times the worth of the lands sold. However, insisting that he was not aware of the worth of the land, Franklyn said the fact that the deal was done before being made public “looks bad”. “When you have these private treaty arrangements it always leaves room for doubt. But if you brought it before Parliament and explained yourself, then it comes up here and we vote on it and we say yes, nobody can fault you. That is all I am saying,” he said. Franklyn, who previously called for members of the DLP found guilty of wrongdoing while in office to be brought to justice, said he was “hurting” and was eager to see them pay. He said it was the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that had caused the current administration to put certain measures in place to ensure transparency, but insisted that he wanted to see action in relation to weeding out corruption. “I want this administration to implement what it campaigned on, one that rules out corruption,” he said. The Public Finance Management Bill, among other things, outlines the roles and responsibilities of key government officials including ministers, permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and accounting officers. (BT)

STAY CLEAN – Members of the local business community are being warned to avoid corrupt business practices at all costs, following the indictment of two former senior insurance executives, in a US case centered on former minister of commerce, Donville Inniss. Last Friday, former Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) chief executive officer, Ingrid Innes, and former ICBL senior vice-president, Alex Tasker, were named as defendants in the money laundering case involving Inniss, a former Barbados government minister. In a Barbados TODAY interview, Inniss’ successor in office, Dwight Sutherland, indicated that while none of the parties had been convicted of wrongdoing in the high profile matter, the developments were still of concern. These developments prompted an appeal from Sutherland, who is also responsible for small business development, for members of the local business community to ensure they act in accordance with the regulations governing business while maintaining a high level of integrity. “I believe once you operate along those guidelines then we won’t have challenges in this country. It’s just to adhere to the guidelines and remove all the shortcuts. Try to follow the correct path as it relates to business practices,” he urged. With that advice, Sutherland gave the assurance that government would be placing more pressure on local business people. “I often look at the financial management legislation and the integrity legislation. These are some of the things that will allow businesses to operate with high ethical standards. Good governance structures will be put in place and it will augur well for Barbados. “These are the laws that will transform how we do business and help us to punch above our weight and move forward as a country with good regulation and good laws, where people will want to do business,” he said, while adding that in light of the country’s struggling economy, “you will get one or two challenges in terms of deviant behavior and a bit of corruption, but once we revive this economy, I am positive that many of these negatives and irregularities will be stamped out.” Meanwhile, the minister stressed that the news of Donville Inniss’ alleged involvement in the matter should not be a point of celebration by members of the current government. “We shouldn’t be celebrating any ill or damage being sustained to the colleagues on the other side . . . and I say colleague because we all are supposed to be working toward the good of this country. Indeed it is sad,” he said. However, he said the development has been a wake-up call and has motivated him to do all in his power to avoid a situation similar to his predecessor’s. “Politicians need to bring ethical standards and a sense of responsibility and a sense of purpose where people can trust us and feel empowered. I am looking forward to a country where people can begin to look at us [politicians] through one lens instead of with skepticism. “We will do justice to this country in terms of facilitating high business practices and make sure that everything we do is above board and can withstand any form of scrutiny or regulations and I think that is how all politicians ought to operate,” he said, while adding that government had its work cut out to regain the confidence of citizens. “We have to bring back a level of respectability to how people see us. We should be seen as role models for young people and indeed that is my mission and my mandate,” he promised. (BT)

‘GOVERNMENT DRAGGING ITS FEET’, SAYS GEORGE – The head of this island’s renewable energy sector is warning Government to pick up the pace on key infrastructural and policy changes, otherwise, the goal of making Barbados 100 per cent dependent on renewable energy by 2030, will amount to nothing more than just fancy talk. This is the view of president of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA), Jerry George, who explained that among other critical issues to be addressed, Government must immediately extend Barbados Light and Power’s (BL&P) licence to provide electricity to the island. He explained that it was unreasonable to expect BL&P to make substantial investments in renewable energy infrastructure without assurances after their licence expires in 11 years. Speaking to reporters this morning at BREA’s 7th annual general meeting at the 3W’s Oval pavilion, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, George made it clear that without the investments from BL&P, Government’s goal was simply out of reach. “The utility company’s involvement is critical. We cannot do this without the involvement of the utility company and currently their licence expires in 11 years. This might sound like a long time to some people, but I can assure that it is not. They (BL&P) will need to start to make investments to support this transition and they are going to be hesitant to do that if they don’t know if they even going to be existing in the next 11 years. So, we strongly believe that the utility’s licence needs to get addressed now so that they can be part of this process in developing the detailed strategy on how we move forward to 100 per cent renewable energy,” explained George. In addition to the licence, George also expressed concern about the length of time that it is still taking investors to get the requisite permissions for renewable energy projects. “This cannot continue going forward. We have scenarios where projects have been under development for over two or three years and if we are to achieve this target then we cannot be taking this long to make a decision. There must be ministerial synchronization with the policy. It is not just about the Ministry of Energy alone. All departments that play a role must be on the same page,” said George. The renewable energy advocate emphasised, “This is a national target, and everybody must be aligned so that when an application is being made for a solar farm all of the various Government agencies must have their processes in place so that the decision can be made quickly and that developer can know if he is going ahead or not.” The BREA president noted that the eight-month-old Mia Mottley administration has been brought up to speed on the issue of the licence. However, he is concerned that with only a short time remaining for such an ambitious enterprise of switching fully to renewable energy, there is not enough urgency being shown. “The Government is well aware of this and a number of other issues. We raised it with them when the new administration came in. We are aware that there have already been a number of policies and regulatory amendments made as well as new documents developed. We are hoping that we will hear about some of these decisions early in this year,” he stressed. (BT)

BLP’S OPENNESS LAUDED – The Public Finance Management Bill 2019 has been described by Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology Kay McConney as “show and tell at the very highest level of financial management”. And according to her, the bill has brought about such a high level of transparency that Government is now “practically naked” when it comes to the management of public finances. “This bill is a bold next step in prudent financial management and fiscal governance for Barbados. This bill represents a higher standard of responsible government to meet the expectations of our citizens, the expectations of our local investors and the expectations of our international investors and partners,” McConney said during debate in the Senate this morning. “With this bill, the present government is standing up for the public interest. We are committing first ourselves to an unprecedented level of openness about how government manages public finances and by so doing, we are setting this country on a path to sustainability.” McConney said among other things the bill would bring discipline to the practice of financial management in all of Government, enable transparency in the public’s interest, mandate accountability for all persons who serve as public officials with responsibilities for handling public monies, as well as to introduce proactive risk management into the culture of financial management in Barbados. “We have had a situation in Barbados where state-owned entities especially, although not exclusively, operated under separate Acts, held themselves to standards and rules of financial management that were loose and this looseness led to incidences of mismanagement and wastage and possibly corruption that put this country’s economy in danger,” McConney said. “It filled the pockets of an unscrupulous few and it left the people of Barbados vex. This bill proposes to tighten up on this looseness . . .” The minister said she was pleased that the bill was not “empty” and carried sanctions of up to a $200 000 fine and five years in prison or both for those persons found guilty. McConney said the current administration has shown its willingness to take steps to weed out all forms of corruption. “This current Barbados Labour Party administration has come to the point of bringing this bill before this Honourable House as a government that has long been committed to raising the standards and practices of prudent financial management to a higher level in Barbados. “We cannot ‘unring’ the bells of financial mismanagement, of seeming negligence and possible corruption that are still ringing in our ears at home and abroad from the decisions and actions of the last government administration,” McConney said. “We cannot rewind the damage done to Barbados’ reputation internationally, but we can do better. We can hold ourselves to a higher standard going forward.” (BT)

PELOSI: NO STATE OF THE UNION IN THE HOUSE UNTIL SHUTDOWN ENDS – President Donald Trump declared his yearly State of the Union address "canceled" on Wednesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not allow him to deliver the speech in the House chamber while the government is shut down. "She doesn't want to hear the truth. She doesn't want the American public to hear what's going on," Trump said from the Cabinet Room after Pelosi made her intentions known in a letter. Trump bemoaned the decision, calling it a "great blotch on the incredible country we love." "It's a great, great, horrible mark," Trump said. Trump had insisted earlier in a letter that he was planning on presenting his annual address from the chamber of the US House next week as planned, essentially daring the body's top Democrat to formally disinvite him from delivering the yearly message. Hours later, Pelosi appeared to take the dare, saying she would refuse to bring up for a vote a measure that would allow Trump to speak. "I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the President's State of the Union address in the House Chamber until the government has opened," Pelosi wrote. Speaking from the White House Roosevelt Room as Pelosi's letter became public, the President vowed to formally respond soon. "I'm not surprised," Trump said. "It's really a shame what's happening with the Democrats. They've become radicalized. They don't want to see crime stopped." Asked about a new venue, Trump said only: "We'll see." The back-and-forth escalated one of the rancorous subplots of the extended standoff over border security that has shuttered government agencies and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay. Even as the two leaders wrote each other in letters dripping with barely veiled disgust, they did not plan to meet face-to-face and haven't spoken directly in weeks. Trump's letter, written with characteristic flourish, dismissed concerns raised by Pelosi about security during a partial government shutdown. The Democratic speaker controls the chamber's proceedings and must allow for a vote on his speech. "I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union," Trump wrote in his letter. He said he'd consulted with Secret Service and Homeland Security officials, who told him of "absolutely no problem regarding security with respect to the event." And he declared the speech would occur on Tuesday from the House chamber. "It would be so very sad for our country, if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!" he wrote. As speaker, it is Pelosi's prerogative to invite the President to deliver the annual address. Both the House and the Senate would need to pass resolutions convening a Joint Session of Congress before the President's appearance. The letter was the latest in a round of squabbling over the yearly speech, which is a constitutional requirement that has been caught up in the back-and-forth over border security and reopening shuttered government agencies. Pelosi initially wrote Trump last week to inform him the speech should be delayed, or delivered in writing, since the law enforcement agencies tasked with protecting the Capitol during the event are affected by the shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security later cast those concerns aside, saying its agents and officers had been preparing for months to protect the venue, and would be ready shutdown or not. (DN)

DIRE SITUATION – A group of Venezuelans living in Barbados is accusing local dignitaries of deliberately spreading propaganda on behalf of the Venezuelan government by returning with fake news reports on the country’s situation after government-sponsored trips to the country. Upset Venezuelans told Barbados TODAY that the “propaganda” was intended to give the impression that “everything is fine and dandy” in the country, which is widely reported as being in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, fuelled by a dictator. The local group came together near Accra Beach to protest the tenure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – joining thousands of their countrymen living in 70 countries around the world, who are demanding that he be removed from office. Political activists, including Barbados’ ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), David Commissiong and General Secretary of the Friends of Venezuela Solidarity Committee, David Denny, have on numerous occasions defended the Maduro-led government of Venezuela amid continued criticism. However, some Venezuelans living in Barbados say their families are suffering in Venezuela and have dismissed the accounts of local activists. “A lot of local dignitaries say Venezuela is fantastic, but I invite them and I have invited them on social media, to go to Venezuela and live with a Venezuelan family. Take your wife with you and when your wife is going through that time of the month that every lady goes through, take her to a supermarket to find sanitary napkins. Take your child with you and when he gets a headache, try to get aspirin for the child; you won’t find it,” said Jose Zerba, who has been living in Barbados for over 30 years since migrating from Venezuela. Instead, Zerba accused the local dignitaries of doing a disservice with their accounts of the situation in the country. “The government of Venezuela will invite you to Venezuela for a week, so that you can come back and talk about Venezuela. You’re going to fly first class if you don’t go on a private aircraft. You’re going to stay as a guest of the government. You’re going to get all three of your meals and if you want champagne with breakfast, you can have that along with a private car to pick you up and take you where you want to go,” he said. Earlier this month, a number of Barbadians travelled to Venezuela to attend the January 10th Presidential Inauguration of Nicolas Maduro and reported that the election process was fair, despite reports from countless international media that the election was rigged. Maria Gloumeau, another Venezuelan protester, however, told Barbados TODAY that their families were “dying and crying” and when they go against the government are being killed and imprisoned. “We are supporting our Venezuelan people to take out Mr. Nicolas Maduro who has taken presidency as a dictator because he was not elected by the people. “The news that comes from Barbadians who go to Venezuela is usually from people who are taken there by the government. They see a different country to what exists. There’s no medicine, there’s no food, there’s a lot of insecurity, there’s nothing,” she said in despair. Last May, Head of the Department of Government, Sociology and Social Work at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Tennyson Joseph declared that Venezuela was “more democratic than Barbados,” following criticism of the Maduro government’s handling of the situation in Venezuela. Joseph more recently has also called on regional governments to respect Venezuela’s right to self-determination. However, Venezuelans living in Barbados have described last May’s election in Venezuela as fraudulent. Instead, they say that many around the world were asking for help to create a transition toward a new government and new elections. “Venezuela today sits on the world’s largest confirmed oil reserves. Venezuela has bauxite, diamonds and gold, but at the same time, Venezuela is the poorest country after Haiti in the hemisphere,” argued Zerba. Much to the delight of the protestors, Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido, today declared himself the country’s interim president before thousands of demonstrators in Caracas as the latest step to end the Maduro’s reign as President. (BT)

80MILLION BONUS – Barbados is really getting its money’s worth in cricket. The economic impact of this England tour may be even greater than first thought, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) estimates that the country will gain more than US$40 million (BDS$80 million) in foreign exchange. CWI chief executive officer Johnny Grave made the assessment yesterday after 7 000 travelling Brits stormed Kensington Oval for the opening day of the first Test match. “We commissioned an independent report a few years ago that said the economic impact of an England tour was approximately US$5 million a day. I think there are more England fans here than the previous tour [because] we’re up to 7 000 at least here just for the cricket,” said Grave. “And I think [more] people probably would have been here in the masses if it wasn’t the hotel accommodation and flight availability. Most of the hotel rooms are full and overflowing, which is fantastic. “With this game and the two one day internationals (ODIs) to come, we’re looking at probably almost conservatively US$30 million, US$40 million worth of economic impact, which is brilliant and not just for Barbados but also the millions of people back in the United Kingdom watching the cricket who have never come here on holiday or think they need to get back here on holiday,” he added. (DN)

WINDIES CRUMBLE IN LAST SESSION – Test cricket is about sustaining solid starts into substantial scores and not flattering with 40s and 50s. The West Indies’ specialist batsmen should have learnt that lesson at the close of an engrossing opening day of the first Wisden Trophy cricket Test at Kensington Oval, on Wednesday, after England gained the ascendancy. Much to the delight of close to 7 000 English visitors in the stands, veteran seamer James Anderson and all-rounder Ben Stokes transformed promising positions of 126 for one and 240 for four into an unsatisfactory 264 for eight in 89.2 overs at stumps. Anderson snared three late scalps with the second new ball to finish with the excellent figures of four for 33 in 24 probing overs, while Stokes supported with three for 47 off 19.2 overs. The West Indies definitely enjoyed the early proceedings but lost four wickets for just 34 runs in the last 9.2 overs after England took the second new ball at 230-4. Shai Hope and Roston Chase fell after making 50s while openers Kraigg Brathwaite and debutantJohn Campbell perished in the 40s. Exciting rookie left-handed stroke-maker Shimron Hetmyer was not out on a typically attacking 56, which was adorned with five fours and two sixes off just 60 balls. Unfortunately, only fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel are left to bat for the Windies to get close to the 300-mark. (DN)

GREEN MACHINES KEEP TITLE – The Green Machines pulled out all their stops when they retained the title at Luther Thorne’s Inter-house Athletics Championships at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, on Wednesday. Their total of 661 points was just enough to leave the Yellow Tigers in their shadow once more after they gained 647 points following a tough fight. The Blue Blazers were third with 551 and the Red Lions fourth with 524. Leading the charge for Green was Nitara Clarke of the Under-13 division with 50 points. The speedy queen of the track won the 100, 200, 400 and 600 metres Open Girls events, as well as the long jump. Yellow’s Creston Hinds of the Under-9 division won the victor ludorum title. (DN)

CENTENARIAN LIVES BY ‘A TOUCH OF BRANDY – Coral Osaline Agard started her day with a session of prayer thanking God for helping her to reach 100 years old. Then she got busy in her kitchen preparing her lunch, which included frying pot fish. Relatives who gathered at her Appleby Gardens, St James home to celebrate the big day which also included a visit from Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, told members of the media that Agard does not only cook for herself and keep her surroundings clean and tidy, but she also takes pride in catching the bus to go wherever she wants to. Agard who is lovingly referred to as “the road runner” acts as though her walking stick is just a prop, as she is still able to walk upright on her own. Relatives recalled that just two years ago, the old lady was still going to the supermarket to do her own grocery shopping. “I am feeling fine. I am not complaining,” declared the centenarian who said that she embraced the tough and happy times she has encountered throughout life’s journey. A seemingly quiet Agard, who has one daughter, four grands, five great-grands and four great-great grands, did not have much to say other than she was feeling grateful. However, her granddaughter, Olivet Hinds, said her grandmother worked heading cane at Porters factory and then worked as a cleaner in the tourism industry. “She is in good health. She is always on the road. She likes to go places. It is only in the last year that we have stopped her being independent. She is now here living with mummy and my brother. But all like now she still cooks. “She doesn’t go out alone anymore. But wherever she wants to go, she has her attendant there and on the bus they go wherever driving. And you always have to tell her granny the stick goes on the ground not under your arm. She has a stick just to pose with,” Hinds said. She said her grandmother also believes that the “touch” of brandy she has been drinking every Saturday night for many years, is what gets you to the 100 mark. The granddaughter said the kind and gentle matriarch would give her last to a stranger. “Anybody would tell you that. I use to work on Broad Street and I would be at lunch going down Broad Street and I would pass granny. I would ask her, ‘granny where you going?’ and she would say ‘I going to the hospital to look for somebody. Who in the hospital? I don’t know. “She going to look for the sick and take stuff for the people at the hospital. She would give the last of whatever it is she has to a stranger. She does not even have to know you. As long as you look like you are in need, she would take her shoes off and walk on the hot road,” Hinds said. Governor General Dame Sandra Mason commended Agard for the role she has played in shaping the lives of future generations. The centenarian who was busy enjoying the company of the youngest member of her family, 10-month-old Lux Corbin who came in from Canada to share the special day with her, told Barbados TODAY that she intended to spend the rest of her birthday quietly. (BT)

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